About how much faster are the desktop versions of graphics cards??

I'm looking for a desktop for my brother, but I've only looked at laptops until now, and am not quite sure the difference between mobile and desktop versions of the same graphics cards. Can you guys give me a benchmark, or at least a general percentage performance increase?

 

I usually use this site: Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News - Notebookcheck.net

Each article on a card usually starts with something like this:

 

Usually a desktop version of a card is about 50% to 100% more powerful than the mobile counterpart.

For example, the 5870M in my G73 uses the same core as the desktop 5770 and slightly lower clockspeeds, roughly equating to the desktop 5870 being nearly twice as powerful.

Another decent example is the GTX 460M, in most games getting about half to two thirds the amount of frames at the same settings, when compared to a desktop GTX 460 1GB (the extra VRAM in the mobile version really isn't all that helpful at all).

 

It's important to flat out know from which desktop chip the mobile ones are based.

For instance:

GTX 580M = GTX 560 Ti
GTX 570M = GTX 560 w/ 192-bit interface
GTX 560M = GTX 550 Ti
6990M = 6870
6970M = 6850
5870M = 5770

I made that list to give you a launching point.

Forget trying to do exact matching and comparisons of the names (i.e., 6990M vs 6990, GTX 460M vs GTX 460), because the mobile side has its own unique name conventions and that will just lead to confusion.

 

Oh, wow, thanks for the tips guys, that's a pretty dramatic difference..

 

Difference is negligible. It's stupid to compare a Juniper Core (5870M) to a Cypres core (5870 Desktop). As Kevin said, you compare what core the mobile version is using. Between the core of 5770 Desktop and 5870M for example, performance is about the same, nearly no difference. Though the desktop card can overclock more.

So yeah, it's pretty much the same if you just know what to compare and not be a moron about it. Good luck.

 

I'm sure I'll manage.

 

This doesn't tell you how much faster but it gives you the equivalents, I posted this before and but I still think its helpful

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart : Best Graphics Cards For The Money: September 2011

 

The difference isn't "negligible." You are saying it is only negligible after you get down to compare them based on the core used and not the price, market segment, or name. But even then the desktop cards run at clocks that are more than negligibly higher, and if you are into overclocking, the desktop cards offer far greater overclocking headroom.

 

I always thought its at least 50% faster.
Is it far from truth?

 

What exactly are you referring to here?

 

I said desktop cards have more overclocking. My benchmarks in GAMES including Crysis is identical to that of a desktop HD5770. So yes, it is negligible. Synthetic benchmark scores are rarely good way to compare mobile vs desktop, it's the game that count. There isn't a game out there where my 5870M doesn't keep up to a HD5770. Overclocking a HD5770 will only give it a few more FPS, 1-5. It's negligible.

 

editted nvm.

 

OCing on my ATI 5650 is definitely not negligible (I go from 500-800 to 715-1040), I get at least 10, sometimes 15, frames per second boost due to the overclock, with newer games. With older games I get ~30 framerate per second boost.

 

Well, that's some useful stuff too. Thanks for all the info guys

 

a crap load faster, its very noticeable.

 

The desktop 5770 has a 21% faster core and 21% faster memory. It is not possible for the performance to be identical between it and your 5870M. And I don't know how you can say that overclocking has a negligible impact. If more powerful graphics cards produce the same benchmark result, then clearly the graphics card is not the system's bottleneck.

 

It is extremely easy to OC to desktop 5770 and even past that capable of 900+ on the core.( Alienware M17x R2 Benchmark thread for proof. )

Here are four GPU- Z screen shots one of each of my 5870M's and a desktop 5870 and 5770 stock clocks.

GPU # 1 GPU #2
Desktop 5770 Desktop 5870

 

comparing similar model numbered mobile to desktop cards... i.e. GTX460M compared to a GTX460 (desktop) in real world performance

yes, the desktop version is at least 50% "faster"

 

Imageshack is blocked for me. Anyway, at stock clocks the desktop card is significantly faster. And once you start overclocking both, the desktop card is still going to be faster since it has far better cooling. So you can overclock your 5870m up a little past stock 5770 clocks, but if you overclock a 5770, it is going to go way past that. It really isn't fair to compare an overclocked card to one that is stock and use that to say the cards are the same or very similar.

 

Agree. Comparing an overclocked card to another card at default clock is just plain absurd, mobile cards have no chance against their desktop counterparts because desktops have way superior cooling systems that laptops could never reach or even come close, and not to mention that desktop cards already have a clock speed advantage to begin with, eg: 6970M has a default core clock of 680 and can only be overclocked to 800 to 850 or so, while the the lowest core clock of desktop 6850 I have ever seen is 780 and they can be easily overclocked to 950+, mobile cards are no competition when it comes to overclocking.

 

+1 for being blocked from imageshack. A lot of people hate Games For Windows, but there's a much worse GFW out there...

and

+1 for pointing out that comparing a heavily overclocked card to a stock card is just silly. It's just a shame it had to be said in the first place.

Laptop gaming is all about mobility at the cost of power and price. Desktop gaming is the opposite - more bang for your buck, but only in one place. Choose accordingly.

 

My point was that all a 5870m is a slightly underclocked 5770, and it is really easy to put them @ this stock speed. Also I know that a desktop card will outperform a Mobile card. I just think it is not as drastic as some make it seem. Mobile cards are getting less heat and power issues and still becoming more powerful with each new generation. I am going to have to disagree about the 5770 going far beyond what a mobile 5870 can do. Sure it will exceed it, but not way past it like you think. I have seen 950+ on a 5870m core by the way.

 

Most of the time you can't simply compare a laptop GPU to its desktop "counterpart" because in most cases they have different chips. The 6990m is based on the 6870 desktop GPU, which is a $180 card. The desktop 6990, on the other hand is a $700+ card, and can have over 3 times the performance of a 6990m. The 580m is apparently a downclocked GTX 560 Ti, which is only an upper midrange desktop card.

Basically, anything around the performance level of a 560Ti will play just about ANY current game on high settings at 1080P provided you have to CPU to back it up.