Nvidia 8400M performance, general discussion

hi all,

i don't know if its been asked already but,

what is the best driver for geforce 8400gt? 101.28 doesn't work on my laptop..and the 163.11 actually lowered my 3dmark06 score, from 996 with stock drivers to 884 with 163.11.

thanks.

 

I can't say how much you'll have to turn down the graphics options, but CoD2 has a good reputation for running well on even an outdated piece of crap (like my PC) as long as you are willing to turn down the graphics settings.

 

The 8400M GS, GT and 8600M GS are based on the G86 GPU. The 8400M G is further cut down while the 8600M GT is based on the G84 GPU.

The 64 bit memory bus of the 8400M GS really hurts it, but if overclocking tests with the 8400M GS' I've seen are any indication, you can make back that defecit and more quite easily. (Memory clocks are reaching 50% overclocks from the default 600Mhz.)

 

hi all,

I've installed 158.45 drivers and got 2121 in 3dmark05. I have 64 mb geforce 8400gt.

is that a normal score? What everyone else got? Also, my stock clock speeds are 450/600. To what can I safely overclock the gpu?

thanks

 

The overclocking will do absolutely nothing for you when the 64-bit memory bus is the limiting factor, i.e. at high resolutions (1440x900 and above), at higher texture settings, or on game engines which use lightly compressed textures. Usually these OC's are tested with 3dmark06 running in 1280x800, which is not a good test of the 64-bit memory bus. Though I agree that if you never game over 1280x800, then the 8400M-GS is a fine mid-range card.

Also, tecnically I believe that the 8600M-GS is based on the G84M core, though since half the shader's are disabled, it's incredibly similar to the 128-bit G86M core that the 8400M-GT uses. The only real differences are the max clock speeds.

 

i just ran 3d mark 05 and got a 3400. Is that about what i should be getting for my setup: 1.6 ghz core 2 duo, 1 gig ram, drivers are whatever dell installed on my vostro

 

Yes, for that setup that's not a bad score. You can get modded drivers for better performance, and you can make sure that all the background apps are turned off.

 

Funny you should say that.

8600M GT (DDR2 version) runs its 128 bit memory bus at 400MHz DDR, giving 12.8GB/s of bandwidth.

The 8400M GS (the GDDR3 version) runs its 64 bit memory bus at 600MHz DDR, giving 9.6GB/s of memory bandwidth. Many people have overclocked the memory to well over 800MHz, giving 12.8GB/s+ bandwidth.

I'd hardly call that 'nothing', well perhaps if you also think the 8600M GT that's quite popular is also a poor show.

Remember, memory bandwidth = frequency * bus width. You can make up for the lack of one with more of the other.

 

You're right, if you overclock the 8400M-GS that high and don't overclock the 8600M-GT at all, then you get similar memory bandwiths. However, I was comparing the 8400M-GS to an 8600M-GS, which has much higher bandwith. It's an unfair comparison to the 8600M-GT DDR2, because the 8600M-GT DDR2 overcomes it's low memory bandwith (yes, 12.8 is pretty low) with extra shader power. You really have to compare the 8400M-GS to a card that's the same except for memory bandwith, i.e. an 8400M-GT or an 8600M-GS to observe the performance hit caused by the 64-bit bus.

 

I was commenting on the fact that you said overclocking will do nothing for the card due to its 64 bit memory bus. It's obvious that the 64 bit bus will be detrimental to performance assuming all else is equal, but the 64 bit bus in of itself doesn't mean performance will be poor. With the overclocks people have achieved, it easily reaches the memory bandwidth of the DDR2 version of the 8600M GT, increasing performance quite a bit.

EDIT: I'd also like to say, double the stream processors over the 8600M GS barely makes up for the cippled memory bandwidth of the DDR2 version of the 8600M GT. With almost double the shader power (475MHz versus 600MHz for the GS, so not quite double) it scores only something like 15-20% more than the 8600M GS in 3DMark 06, which is almost completely shader limited. The performance difference will most likely be smaller in most games.

The 8600M GT is severely bandwidth limited.

 

Agreed. .

 

any specific drivers you would recommend?

 

What OS do you have?

 

My notebook has an 8400m GT and I have been overclocking it. Today I ran an event log while playing CS: Source and my max temp was 77*. What is the max temp you guys think I could do safely? I don't plan on overclocking any higher, but I want to know if I could damage anything at these temps.

