Nvidia GeForce GT 540M questions

I am trying to find out more information about the graphics card in the laptop I am considering (custom spec Asus N53SV-DH72, i7-2670QM, 8gb ram.)

The GPU is the Nvidia GeForce GT 540M, 1GB GDDR3 with Optimus. I need to use this machine for occasional HD video editing (Adobe Premiere Pro, a bit of After Effects) as well as frequent live video mixing performances using Arkaos GrandVJ. In GrandVJ, I mix several (6+) layers of NTSC 720x480 resolution video in realtime. If the GPU can handle it I'd also like to work with live mixing/layering HD resolution video as well.

I noticed this graphics card is not on this chart: Graphics Cards Buy Now so I am wondering what "Ideal User Category" this card falls under? Mid/multimedia user? Or is it a low end/business/casual gamer? I don't think I need a super high end extreme card, but I just want to feel confident that this card will suit my needs. Do you think I'll be fine?

There were a few other specifications I had trouble finding:

-Does this card support multi monitor output, and if so how many monitors? Two would be enough, but I am wondering if I would I be able to use a Matrox DualHead2Go with it? I would like to be able to see my VJ software interface on my laptop, and then have two projectors outputting the separate full screen live video window.

-Does this card support OpenGL?

 

A bit of info on the GT540m

NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M - Notebookcheck.net Tech

 

that is an old card as optimus lappys now come with the 555 which was a free upgrade with certain companys.
tbh i think it will struggle with video editing rendering especially HD but ill leave it to the experts to advise more.

 

ur link is for desktop cards

GeForce GT 540M - Overview - GeForce

this is the GT540M official nvidia page with specs, features and such ... as for the actual performance it is on par with my OCed HD5650 & from personal experience u can have a good gaming experience on medium~high settings & resolution of 1366*768 on most of the modern titles & u can go high~ultra on older titles

As for multi-monitors support ... ofc it does ... but since this is a laptop its highly dependent on the available ports on the laptops (usually u get 1 VGA port and 1 HDMI port) so check with the laptop manufacturer

As for OpenGL it supports OpenGL 4.0 as far as i know

 

If you're looking at doing live HD Video editing on a laptop then look at gaming rigs with dedicated GPUs like the NVidia GTX460M or ATI 6970M or better. Also get an Intel core i7 2nd Gen CPU, as it has the ability to do video rendering as well, can address 16G RAM, and is quite fast.

 

Ok, thanks! It's difficult when someone tells me about the quality of "gaming experience" with these cards, because I don't game, and I don't know how to translate that into video related work. Technically I already have a desktop computer for video editing, I just wanted to see if I could have the option to do it on the laptop too (within budget.) It's a bummer to hear that this GPU is considered an old card, because it's a relatively new model of the laptop.

I've checked out some gaming rigs but it's hard to find one I like. I would like a 15", not a 17", and preferably something that doesn't look like a sports car with a bunch of chunky plastic and colored lights everywhere. Also something that people have had success with - not an obscure model that only a small number of people have used. I'm sure there are lots of laptops out there that I could consider, I just have to keep looking (I've already been researching for 2 months). Any suggestions in the $1800 range would be helpful, but ideally I also want 2 hard drives (one SSD), full HD matte screen, i7 processor, 8gb ram, VGA/HDMI, USB 3, a good warranty...

I'd have a 15 day return policy on the Asus, so I might just buy it and play with it to see how it suits my needs. If it can't handle what I throw at it I'll just return it and continue my search.

 

The real issue is that laptops are generally about half as fast as a similar priced desktop at GPU / gaming etc. So even if you've got a somewhat older desktop card, say a GTS240 or 5850 or something, a very fast late model laptop GPU is likely only going to just be a match for it. Same goes for CPUs. So if you have a 2 or 3 year old desktop, chances are it's still as fast as a modern high performance gaming rig like a Sager NP8150 or Alienware MX17r2 etc.

So you wind up getting spoiled by your desktop rig and find that any medium powered laptop is a pretty big letdown.

The minimum GPU I'd buy in a new laptop would be something like an AMD 6770 or Nvidia GT555M, which are some of the fastest laptop GPUs you can get that support being switched on for max power and off for max battery life. After that you're looking at laptops with just dedicated GPUs that can't be switched off, which get 2 or so hours maximum on battery, such as the Nvidia GTX460M or above, or the AMD 6970 and above. Note that some laptops with these GPUs still support switching but they're the odd ducks nowadays.

As for CPUs there's just no reason to go lower than a second gen core i5 (i 2410M etc) as the dual core i5 can get very good battery life and quite good performance. The 2nd gen core i7 is quite a bit faster, with 7 cores, but generally won't get quite as high of battery life.

I'd recomment looking at something like the Sager NP8130, NP8150, or NP5165. The 8130 has NVidia GForce GTX560M which is quite powerful. The 8150 can have the more powerful ATI 6990 or NVidia GTX580M. The NP5165 has the less powerful GT555M but gets about 3.5 to 4 hours battery life with a core i5 CPU.

Whichever you get get the 95% color gamut matte 1080p screen with it. Also don't forget to add Windows if you need it.

 

So there's a significant enough difference between the Nvidia GT555M and the 540M that I should consider another laptop? Battery life honestly isn't very significant to me. I'll be plugged in most of the time, especially when dealing with anything video related.

 

sorta depends...there are various versions of the 555. The 1.5 and 3 gig versions are generally the full 192 bit versions with 144 nvidia cores

The 2 gig versions of the 555 are generally 128 bit versions with 96 shader cores (which essentially is a gt 550m, which is only slightly faster than the 540m)

Best that you check which version is in the Asus before you get it

The full (non-gimped) 555m's will be about 30% faster than a 540m

Another thing that you might look at...there are many Asus machines with core i7 processors and nvidia gtx 460m's...and they are very cheap right now. As mentioned above, the 460m/560m is a better option. I link 460m and 560m together because the 560m is just a power optimized version of the 460m that runs at slightly faster clocks. For all intensive purposes, all 460m's will overclock to 560m speeds. i have one in an Asus G73 that runs faster than a stock 560m and it runs cold

 

Getting a refurbbed G73SX might be a very good deal, just make sure you get the 1080p screen. Since battery life isn't important, I'd definitely look at machines with GTX460M or above and core i7 CPUs then. For new machines you're unlikely to do better than the Sagers at Xoticpc, especially screen quality wise at that price.

 

Sxooter, thanks for the suggestion but I don't want a 17" inch screen. I just looked at the Asus G53JW-A1 (and similar Asus models), which has GeForce GTX 460M 1.5GB DDR5. However I really don't like how chunky the plastic case is. I would prefer something a bit more sleek, and preferably weighs a bit less. Are there any laptop models with this graphics card or better, within the same price range ($1200ish as a standard configuration, so I can afford to customize the specs a bit more with SSD and matte screen upgrades) that aren't so bulky? I appreciate any suggestions, I'll be sure to check them out.

 

I should have also mentioned - I need a VGA port. Unfortunately a lot of Sager models, including all the ones you listed, don't come with one. Any other suggestions?