Dell is no longer selling the AGA (Alienware Graphics Amplifier) on our websites. When I go here and search for, "alienware graphics amplifier", there is not a sales link. When I go here, the AGA is also not listed. When customizing Alienware Laptops, the AGA is not listed under Accessories.
The AGA is not supported by Dell with the RTX 3080/3090 due to wattage issues. In the future, the AGA might be supported with the RTX 3070 which is why the later models still have the rear AGA port.
On page 2 #15, MogRules says: "Yes, it seems to be sorted now that Nvidia has provided proper driver support. I have tested my 3080 in the AGA and it worked flawlessly, and others have tested the 3070 and 3090 as well without issue. It should work just like any other GPU now. Keep in mind the only officially supported GPU's are the 3060 and 3070, so technically the 3080 / 3090 are still not officially supported, but they do work."
There is an official Dell post in the sticky sticky, FAQ Alienware Laptops- AGA (Alienware Graphic Amplifier) FAQ. The higher end 3000-series GPUs are not supported by Dell in AGA devices.
Beyond that, before choosing a video card do some shopping. You'll find some mid-range GPUs like the RX580 and nVidia equivalent selling for upward of $800 and more -- and high end cards sell for twice that and more when you can even find them.
Unless you have the funds and aren't averse to over-paying, this year is not a good time to be looking for a GPU.
Just to clarify, when you say in the future the 3070 will be supported by the AGA you are saying that there will be an update to the drivers allowing the 3070 to be supported by the current AGA due to it's lower power requirements.
If that's the case, I suppose I will purchase a second hand AGA and keep hold of it as I cannot purchase from the Dell store in the UK or Switzerland but it is very much still listed as a feature for the Alienware 51m R2, I really think this should be removed if it's a legacy device that cannot be purchased. I hope you understand where I am coming from and I entirely understand that this has little to do with you.
It would be great if someone from Dell could clarify as to whether a newer version of the AGA is planned for development as there are a lot of confused customers posting about this on notebookcheck, reddit etc. Having a proprietary that allows superior performance than a basic eGPU which is bottlenecked by Thunderbolt is quite a big selling point for many people.
Thanks for the info and have a great day!
UDPATE/ 3070 AGA PERFORMANCE I have just done a quick search and it seems as though the 3070 got a timespy score of 11,329 which is slightly less than the internal RTX 2080 Super, however the 30 series cards have been proven to handle Ray-tracing much better and having the AGA would also add a little thermal headroom to the unit.
It's unlikely a simple power supply issue -- more likely, the mainboard inside the AGA isn't designed to handle the power requirements of the newer graphics cards.
That would explain the need to redesign the device to support these.
"you are saying that there will be an update to the drivers allowing the 3070 to be supported by the current AGA due to it's lower power requirements." I do not have the specifics on that line of question.
Agreed that they have not removed it from the Area-51m R2 main page, but notice it is not clickable. On the USA Area-51m R2 main page it is still present but not clickable. If I then click Customize & Buy, the AGA is not present under Accessories, so you cannot buy it.
"whether a newer version of the AGA is planned for development" I have not seen any Dell Alienware discussion about a newer version.
I hate to keep asking the same question, but I purchased an AGA with my m17 R2 w/RTX 2080 Max-Q last year...mainly because I knew the RTX 2080 Max-Q is not a full fledged RTX 2080 but that's what was available at the time...
I too sat on this device never considering Dell limited the AGAs compatibility through software. I thought I'd be able to upgrade to a desktop grade graphics card to extend the life of my laptop.
I purchased an RTX 3070 FE and am wondering is there any time estimate on support being added. I just feel greatly let down by Alienware given the amount of money I've invested in a system that's supposed to be providing a premium experience.
I suspect this is a final shift away from AGA integration. It's disappointing as the laptop was marketed as having Upgradeable GPU and an AGA allowing you to use an external desktop card.
The AGA doesn't support 30 series cards. The AGA is no longer in production or available for purchase. The AGA port is being removed from new models The internal GPU cannot be upgraded to a 30 series card.
It's a shame, I'm thankful the system has good performance, but it is still lacking many features that drew me to spending the extra money on the system to begin with.
Are they working on it? A public announcement would be nice instead of complete silence.
