8600M GT vs 8600M GS?

I am in the process of purchasing a new laptop.

I need some help deciding on which one...and the main difference between the 2 laptops is the Graphics Card.

I have decided to go w/ a dedicated card (as I plan to play some HL2 and maybe NWN 2 occasionally)

Here are the 2 setups:
*They are both $1,299.99

Setup 1:
HP Pavillion 17"
1440X900 WXGA+
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.66Ghz (667MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache)
2GB DDR2 RAM
GeForce 8600M GS 256MB Dedicated (Up to 1024MB Shared)
200GB HDD
Windows Vista Premium

Setup 2:
Acer Aspire 15.4"
1280X800
Intel Core 2 Duo 1.50Ghz (667MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache)
2GB DDR2 RAM
GeForce 8600M GT 256MB Dedicated (Up to 1024MB Shared)
160GB HDD
HD-DVD Drive
Windows Vista Premium

Now here's the thing...from my research...I've found out that the GeForce 8600M GT is based on DDR2 RAM (not GDDR3) which is slower:

Here are the Specs Side-By-Side of the two cards:

8600M GS (GS)
8600M GT (GT)

Core Clock:
GS: 600MHz
GT: 475MHz
* GS Has a higher Core Clock (125MHz higher)

Fillrate:
GS: 4.8
GT: 7.6
* the GT Card obviously wins here (2.8 more then then the GS)

Stream Processors:
GS: 16
GT: 32
* The GT Card wins here having 2x as many Stream Processors

Shader Clock:
GS: 1200MHz
GT: 950MHz
* The GS card has a faster Shader Clock

Max Bandwidth (GB/s)
GS: 22.4
GT: 12.8 (22.4 for 8600M GT w/ GDDR3 RAM)
*The GS card has almost 10GB more bandwidth

Bus Type:
GS: GDDR3
GT: GDDR2*, GDDR3
*The GT card comes in both GDDR2 and GDDR3 bus types, on my Laptop its the DDR2 type

Memory Clock:
GS: 1400MHz
GT: 800MHz
* The GS's memory clock is almost 2x as larger as the GT's

Shader Processing Power:
GS: 57.6
GT: 91.2 (I can't confirm if this is GDDR2 or GDDR3 )

So what do you guys think?

I'm a College student who will be mainly using this laptop for Internet Browsing and writing, and occasionally plan on playing some games....well maybe a bit more often than occasionally but don't plan on playing daily and having all settings be on MAX.

Will I be better of w/ Setup 1?

Thanks

 

GDDR2 and 3 aren't that far apart from each other.

Setup 2 is more portable and since you're a college student, that might be pretty important, I say setup 2.

 

the 8600m gt is a LOT better than the GS. but if you just want to play some HL2 you should be ok with the GS

the gs gives better battery. and the gs memory clock shouldn't be higher than the gt =\


i lied im not sure if the gt is a lot better than the gs - though it IS better. i thought you said 8400gs

 

What do you think of the CPU's?

Is there a noticable difference between C2D 1.66GHz and 1.50Ghz?

Will I be ok w/ Word and Excel w/ a 1.50Ghz Core 2 Duo?

 

word and excel runs fine on my p3 desktop at home, so you're good lol

 

No there won't be a noticeable difference in the CPUs in terms of gaming.

 

Thanks for the help guys...and gals?

I will probably be purchasing Setup 2 then

 

well setup one is better on the specs if you ask me, but there is that portability issue you got, im going to college too and i dont think i would carry around a 17" my 15" is heavy enough if i was to carry it around all day (i even got a backpack )

dont get me wrong though, im not a little scrawny wimp (or a big blob lol) i just think it will get really tiring carrying that big thing around all day

 

The memory of the HP will be clocked at 400 mhz, not 700. Acer aspires memory will also be at 400. So in that case, the acer aspire should be better for gaming.

 

go for the 15" acer, it will be much more portable than the 17" also the difference wont be that noticable

 

You can get a really well equipped Dell Vostro for the prices of those notebooks. The Dell Vostro is built better than both in my opinion. I wouldn't recommend the HP nor Acer.

 

1 More Question.

I Found a Laptop w/ GeForce 8600 GM...

I can't find any info on this card...Is it just a typo...or is there really an 8600 GM and if so how does it compare to the M GS, and M GT?

 

sounds like a typo to me, ive never heard of it before