UPDATED - The Mobile Graphics Card Info Page - Most GPU Qs answered

If you are just an occasional gamer and are only considering going to a 17" to get the Go7900GS, then it is probably not worth it. Have you seen a 17" notebook in person? They're very large and not portable.

Comparing the power of an X1400 to a Go7900GS is like comparing a Ford to a BMW, yes. If you want to play the latest and greatest games at top resolutions and maximum settings, then the Go7900GS will do that for you, and the X1400 won't. However, the X1400 is capable of playing all games out there right now, at medium resolutions and medium-high settings.

What are the system requirements of Gothic 3? If you could post them here, that would be great.

 

Haven't seen 17" in person, but I have 15" and thought that it was quite big. That's why I'm so reluctant to 17" and I know I wouldn't really like it.
But to get a good perf. card on 15" is either very expensive or impossible (and it comes with heat problems).

OK, do you think they will start putting some newer cards in 15" anytime soon?
What is this Nvidia quadro?
I'm shooting at Duo T7200, 2Gb RAM but the card is the key.

"When I tried Gothic 3 on my home rig (Athlon 2500+, GeForce 6600 GT and 1 GB of RAM) I had to tone down pretty much everything there was to tone down in terms of visual settings."- quote from a website.

Thanks Chaz You're slowly convincing me that X1400 is not that terrible and it's better than spending another 400$ and have a good card in a (two)LAP(s)TOP.

 

Do you guys have a recommendation for a good gaming 15.4” WUXGA laptop with good battery life?

General Questions
0) Previous Laptop
Inspiron 8600
15.4” WUXGA
1.7 GHz Pentium M
ATI 9600 Pro turbo
1/2 Gb ram (ya, it needs more)

1) What is your budget?
$2000-$4000
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
I would like 15.4” WUXGA
May get 17" WUXGA
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Games and other stuff

4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Mostly desk but would like some portability for long trips or to bring to work

5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
Right now I play Dawn of War and Unreal tournament 2004 but would like to be able to play battle field 2 (without extremely long loading time) or a new version of unreal when it comes out.

6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Prefer Dell (but no 15.4" WUXGA any more except for the workstation which has quadro) . Don’t like sony too proprietary.

7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
Atleast 2 hours would like more

8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Online

9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in?
USA

Screen Specifics

10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
Don’t care.

11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
UXGA / WUXGA
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Not sure. My old laptop has a non-glossy and seems fine to me.

Build Quality and Design

13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
No.

14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Yes, I want laptop that will last like my Inspiron 8600.

Notebook Components

15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 160GB?
Would like a 100Gb 7200RPM.

16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
Don’t really care much but a blue ray with WUXGA high def would be cool.

WUXGA laptops that I am considering:

Priority: Gaming
Dell XPS M1710
Editor Rating: 4.5/5
Editor Pros: Outstanding performance. Integrated 802.11n wireless.
Improved gaming performance. Netgear 802.11n router included with
purchase.
Editor Const: 802.11n requires tweaking for maximum range. Cheaper
than other Core 2 Duo laptops, but still pricey.
17" display
3D mark: 8679 (nVidia GeForce Go 7900GTX)
Battery life: 2.33 hours (80 Whr battery)
Size: 15.5" x 11.3" x 1.6"
Weight: 8.8 lb
My configured price: $4076.00
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2008177,00.asp

Priority: Gaming + Price
Dell Inspiron E1705
Editor Rating: 4/5
Editor Pros: New Intel dual-core components. Great instant-on feature.
Good performance. Six USB ports.
Editor Cons: Base gets hot. Short battery life. A bit heavy.
17"display
3D mark: +3833 (nVidia GeForce Go 7800GTX [but currently Go7900GS])
Battery life: 2.34 hours ()
Size: 15.5" x 11.3" x 1.6"
Weight: 8.2 lb
My configured price: $2,655.00
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1908402,00.asp

Priority: Gaming + Size
Alienware Area-51 m5550
Editor Rating: 3.5/5
Editor Pros: Blazingly fast speeds. Chart-topping benchmark test
scores. Over 20 percent faster than other systems on video-encoding
tests. Sci-fi design.
Editor Cons: Heat issues. Poor battery life. Pricey.
3D mark: 3567 (nVidia GeForce Go 7600)
15.4" display
Battery life: 1.52 hours (48 Whr battery)
Size: 14.25" x 10.75" x 1.36"
Weight: 6.8 lb
My configured price: $2,604.00 - $100 rebate
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2008138,00.asp

Old laptop (for comparison):
Dell Inspiron 8600
Editor Rating: 3.5/5
Editor Pros: Great battery life. Good price.
Editor Cons: Bulky. Better screens out there.
15.4" display
Battery life:4.21 hours
Size: 14.2" x 10.3" x 1.4"
Weight:7.1 lb
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1722283,00.asp

Do you know of any other new 15.4" WUXGA gaming laptops (besides the m5550)?

