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

9600m GT GDDR3 version is faster than 8600m GT DDR3.
The larger amount of RAM makes no difference since both can effectively utilize 256Mb, however the 9600m GT GDDR3 is a better investment.

 

Thanks for the quick reply guys. I'll go with the dv5t.

 

The 9600 GT uses a newer constuction form (smaller die, less heat) which is a plus. I also believe that it is the faster card, though not by much.

Also, the NVidia 8XXX series cards have had overheating issues. Just to be on the safe side, I would purchase the 9XXX series card for that reason alone.

Hope it helps.

 

hp dv5t uses ddr2,so it is = 8600gt ddr3,but going with dv5t is a good idea,bc of 8600gt's heat problems

 

yea u beat me to it, the dv5t uses the ddr2. Thats the same dilemma i went through when i was picking a laptop, but i went with the xps just cause i like the design a lot more and ive had trouble with HP laptops in the past, mine hasnt had any overheating problems so far, its not every one that has it.

 

Thanks again guys.

So, overall, these 2 cards are similar in gaming? I should just go with the laptop that I prefer the design of?

 

Any way you look at it, the 9600M GT is better than the 8600M GT whether it's DDR2 or not. Go with the newer GPU, it makes no sense to get an older one.

 

don't know what your talking about.

 

huh?

so its better for me to buy a 8400m gs than a 7950 gtx cuz its newer?

 

I think its obvious he's referring to hardware that roughly perform the same, so what he says would apply to:

9300m GS vs. 8400m GS
9600m GT vs. 8600m GT
9800m GT vs. 8800m GTX
etc.

 

The 9600m GT is not the same as the 8600m GT, DDR2 8600m GT is equivalent to the 9500m GS. If 9600m GT GDDR3 versions exist they will outperform the 8600m.

 

So if I'm reading this thread correctly, essentially Apple 'upgraded' to a newer card in the new MBPs that doesn't actually offer any significant improvement over the old 8600m they've been using?

 

If you're buying a gaming laptop, you would be very foolish to buy the new MBP and think you're getting value for money on your gaming purchase.

 

this.

sager/asus imo are your best best for a great gaming laptop for reasonable costs.

 

That cheap Gateway with 9800M is nice, too.

But going back to the topic, I'd say go for the dv5t. I'd go for the safer, less risky GPU even if it does score a few 3DMark points lower than the XPS [and to be honest, I don't think there really is a big disparity in their performance at all -- benchmarks aren't the end all and be all]. Not saying all 8xxx are unsafe [mine's still running good so far, been using it for almost a year already, but this is DDR2 and I never OC], but still, the risk is there.

 

If it was a DDR3 9600m GT then yes there would be a boost in performance over the 8600m GT DDR3 but since the DV5T uses the DDR2 9600 its gonna be about the same so yes to answer your question earlier, you would wanna base your decision on other things like build style and what not cause graphically the computers are very very similar.

 

The 9600m gt DDR2 is itself slightly better than the 8600m gt DDR3(can be compared to the Radeon HD3650m DDR2....

 

i going to buy a laptop and i have 2 choices of laptops .. one having the 8400m gs and the other have the 3450 hd .. so which is better ?? iam not a gamer .. but i will play some games like need for speed most wanted and carbon .. so which one

 

Both cards are very similar in performance. You should be looking at the other options on the computers to decide which you want to purchase (CPU, Memory, Screen, etc.) to make the final decision. The games that you want to play on the computer can be played on integrated graphics, so there are no worries. Just pick the one with the more bang for your buck.

 

The 3450 will perform slightly better, plus the 8400M GS is faulty. I don't think it's a very hard decision...

 

With all due respect, I call BS. My 8400M's done me just fine for over a year now. I talked to a guy at Dell SMB support (it ended up being a bug in Team Fortress 2) and he said even with the faulty builds actual failures are once in a blue moon.

 

It's not BS. I'm sorry to say, but I wouldn't be surprised if yours fails in a couple years or so.
Mine starting getting really warm, in the 90's while doing almost nothing (browsing the web, etc). Although it was a 7900GS, the problem extends into the 9 series. Read about all the stories on the web and here, are they all full of it too?
This is the same Dell that totally denied there was a problem at all when I called them about it (this was like 3 or 4 months before the nvidia fiasco went public), so I wouldn't necessarily trust what he/she told you. I bet that those "once in a blue moon failures" are within the standard 3 year warranty. I don't know about you, but I'd like to have a computer that lasts me longer than that.
Just because yours hasn't failed, doesn't mean many others' haven't.

 

Here are some numbers to help quantify things for you- (higher is better)

nVIDIA 8400M GS- 3DMark05- 2,671 and 3DMark06- 1,380
ATI Radeon Mobility HD 3450- 3DMark05- 3,783 and 3DMark06- 1,912

The ATI HD 3450 outperforms the 8400M GS by a substantial margin. My current laptop, a Dell Studio 15, has the ATI Radeon HD 3450 and I'm very pleased with it. I'm not a gamer but I some graphics/video intensive tasks occasionally and it does everything I need without a glitch!

