nVidia GT330M Compared to Intel HD4200 / HD4400?

Hello,

I've not had much luck finding benchmarks comparing the two, obviously because the GT330m came out many moons ago. I was wondering if anybody knew the relative performances? The reason I ask is I plan on moving from my Sony Vaio Z1 to a Pro 11, and was just wondering if I'd maintain at the very least the same level of graphics performance. On the Z1 I'm able to play games like NBA2K13 with no issue, and even played through Deux Ex Human Revolution with minimal lag.

Thanks for your help!

Edit: I know that the 330m in the Z1 is actually downclocked, so it performs slightly worse than an actual 330m.

 

Well, in these two reviews some of the same games are benchmarked. Intel HD Graphics 4400 - NotebookCheck.net Tech

Intel HD Graphics 4400 - NotebookCheck.net Tech

When I look at those, the HD seems a little bit better. And if yours was downclocked then with the HD4400 you should see better performance. I can't see what resolution they used, so you may not be able to use a full 1920x1080, but you should be able to use what you used before.

 

Hello,

Thanks for the reply. Yes, the 330m and HD4400 look comparable. That is comforting. I'm running at 1600x900 on my current res, but will obviously be upgrading to fullHD on whatever new laptop I get. Downsizing to 720p seems like the smartest option for gaming-on-the-go.

 

Well, some like gaming only at the native resolution. Others are OK gaming at lower then native resolution.

Have you looked at the Irix Pro 5200? That would give you better performance.

 

330M has a full 1gb dedicated RAM whereas intels is shared i presume.

 

I have, but there are no notebooks that fit the footprint I need for work (I write, and go all over the place to trade shows and things, and so need something light and portable). Unfortunately, I have a penchant for casual gaming, which just tends to make things difficult for me. Even my Sony Z1 was a bit heavy and large for my tastes. The Pro 11 is tiny, and lightweight, and with a decent keyboard from what I hear.

One issue I am hearing is heat -- and throttling, which actually may meant he HD4400 performs worse than the 330m in my Z1, which is undesirable.

That's a good point. I hadn't considered that, and it would definitely make a difference for games with lots of or large textures.

 

Well, you can get thin gaming laptops, like Razer Blade review (14-inch, 2013): smaller, faster, lighter

 

I've looked at the options, but I'm set on an 11-incher with MB Air dimensions.

For now, HD4400 looks like the only option. Thanks for all your help, ajn.

 

You are welcome. Good luck.

 

Have you thought about AMD? That is better for gaming.

 

Yes, but I presume the screen quality isn't as good as the vaio pro /z

 

CedricFP, what did you end up getting?

I am in a similar situation...very happy owner of a Sony VPCZ1 for 3 years with a GT330m card, now looking to replace but without loosing GPU capability. In my case my GPU requirement is for relatively light use of CAD software.

There are many ultrabooks even tablet options (eg. Microsoft Surface 2) with Intel HD4400...will it at least perform as well as my current nVidia GT330m?

 

I may be wrong but think that GPU without good CPU is useless for CAD. Ultrabooks may have ULV processors which I do not recommend.