17 R4, upgrade GPU from GTX 1080 to ?

Question

I have an Alienware 17 R4 (Intel Core i7-7820HK CPU @ 2.90GHz, 32GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080) and I was wondering if I can upgrade my GPU to something better? Any opinions? Thank you for your time.

ejn63 · Accepted Answer

The system should have an Alienware graphics amplifier port -- though these have been discontinued, if you can still find one, within limits you can use an external GPU.

Pay careful attention to the cards they support -- not all GPUs will work with them.

https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000178406/alienware-graphics-amplifier-supported-graphics-card-list

This is also not an opportune time to be buying a graphics card -- it may not be a practical upgrade given the current limited supply and astronomical prices on GPUs.

ejn63 · Answer

Since the GPU in these is not a separate card, it would require a replacement system board.  It further appears the 1080 was the best GPU offered on these -- so, no upgrade.

thewalkingtree · Answer

Hm :-S In this case I was wondering if can use an external GPU?

thewalkingtree · Answer

Good idea to wait. Thanks for the time and information.

Whitebear8251 · Answer

Hey Does you laptop still work with the gtx 1080?

tennispunk · Answer

Actually I found something very interesting with my Alienware 17. The GPU IS on a separate card and is NOT soldered to the motherboard. I had not intended to find that out, but back in 2014 the Nvidia GPU stopped functioning. I tried everything and had even completed a new order for the Alienware 17 R4 I've had and have been using heavily since 2017.
Well I had already ordered a new system so I figured it wouldn't matter much as I had all my data backed up on external SSDs. Well, I had gone through every single solution and none worked so I figured I'd go for broke, disconnected all the power and dissipated any static charge that might have been left. Well, the GPU was on a card that connected onto the main board. Well after removing the GPU, I used the iGPU on the Core i7 processor, I restarted, then shut the system down again, unplugged all, and clipped the GPU back into place, reconnected power and leads and voila, my brother is now my sister, Padfoot and Wormy back. Though I was disqualified, it ended up earning me a great deal of respect, especially amongst older adults (who were yet become of age) or have fun with upgrading my 1060 with a 1080ti. Though it's now over 5 years old and I have a newer system I bought a couple of months ago, with an upgrade to the GPU, the old girl will still have plenty of life left in her yet.

user_062851 · Answer

@ejn63​ This does not answer the question!

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17 R4, upgrade GPU from GTX 1080 to ?

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