Mobility 4850 vs Dual Mobility 3870 CrossfireX?

I was just wondering if you guys could help me. I'm buying a laptop and was wondering which GPU runs games better. I know the Dual Mobility 3870s have a higher score in 3DMark06 (though maybe the CPU has something to do with this) but I would like to know which GPU runs actual games better? like Crysis, Farcry 2, Dawn of War 2, etc.

benchmarks at max settings with same Catalyst drivers would be very helpful!

 

I think you'll find cases where 3870CF beats a 4850, and you'll find other cases where the opposite happens (depending on how well CF scales, drivers, game implementation, etc). Game by game, it is probably 50/50 as to which is better... although as you've mentioned, in a synthetic test like 3Dmark, 3870CF stomps all over 4850.

Personally, I prefer a single-card solution where possible, so I would go for the 4850. It should be better value, and eventually should be available in more notebooks (right now it's just the MSI GT725 that is out).

 

i would go with the cross fire because more and more games are coming out that are designed to support dual gpu's. so in the end cross fire has more power and will play

i bought mine with future in mind not just the games of right now

 

thanks, you both propose wise arguments, errr..., such a hard decision!

p.s. anyone know which one runs Crysis at Very High better?

 

3870 cf is way better than a single 4850, thats obvious

 

Well these are the laptops I am considering atm:

Asus W90vp-A1: $2346.63
-18.4" WUXGA (1920x1080) Glossy
-(1024MB Total) Dual 512MB DDR3 ATI Mobility HD 4870's in (CROSSFIRE)
-Intel Core 2 Quad "Montevina" Q9000 2.0GHz 64-Bit 1066MHz FSB 6MB L2 Cache
-6GB DDR2 800MHz
-Dual 320GB 7200RPM Hard Drives (640GB Total)
-Blue-Ray Drive
-11.5lbs

OCZ Notebook (Gamer Xtreme M1): $2094
-17” WUXGA (1920x1200)
-(1024MB total) Dual 512MB DDR3 ATI Mobility HD 3870 in (Crossfire)
-Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 2.66GHZ w/ 1066MHZ FSB 6MB L2 Cache
-4GB DDR3 1066MHZ
-320GB 7200RPM SATA/150
-8X DVD Rewritable Drive (any blue-ray config?)
-10lbs


MSI GT725-075US: $1600
-17" WUXGA (1920x1200) Matte
-512MB DDR3 ATI Mobility HD 4850
-Intel Core 2 Duo P9500 2.53GHz w/ 1066MHZ FSB 6MB L2 Cache
-4GB DDR2 800MHz
-320GB 7200RPM SATA/300
-Blue-Ray Drive
-7.05 lbs

MSI or OCZ, which would run Crysis at Very High at decent res better?

 

You listed the Asus but aren't including it in the comparison? Asus is by far the best, next is OCZ then MSI.

 

Well, the HD 4870 CF obviously the best out of them.

 

well I know the Asus w90vp-A1's GPU is far better than the rest, but I'm worried about it's CPU, additionally it's HUGE and costs the most.

That's why I'm comparing the GPUs in the 17" laptops. Anyone have benchmarks of the 4850 and 3870x2 in the same game with same settings?

 

Because of unknown issues with Flextronics, OCZ has stopped distributing the Whitebook (aka Gamer Xtreme M1) and only Alienware is still producing more in the form of the M17. AW is supposed to have 4870s in the notebook by April.

As for the the ASUS W90 more than a few people are reporting lock-ups and BSODs so if you can take a short wait you should and see how that turns out.


For benchmarks of the 3870x2 there are plenty in the Alienware and OCZ forums and there are benchmarks for the 4850 in the MSI forums.

 

looks like everyone is getting problems. Maybe I should just wait for the Mobility HD 4870 or the GTX280m. I hope they are still around the $2000 price range, hopefully lower.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=4418880#post4418880 cpu comparison in 3dmark 06

all the info on the white book you'll neeed is here from AW section

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=357640


i still think the Arima 840/ (<s>Whitebook</s>) just for you plasma) is the way to go. the asus has BSoD and lock ups and the msi will be able to play games for now but dual gpu's are going to be the smarter buy

 

Id say wait for a single DDR5 4870 GPU that should be more then enough for a LONG time to come.

 

wow, they are coming out with Mobility GDDR5 for laptops?

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=355235

ohhh yea soon

for the m17

 

Not soon enough.

 

the w90 is actually 2100 in newegg.com
its great value for money considering youre getting the most ppowerful gaming laptop available atm

 

Tomshardware was a great GPU benchmark comparison chart. It should give you a clearer picture:

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/gaming-graphics-charts-q3-2008/benchmarks,30.html

 

it's sold out. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220503&Tpk=asus w90vp

 

Not to rain on your parade, but always take information provided by AW staff with a pinch of salt.

With regards to OP's question, I would go with V__C on this one. Considering how long SLI and CF have been out, drastic improvements have been made , but still not perfect. Don't see it being perfected any time soon either.

 

This W90 isnt sold out. Though I guess technically it isnt available yet, mid March is only a couple of weeks away.

http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-w90vpa1-order-p-2562.html

Even better, it gives you options. Curiously however, it only allows you to config QUAD processors at the moment.

 

yea, I saw the Xotic.com A1 version, but I'm not a fan of the Q9000 CPU, I would rather prefer the X1's T9600 CPU (far better suited for gaming).

 

The T9600 in them is good. OC's well too.