 

77C is definitely not too high. I don't know what temps are considered safe for that particular laptop, but I wouldn't be worried up to 90 or 95C.

 

Hello, all. I am new to this forum and have a couple questions. I have been looking at this forum for a while but I cannot find the exact answers I am looking for. I am helping my sister shop for a new laptop to use for graphic design work. I am looking for a 17" widescreen and right now the Dell Inspiron 1721, with a 1.8 Core2Duo, 2GB mem, and nVida 8400 is one of the top contenders. I am looking for something with Vista that can run Photoshop CS3, Quark, Illustrator, and all that good stuff.

I think that some kind of dedicated graphics processor would be much better for her than an integrated solution. I was thinking about the NVidia 8400 as I think the 8600 would be overkill for her needs.

Anyway, I am confused about the nVidia 8400 that Dell offers. It is 128MB, but I thought that Vista needed at least 256MB of video mem to run the aeroglass feature worth a darn. Can you allocate shared memory to supplement the 128MB of internal memory? In other computers like an HP 9500 I have read that you can, but I cannot find any info on Dell's websight about this. Can anyone tell me if this is possible with the Dell 1720 and if so, how is this done? Is it done in Windows with an NVidia utility or is it done in the BIOS?

Any suggestions on whether a computer like this will do what is needed for her. She can only spend about $1000. She will be upgrading from an old Desktop with an Athlon XP 2000 so this will blow her mind when she gets it I am sure. Thanks for the help!!!

 

Things like Photoshop do not require a dedicated GPU. They use the CPU and the system RAM, not the graphics card, which is a common misconception. And yes, the 8400 uses something called Turbocache, which allocates system RAM to the GPU. This is normally done automatically, you don't have to worry about it. Any modern GPU, dedicated or integrated, will run Aero Glass fine.

 

I have the 8400M GS on Vista and I've tried many different programs but cannot seem to overclock it. When I change the clock settings and press apply, they immediately get reset back to their default values. I'm using the XtremeG Mobile 163.44 drivers. Any help would be appreciated as I'd like to overclock it.

 

The newest Rivatuner should work with those drivers. However, make sure all other video drivers are uninstalled and make sure all previous installations of rivatuner are uninstalled and cleaned.

 

In what ways can bandwidth be limited? Get the 8600M GT with the 512MB version rather the 256MB version...

 

The amount of video ram is not the issue. The issue is the bandwith between the core and the memory. The 8600M-GT has excellent shading power with 32 stream processors, but some versions of it have as low as 12GB/s bandwith, which is not nearly enough for that type of card to realize it's full potential.

 

I bought the Dell M1330 with the Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS. I'm supposed to have 128MB and it says so when I check on my computer. However, when I go to systemrequirementslab.com to check if I can play Fifa 2006 World Cup, which requires 128MB, it says I only have 117. And as a result, the FIfa game doesn't run very well. Can anyone help me figure out what the problem is? Thanks in advance.

 

Wait, are you saying that the game actually doesn't run well, or that Systemrequirementslab.com says it won't? If it's the latter, then don't worry about it, their's no practical difference between 117mb and 128mb, the difference is probably just a result of how the website tests your system.

 

Actually the game doesn't run well. Not smoothly at all. Kinda choppy. The wierd thing is, that on my previous computer, which had 64MB of video ram the game ran just fine despite needing 128MB of video ram. All my other games run fine on the new M1330 except Fifa. Is there a reason for the website only registering 117MB instead of all 128?

 

Well, the performance issues you have are unrelated to the website only registering 117mb of memory. I'm guessing it only registers that amount of memory no matter what game you pick, right?

As for the performance issues, try updating drivers, tweaking Vista, and adjusting the settings on the game. I'm not familiar with that's game specifically, so I'm not sure what the issue is.

 

Even at the lowest settings the game still does this but on the worse computer it runs fine. I guess it probably has something to do with vista. Doesn't everything these days? haha

And how would I tweak vista? Can I turn the Aero feature off? Would that help, if at all possible?

 

I was also going to suggest Vista as the problem. I doubt turning Aero off would do anything for you.

Try running the game in compatibility mode for Windows XP.

 

Do you think the 128 MB version of the card will be able to handle BIA: Hells Highway?

 

wont all memory be limited by the pci bus instead??

 

Not dedicated video memory, no.

The 8400M-GS, right? I'd say it will run it similar to Bioshock, which is 800x600 with medium settings, IIRC.