 

To MaxAmp

Yep. I agree.

Ok. Post the same HERE and you could get more replies.

 

To seattle82m

Well, they are great either...

More information about the game here

What can I say?

 

Wow that looks like the requirements of Oblivion, even more! But I think Oblivion looks better. Again a non-optimilazed PC game.

Charlie

 

Ah, wikipedia
Yeah, ok, so I can forget about Gothic 3. Now, back to my other question.
Should we expect any changes in the 15" cards anytime soon.
And what is this 512 Nvidia QUADRO card? :-/

Thank you guys for the answers. I know one thing for sure now, Gothic or no Gothic I will buy 17'.......... NOT!

 

Quadro NVS 120M is a business video card based on the Go 7400. It shows relatively worse performance in synthetic benchmarks and games compared to the performance of the regular gaming cards.

 

If you want to play the latest games comfortably then you will need a Go7400 or X1400 card - the NVS Nvidia cards are not for gaming. They can game, but I wouldn't trust them (there may be compatibility issues with certain games, and performance will be worse as posted).

 

OK, thanks a LOT!
I'm just gonna go with x1400 I guess or hope that they start putting better cards after Christmas ( Jan/Feb is when I'm planning to buy a new laptop- and I also hope they change the design of Dell Inspirons by then, cause they suck!)
x1400 with good processor and 2GB of RAM should be enough for most older games.
Thank you guys. You're the best!!!

 

I agree for the design.

Anyway, you could ask again, whenever you decide to buy a notebook and we'll see what we can do. Who knows, you could have other options by then.

Good luck.

 

Sorry as I don't know where to post this question...
What are the steps to clear the bloatwares? As I found out that Sony Vaio notebook comes with lots of bloatwares

 

Just deinstall what you don't need.

Otherwise, there is Sony section, then Software section etc. Probably the people there would pay more attention to you.

 

If you have questions about software, etc, check out our dedicated Software forum or the respective manufacturer's forum as posted.

 

I just bought a new laptop and my first it was the cheapest thing I could find that wasn't a relic, but now my dad says I have to upgrade it to max without breaking the bank. I could use some professional pionters thanks P.S. We have a very small bank not to break

 

Welcome to the forums. We need more information so we can help you out. If you could create a new thread in the Hardware Upgrades forum, we could help you a lot better. We need information like:
-Why is your dad making you upgrade?
-What are the specifications of the computer?

 

Hello everyone!! I’m from Medellín, Colombia, Thanks a lot for all the info u have put in here, it was very, very helpful. I'm looking for a laptop that I can use for video editing...¿what appears on page one also applies for video editing or only for games?

My budget is only 1000$ so I was thinking dell 6400 with Intel Core 2 Duo T5500, memory of 1GB, 160GB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive and 256MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON X1400 HyperMemory, or the Toshiba Satellite A100-ST1042 with Intel Core Duo Processor T2050, 1024MB PC4200 DDR2 533MHz SDRAM, 60GB HDD (5400rpm, Serial-ATA) and the nVIDIA® GeForce® Go 7300 with 128MB DDR

Which one u think is best for video editing???

Thanks a lot

 

Video editing is processor, memory and hard disk intensive.

First I would invest in a faster CPU like T7200. Second, I would get as much RAM as possible, 1 GB is the minimum while 2 GB is usualy recommended. Third, a large HDD is required and I would get a 7200 RPM drive.

Anyway, I personally would forget about that Toshiba.

 

Hi,
We ask that anyone looking for notebook recommendations create a new thread in the What Should I Buy forum.

Thanks,

 

Hi All,

I come from a long line of computing experience, and with my present Notebook, using the ATI Radeon XPress 200M card, I must say, it is a POS.

Oh, I run Linux, and this card has been so often discussed it gets scary. Perhaps 1,000 - 2,000 posts ranging from 32-Bit to 64-Bit. ATI is worthless as a Video card. And, I do run the AMD Thurion 2.2GHz chip with native 64-Bit Ubuntu Edgy. Cool!