I too invested in a now non-upgradeable Area51m G1 Laptop and had the AGA for some future proofing. Ive currently poured thousands of pounds into a device that now has no future. Well done Dell for taking my money and leaving me no options.
Apparently NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 drivers are available, but a small size GPU variant is required. Used Alienware Graphics Amplifiers are available. Larger capacity power units are available. Doubt that Dell will provide AGA update, so user options are limited. Getting a Desktop with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is currently the best option.
Your next Desktop or Laptop does not have to be Dell. There are 11 & 12 Generation Intel CPU and AMD CPU options available from other providers that offer enhanced gaming performance and reliability.
Hi Crimsom, as much as I appreciate your posting this I have been aware of it for some time, I do not believe a workaround that requires you to pull out the power on the unit is really a good solution, particularly given the current price of GPU's. It also doesn't really resolve the issue that AGA are no longer for sale and are not being refreshed.
The workaround does indeed show that the AGA could be compatible if Dell decided to work on fixing the drivers, the fact this hasn't happened makes me suspect that it was a deliberate move to encourage Dell customers to update their systems.
Tell me if Im wrong but what really prevents it from working again? I thought you can plug anything to it since PCIe is backwards compatible plus the PSU can be upgraded.
DELL-Chris M
Community Manager
•
56.9K Posts
1
February 4th, 2021 07:00
Dell is no longer selling the AGA (Alienware Graphics Amplifier) on our websites. When I go here and search for, "alienware graphics amplifier", there is not a sales link. When I go here, the AGA is also not listed. When customizing Alienware Laptops, the AGA is not listed under Accessories.
The AGA is not supported by Dell with the RTX 3080/3090 due to wattage issues. In the future, the AGA might be supported with the RTX 3070 which is why the later models still have the rear AGA port.
crimsom
7 Technologist
•
6.1K Posts
1
May 7th, 2021 18:00
On page 2 #15, MogRules says: "Yes, it seems to be sorted now that Nvidia has provided proper driver support. I have tested my 3080 in the AGA and it worked flawlessly, and others have tested the 3070 and 3090 as well without issue. It should work just like any other GPU now. Keep in mind the only officially supported GPU's are the 3060 and 3070, so technically the 3080 / 3090 are still not officially supported, but they do work."
ejn63
10 Elder
•
30.6K Posts
1
May 19th, 2021 09:00
There is an official Dell post in the sticky sticky, FAQ Alienware Laptops- AGA (Alienware Graphic Amplifier) FAQ. The higher end 3000-series GPUs are not supported by Dell in AGA devices.
Beyond that, before choosing a video card do some shopping. You'll find some mid-range GPUs like the RX580 and nVidia equivalent selling for upward of $800 and more -- and high end cards sell for twice that and more when you can even find them.
Unless you have the funds and aren't averse to over-paying, this year is not a good time to be looking for a GPU.
Lojack84
1 Rookie
•
28 Posts
0
February 4th, 2021 08:00
Hi Chris, thank you for getting back to me.
Just to clarify, when you say in the future the 3070 will be supported by the AGA you are saying that there will be an update to the drivers allowing the 3070 to be supported by the current AGA due to it's lower power requirements.
If that's the case, I suppose I will purchase a second hand AGA and keep hold of it as I cannot purchase from the Dell store in the UK or Switzerland but it is very much still listed as a feature for the Alienware 51m R2, I really think this should be removed if it's a legacy device that cannot be purchased. I hope you understand where I am coming from and I entirely understand that this has little to do with you.
https://www.dell.com/de-ch/shop/notebooks/alienware-area-51m/spd/alienware-area51m-r2-laptop/n00aw51mr212?view=configurations
It would be great if someone from Dell could clarify as to whether a newer version of the AGA is planned for development as there are a lot of confused customers posting about this on notebookcheck, reddit etc. Having a proprietary that allows superior performance than a basic eGPU which is bottlenecked by Thunderbolt is quite a big selling point for many people.
Thanks for the info and have a great day!
UDPATE/ 3070 AGA PERFORMANCE
I have just done a quick search and it seems as though the 3070 got a timespy score of 11,329 which is slightly less than the internal RTX 2080 Super, however the 30 series cards have been proven to handle Ray-tracing much better and having the AGA would also add a little thermal headroom to the unit.
