Memory Bus Width/Brand New Laptop

I have just purchased the following laptop:

--Toshiba Satellite A130--

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 cache, 667MHz FSB)
OS: Windows Vista Premium 32-Bit
Memory: 2048MB PC5300 DDR2 667MHz SDRAM (1024MBx2)
LCD: 15.4" Widescreen XGA TruBrite (1280x800)
Graphics Card: nVIDIA GeForce Go 7600, 256MB dedicated graphics memory
HDD: 80GB HDD (5400rpm, Serial-ATA)
Optical Media: DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive

Price Tag= $1,400.00

Couple Questions:

1.) I have heard horror stories about Toshiba putting the nVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 with 256MB that only had a Memory Bus Width of 64bit's instead of 128, Obviously drastically decreasing the 3dMark scores and overall performance. Has anyone else heard of this or know that this model comes with the 64bit?

2.) Was it a mistake to not get Vista Ultimate? Will games run worse on Premium?

3.) Overall how do you think the system will perform with games like supreme commander, or F.E.A.R? What about 3dMark06?

--Thanks in advance--

 

If your Nvidia Go7600 has 256MB of dedicated memory, then it is pretty much a guarantee that it has the proper 128-bit bus. It's the 128MB cards that you need to be concerned with.

Those are excellent specifications for the money you paid, congratulations on the laptop.

Nope, it wasn't a mistake. If anything, you did the right thing; Vista Premium is the best value. Games will run the same on both.

It's not going to have a problem with the latest games although you will need to reduce the settings in certain games. I have never played Supreme Commander so I cannot tell you about that, but I have played FEAR on a Go7600 and you will have no problem at high settings and an XGA (1024x768), possibly WXGA (1280x800) resolution.

 

Thanks. That answered all of my questions perfectly.

By the way, how can I tell what memory bus width the GPU is once I get the laptop?

 

There are utilities you can download that will tell you, like Everest. I'm not sure if that works with Vista though. Alternatively, you can run 3DMark05 - post the scores here and we'll tell you for certain what bus it has.

 

Not 3dMark06? Does it have to be 05?

 

Chaz, I have a 256mb dedicated x1600 and it has 64-bit bus width.

 

So, let's say I get my laptop and it turns out to have a 64bit bus. Should I return it?

How much of a decrease in performance would a 64bit have compared to a 128?

Also, what would be the best way to tell, everest, ati tool, 3dMark05???

Thanks

 

I would say having a 64-bit bus width 256dedicated is comparable to having a 128-bit bus width with only 128 dedicated.

 

That's a good comparison.

If it does have a 64-bit bus (I don't think it will, but . . . ), then I would return it if you don't take too much of a $$$ hit.

According to this page, your Toshiba should be 128-bit:
http://www.notebookforums.com/thread187563.html

 

u will see a pretty big performance hit with only a 64bit memory bus. but i agree with matt, it is comparable but i would rather have less memory and a wider bus.

 

So I got the laptop and uninstalled all the bloatware. Defraged it and ran 3DMark05. Stock drivers.

My score: 3352

I have a couple questions:

1.) So does this score indicate 128bit?

2.) Is this score any good?

3.) I have a bit of a problem with it considering my two year old desktop gets a 3410 3dmark05 score. [AMD 64 3500+],[1GB RAM],[Geforce 6800 with 128],[Windows XP]. How come my laptop has lower score than my desktop?

4.) What things (other than overclocking) could I do to raise this score?


Could someone please answer these 4 questions. Thanks

 

1) 128-bit, I'm 100% sure

2) Yes, it's very good for a stock Go7600. Most of the Go7600 machines I have tested have gotten 3,050 at stock, so your video card clocks are higher. Nice.

3) The GeForce 6800 is a stronger card - 256-bit bus, more pixel/vertex shaders. So, it is understandable.
It's hard to compare actual gaming performance based on 3DMark scores. Your Go7600 may even do better in games. The only way to tell is to play and find out.

4) Not much other than updating the drivers. The drivers your laptop came with are probably new so I wouldn't bother right now.