My plan -- I rip this ATI card out, and mail it back to ATI (now AMD) and say thanks, but no thanks. NVIDIA rules as a Graphics card for Notebooks.

 

Model
Brand iBUYPOWER
Model CLX-NI
Vista Upgrade Program
Vista Upgrade Program Site http://www.ibuypower.com/Vista/WinVista.asp
General
Operating System Windows XP Media Center Edition
CPU Type AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-56 1.8GHz
Screen 15.4" WXGA
Memory Size 1GB DDR2
Hard Disk 100GB
Optical Drive Dual Layer DVD Burner
Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600
Video Memory 256MB
Communication Modem, Gigabit LAN and WLAN
Card slot 1 x Type II PC Card & 1 x Express Card
Dimensions 14.09" x 10.19" x 1.06"
Weight 6.4 lbs.
Tech 64-bit
CPU
CPU Type AMD Turion 64 X2
CPU Speed TL-56(1.80GHz)
CPU L2 Cache 2 x 512KB
Chipset
Chipset NVIDIA C51MV + MCP51M
Display
Screen Size 15.4"
Wide Screen Support Yes
Display Type Wide XGA
Resolution 1280 x 800
Operating Systems
Operating System Windows XP Media Center
Graphics
GPU/VPU NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600
Video Memory Dedicated 256MB
Graphic Type Dedicated Card
Hard Drive
HD Capacity 100GB
HD Interface SATA
Memory
Memory Slots 2 x DIMM
Memory Speed DDR2 667
Memory Size 1GB
Optical Drive
Optical Drive Type Dual layer DVD Burner
Optical Drive Interface Integrated
Communications
Modem 56K
LAN 10/100/1000Mbps
WLAN 802.11b/g Wireless LAN
Ports
Card Slot 1 x Type II PC Card & 1 x Express Card
USB 4
IEEE 1394 1
Video Port 1 x S-Video TV-out, 1 x DVI
Audio Ports 1 x Microphone jack; 1 x Headphone jack
Audio
Audio Realtek ALC 883, Support Analog 5.1 Channel Output
Speaker Internal Speakers
Input Device
Touchpad Yes
Keyboard Standard
Supplemental Drive
Card Reader SD/MMC/MS/MS-Pro/XD 5-in1 Card Reader
Webcam Built-in 1.3 Mega Pixels CMOS Camera
Power
AC Adapter 100~240V AC, 50/60Hz universal AC Adapter
Battery Lithium Ion
Physical spec
Dimensions 14.09" x 10.19" x 1.06"
Weight 6.4 lbs.

 

Anyone been to this site yet?
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-Go-7600.2144.0.html

It's great for benchmark check on ATi Vs nVidia mobility cards. May be helpful for some who are a little newer with mobility cards' capabilities.

 

Erm, what is the point of your first post? Are you looking to buy that system? I recommend filling out our FAQ in the What Should I Buy forum so we can help you out.

Thanks for the link to that site, it is actually very helpful and I don't recall seeing it before.

 

OK, question.
Obviously x1600 is better than x1400. I think someone said (somewhere) that he got a laptop (Asus?) with x1600. Do you think they will start putting x1600 to 15' any time soon? Like in two months (when I'll be buying a laptop )
I'm so tired with x1400. It's been in the 15's for ages now!

 

You are talking about Dell...?

Otherwise, there are huge amount of 15.4" notebooks with the X1600/Go7600 and a few with the X1700/Go7700.

 

Hello

I have one question that I can´t find the anser to.

You wrote that the ATI Radeon Xpress 200M is a realy bad grafic card.
I´m nowe loocking into buying a notbook, the seller tells me that it is a HP Pavilion DV5000EA Mark II but I can´t sem to find it om the net, and he tells me that it is a ATI Radeon Express 200 Mark II grafic card installd in it and tells me that it is one of the best grafic cards that you can put in a notbock.

Do you think that he is trying to fool me?

I notist that the ATI Radeon Xpress 200M whas a bad card but what about the Mark II thing? I cant get anny grip on it! can you help me?

One more thing I am from Sweaden so you have to exuse the speling and gramer

Best regards
///Niklas

 

The Xpress 200M is not a bad card. Actually, it's a decent video card but it's integrated so, it's not meant for gaming.

 

Are you serious? Yes, I was talking about Dell but I didn't know that you can actually get better cards without a problem. An example? And I bet it probably effects the cost big time!
(I guess I have to do a better research)

 

Almost all brands make gaming notebook. Also, you could find those cards in 14.1" notebooks.