A51-06
5 Practitioner
•
3.1K Posts
0
February 4th, 2021 10:00
ejn63
10 Elder
•
30.6K Posts
0
February 4th, 2021 11:00
It's unlikely a simple power supply issue -- more likely, the mainboard inside the AGA isn't designed to handle the power requirements of the newer graphics cards.
That would explain the need to redesign the device to support these.
DELL-Chris M
Community Manager
•
56.9K Posts
0
February 4th, 2021 13:00
"you are saying that there will be an update to the drivers allowing the 3070 to be supported by the current AGA due to it's lower power requirements."
I do not have the specifics on that line of question.
Agreed that they have not removed it from the Area-51m R2 main page, but notice it is not clickable. On the USA Area-51m R2 main page it is still present but not clickable. If I then click Customize & Buy, the AGA is not present under Accessories, so you cannot buy it.
"whether a newer version of the AGA is planned for development"
I have not seen any Dell Alienware discussion about a newer version.
GiX3R2
10 Posts
1
February 4th, 2021 17:00
I hate to keep asking the same question, but I purchased an AGA with my m17 R2 w/RTX 2080 Max-Q last year...mainly because I knew the RTX 2080 Max-Q is not a full fledged RTX 2080 but that's what was available at the time...
I too sat on this device never considering Dell limited the AGAs compatibility through software. I thought I'd be able to upgrade to a desktop grade graphics card to extend the life of my laptop.
I purchased an RTX 3070 FE and am wondering is there any time estimate on support being added. I just feel greatly let down by Alienware given the amount of money I've invested in a system that's supposed to be providing a premium experience.
A51-06
5 Practitioner
•
3.1K Posts
0
February 4th, 2021 20:00
Lojack84
1 Rookie
•
28 Posts
1
May 6th, 2021 04:00
Unfortunately, it appears the technology is being completely abandoned.
The new Alienware R5 systems (which have Ryzen CPU's), do not feature the AGA port at all.
https://www.dell.com/de-ch/shop/notebooks/neu-alienware-m15-ryzen-edition-r5/spd/alienware-m15-r5-laptop/nawm15r503
I suspect this is a final shift away from AGA integration. It's disappointing as the laptop was marketed as having Upgradeable GPU and an AGA allowing you to use an external desktop card.
The AGA doesn't support 30 series cards.
The AGA is no longer in production or available for purchase.
The AGA port is being removed from new models
The internal GPU cannot be upgraded to a 30 series card.
It's a shame, I'm thankful the system has good performance, but it is still lacking many features that drew me to spending the extra money on the system to begin with.
Winny2000
1 Message
0
May 6th, 2021 04:00
Are they working on it? A public announcement would be nice instead of complete silence.
I too invested in a now non-upgradeable Area51m G1 Laptop and had the AGA for some future proofing. Ive currently poured thousands of pounds into a device that now has no future. Well done Dell for taking my money and leaving me no options.
crimsom
7 Technologist
•
6.1K Posts
0
May 6th, 2021 07:00
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 + AGA Alienware Graphics Amplifier Working! How To and Benchmarks (notebookreview)
crimsom
7 Technologist
•
6.1K Posts
0
May 6th, 2021 08:00
Apparently NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 drivers are available, but a small size GPU variant is required. Used Alienware Graphics Amplifiers are available. Larger capacity power units are available. Doubt that Dell will provide AGA update, so user options are limited. Getting a Desktop with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is currently the best option.
Your next Desktop or Laptop does not have to be Dell. There are 11 & 12 Generation Intel CPU and AMD CPU options available from other providers that offer enhanced gaming performance and reliability.
Lojack84
1 Rookie
•
28 Posts
0
May 6th, 2021 08:00
Hi Crimsom, as much as I appreciate your posting this I have been aware of it for some time, I do not believe a workaround that requires you to pull out the power on the unit is really a good solution, particularly given the current price of GPU's. It also doesn't really resolve the issue that AGA are no longer for sale and are not being refreshed.
The workaround does indeed show that the AGA could be compatible if Dell decided to work on fixing the drivers, the fact this hasn't happened makes me suspect that it was a deliberate move to encourage Dell customers to update their systems.
A51-06
5 Practitioner
•
3.1K Posts
0
May 7th, 2021 06:00
Tell me if Im wrong but what really prevents it from working again? I thought you can plug anything to it since PCIe is backwards compatible plus the PSU can be upgraded.