gt525m vs gt540m Is there a difference?

GT540m specs

GPU Engine Specs:
CUDA Cores 96
Processor Clock (MHz) 1344 MHz
Texture Fill Rate (billion/sec) 10.8
Core Clock: 672 MHz
Memory Specs:
Memory Clock (MHz) 900
Standard Memory Config DDR3
Memory Interface Width 128-bit
Memory Bandwidth (GB/sec) 28.8



GT525m Specs

GPU Engine Specs:
CUDA Cores 96
Processor Clock (MHz) 1200 MHz
Texture Fill Rate (billion/sec) 9.6
Core Clock: 600 MHz
Memory Specs:
Memory Clock (MHz) 900
Standard Memory Config DDR3
Memory Interface Width 128-bit
Memory Bandwidth (GB/sec) 28.8


Now both these cards have 96 cores and both have 128 bit width with 28.8 GB/sec bandwidth. The both have a memory clock of 900 MHz. The only difference I see is the 540m has a 672 MHz core clock and 1344 MHz processor clock and the 525m has a 600 MHz core clock and 1200 MHz processor clock.

So am i correct in saying these cards are basically identical if you overclock the 525m to the same core and processor clock of the 540m?

Will you have maybe a little more head room to overclock the 540m to higher clocks? Will higher clocks even help when the memory interface width is only 128 bit and the bandwidth 28.8 GB/sec? Will the memory bandwidth bottleneck you from overclocking past the 540m speeds? Is it worth 100 dollars to upgrade from the 525m to the 540m when you can just overclock the 525m and make it the same thing as a 540m?

 

Assuming that the 525M you recieve or any of them will take those clocks. As with all processors, video or not. They come off a wafer and are tested for performance at a range of clocks and voltages and then binned accordingly. Whatever isnt considered waste is usually spread to 2 or 3 or more products sometimes the best stock is held back.

The 525 cores are likely ones that didnt perform up to a certain point past what theyre expected use might be and they were used accordingly. The 540M are higher quality chips. The last note would be assuming the 540M's are not pushing the clock speeds that a "perfect" core would be capable of then it would of course be good for overclocking.

The 9800M GS and GTS were identical as well and my GS runs GTS speeds all day long some can go a little further.

As far as performance being limited by the memory bandwidth, it can and will. But the exact given usage situation at any moment determines that. You likely wouldn't want to overclock the memory, but some people are willing to risk it.

 

Taking into consideration that the core clock, processor clock and texture fill rate are the three things that differ in incremental quantities... (the texture fill rate might be dependent on the core/processor clocks though, so if OC-ed, it will automatically raise).

This kind of differential reminds me of the minuscule differences between 9600M GT and 9700M GT.
Both cards were identical except that the 9700M GT was the OC-ed version.

I think there might be a possibility that the same thing is happening in the case of 525m and 540m.
I certainly wouldn't put it past Nvidia either way because they were doing this with every generation of their cards.
If it IS the case (and I think it quite likely IS), then simply get the 525m, undervolt it, and overclock it.
I was able to UV my 9600mGT to the specs in signature and then OC by roughly 25% (not superb, but decent - I ended up surpassing the 9700M GT slightly while keeping the temps very low under load -they were at least 10 degrees lower when compared to the non-undervolted... WITH the OC).

The stability of this OC under the UV (at least in my case) would be dependent on the drivers though.
Some drivers would work nicely, while others might crash repeatedly.

 

Yeah, there's a difference of about 15m.

 

they are the same chip. no difference at all.

 

thank you. But i guess it doesnt matter becuase the xps 15 that starts with a really nice discount comes with the 540m satndard but this discount is so good i would be stupid to start with a lower one and take the 525m im basically getting the 1080p screen and 540m for free

 

I've just ordered an XPS 15 with a 540m and I'm utterly torn if I should drop it down to a 525M. Any thoughts? It's a $100 upgrade and I certainly wouldn't mind an extra $100 if it's a waste.

 

Considering the 540 is supposed to be worse at DX9 and 10 games than my 9800M GTS I would certainly not go any lower than I had to lol but its your call.

 

I'm not thrilled about it, but I don't really game all that much anymore. I'm much more concerned about speakers, screen, battery life, quietness, and heat. Those are all the things my G51J blows at and the XPS 15 excels at.

 

How do I undervolt the 525m? Nvidia system tools?

 

I dont believe its supported on laptop cards using the system tools. I can only change my clocks I have to flash a bios edited with the voltages I want. Sometimes support comes from companies like MSI, etc.

 

With the 540M you get a higher binned chip, that is guaranteed to run at speed, while the 525M may or may not run at 540 speeds. As the 540 is binned higher, it will likely run cooler at speed than an OCd 525 will. Also, if you can OC a 525 to 540 speeds, then it is likely you can OC the 540 even higher. $100 isn't much, and you can't upgrade/replace your GPU later, so you might as well go for the better chip.

 

This will be much like the HD4650 or HD4670 differences.

The GT540m will run with a higher core voltage and higher clock rates. The chip itself might not (at the same voltage) clock as high as the GT525m but will consume less power at the higher clocks and voltage than the 525m would and therefore stays within the same power envelope.

Its just a less "leaky" sample.