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

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The 8700m gt is the same as the 8600m gt only its clocked higher which means it will get around 10-15 frames p\s more than the 8600m gt at the same settings. The gts desktop version is clocked higher again so that will outperform the 8700m laptop card.

The 8800 gts 512 is superior to both the 320 and 640 versions outperforming them in *most* scenarios.

The 8800m gtx has more stream processors than the 8800m gts so it would outperform the gs by a considerable margin.

 

the fact you have to pay over $2000 for an 8800m GTX sorta disregards the fact it performs about 15% better then the 8800m GTS. I got mine 8800m GTS in a laptop worth $1199(thats what I paid anyways)

 

Desktop
GeForce 8600 GTS core=675MHz shader=1450MHz memory2000MHz

Mobile
GeForce 8700M GT core=625MHz shader=1250MHz memory=1600MHz

Note the clock difference is likely to accomodate the mobile cooling solutions.
Quite frankly, most of the mobile solutions overestimated the heat production of the 8700m.

One thing no one mentioned, the 8700M overclocks extremely well.
I routinely run mine at the clocks in my sig which places it ahead of the stock desktop 8600GTS... However, if you overclock both the desktop version should eventually win.

For all intents and purposes the desktop 8600GTS and the 8700m are very similar in performance.

 

the 8700M GT is just a higher clocked version of the 8600M GT GDDR3 right? something like how the 9800GTX is just a higher clocked version of the 8800GTS? has anyone successfully run their 8600M at 8700M speeds 24/7 stably?

 

no, this is false...

The 8700m is also higher voltaged and designed to run at the higher clocks.
It will also be built into better cooling solutions to handle the heat.

The 8700m runs easily stable at speeds the 8600m (even with DDR3) will fail at.

It IS possible to clock the 8600m up to the stock 8700m speeds, but the any 8700m owner with any reading at all has his clocked somewhere near 800/1600/1000x2... no mans land for the 8600m.

I run my 8700m consistently at 778/1556/938x2... 70C max after hours of overclocked gaming. Thought I read someone had their G1S up to stock speeds for 8700m (625/1250/800x2) their temps were in the 90C range after a few benchmarks.


Note, no idea why anyone would buy an 8700m at this point as an 8800mGTS is that much better and not really more expensive (and in some cases cheaper)

 

A quick search would have solved the mistery.
In no way can the 8600M GT OC better than the 8700M GT,since the latter is designed for 17 inch laptops(DTR)whereas the 8600M GT is made for 15 inchers.
Now , contrary to the misconception, the 87 is not just a higher clocked 86. As KernalPanic pointed out, the card is better suited for higher clocks and far more stable at higher speeds,even though they`re both based on the same core.
A lot of people have their 8700M GT at insane clocks ,like 800/1600/1000 and run them cool and stable.
The 8700M GT may not be the best card out there, but it packs quite a punch.
And also, KernalPanic said about the 8800M GTS. It pretty much burries any previous 8th series card, except for the 8800M GTX, which is some 20-25% faster than the GTS.

 

^a G R E E ! :d

 

The 8600GT, 8600GS, and 8700GT are all the exact same G84M chip. What happens is when the chips come out of the manufacturing process, some are better quality than others. The best ones will become 8700GT's, the medium quality will become 8600GTs, and the rest (as long as they are still functioning) become 8600GS's. An 8700GT is essentially a higher-quality 8600GT that can run cooler and stable at the higher clock speeds.

Theoretically if you could keep a 8600mGT cool @ 625/1250/800 (a speed I think I remember seeing for 8600m overclck) it would basically be a stock 8700m since it's the same chip. Chances are it will not run as stably since an 8600 really is a failed 8700.

 

yea i was just thinking about running it at 8700m stock speeds didn't expect it to go any higher.. im no stranger to overclocking desktops (running my q6600 at 4.1ghz ) but i've never really dealt with laptops before.. i just wish dell would offer something more than a 8600gt for their m1530

this is kinda like what the 8800ultra was to the 8800gtx .. a higher binnned part

 

Yea. Using the same part for multiple products isn't really an uncommon thing to do since yields for the faster parts are usually so low. It's entirely possible that your 8600mGT can run at stock 8700mGT speeds without problems, there could have been just a tiny problem that you will never encounter that kept it from becoming an 8700mGT.