Around $1300 would be enough.

You could fill out the FAQ and we will try to find options for you.

 

I'm not into 14.1" but I'll check some brands and then post on FAQ.
Thanks a lot man. If that turnes out to be true I won't have to go with cheap but UGLY Dell

 

Where are you from?

 

AAAAaaaa, Seattle, Washington State (but my hometown is Warsaw, Poland).
Dell has great deals but they keep this **** x1400. It's been there for at least half a year. And their design, ugh.

 

Dreamer, Chaz, oh my God. Look what I found.. newegg beauty
Dreamer, you were SO right!! I don't think I'm gonna buy a Dell. There are so many other nice brands with SO much better GPU!! I mean, just look at it, it's gorgeous. Need comments on that, please!!!

 

The F3JP is a very nice Asus Ensemble laptop. You can find better screens and descriptions, as well as the choice to add some RAM here.
The build quality and performance will blow away any 15" Dell.

 

Yes thanks for the reply

But the thing I don´t understand is if ther are anny difrens between the
ATI Radeon Express 200M and the
ATI Radeon Express 200 Mark II?

 

Asus makes some of the best gaming machines... One usually cannot go wrong with them.

Otherwise, I think we tried to list some of the gaming notebooks here. You would have many options whenever you decide to buy depending on how much you would be willing to spend on...

 

Here are the specifications of the HP Pavilion dv5000ea

I don't know whether you have a good deal for that HP but it is simply outdated machine. It has: a single core CPU; only 512 RAM, which is not enough nowadays; slow HDD, i.e. 4200RPM; and regular integrated video card.

As far as I know, the dv5000 series was discontinued.

The Xpress 200M is an integrated video card and it cannot go any better than that, no matter how it's announced.

 

As Dreamer said dv5000 is a old machine, you have new dv6000 or dv6100 with dual core CPU Core2DUO or Turion 64 x2.

 

Gosh, Asus is sick! I love it! I just have to find out if the screen's fine (res. 1280x800? WTF?). The GPU x1700 -awesome. Design great! I got to look up the ASUS forum and see if people have any problems with them.
Anyway, thanks a lot guys! (Dreamer, thanks for the thread with gaming notebooks).

 

Thanks mate, your the best !

 

You're spoiled brat. That's all.

There is no way I can afford x1600 or go7600... I must stick with x1400...

By the way... Hello from Poland !

 

He he , thanx and hello to you from Seattle
I actually found a computer of my dreams. It's G1 ASUS with an awesome GPU- 512Mb Nvidia GeForce Go 7700.
Well, at least you have a laptop. I'll be buying mine in early Feb. And that's only beacuse I live here, in Poland I would never go with such a beast
x1400 is not that bad... there's nothing to be ashamed.

 

I'm not ashamed. Yet. I am planning to buy a laptop this week... With X1400 GPU... Perhaps I'll upgrade it to x1600 later? LOL
Well.. It has an MXM port according to THIS table. Or maybe I'll not upgrade, as this is only MXM type 2...

 

Nah, you're doing ok. I'm not sure what MXM is, but ... I guess it's something good to have.
I don't know about upgrading graphic cards... I don't believe in that (just like you). RAM, yes. GPU, rather not. Good luck though. Are you going with Dell?

 

No, not Dell. Fujitsu-Siemens Pi1536. 1GB RAM, Core Duo 1,73 GHz, 120GB HDD, X1400... Should work with all FPS, though not with very high detail level. I wonder about F.E.A.R. but it should work OK with shadows OFF...

 

As long as you have a good amount of RAM (minimum 1GB), the X1400 can handle the latest games just fine.

 

Yup x1400 is just fine. It will play any game out but not at high settings for new games.

 

It's good to hear that. Thanks everyone !

 

X700 Mobility Owners:

How does Age of Empires III look/perform despite the lack of Shader Model 3.0 support? Is the game smooth at some of the higher settings?

Thx.

 

In this thread it states the ATI Radeon® Xpress 1100 is better than the NVIDIA GeForce® Go 6150, if this is true, then why do laptops that are basically the same in spec wise, the NVIDIA GeForce® Go 6150 laptops are a $100 -$200 more than laptops that have the ATI Radeon® Xpress 1100? the only difference is that the once with the NVIDIA GeForce® Go 6150 have a larger screen, but the ones with the ATI Radeon® Xpress 1100 can hold more ram when it's maxed out. Why is this so?