Gaming on a mobile workstation (Dell M70 / nVidia Go1400)

I was looking at the Dell M70 workstation that has a 256MB nVidia Go1400 GPU, and wondered how it stacked up to the mainstream notebooks that use the Radion X series or the nVidia GeForce GPUs. From what I can tell, I'm placing the Go1400 roughly on par with the GeForce Go6800 (standard, not Ultra), the GPU that the Dell Inspiron 9300 uses.

I'm mainly considering the Dell M70 (or the HP nw8240 with ATI's 128MB V5000) because it's a little smaller than the 9300 but still has a fairly good GPU. (Dell's next best GPU is the Latitude D810's X600.) I know it's more expensive, but that's not as much of a factor as being able to play the higher-end games and still not have a bulky/heavy notebook.

I did some research and it seems that the Quadro drivers will play DirectX games just fine, but I'd like to confirm that as well as see exactly where the GL1400 and ATI's V5000 stack up to the real gaming notebook GPUs. If they're not so hot, I'd consider going back to the Latitude D810 to save money.

Thanks!

 

i think that unless you plan to use software like 3dsmax, Maya, CAD (or any open GL intensive apps) etc.. the quadro's and fire GL cards are just too much to spend on.

there are much more less expensive options on graphics chips that perform better on games (if that is your main concern).

 

Honestly, it's not the price I'm worried about, it's mainly trying to compare the Go1400 (And HP's ATI FireGL V5000) to the mainstream mobile gaming Go6000 and Radeon X series cards. I could go with the 9300 from Dell and put the Go6800 in, but I don't like the fact that I'd have to get a glossy display to play games at 1280x1024 resolution.

I guess what I'm really looking for is another option to the 9300 with a simliar graphics card (the ATI X600 is too slow for my needs) without the glossy screen. I had looked at Dell primarily because of financing options and warranty, but I could look at something else if anyone has suggestions.

 

The sager 9880 can have the 6800 ultra with 2 hdds at raid 0. Weighs in at like 12 pounds and is pretty much one of the best gaming notebooks out there- until the clevo d900k comes out.

 

Sorry, I'm not being clear. I'm happy with the GPU on the 9300, just not the size. The M70 is not as wide, or quite as heavy, but I'm just not sure how powerful the GPU is on it, or on the similiar HP nw8240. The Sager sounds really powerful, but at 12 pounds, is much too heavy for me.

 

The FireGl V5000 in the HP nw8240 is comparable to the ATI x700. If money is not your most important concern, and you are looking for a portable workstation, it would suit your needs quite well. If you are familiar with the benchmark 3dmark05, I read that the nw8240 got a stock score of about 2450, so it is a very powerful mobile graphics card.

The Quadro FX Go1400 256mb in the M70 is a very powerful card, and would probably have performance very similar to the Go6800 in gaming.

Another alternative, if you want a non-glossy screen, would be the Acer Ferrari 4005wlmi with the ATI x700 128mb graphics card. It's another 15.4inch widescreen notebook and weights about 6.3lbs fully equipped.

Hope that helps,
Steve

 

Thanks, that was exactly what I wanted to know. I'd consider the Acer, but I can get the Dell M70 financed, and am able to get a great discount on it because I know someone who works there. I'm also hoping that their workstation build quality is better than a more consumer oriented notebook, and am getting the 3 year warranty/Complete Care for virtually nothing.

I mainly wanted to make sure I wasn't giving up much GPU power by not going with the 9300.