What is with "512MB gfx cards that can only "see" 256MB?

I'm asking about the GO 7700 in the Asus G1P in particular here.

When I asked about the 512MB GO 7600, it was explained as a marketing gimmick.

If a game recomends a 512MB card, will it run better on a 512MB GO 7600 or GO 7700 or the 256MB GO 7900GS? What about a game that requires a 512MB or greater GPU? Will it run on a GO 7600 or GO 7700 if they can only "see" 256MB?

I am thinking of pulling the trigger on a P105-9337 for my son to play with now and take to take to university in septermber, but worry about the puny 256MB GPU. The P105-9337 still seems like the "best" over all $2000 note book currenty for sale.

His current three year old P15-S479 is in need of a new battery and making some strange sounds, and will not play some new games he is interested in, (Medevile 2 and B+W 2), so I amn inclined to bu now rather than wait, if it will not totaly shoot the kid in the foot over the next year or two game wise.

It has also flashed the blue screen of death at him a few times and displayed a loose conection error message that went away. I am thinking he does not have much time left on that unit.

I still wonder if he would be better of with the P100-9752. It has the 512MB GO 7950GFX gfx card put only one gig of memory and the T5600 CPU, (vd the T7200 in the P105-9337) It has been pointed out that the CPU and memory are easy to upgraded comapred to the GPU on a lap top. But, I was thinking that by the time the GO 7900 was a severly limiting factor it may be time to upgrade to a DX10 unit anway and that the 4MB L2 cache ans 2 gigs of memory on board the P105-9337 may be of more value untill then.

Ah, the quandry! The research! The infromation! Thank you Meaker, (I think)!

 

The P105's GPU is far from puny and should handle any modern game quite well.

The 7900 will always run a game better than the 7600 and 7700 regardless of how much RAM the other two have. RAM isnt necessarily a big factor in everything and 256 vs 512 in the 7600 and 7700 isnt that useful.

The P100/5 is a good laptop and you dont really need the best of the best CPU to run the latest games. RAM is easily upgradeable and even if DX10 games and cards come out, it wont be so bad especially for a 7900 or 7950.

In fact it maybe a while before all games become DX10 and that doesnt mean today's cards wont be able to run them

 

Thanks, SideSwipe! I know I have asked this before, but which lap top would you pick, the P105-9337 (GO 7900GS, 2 gigs, T7200) or the P100-9752 (GO 7900 GSX) for the same $1999? It would have to run as is for the foreseeable future. What if you could get a $150 reabate on one ?

Do you think there is any possibilty for upgrading the GPU on a P100/105? It seemd like it would be a bit much to expect to be able to just stick a GO 8600 in there when they come out.

http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cmod.to?coid=-30605

 

I dont think the GPU is upgradeable according to what others have said.

would probably get the P100-9752 (if the link is true and it has a 7900GTX which is better than 7900GS). system RAM and CPU can always be upgraded if needed in the future but the GPU will always cost more to upgrade if it can be.