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November 12th, 2018 21:00

Alienware 13 R1 no longer supports Dell Graphics Amplifier?

I currently own an Alienware 13 R1 laptop with a Dell Graphics Amplifier port in the back, and I plan to purchase a new graphics card to use externally.

I found this system requirements omitting Alienware 13 R1 here:

https://www.dell.com/support/article/au/en/aubsd1/sln300946/alienware-graphics-amplifier-supported-graphics-card-list?lang=en

I would like to know:

  • Is it a typo? That Alienware 13 R1 is actually supported, but it's not listed alongside with R2 and R3?
  • If it's not a typo, and it is confirmed Alienware 13 R1 is not supported, where can I get a list of supported graphics cards for my laptop?
  • I have no choice but to buy a new laptop so I can use Dell Graphics Amplifier with one of the supported list of graphics cards?

November 14th, 2018 21:00

That link above is what I am asking about. It says 13 R1 is supported, but it is not listed on the second link you have given. It is very confusing.

 

Does this mean I can use Nvidia RTX 2070 with my Alienware 13 R1 laptop?

December 5th, 2018 05:00

Ok, I can now confirm that I can run Nvidia RTX cards on the Alienware 13 R1. Due to excitement, I went about and posted my findings on Reddit, not realizing this question was still left hanging in the air.

Steps to do this:

  1. Purchase any RTX cards that is a 2-slot, and is around 10.5 inches (26.67 cm) by 4.5 inches (11.43 cm), if measuring with the PCIe lanes facing down to the floor, and the VGA/DVI/HDMI/USB ports are facing towards you. I used an Asus Nvidia RTX 20x0 Turbo series card, which are all the smallest 2-slot RTX cards available that's not from Nvidia. This card fits inside the AGA nicely with the AGA lid closed, including the power cable wirings at the top of the card. 
  2. Get Alienware 13 R1 of any model, assuming you have Windows OS (7, 8, ,8.1, 10). (I have the glorious 720p Alienware 13 R1, the cheapest model, with Windows 10 Pro.)
  3. Install "Alienware Graphics Amplifier (AGA) drivers for Alienware 13 R1".
  4. Open Nvidia GeForce Experience (NGE), and enable "Automatically download drivers and let me choose when to install" in the Settings.
  5. Shut down laptop. Unplug all HDMI/USB/Thunderport/DisplayPort cables, except for the power cables.
  6. Grab AGA. Insert RTX card and do some wirings. Plug external monitor to AGA.
  7. Do not plug in the AGA to the laptop just yet.
  8. Turn on laptop again.
  9. When logging into Windows, open NGE. This action will cause NGE to check and download the latest drivers (412.36 as of writing).
  10. Once finished downloading, use NGE to install drivers. Do not manually install drivers online, because this has to do with the Nvidia drivers split into desktop and laptop drivers. You can easily grab desktop drivers, but it's hard to get laptop drivers (for me). And you need to have laptop drivers only for Alienware 13 R1.
  11. Once the installation has completed, turn off laptop.
  12. Plug AGA into laptop. AGA cables do not support hot-plugging, so it's not like USB, which the OS can auto-detect and do autoruns.
  13. Turn on laptop. 
  14. Run NGE again.
  15. Let NGE update and download latest driver again.
  16. Let NGE install drivers for you. This is so that the RTX card uses the same graphics drivers as the laptop.
  17. Once completed, turn off laptop.
  18. With AGA still plugged in, turn on laptop.
  19. If previously, the laptop was already configured to extend displays, your external monitor will now lit up. If not, you will need to extend your display via the Display Settings in Windows OS control panel.

 

What I don't know about is:

  • If there is a newer Nvidia driver, do you still need to update the drivers with AGA unplugged AND AGA plugged (meaning you need to update and install Nvidia drivers twice)?
  • Do you just update the drivers with AGA plugged in while not touching the drivers with the AGA unplugged?

Thanks.

10 Elder

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23.1K Posts

November 13th, 2018 09:00

33 Posts

November 16th, 2018 04:00

I would say that if you cannot find someone with a 13r1 that has used this new series 20 gpu and confirmed it works ok I would contact Dell Support and ask them before buying one.

December 5th, 2018 20:00

DONT buy any RTX GPU's on the market currently as the 2080 Ti FE are experiencing multiple Failures and Fire risk...

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2018/11/21/rtx_2080_ti_fe_escapes_testing_by_dying_after_8_hours/

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