As someone already mentioned, there are some issues with the nVIDIA 8000-series graphics cards.....that was one of the reasons I chose the Dell Studio- it has ATI graphics cards instead of nVIDIA.

 

id say the 8600m GT DDR3 is slightly better than the HD3650 DDR@ actually.

 

ati 3450 is a far better choice due ot the failures of many 8400m gs's as well as the better preformance. The ati equivalent ton an 8400 is the hd 3200, an integrated card that preforms just as well as a dedicated 8400gs

 

so then the 3450 is better ..

now iam between this
Hp Pavilion dv6915ee
with this 8400m Gs
and T5750 2GHz and 2 mb cache (( cheaper ))

and this
hp pavilion dv5-1030ee
with the 3450
and amd turion ultra zm-80 2.1GHZ and 2mb cache

so wat to choose ??

 

Depending on how much cheaper the dv6915ee is, the lesser performance of the nVIDIA 8400M GS might be worth the savings.

The dv5 is the newer version of the dv6700 (including the dv6915ee), so the dv6915 is the older model (and has a longer track record and most bugs should be worked out). I personally prefer the keyboard feel and look of the dv6915 over the chrome-finish of the dv5.

The 2.1GHz AMD ZM-80 is no faster than the 2.0GHz Intel T5750 in routine use. The T5750 may actually be slightly faster in real-world performance. The other apprehension I have in recommending the dv5 is user reports of excessive heat buildup, especially in the AMD-based dv5 models.

So...the dv6915 has a better processor and slightly weaker graphics card. The dv5 has a slightly weaker processor, slightly better graphics card but also has a tendency to run quite hot.

Go with the dv6915ee. At best, the two systems are equal...so why not save some money!?

 

You can get a 8600m GS for the dv6000 series. Its like twice as powerful than the 8400m GS.

The ideal choice would be a dv5t with a intel cpu.

 

I.m sorry, this is not BS, I'm a victim in this whole nvidia mess. I hope they are not still shipping out faulty cards.

to thread starter: If I were you, I'd go ATi given the fact that other factors in the laptop are simlar enough

 

I have a 3450HD and I'm quite happy with it. It's pretty powerful for a low end card and it surpasses the 8400gs by quite a bit. Plus as people have stated previously here, Nvidia cards are more likely to fail. If there is little or no price difference, I would definitely recommend the ATI

 

I don't think so. I have the new MBP, and it's faster than the 8600m GT without a doubt, with Boot Camp I was able to score 5874 in 3Dmark06, whereas the 8600 would be in the 4000+ range in the same resolution and test..

The 8600m GT DDR3 was comparable with the 9500m GS DDR2, but the new MBP sports a 9600m GT, which is faster. I'll report back here with the GPU/MEM speeds, but I think for DDR2 it's running at a high frequency.

 

What he meant was that in terms of $$$, the Macbook Pro's performance can be obtained for a lesser price and for a similar price, you can obtain something better than what the Macbook is. The Macbook Pro is a decent gaming device in its own right, but saying it's an actual "bang for your buck" in terms of performance wouldn't be right IMO.

 

The key term in my last post was "Value for money", a concept which the MBP cannot deliver on when competitors such as the HP dv series along with the comparable Sager and Clevo competitors deliver superior GPU performance for a fraction of the MBP retail price.

 

Agreed, however, it's just like purchasing a car. You can get a Hyundai and have all the nice features, luxury (yes they have a luxury sedan now), safety and get from A->B for a fraction of a price compared to per say an Audi or BMW. The Apple brand comes at a premium price with top notch build quality that you've never seen in a notebook, sexiness, great customer service (ala Genius Bar) etc, however that said, it comes at a higher price.

 

Sager and Clevo probably fall between something like a Chevy or a Dodge for brute power, and ruggedness in comparison, compromising beauty(but there's beauty in that aspect as well) and portability.

 

You have a point, almost all cars nowadays will come with leather, etc. but they aren't really luxury. We were at a motor show and we saw the new Ford Mondeo which, at the top spec, has the most of the same boxes checked and looks mighty practical (Seats 5, big boot, etc.) but it just didn't "feel" luxury. In the end, it's still outclassed by old Volvo S80 (Which we have yet to find a replacement for, Audi was ruled out and BMW 5 series in next on the list for testing ).

However, the comparison doesn't quite work: Hyundi won't sell me a four-door luxury saloon that does 0-60 in 5 seconds, Jaguar will. Few people would buy a BMW that was outrun by a Ford Fiesta but people are quite happy to accept laptops which are slower than machines worth half the price.

 

I don't own MacBook Pros, but saying their build quality is top-notch while dismissing the Sager, Clevo and other competitors as middling half-baked machines smacks of Apple favouritism to me. Design is a subjective opinion which either matters a lot to the image conscious or zero for the gamer who care more about the raw power of the machine. Sager and Clevo customer service is in some cases superior to whatever Apple can offer depending on which retailer you pick (There is a reason why Chaz keeps recommending the 2 makers).

