ATI Mobility FireGL V5250

Been looking for a good 14" computer - basically seems like options with anything better than a 7400 are Asus (1600 or 7600 or 7700) or Compal. In another thread someone mentioned an IBM (see below) with a ATI Mobility FireGL V5250 - can someone pls advise where that ranks? Thx!

"And why have no one mentioned the Lenovo IBM Thinkpad T60p?
It's got a 14.1" screen with up to SXGA+ resolution, customizable to a Core 2 Duo T7600 (2.33GHz), best-in-class ATI Mobility FireGL V5250 256MB graphics (M66GL, someone correct me if I'm wrong but that's the workstation equivalent of the Mobility Radeon X1700 which is M66P), 5.4hr 9-cell or 7hr with 9-cell + UltraBay module battery, 1"-1.2" thin (as thin as the SZ Premium), and weighs 5lbs (less than the ASUS 14.1"s above)"

 

Well, the v5200 is based on the x1600, so it makes sense that the v5250 is based on the x1700.

 

It is a "workstation class" card, so while it is based off of the x1600/x1700--it is not designed for gaming. It will play most games but driver support will likely be more erratic than the MR series. It's more meant for CAD and the like.

 

Ah - so it sounds like I am better off sticking w/ the Asus or Compal (unless I decide to downgrade to a 7400, which admittedly means I could get a 13" instead of a 14" - but I'm guessing that isn't the best idea for longevity purposes). Thanks.

 

I would suggest going with an Asus or Compal. The Quadro 1500M and 2500M are good cards, but they are pretty much an anomoly among workstation cards. While the v5250 should perform reasonably well, drivers are a problem with all ATi cards, and I can only assume the FireGL cards would be even worse. If you're going to game, best bet is to stick with an Asus W3J or A8Jm (or the A8Js which is coming out soon w/ the nVidia Go7700).

 

Thanks - yeah, I am pretty much focused on one of those two Asus models, or possibly a Compal HGL-30. Seems like nothing else has better than a 7400, and although I don't want or need to pay the bucks for real top of the line, on the other hand I want something that will last me a few years - and my take is 7400 is already pretty middle of the road, if that. Seems like if I want any longevity at all I need at least a 1600, 7600, or 7700.

 

Often discussed topics...

However, the FireGl cards are very similar in hardware to the Radeon cards but the BIOS is different (allows professoinal drivers). As far as I know, the standard Catalyst drivers can only be installed in a soft-modded version which would make the FileGL perform as well as the Radeon equivalent. Otherwise, the professional drivers reduce the performance in games.

As regards the V5250, it's just a relatively new card (refreshed version) and you probably won't be albe to find how to do the required modifications right now. Otherwise, there are some guides about how to convert a FireGL into a Radeon or a Radeon into a FireGl.

Event though, I would not recommend this card If you're not gonna use it for what it's designed for...as you know there is no such thing as a guarantee.

 

Selamunaleykum Ismael

If budget is not the problem, I strongly recommend you to wait for the Santa Rosa notebooks. They will have great performance and newer features.

But if you need a notebook now and cannot wait for 3 months then go buy the T60p. The FireGL card will give you great performance in games and programs like CAD.

Charlie