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

ctbear please do not double post on the forums, we don't allow it. Forum rules.

I suppose this question is relevant to this thread so I'll answer it.

The only version of Vista that does not have Aero is Basic, and you don't want Basic. Aero does not impact game performance so not to worry. I would get Premium, it is the best value. If you need to be part of a network then you should get Business.

 

hey based on my specs do you think i'll be able to run crisys? crysys? crysis?
hahah
2.2 ghz dual core, 2gb ram, 8600gt 256mb

 

There's no telling since the game isn't out but I can tell you right now that it will look nice - that's a powerful setup.

 

hey chaz . . thanks for the reply . . . . but I am still staying away from vista . . cause of the performance hit . . . and i did read the start of this post regarding the performance hit ( it says just to a max of 15%) but then again . . . keeping video drivers apart . . . just running the background process in vista take up more resources . . soo even if ati and nvidia churn out good drivers . . you will still be slower than Xp allways . . .

 

I read on some of the earlier posts on this thread that you can not update a video card on a laptop. Has that changed. I saw this website that show how to do it to a Dell E1705. http://www.legitreviews.com/article/349/1/

I was wondering if you can really do this and if it would be OK for the laptop. I believe he uses some software to keep the video card a little cooler.

 

Please read the thread about upgrading graphics cards, linked by the sticky at the top of this forum. It covers the exceptions, which are limited to some Dell laptops and MXM/Axiom compliant laptops.

 

will it be better to run my rig on XP or vista?

 

bump to the first page...

Can we just go ahead and sticky this?

 

This was stickied for a long time. However, the powers that be decided to have just one sticky, instead of the several we used to have. If you would read the sticky at the top of the forum, you will see that it links to this, and several other important threads.

 

Hiya

Im currently in the market for a powerful gaming laptop and id like to get one with the geforce go 7950 gtx.I know that this is currently one of the best cards you can get for gaming laptops. my main concern is that it is not direct x 10 compatible. Do you think is still safe to go with the 7950 gtx for current games, or should i go with the slower8600gt or 8700gt that is direct x 10. I dont want to have to replace this laptop in a year because the video card cant play new games. Thanks in advance.

 

The Go7950GTX is *the* best card for mobile gaming actually.

DirectX 10 isn't going to kick in for a while. If you like higher settings and high resolutions then the Go7950GTX is the card to have in my opinion.

 

One more question chaz if you dont mind. I just found out that i can get a great deal on a laptop with the go 7900 gs would that be sufficient for running 3d games at reasonable settings ie 1224x768, ill probably never go much above that rez,and one final question could a directx 9 card play a directx 10 game. Thanks again.

 

If that's the highest res you plan on gaming at, then you could definitely consider the 8600M-GT or the 8700M-GT, as they will be very future-proof at that resolution. However, to answer your question, yes, the Go7900GS is still a decent gaming card, though I wouldn't spend more than $1K or so for a laptop with that card for your needs. And no, if a game is released in only DX10, it will not be playable on a DX9 graphics card.

 

how come www.systemrequirementslap.com tells me that my 8600m GS only has 248mb when its supposed to have 256? is that site just wiggity-wack?

 

Well, that's really bad, I would call HP and ask them where the missing memory is... it seems that you've been ripped off.

 

That website doesnt seem to load (for me, anyway)

 

That's because the link is misspelled. The last letter is a B not a P.

www.systemrequirementslab.com

 

That's because it's misspelled...

http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/

 

haha, oops

 

so you think its the computer then...would they just tell me to send it in? i hate sending crap in

 

I think that he was being sarcastic. It's certainly not anything to worry about, it's possible that that website is measuring the capacity in a slightly different way, or something similar. The difference is so small that it's almost certainly not a defect in your card.

 

haha. im so gullyble. Thanks for the "help" though guys!

 

what 14 inch computers have the 8600 GT or GS or the quadro equivalent

 

Unfortunately very few notebooks. There is this Zepto:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3863
And Asus announced a few 14" notebooks with 8600M-GS/GT series GPUs:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3855

 

Darn, and i wasn't going to let this thread die

 

Unfortunatly I only have credit with dell so im limited in choices. It looks like my best option for the money is the xps m1710 T7200.On that model my gpc choices are go 7900gs or go 7950 gtx. The gtx is about 400 dollars more so i quess its the 7900gs for me. At least i heard the gs overclocks well. Oh and my price with the gs option is 1900.00,or 2300.00with the gtx

 

Since you're going with Dell, have you considered the Inspiron 1520/Vostro 1500 or the Inspiron 1720/Vostro 1700 ? Both the 15.4" and the 17" have the 8600M-GT, which is a very nice card for the resolution you'll be gaming at. Also, those models should be considerably cheaper. I would not advise spending $2k on a notebook that has a last generation platform with only a budget gamer's card.

 

Thanks for the reply. I forgot to mention that my friend has oblivion elder scrolls and i love it . So i need a laptop that can run that at a descent frame rate, and from what ive seen from benchmarks and other info the 8600m gt just wont do it. I did however just get a quote from a dell rep stating they have a m1710 T2400 1.8 ghz core duo2mg L2 cache with 2gigs 667 ram ,80 gig sata 7200 rpm hd blue tooth , wireless blah, blah, with a go 7950 gtx for 1750.00. Do you think thats a deal i should take .

