Mobile Video Card Information

The Mobile Video Card FAQ

So we all want a notebook that can handle our lifestyles, and if we're a gamer we want to get the best mobile video card we can. If we're a media enthusiast or graphics professional we also want a video card that cane live up to our standards. So people usually have questions about mobile video cards and I'll try to answer those as well as I can. Here's the most frequently asked questions.



What's the best mobile video card on the market?

The 8800M GTX is the fastest video card you'll find in a notebook by a significant amount. There's also the 8800M GTS, which is no slouch in power since it's only about 15%-20% slower in most cases, but if you want the most longetivity or if you want to play games on the highest possible resolutions and settings, the 8800M GTX is preferable.

Which is faster, an 8700M GT or 7950M GTX?

You should see better framerates (which'll mean a smoother experience) with the 7950M GTX. If you plan on playing games at 1024x768 or 1280x800 resolution, the 8700M GT might have some advantage over the 7950M GTX because of its' higher clock speeds. The 7950M GTX will show a huge performance increase if you plan at playing on higher resolutions like anything above 1440x900 since it has a bigger memory interface. The 8700M GT is also capable of DirectX10, which could lead to even better performance in games that are optimized for it, like Lost Planet and Assassin's Creed. So basically, get the 8700M GT if you plan on playing on 1280x800 resolution or lower and the 7950M GTX if you plan on playing games on higher resolutions.

Are integrated video cards good for casual gamers?

Usually, no. Most games won't play too well at all on an integrated video card. Unless you're into older games or flash games, you'd be much better off with a discrete video card like the 8400M GS or 8400M GT.

Which video card would you recommend for a media enthusiast?

An 8400M GS should be preferable for most people since it can even handle the high quality standards set by media enthusiats, like HD movies (including Blu-Ray disks).

What is MXM, and what does it mean for gamers and enthusiasts?

MXM stands for Mobile PC Express Module, which means that notebooks that use MXM are capable of some video card upgrades. This doesn't mean that all notebooks that use MXM will be able to upgrade every new video card, or even NVIDIA's 8 series of cards, but in notebooks that use the newest version of MXM, MXM IV, MXM is finally starting to take off and become the premier way for consumers and notebook manufacturers to get the most value and power out of their systems. MXM was originally designed for notebook manufacturers to be able to offer faster video cards to consumers without making big changes to their current notebooks, but has evolved into a way for consumers to upgrade the video cards in their system to something faster to keep up with the extra performance new games are requiring.

Which notebooks currently support MXM IV and which video cards are supported in MXM IV notebooks?

Currently only the more expensive gaming rigs feature MXM IV, but getting a system capable of it is a great way to max out the value and performance of your system. All the notebooks that currently support it are:

Alienware m15x
Alienware m17x
Alienware M9750 (debatable whether Alienware will allow M9750 users to use their systems' MXM to its' full potential)
Dell XPS M1730
Sager NP5792
Sager NP5793
Sager NP9262

Also including systems that are built off Clevo's latest systems (which are what the Sagers are built off of). Notebooks with MXM IV systems can upgrade their video card to (in order of model number):

NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600
NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 GT
NVIDIA GeForce Go 7700
NVIDIA GeForce Go 7800
NVIDIA GeForce Go 7800 GTX
NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS
NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GTX
NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT
NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS (unconfirmed, though very likely)
NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX

So basically, if you don't have enough money to spend on a higher-performance video card, you can buy one of the notebooks listed above with a mid-range video card then upgrade to one of the more video cards above later on for a cheaper price. Chances are, MXM IV should apply to NVIDIA's 9 and 10 series, but I wouldn't buy a notebook expecting it will, they might require a newer MXM.

What is SLI and why should I get a system that's SLI capable?

SLI stands for Scalable Link Interface and lets you use two video cards to get up to double the performance for gaming and 3D rendering. If you want a hardcore gaming notebook you should get a one that's atleast SLI capable so when the fastest video card your system can use starts to show its' age, you'll be able to get another one of the same video card and pair them together to get up to double the performance, adding extra longetivity to your system.

How does SLI work?

You'll need to pair up two of the same video cards (i.e. 8800M GTX and an 8800M GTX would work in SLI, but an 8600M GT and an 8800M GTX wouldn't) then you'll have two video cards rendering the game, rather than one, potentially increasing performance up to double the speed.

If there's two cards running in SLI, wouldn't I always get double the speed?

Only a select amount of games can use SLI to its' full potential since its' drivers aren't too well optimized since SLI is still a pretty new technology. Once NVIDIA and game developers do better optimize their drivers, you can expect SLI to greatly improve.


You can definitely expect this thread to expand and improve over time, that was just a quick write-up off the top of my head to get this thread going. Be sure to ask some questions and I'll try to answer them all as soon as I can. Thanks guys !

Best Regards,
-Mike

 

Great thread, but that's what the "Read Before Posting" Thread is for.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=39568

this thread mostly already covered what you mentioned here. Maybe Chaz can find a way to sneak in anything you added and he missed.

 

I think my thread covers a lot different info than Chaz's. You can expect it to cover a lot more soon (it'll also look nicer and be better organized than it is now).

 

good guide. + rep because its gonna save us plenty of headache if people bother to read it.

 

First, decrease the font size. It's huge on my WSXGA screen, so I feel sorry for those having to read that on a WXGA screen.*

Second, there exists an item called the "edit" button.

*Everyone needs to take a graphics design class, or at the very least a "does this look pretty" class. I can't believe the amount of people out there with absolutely no sense of style whatsoever. I always thought it was second nature to make things look pretty and organized (or maybe it was the 3 years of graphics design classes I took, who knows), but the next time I see green mixed with pink and purple, with random crap all over the place, I'm going to shoot someone. /rant

 

The font makes me dizzy

 

Will do. That *space reserved for updates* thing is just so I can post things like "Section added" and minor updates like that.

 

Great! Another nice little addition!

 

I don't see how that has anything to do with this thread...?

 

Lithus is quite an "eccentric" (cough, cough) fellow...

So, don't worry about him, just try to get used.

 

I'm sorry, but I am going to close this thread. While I do appreciate the fact that you want to contribute to this forum, as noted, we already have a well-established guide centered around the same topic: the GPU Guide. It doesn't make sense to have another thread about the same topic because that means split effort and the possibility of contradicting information. It would be better if it was all kept in one guide.

The majority of the information you have posted is already in the GPU Guide. If you would like any of the information you have posted in here that is not already in there to be added, send me a private message and I will do that, giving you full credit. I give credit where credit is due.

So thanks, but no thanks.