9800 GS vs. 9650 GT

Sorry I'm a little bit new at this stuff but I've been checking 3dmark benchmarks for these two cards and I'm seeing scores of around 8500 for the 9800 GS in the G50 compared to scores of about 4650 for the 9650 GT in the N80. So does this really mean that the 9800 GS has almost double the graphics power for gaming?

 

yep, 9800 GS way better then 9650 GT for gaming.

 

Better yes, not so sure about double.

3dmark06 scores are not the most reliable for gauging gaming performance.

 

Check out the link in my sig for a table of specs. The 9800M GS has double the shaders and double the bus width. Even though clock speeds are similar, the two factors in the previous sentence make a huge difference in performance. I'm assuming that you are comparing both GDDR3 models, if the 9650M GT is DDR2, then the difference will be even larger. The power consumption is probably double too. The only benefit of the 9650M GT is the 55nm process.

 

9800GS pretty much destroys the 9650GT in gaming tasks/applications. No competition!

 

hey, at least 9650gt should be running cooler than 9800gs due to the 55nm.

So, yeah 9650gt is not for games, 9800gs is for games for about 1.5 more year, then it's not.

 

First off, 3dmark06 scores are absolutely pointless if you don't know the resolution the score is at... next, you need the CPU behind the test.
(3dmark06 has a processor-only section which biases the test score)

The truth is the 9800m GS is 50-70% better than the 9650m GT at resolutions around 1280x1024 (1440x900), and will be even better at higher resolutions beyond that as the 128-bit memory interface of the 9650GT will be flooded. (sooner with features like AA)

 

Depending on the game used, the 9800GS might have over twice the performance thanks to its increased bus and double ammount of shaders.

Surprisingly enough, the G50 does a great job at cooling the card, it runs much cooler than my previous 9500GS whose idle temp was 63C and my current idle temp on 9800GS 44C!!

Also, 3dmark is not a real representative of gaming performance because all games use different ammount of processing and graphics power. So even if two computers have the same 3dmark06 but different specs, they will perform differently on such games.

Both cards are very good at gaming, but the 9650GT has to put down some settings already, playing most at medium-high while the 9800GS has a long life yet.

if your primary concern is gaming, get a high end card. If you want to game, but it is not your primary concern nor you mind playing at medium settings, the 9650GT will keep you satisfied.