 

Well, that has an older processor, and it's not that fast, either. Overall, it would still be faster in gaming than a T7300 with an 8600M-gt, but if you're only gaming on lower resoltutions, the difference wouldn't be large enough to justify that kind of price, not to me at least. If you have to buy a Dell, and you want a high end system, I'd wait for them to update the XPS line with a newer 17".

 

Ok thanks a bunch. One more question and im done . Would i be able to play oblivion with a t7300 or t7400 core 2 duo with a 8600m gt at around 30 fps -comfort level. if it can ill go with that . At least it will be somewhat future proof . Thanks again for all your help.

 

It depends on your resolution and what settings you have selected. At 1280x800, you should be able to play with high settings and maintain 30fps without problems, I should think. At 1440x900 you'd have to run probably medium settings, maybe AA off or only x2, and HDR off. At 1680x800 you'd probably have to turn AA off, HDR off, AF down, and play at mostly mid to low settings. It really all depends on the resolution you're playing at. Check out this thread for some screen shots.

 

so my rig is the dell 1520 and it's a 2.2 ghz 2gb ram and a 8600gt. now will this run better on vista or XP? also, how can i overclock my graphix card? is there like a program i need to dl?

 

is my core 2 duo 2.13 ghz cpu enough to handle a 7950 GTX in SLI mode? Will this cpu be enough to not slow down my graphics card in the future if i by a better more updates go graphics card?

 

That CPU should be fine. In general, if you're playing a mainly graphics intensive game like an FPS, the CPU shouldn't limit your GPU too much.

 

Again, nice list. I guess the 8700M GTX Ultra will be taking the top spot above Go7950GTX when it comes out

 

Does the available graphics memory limit the resolution on the external display?

I want to be able to drive an external display at 1600x1200 or higher, plus my internal LCD at 1680x1024.

So, I'm concerned that the T61's only come with 128MB of graphics memory.

I don't care about speed because I won't be playing games - I just want a good clear display on both internal and external displays (simultaneously).

 

Any chance of adding the 8700M GT to the list, it falls short of the 7950GTX.

 

The resolution is not limeted by graphics memory, but by the card and it's drivers. For the majority of new cards, you can get modded drivers to allow you to drive a digital display up to 2560x1600 or an analog display up to 2048x1536. The T61 (with the quadro nvs 140m) will require those modded drivers for higher resolutions, because with it's default drivers it can only drive up to a 1600x1200 digital display or a 2048x1536 analog display.

 

Thanks for the information. I had no idea it worked that way. Intuitively one would expect that the memory would limit the resolution (or colour depth).

My external LCD (which is 1600x1200) has a poor quality image when connected to my current notebook - a Dell Inspiron 6000. I want to make sure that it is better with this new notebook, but it's tough to figure out.

 

Hi,can somebody confirm,that Quadro NVS135M seems to by like 8400M G?I don't think,that is 8400GS.Thanks,Jan

 

How is it connected, and what graphics card do you have?

As far as I know, both the NVS 135m and the NVS 140m are based off of the Geforce 8400M-GS, while the NVS 130m is based off of the 8400M-G.

The NVS 140m may be based off of the 8400M-GT core, with only a 64-bit memory bus width, which would explain it's higher performance, but no one knows for sure.

 

I'm sorry if this question has been asked before, but which of these two nvidia graphics cards is better?:

64 mb 8400GT

128 mb 7600

in terms of real life gaming performance (any examples nad fps would be nice) what games could I run on these cards and at what settings?

Whould I be able to run Oblivion, FEAR, Stalker, Doom 3, Neverwinter Nights2, Age of empires 3 at playable rates (30+) and at what settings?

Which games are the limit?

Could I play future games (1/2 years down the line) on either of these cards?

thanks

 

Those two cards are extremely similar, with the 8400M-GT being the Direct X 10 refresh of the Go7600. Since the 8400M-GT is newer, I'd have to recommend it.

You should be able to play all modern games on medium settings, and the card should last at least 2 years, as long as you're willing to turn settings and resolution down as games get more graphically advanced.

 

I know this has been asked before, but I can't find the answers right now..
1) What DX9 card is the 8600GT equivelent to?
2) What is the most powerful DX9 card available for 15.4" nb's?

3) When will the 8XXX series GPU's be added to the GPU list that heads this topic??

 

1) In terms of placement in nVidia's lineup, the 8600M-GT is equivalent to the Go7700. In terms of power, it beats out the Go7600GT, and comes close to the lower enthusiast cards (Go7900GS, etc), though it cant keep up with them on higher resolutions.

2) That would be either the 8600M-GT with GDDR3 video memory, or the Quadro FX 570m.

3) They appear to be in that list

 

My apologies.. I thought I checked the list last week and didn't see them. I must not have checked the list since last month then.

 

It's already in there. I adjusted its position in the big chart though.

 

My Inspiron 6000 uses the integrated video of the Intel 945G chipset. The external LCD is connected with a VGA cable. I tried various adjustments and using different cables.

The image is crappy enough that my co-workers comment on it and can't resist making suggestions to improve it. The only thing that improves it is plugging the LCD into a different computer (so I know it isn't a problem with the LCD itself).

 

When you say the image quality is bad, do you mean that it has a low resoltution? You should be able to set the resolution of your external display through the Windows Display Settings.