dx10 replacement question

ok so to the part about xxx will replace yyy. does that mean that any laptop available with yyy video card will automatically be replaced with xxx?

 

Not necessarily, although it seems to be a common trend so far. In notebooks that have been announced or released so far, it seems like they are typically getting the equivalent new version. I.e. the ASUS G1S got the GeForce 8600M GT as a replacement for the GeForce Go 7700.

The rumoured SZ update replaced GMA950 and a GeForce 7400 with a GMAX3100 and GeForce 8400. Similarly, the rumoured XPSM1210 is seeing the 7400 replaced with an 8400.

Note that the examples you mentioned above have more to do with performance levels.

That is, the GeForce 8600M GT is roughly on par performance wise with the GeForce 7900GS. But part of the advancement is that the 8600M GT is being released in 14 and 15" laptops, whereas the GeForce 7900GS was only available in 17" notebooks.

So although you will see some mid-range 17" notebooks also featuring a GeForce 8600M, you will also see advances down the road.

This is why some people were excited more about the new DX10 GPU's more than Santa Rosa itself; because they do promise significant leaps forward in performance.

This means that the GeForce 8400 in a 12 or 13.3" laptop now allows people to get the performance they previously could only find in a 15" notebook with a GeForce 7600. And people can now get 14 and 15" laptops with a GeForce 8600, offering them performance previously only found on 17" laptops with a GeForce 7900GS.

That's what the comparisons are really about.