I'm going to stand by my last statement, if you want a gaming machine that will play the latest games at really high settings and a decent resolution then buying a MacBook Pro and saying it's value for money is a very foolish idea. The whole package may be worth it to some people but a gamer looking for maximum performance for the smallest budget possible should discount Apple from potential purchases.

 

True, while Macbooks do look pretty, the design is subjective to whether or not people like it. Heck, some people prefer the looks of other notebooks so that point is questionable at best .

As for "top of the notch" build quality. The Macbook Pro wasn't engineered with that much gaming in mind. The whole chassis is made from Aluminum, therefore acting as a huge heat sink. This means the whole laptop will heat up if the interior starts working too hard . The Macbook's design is definitely not optimized for gaming compared to other gaming laptops which concentrate on heat management and such.
There is also mention that metal get freezing when exposed to cold so the engineering is also not made for people who live in colder(or even cool) climates .

The customer service I haven't had much experience with, but if it is good, then that's a point for them! ^^

As said, the Macbook Pro is mostly there for the name. Computer brands all use the same type of hardware produced from the same manufacturer(s), so it's really how they deal with it that separates them from each other.

I agree with Harletquin that if gaming is your interest that the Macbook really isn't a profitable investment. As a gamer, normally performance is what matters to you, while IMO, people who purchase Macbook Pros are mostly doing ti for the Mac name(and design) and the Mac OS. The added performance is mostly a bonus.

 

I must say this is the first time I have seen a discussion concerning @pple products to be so subjective, objective and polite. Really, I am surprised. FYI, I hate iP0ds

 

Macbook Pro build quality is the best! Is awesome! Until it melts your motherboard or gets warped or you crack glass components

Also, if you get a Mac, make sure you get theft insurance or an anti-theft device, since Apple refuses to flag stolen laptops as such or help get them back in any way. I have a friend who had his apartment broken into about four months ago, and they took various things, among them his MBP. Apple refused to flag it as stolen, or help. Just today someone in *ITALY* sent the machine into an Italian Applecare station, and Apple has the stolen notebook, and refuses to halt the repair, or flag it as stolen, or help *in any way at all.* So, yeah. Apple can go suck a lemon, imo.

 

Hello Chaz:

About the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M GPU, NVIDIA states that it introduced it as and is the Industry-Changing, Highly Integrated GPU:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/io_1224088545955.html

NVIDIA states that the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M is a single chip, high performance, highly integrated design that is ideal for notebooks and smaller computing devices. It features 16 parallel processing cores that deliver a whopping 54 GFLOPs of processing power, making it the most powerful integrated GPU on the market today. It also delivers up to 5x faster graphics performance than Intel Centrino 2*, and long-lasting battery power, allowing consumers to watch a complete, full-length HD movie on a single charge.


Where in the chart would you classify or place the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M GPU and what do you think of it?

 

hey guys!
i just wanna see whats better.

i've seen alot of geforce go 7800gtx's, but i dont think this is 7800gtx(im not sure)

anyways, what should i get? 8600m gt or geforce go 7800?

 

depends but i would think most games would perform slightly better on the 7800, especially if you're using xp. if you're using vista, it's a harder decision, but the 8600 would be more versatile in a lot of games.

 

how about geforce go 7900GS? what would run far cry 2 better? 8600m gt or go 7900gs?

 

Depends... what is the laptop? processor? and price? for both

 

Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Memory
2 GB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz (2 DIMMs)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hard Disk Drive
120 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Video
256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Base
Inspiron 9400/E1705 Notebook: Intel Core Duo Processor T2250 (1.73GHz/533MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Media Bay
8X DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Software Upgrade
Sound Blaster Audigy ADVANCED HD Audio Software Edition
Microsoft Works 8.5 with MS Office Trial Version Software
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Network Interface Card
Intel Pro Wireless 3945
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hardware Upgrade
90W AC Adapter
9 Cell Primary Battery
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laptop Screen
17 inch Wide Screen XGA+ Laptop Screen

ANd



Operating System
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Memory
1 GB DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz (2 DIMMs)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hard Disk Drive
160 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Video
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hardware Upgrade
6 Cell Primary Battery
90W AC Adapter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Software Upgrade
Microsoft Works 9.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Base
Inspiron 1520 Laptop: Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 (1.5GHz/667Mhz FSB/2MB cache)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Media Bay
8X DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Network Interface Card
Dell 1395 802.11G Wireless Mini Card
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
System Color
Flamingo Pink
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Web Camera
No Camera
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laptop Screen
15.4 WXGA Laptop Screen Display with TrueLife



price difference is like, 100$

 

just take the 8600. they are pretty close.

 

I would take the 7900gs

 

when its the 7800 and the 8600 its a close one but if you are gonna go for a 7900 id say just get that

 

anymore suggestions?

btw. thanks guys for suggesting. idk what to pick =(

isnt 7900gs directx9?