‎17 R5, Dual GPU's multiplexed? | DELL Technologies

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temtem

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temtem

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March 25th, 2019 08:00

17 R5, Dual GPU's multiplexed?

Are the GPUs on the Alienware 17 R5 in a multiplexed configuration, or Optimus-based?

In other words, is the discrete Nvidia GPU wired up to the built-in display, or to the integrated graphics processor?

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Eimy_B
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Posted March 26th, 2019 09:00
Hi @temtem

There's no Optimus on this machine. The nVidia card controls the Display. The iGPU is there only for the USB C.
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temtem
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Posted March 28th, 2019 06:00
Thank you!
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jphughan
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Posted March 28th, 2019 07:00

@Alienware-Eimy wrote:

Hi @temtem

There's no Optimus on this machine. The nVidia card controls the Display. The iGPU is there only for the USB C.

@Alienware-Eimy, if the iGPU is wired to the USB-C output, then what happens when someone wants to use an external display connected via USB-C and play games on it? If there's no Optimus available, then that would mean that the NVIDIA GPU couldn't be used to accelerate content on the external USB-C display, which seems a very unlikely limitation for an Alienware system. Are you sure that Optimus wouldn't be used even in that situation?
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Eimy_B
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Posted March 29th, 2019 16:00
Yes, it is a hardware limitation. The design is to prevent the AGA (Alienware Graphics Amplifier) from being disabled if the external display is attached to a USB Type-C device.

You need to use the mDP or the HDMI for external display usage, if you want the external to work with the Nvidia card.