Is the 8800m worth the Extra $?

I've heard no other GeForce cards hold a candle to this beast, but is it really worth the extra cash?

Unless your a graphics nut, is it going to make much of a difference if you go 8600 or 8700 512mb?

I only ask because I'm prepping to purchase a Laptop for gaming. Been looking at Sager/Newegg/Dell/Gateway/Toshiba/HP/Alienware and still on the fence on what I want. Mostly because I'm not trying to break the bank getting something crazy, its not like I want to run Crysis on Max, because thats a near impossibility on any machine.

 

what games are you trying to play?

 

would recommend sager/xotic/pcmicroworks and sticking with the 8800m. you will get more bang for your buck and you'll pay less for a clevo system. The 8800m is worth it!
cheers!

 

The 8800M series is a huge leap in performance over the 8600/8700M series. IMO its worth it. That card will last you a longer time. Longer then a 8600M would. You have to take that into account too.

 

I'd like to play Age of Conan, World of Warcraft, EQ2, Warhammer Online, Garys Mod, CS:Source. I play a lot of Steam Games.

An MMO Machine mostly, but something that will be stable and last. I'm not a big fan of the "Glossy" finish either because you can see yourslf in dark video games like a dang mirror.

 

A 8600M GT can take care of those games easily...

 

What? You don't want to be the 'star' in your own video game?

Think of a budget you want go with and buy your laptop accordingly. If you want to play the latest games, you need 8800m. If you are tight on cash, look into Gateway P series with 8800m GTS. If you have money coming out of your ears, then for sure, dell GTX sli. If you are going to play only games listed above, go with 8600m/8700m.

 

Yes,for now.But in the long run, with the 8800M GTX you`ll be able to play new games also,without sacrificing eye candy that much, as you would have to do with the 8600M GT for example.

GTX stands for the best,just so you know

 

I'm going to deviate from the norm...

You have a few developments near term that you should take into account.

1. Intel's Montevina platform launches sometime in May/June. Brings with it 1067mhz front side bus and DDR3 800mhz RAM. A few other perks too.

2. ATI is coming out with a Radeon Mobility 3870 (RV670) around the same time. Specs of this will match the 8800GTX. Should bring some nice price competition. But, unlike Nvidia's 8800MGTX, the ATI is DX10.1/Shader4.1/PCIe 2.0 compliant.

3. Vista SP1 will be out soon.

Even if you don't care to have the latest and greatest, if you buy around the time of the launch of the above mentioned things, you in all likelihood get better deals as you will certainly be buying obsolete kit.

 

stick to your budget before looking into notebook and not the other way around. unlike the 8700, the 8800 is a solid upgrade and well worth the money provided it wont break your bank.

 

Whenever I see your sig and I just go bananas. What I would do to have that laptop...


Sorry to go off topic

 

Too bad he'll find out that he only has 512MB total of vRAM.

@OP: technically, the 8800m would not be worth it because you could spend that money on a nice rig. But this is a notebook forum, no one is going to say otherwise.

 

My strategy when if comes to GPU's is to buy the best there is at the moment and try to keep it going as long as possible. My previous GPU was a 6800 Ultra. It lasted me a good 4 years. It was replaced because it had some problems running World in Conflict. I replaced it with a 8800GTX. I'm hoping it will last me a good while before replacement. The high end cards age better then the mid range cards.

 

My strategy is to buy a mid-range card GPU for my laptop and pay way less for much more performance in a desktop card.

 

haha if i had a performance desktop i'd never consider a gaming notebook. it's not like i'm going to the library to play games. it's a solid option for those who have limited desk space and want to put away your notebook when studying.

edit: think dorm desk. there isn't enough room for LCD monitor and textbook.

 

yeah, that's why you're not supposed to learn in dorms but in classes

 

Yeah, sure you could buy another rig, but really, isn't it just nice to have it with you on the PC you like to use the most?

If you enjoy gaming on your laptop, then the GF8800M is definitely worth it as it really opens many games up, but if you don't game then heck a GF8400MGS/MHD2400 might be 'overkill' for you.

 

Well, I'm def a gamer and depending on how much I enjoy having a gaming Laptop. . . I may pick up BioShock, CoD4, and more Source Engine games.

Now the big question is - Are there any decent 8800 Laptops out there that arent going to make me want to slam my face into a wall (Price wise, I dont just randomly slam my face into walls while looking at laptops)? I've heard a lot of rave about the new Gateway 8800. Given I'm certified under Gateway as a technician, working on it will be a cake walk for upgrades.

The downside is - I didnt catch it when it was priced at 1300, now its 1700. . . Although the price seems to have dropped on the Gateway website by an additional 100$.

 

It's supposed to be dropping back to 1199 on the 17th for the BB model.

 

!?!? Link? Source? Anything?

What does that mean for the upgrade - the High Def Screen with 2.2Ghz CPU?

1500?

 

For gaming at 1280x1024 and below, the 8700m does a fine job.
Current drivers have helped the 8700m a great deal.

8700m owners with 169 or 17x series drivers, overclocking and some vista tweaks are scoring mid 6000s with 3dmark06 for 1280x1024.

Past 1280x1024 (1440x900), yes the 8800GTS will start to become markedly superior.
For the games you listed, at 1280x1204 or below, the 8700m would be adequate.

However, the gateway with the 8800GTS is proving to be the best bang/buck at this moment in time.

If Toshiba ever offers an x205 with an 8800 in it, (at a competitive price) I'd probably go that way.

 

I can't help feel that a 8700M is an OC'ed 8600M.

At any rate, try to find the best deal. A good videocard can last you a while.

 

At the very least, the 8700m is a 30% OC from factory, more power, and a MUCH cooler running solution overall.

The result is effectively an 8600GTS desktop card in a laptop that runs at 70C OC'd to almost 800/1600/1000x2. (results do vary, but most get pretty close to this)

The 8800m GPUs are indeed better... but there is a very real point at which paying $X more for an 8800m is not worth getting over an 8700m.
(especially if you aren't gaming over 1280x1024)

Realistically, if you want the best, buy the SLI-8800m rigs.
Everything else is bang-for-buck.

The gateway is winning for now IMHO.