 

Thx and also recently I downloaded the beta version of World in Conflict. I haven't played it yet. I am running on 32-bit Vista and cuurently have 101.43 forceware drivers. I am wondering if there are any drivers that I should download(i.e from laptopvideo2go or any other sites) that would give me a performance increase in the game.

 

If you overclock, I'd get the newest mobile drivers, 156.65, which should support your card natively. If you don't overclock, I'd get the newest 163.69 drivers.

 

Anyone got anything concrete on how it performs compared to 7400? I'm getting a new laptop and had originally planned on getting the 8600GT but the 8400GS comes in a much smaller and considerably cheaper laptop, and it's for college, so I'm trying to prioritize things. I'm not hugely pushed on games, as all it's going to be playing is Dawn of War, but it'd be interesting to know in a % how much more powerful it is then the 7400 - because with these low end cards, every single frame counts...

 

The 8400M-GS is approximately 50% more powerful than the Go7400.

 

im fixing to buy a dell xps m1330, and it only goes up to 8400M GS. would that be able to handle games run on PCSX2?
for example, the games i will be playing are basically nippon ichi games and some final fantasy series (disgaea 1&2, makai kingdom, FFX, FFX-2).
and, i will also be playing games like counter strike and the upcoming starcraft 2 (blizzard games).
im thinking the 8400M GS is not good enough, and even the 8600M GT might not be able to handle PCSX2.
i dont need things to run everything on high, lowest options are even fine.
but i would really like someone (who has a dell xps m1330 or a 8400M GS) to tell me their thoughts on how well the specified games will run.
thnx.

 

guys - whats the average 3dmark 2005 score a 8400gs should get??

 

Well, using drivers and BIOS from HP website, my 05 score was 2305 - using the program for users who didn't buy the software.

 

wat? I got 3000.

 

I believe Gamja only has 64mb of dedicated VRAM, while 3dmark05 likes a full 128mb VRAM (like dsam has in his Dell). That's why the scores are different. Real life gaming won't suffer that much usually.

 

Actually, I do have 128 MB dedicated RAM.

 

Hmm, you're right. Perhaps if you tried updating your video drivers, and making sure no other processes are running?

 

I've only used HP drivers and not the ones from laptopvideo2go so that's probably it.

 

That happens to me to when I use systemrequirementlabs.com and so far I haven't altered any of my drivers. I think that it is just a misreading by the site. Don't worry your card is 128mb.

On laptopvideo2go I can't seem to find the 156.65 or 163.69 drivers for 32 bit Vista. I guess I would just get the latest driver available 163.44 which was released Aug. 17th. Is there any other drivers that people have found work well for them? The only site I know for drivers is laptopvideo2go. Is there any better ones? I like the idea of overclocking. So i assume I would use Rivatuner. How much of a performance increase could I expect to get from overclocking this card. Also how can you tell which drivers will be better for overclocking than others? Thanks in advance for any help

 

My post links directly to them, if you can't find them on the site.

If you want to overclock, I'd use Rivatuner, yes, with the 156.65 drivers. The only reason I say that is that it's extremely difficult to get overclocking working on the newest 16x.xx drivers. You can expect a noticeable increase in performance if you overclock, maybe as much as 25% depending on the game.

 

I really want to overclock but I'm a little unsure on Notebooks. I'm used to desktop overclocking but what are the real dangers of overclocking GPU in notebooks? Are they really common? Are they serious enough to make me worry?

cheers

 

The danger's are that the increased heat in such a confined space puts stress on all the components of your notebook. If you do overclock I recommend you don't do any extreme gaming without a notebook cooler, and make sure your fans and vents are kept free of dust. However, if you make sure to monitor your temperatures, there's not really any reason to worry.

 

This is alittle bit strange. I was checking if my M1330 can play some games on a website and they wrote always that I have only 117.0 MB. Though the mentioned that I have NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS!!! How come?

And I have a small question, is it possible to overlock my video card or to boost it ?

 

SystemRequirementsLabs does not always accurately detect how much video ram you have, don't pay attention to it.

Yes, you can overclock your video card.

 

I see.
But anyway, how can I overlock it?
I tried from the NIVIDIA Card properties but I didnt find any option like that.

 

Overclocking of mobile graphics cards is not officially supported by nVidia or the laptop's OEM, so doing so will tend to void your warranty. You can use a program like Rivatuner to overclock on 158.xx or older drivers, just google and you'll find several step by step guides to overclocking.