7600 vs 7900 ??

Hey guys,
Im getting ready to purchase a laptop very soon. Im trying to decide if i am trying for overkill. I have my heart set on a new toshiba with the 7900 gtx 512 mb. My use for the cpu will be games, work, and video. I know the 7900 is a lot more powerful, but how much more use will i see? I dont want to ahve to uypgrade for 4 + years nd I dont ahve to ahve the graphics maxed, though I do like nice graphics. I can buy a 7600 equipped cpu for about $300 less, but I dont mind paying the extra if the 7600 will run inot problems playing games in the enar future.

 

The 7900 would probably provide a more satisfying experience over the next four years...especially during the later year or two. If you really aren't planning on updating sooner, I'd say the $300 is worth it.

 

The 7600 won't run into any problems, but I'd also suggest the 7900gtx. It'll let you max out all the settings on your games for at least a few years. Just remember that the 7900gtx will not be as portable as the 7600. If you'll almost always be on wall power, then there's not a problem.

 

Yea, but since you're willing to get a 17" notebook...

At least 17" notebooks (even with the 7900GTX) nowadays get better battery lives than the P4 and AMD FX notebooks

 

Touche. And the ability to hold bigger batteries means you get better battery life than for instance 14" notebooks that only hold 6 cells. My old 14" Latitude has a P4 and it gets terrible battery life... and it's a 'thin-and-light.'

 

3dmark05 of 7600: 3800
3dmark05 of 7900GTX: 8500

It it double the power of a 7600Go. If you are a gamer, and want to get a 17" DTR with a great screen to game, go for the 7900GTX. Much much better performance.

Charlie

 

If you're going 17" and gaming performance is one of your major concerns then definitely go with the stronger card. I would (and have) only go with the go 7600/x1600 level in a 15.4" or smaller system.

 

I have used both the Go7600 256MB and the Go7900GTX 512MB; there is a huge difference in performance. While the Go7600 will limit you to XGA/WXGA resolutions in the latest games, the Go7900GTX will allow the latest games to be played at UXGA (1600x1200) with no issues. Truly an awesome card. $300 is worth it.

 

My 14.1" Compal here has a 9 cell battery. It's one of the extended ones that sticks out the back of the machine, but it's got pretty good battery life with that I am considering getting an additional 6-cell since I use it on wall power primarily, though.

But with your P4 based one, no wonder you got horrible battery life. Those things were just space heaters.