Best GPU out there

So I'm thinking about upgrading computers, and I was wondering ;as of April 2012, what is the most capable GPU available in a laptop. I'm talking about a single card and not a crossfire or SLI setup.

Thanks in advance.

 

That's currently available? Nvidia 580m/675m and the Radeon 6990m. Anything else is a paper release with no specs. If you can get one of the closeout 6990m gpus, do it because it can crank games like crazy

-- Sent from my TouchPad using Communities

 

It depends on what you plan to use the computer for.
If it's just for games, then 6990m from AMD.
If you plan on using software that can use CUDA technology to offload workload to the gpu and vastly speed up processing, then Nvidia 580m/675m (675m is a renamed 580 - identical in every way).

Note: some software supports AMD's OpenCL (CUDA alternative), but, it's in the minority for the most part as adoption has been less than stellar because of the way Nvidia bribes developers.

Other than that... yeah, the 6990m and 580m/675m are the most powerful gpu's currently available for the mobile market.

 

675M/580M are technicaly the fastest, with the 6990M slightly behind. However, there should be new cards (7970M, 680M) releasing soon, so if you can wait a little bit, I would. If it's immediate, go with one of the options already listed.

 

The only reason CUDA is "better" then OpenCL is that the software needed to develop for it comes in an all in one package. Performance wise they should be about the same. SO factor in the fact that ATI is on top of the performance mountain it could be said that OpenCL is faster, but again thats a weak argument.

 

I don't think I said 'CUDA' is better than OpenCL.
I merely stated that (unfortunately) support for OpenCL is extremely limited right now because developers decided to go along with CUDA instead (predominantly due to NVidia's dirty way of playing the market).

Other than that, while the 6990m is maybe by 5% weaker than 580M in benchmarks, in games and real-time use, they are pretty much identical - with AMD I think being more efficient in terms of TDP (I could be wrong on this last part though).

But yes, AMD is definitely the way to go if games are the primary reason, plus, it's (usually) cheaper than Nvidia.

 

zared whats your current laptop your looking to upgrade?

 

Wasnt saying you did, just continuing the conversation with all the knowledge I had on the topic.

 

it depends on games really, if you wanna play Metro 2033 then you will go 6990m, if BF3 then you should go 580m/675m.. thing is I don't think buying a lappy this close to the 7970m release date is a good idea (yeah it maybe cheaper to buy right now, but then you may regret your decision soon), at least if you are buying, buy a lappy with upgrade possibility so you can switch the GPU in the future (Alienware/Clevo/MSI)

 

ATI Rage 128!!

 

If you want CUDA then consider an eGPU solution. We've just had a i5-2520M + [email protected] DIY eGPU implementation crank out 3dmarkvantage.GPU=25847 and 3dmark11.gpu=8585. You'd need a crossfire/SLI mobility GPU solution with top-end new 28nm AMD/NVidia mobile GPUs to get near those scores.

 

With what card?

 

Overall, definitely the 580/675m. For some cases, possibly the 6990m, which is a close second.

 

While the above is applicable for some people, it really isn't practical for most. Arguably, if you are going to build a gaming rig with a $500+ desktop GPU, you should just spring for the desktop CPU and better cooling and go with the laptop + Desktop config.

The only time eGPU really makes sense is if you somehow have a light laptop with decent CPU and lesser GPU, and don't have the $400 for the desktop CPU/case/ram/mb and have a $500 GPU lying around. (I'd have to wonder why anyone would have the money for a $500 GPU and not the Desktop CPU/MB/memory/case to match it with.)

No matter what happens, eGPU results in an attachment which subs in the laptop's processor (and usually storage) instead of a real desktop cpu. Your gaming isn't portable.

As mentioned before, for truly portable gaming, the best mobile GPU is currently 580m/675m or the 6990m. (The 6990m is slower by a small margin in most games, but was the best value for performance/dollar.)

 

6990M. Price/Performance simply cannot be beat. Who uses CUDA anyway?

 

People that use lots of photo or video rendering software. I will say the 6990M is great value for performance like what others are saying and in a hardware perspective but if you add in drivers to the mix, the 580M is better hands down.

 

Anyone who uses their laptop for lots of things aside from gaming. Any engineering student (or grown-up engineers) here would benefit from CUDA, since a lot of apps use it (AutoCAD, SolidWorks, MATLAB w/ Jacket, XFdtd, CATIA, etc).

My desktop runs two NVIDIA GTX 460 cards in SLI and it tears thru my research simulations with CUDA. My MacBook Pro, on the other hand, is good for everything else and plays games decently, since it has an AMD card.

 

i wish i got the money for what is talked about here.... =(

 

The Nvidia GTX560Ti is a really good card and affordable, around $200. It's a good sweet spot for price and performance.

Besides, with so many games up-ported from Xbox, you don't need much more. :\

 

Please tell me how you got a card from a desktop to fit into a laptop?

 

You don't, it'll never fit. See here for an external option:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/gaming-software-graphics-cards/418851-diy-egpu-experiences.html

 

Sweet, but not to many laptops come with expresscard slots these days. I was actually surprised that my M18x came with one. Business computers will still have them, but everyday consumer computers are becoming the way of the dinasour.

 

Question, and sorry if this has been asked in here already, since the M18x has both an ExpressCard slot, and HDMI-in, could you run a DIY eGPU through it's own monitor?

 

The 580m and 560Ti are essentially the same hardware.

If you aren't going to exceed mobile GPU potency, then you might as well buy a laptop that has the 580m and have truly mobile gaming, or simply build a relatively cheap gaming desktop with a full desktop CPU as well.