Nice overclock on that Q6600 btw

 

I agree, I wish Dell would offer some other newer options for video in the 1530. I'm thinking of buying one sometime this year but I am waiting to see if they make any changes to the hardware.

 

This is not completely true either.

In addition to the better quality chip it also is built into a electrical system which affords it more power AND insanely better cooling.

the cooling on a 15" m1530 is nowhere near the cooling of a 17" x205 or clevo the 8700m was designed for...

Clocking an m1530's 8600GT at even the stock speeds of an 8700m GT is going to cause not only stability loss due to being a less-perfect chip, but also cause a great deal more heat that the enclosure cannot mitigate.

The people who have tried the 8600m GT at 8700m GT stock speeds have not been able to keep it that way for that long without external cooling.
Not counting anything else, that's a 30% overclock in a 15" enclosure.

In a 17" enclosure like the G2S, heat would be less of an issue than in the 15" versions, but it nonetheless is not an easy feat as there is still more heat and less stable (non boosted) signals than it is designed for...

Don't get me wrong... with a good cooling pad you could OC an 8600Gt up to stock 8700 speeds... but it more than likely would have stability issues and STILL be quite uncomfortable.

meanwhile the 8700m user has his OC'd to insane levels and stays at 70C.

 

Edit: Double posted

 

Yes, I realize this is true, but I was only talking about the chip itself. If you had an 8600mGT in a 17" notebook you could easily clock it to 8700mGT speeds if you got a good chip. My point was just that they are the exact same chip, and that if you could cool it enough than yes it can run at 8700mGT speeds.

 

Even if you`d OC the 8600M GT to stock 8700MGT ,to be fair,you`d have to OC the 8700M GT with the same values and the 8700M GT would still be more stable and yield better results.

 

How good is the HD3470 card compared to the HD 2600?

 

The HD2600 is on paper ~3X faster than the 3470 (HD2600 has 120 shaders vs. the 3470's 40, and the 2600 also has 8 TMUs vs. 4 in the 3470)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_ATI_GPUs

-J.B.

 

how much more powerful is the 8700gt compare to the 8600gt? am almost sold on the idea of a m15x with a 8700gt for 1.6k. thats not much more than a xps m1530 decked out with penryn processor and a 8600gt

 

i think an 8700 is basically an overclocked 8600.

 

To make a difference it has to be 8800.

 

You can compare benchmarking results here:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-8700M-GT.3987.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-8600M-GT.3986.0.html

I'm having a hard time finding a straight-up *review* of the 8700 though

 

so is the 8600gt a underclocked 8700gt? I some how doubt that though am not sure.

 

no. i'm not 100 percent sure, but i think the 8700 has the same architecture as the 8600, just faster clocks and probably gddr3 memory. i think the 7600/7700/7800 were basically the same way.

 

It's the exact same chip, the 8700's are just the 8600's that can pass a higher quality test allowing them to be clocked faster while running cooler. Technically you could overclock an 8600 and make it perform the same as an 8700 if you were able to get it stable at those speeds.

 

They are NOT the same chip. They do run on the same architecture, but the 8700 is physically different, allowing for the higher clocks without the unnecessary heat buildup.

 

Where did you get this info from? Surely if they were built on the same architecture they would be the same internal design. The 8800 is "based" on the same architecture not built on the same architecture as the 8600. So, again, can't they be physically the same chip? After all Intel apply the same "if it goes faster at test, then we badge it higher and clock it more" theory all other processor manufacturers do, and a GPU is nothing more than a processor that is design specifically for processing graphics.

 

We've been over this a few times now in the forums. The two cards are physically different, but built under the same architecture.

If you look at their MXM counterparts, the 8600 is MXM II which is 25W while the 8700 is MXM III at 35W. The 8700 also uses 128-bit dual-rank memory.

 

What you're talking about is the complete graphics card. Not just the GPU. The GPU is only a part of the graphics card, the rest is down to the board it is soldered to. So it can be the same chip.

