Trying to make a smart decision

[Modifier]

Ok so i need some help and i really Hope im in the right forum for this. I have a MSI Gaming laptop GE72 Apache Pro. And i am trying to improve my gaming specs. I have a friend who got a 4k monitor and he is going to give me his wide screen LG monitor with 2560:1080 resolution. Now i have a offer from someone who wants to trade his laptop for mine. Ill put my specs and his specs below.

My specs:
Processor: Intel i7 5700 HQ 2.7 GHZ
Video:GTX 970M
Ram:12 GB

His specs (Alienware 15 r2)
Processor:Intel i7 4720HQ 2.6 GHZ
Video: GTX 970M
Ram:8GB

Now the one reason i wanna do the trade is because he is offering the graphics amplifier.

Pros: I get a graphics amplifier which means expandable graphics.
Alienware is a well known and good brand

Cons: I would lose some ram speed and downgrade one generation processor cause mine is 5th gen and his is fourth.

Now i have 2 basic questions i need answers to.

1: Should i do the trade? His laptop is a alienware both laptops 1920x1080
2: If i do the trade, with the Alienware specs if i hook up the laptop with the graphics amp with a GTX 1080, can i do some 4k with the specs? I know i obviously wont be getting 100+ frames but would i be able to at minimum handle 40+ frames? Or get great frames with a QHD monitor?

I Hope yall can help me with my questions

 

[genthug]

So you're saying you would:
Trade the laptops
Get a new laptop
Game from that laptop onto a new screen
?

 

[Modifier]

I would do the trade and hook up a hdmi cable from the alienware to the monitor my friend is giving me

 

[genthug]

Okay, where do you plan on getting a 1080 from then? Your friends laptop has a 970m in it?

 

[Modifier]

Okay, where do you plan on getting a 1080 from then? Your friends laptop has a 970m in it?

I would buy one cause his laptop has the graphics amplifier in it.
But stock graphics in the laptop is a 970

 

[genthug]

Unless the laptop has expandability to the max, you cannot swap GPUs in a laptop... (easily, there obviously has to be a way to install it, but I do not believe that is available to the end user. What you get in the laptop is what you get CPU and GPU wise)

 

[Modifier]

No!! It comes with a graphics amplifier though. It's a housing built by Alienware that's an external bay that you plug in a GPU into and you hook it up to the laptop.

http/www.dell.com/en-us/shop/alienware-graphics-amplifier/apd/452-bcfe/gaming?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&redirect=1

 

[genthug]

Huh. Alright, true. With a 1080, 4k60 wouldn't be 100% reachable, but you would definitely get playable framerates out of it. QHD would be a much better bet. You likely wouldn't be getting 100+frames on QHD with the 1080 either, but definitely over 60. That all depends on the game, though, some games will give 100+. Given that he's throwing in another $150-250 piece of hardware, that looks like a pretty good deal to me. Haswell chips are still very capable, and if you need extra horsepower you can put it up to high performance and get it to clock up.

That being said, is this an expense you were planning to undertake, or is it an expense that you'll only now be engaging in? Imo, if the laptop you're currently running is running your games just fine, I wouldn't throw another $700 at it. But, if that $700 is worth it to you, it will be fantastic for a QHD screen.

 

[Modifier]

Huh. Alright, true. With a 1080, 4k60 wouldn't be 100% reachable, but you would definitely get playable framerates out of it. QHD would be a much better bet. You likely wouldn't be getting 100+frames on QHD with the 1080 either, but definitely over 60. That all depends on the game, though, some games will give 100+. Given that he's throwing in another $150-250 piece of hardware, that looks like a pretty good deal to me. Haswell chips are still very capable, and if you need extra horsepower you can put it up to high performance and get it to clock up.

That being said, is this an expense you were planning to undertake, or is it an expense that you'll only now be engaging in? Imo, if the laptop you're currently running is running your games just fine, I wouldn't throw another $700 at it. But, if that $700 is worth it to you, it will be fantastic for a QHD screen.

So all I'm looking to get out of this is better graphics cause I'm tired of 1920x1080. I had a build but I go to work a lot and I need something transportable. So really the only question is, is this a fair trade?All I'm looking to get out of this is better graphics. With the Alienware I can invest some money on a really good GPU and be set for a while. And answering your question it's a expense I've been meaning to make it's not one I see now I have to make

 

[genthug]

Well, I'd say you should do it then, given that you were already looking at getting something to increase performance, and this way you get an essentially free way to do so whilst maintaining the portability that you get to enjoy with a laptop.