Lost in a sea of names and terms

Hey everyone!

About six months ago I started looking at laptops and am currently waiting for the Studio XPS 16. When I started looking at notebooks I knew very little about computers (as in what speeds are considered good) but now I am able to follow a conversation on CPUs, ram, fsb, and a lot of other stuff. I, however, am still completely lost when it comes to a GPU. So... I have a few questions (which will be easy for Pros like you )

1. Is there a general list of GPUs sorted by performance? I know that it can vary a lot and it depends what test you run, but I'm just looking for a general list.

2. Hybrid SLI GPUs. Hybrid means you can switch between intergrated and discrete graphics, right? I had no idea what SLI means but a wikipedia (old faithful) search tells me it basically means using more than one graphics card. Is it possible to do this on a laptop using the pci-express slot? Is a pci-express slot the same as express card slot?

3. (Because #2 is too long) If you use an additional external graphics card, does it have to match the card in the computer or does it just have to be rated for sli? Any risk to doing this? I heard that a single good card is better than two mid-range cards (and I plan on choosing the best one for my laptop) but I might still like some better performance.

4. Is it common to do this? (As in buying another gpu and 'plugging' into your laptop via some mystery port?

 

I don't know of a current list, especially since it's always changing and so many other factors go into it... plus it's hard to compare two cards side by side because you will not be able to test on identical hardware... etc. If you'd like I could go over a simple rundown of the most current GPUs, but generally the best and most accurate way is to google "video card 1 vs video card 2" and read the results.

SLI combines two cards to act as one. Hybrid SLI is only one dedicated GPU, where the laptop also has an integrated GPU. Depending on needs (performance or low power consumption) you would choose which to use. There are not really external graphics cards. There are a few things, like the ViDock, asus has some thing... AMD has something under development... but so far none of these are cost effective, and not a real solution. Let's cross our fingers for the AMD deal.

As per above, not possible. However yes, a single powerful card is a much better and more cost effective choice than two midrange cards. This is ESPECIALLY true in laptops.

Again, as per above, not really a possibility.

 

Thanks.

So when talking about sli in a laptop, it's going to be 2 built in GPUs, right?

 

yes 10chars

 

As for a list of current GPUs, NBR here has made a quick list of them in terms of performance, so just search for the GPU guide here on the forums to get a pretty decent list. If you want the exact stats of the GPU, notebookcheck is good to check the stats(although don't trust their actual ratings that much).

And btw, SLI GPUs(or Crossfire in ATI's case) are indeed two GPUs in a same laptop. In general, it'd be best to get a more pwoerful GPU, but at a certian point 2 of them will outperform a single one. Example, the two HD3870s in the OCZ Whitebook will outperform a single 9800M GTX in games which support multiple GPUs.

External GPUs are a newer technology which has barely been implemented. As it is, it's not really a viable solution yet.

 

Thanks for the good information.

I remember reading that Nvidia (?) has plans for hybrid graphics but claim that it's twice as good (as a regular dedicated?). How is that possible? (maybe I misread)

Also, on a side of pure speculation, do you think the studio xps 16 will offer a gpu at least as good as the current xps m1530? I'd imagine it would seeing as how the m1530 card was slightly dated.

 

Hmm bud I think your still stuck in the "WOOOOO DELL! SONY! MACBOOK! (etc) RULE!" phase of your Laptop learning experience.
Time to educate.
Don't buy those brands, they're ripping you off.
Check these sites:
Xoticpc.com
Pro-star.com
Powernotebooks.com
Darksmileysystems.com
Eurocom.com (Best if your in canada)

If you want a good laptop, use them.
Fact is, Dell only renames their notebooks. They don't make them.
The majority of laptops made are build by Clevo. Compal. Asus.MSI.
And everything else is mainly renamed (e.g. Dell and such brands buy a laptop, stick their name on it, stick Intel/AMD/nVida/ATI hardware into it and sell it at a higher price)
Personally I recommend Clevo products (If you go on Xoticpc.com, It'll say what the notebooks are made off of under the name of the laptop
E.g, it'll be something like this
NP8660
(built on clevo M860TU)

^^


And heres a decent list of graphics card comparisons.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html
Goodluck.

 

Hybrid graphics is a computer that has a dedicated card and an integrated card. You can, or should be able to, use them both together for a performance boost, but It's not double though I'm not sure what it will be.

And looking at the current studio lineup I doubt the Studio 16 will match the XPS 1530 in terms of video card...

 

Actually they are usually removable modules, but the laptop is designed specifically to take two of them. You couldn't add one of these modules to another laptop that wasn't specifically designed for it.

 

I have a list of the 9xxx series GPUs in my sig, nVidia has renamed them the new 1xx series but manufacturers haven't updated their line yet. Most new laptops will have 9xxx series from nVidia. ATI has a few too, which I haven't included yet.

 

Cool, interesting post as I didn't knew some of that. It's true about that "built on X", I've seen that on xoticpc. And that's why Asus can ultimately show good gaming laptops for decent prices (they're making them not rebranding)

 

Your welcome.
Yeah Asus are good for their prices.
Your safe with any of those sites I listed, those are where you'll get your cheapest prices for the best laptops.
Check them all out and see which you like most, than post here and tell us which you have choosen and we'll tell you how that notebook is. Also look up reviews of it.