 

Ok...I've said it twice now that they're built on the same architecture. I wasn't aware that we were only talking about the processing unit, as that by itself would be a really crappy video card.

 

No actualy it could be an awesome result, but the motherboard designers and manufacturers would need to spend an awfully long time optimizing the buses and then it would leave no room for upgrades either. nVidia and ATi spend a lot time just looking at this prospect as they make motherboards as well, but it comes down to profit. Much easier to sell graphics cards than complete motherboards. The advance in speed and performnce by not needing to use a 16x PCIE bus could be huge.
But as the original question was relating to the 8700m gt being just an overclocked 8600m gt the answer is obviously yes and no. The processor is the same but better on the 8700, but the rest of the interface is different. You can get the performance, but it will be pushing your GPU beyond what nVidia already tested as safe. The interface (dual channel memory etc) just helps the 8700 out.

 

How well would Quadro FX 570M (256MB Open GL) run crysis at medium?

 

The fx 570m is based on the 8600m gt. So with the right forceware drivers from laptopvideo2go you should be able to play crysis medium @ 1280x800 20-30 frames per second

 

The sticky needs to be updated to show the HD 2400.......

 

Today I updated the chart with the HD 2400 and HD 3650. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

Cool. I was perusing the specs for a Satellite A215-S7472 and was wondering where the HD 2400 stacked up between the others......

 

I was wondering which graphic card would perform better, a 128MB 8600M GT DDR3 or a 256MB 8600M GT DDR2?

 

the DDR3. more memory + overclocking capabilities. I dont think it exists a 128mb ddr3 tho...i think its 256mb ddr3

 

There is a 128MB GDDR3......it is in the Macbook Pro 15.4" and was in the 14.1" T61p.

 

The 128 MB is quite weakened by the amount of VRAM available for it. They are both about the same speed.

 

Just for reference, I benched my IFL-90 running the 512MB 8600M GT with DDR2 versus my MacBook Pro running the 256MB 8600M GT with DDR3, and the MacBook Pro benched faster (3dMark06). I did it right after I bought my MBP in January, and would have to run it again if you wanted the specifics. The MBP is clocked slightly higher (2.4GHz versus 2.2GHz), and runs XP vice the IFL-90s Vista, so this is definitely not an apples to apples comparison, and, of course, 3dMark is a synthetic bench, not frame-rates in an actual game. I'm just throwing it out as a near-to metric for comment.
-- Vr/Z.

 

I think 8600GT won't use much more than 256MB RAM so in your case it is pretty useless for the DDR2 to have 512MB RAM, that's why 256MB DDR3 works better.

However in 128MB DDR3 vs 256MB DDR2 it is different. I don't know which would be better though.

 

back when these things first came out the same question came up. the 128 MB GDDR3 is faster, but the stretch is not nearly as wide as the 256 MB GDDR3 vs 512 DDR2.

having only 128MB of ram really starts cutting into performance in games.

 

It all depends on what resolution and how large of texture packs you're using, which has an effect on the amount of VRAM needed.

 

i just ordered the asus in my sig, how will the hd 3650 do in cod4, halo2, and age of conan(low settings for conan)? can i overclock this gpu?

 

I'm not finding a lot of benchmarks for the Mobility Radeon HD 3650, but based on what I have read it should be a bit faster than the 8600M-GT. It will play all those games fine . . . not sure on what settings, but there's not a game on the market it can't play. Searching around in this thread a bit may help:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=178058

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=245113

It's the 17" version of what you ordered, but it has the same GPU so...

 

im assuming its not upgradeable in the future, even tho its MXM, correct? Thanks for the info

 

So I am thinking of ordering an Asus M50Sa-X1. I have heard that the battery life is not that great. Since The laptop's main purpose will not be gaming I was wondering how much extra battery life I can get out of the laptop by underclocking the graphics card (an HD3650). Also, what is the lower limit for underclocking? When I used to underclock my Savage4 (a looong time ago) there was a lower limit below which artifacts would appear.

Thanks for reading.

 

I am in the process of buying a m15x and I wanted to know which graphics card i should get. Is there really that much of a difference between the 8700m and the 8800m? and could someone tell me what limitations that would mean between the two cards?