The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    which video card is better?

    Discussion in 'Gaming (Software and Graphics Cards)' started by sbobet, Sep 2, 2008.

  1. sbobet

    sbobet Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    hi guys, actually im going to buy my first (gaming) laptop(with tight budget), and i dont know much about video card. which one is better between Nvidia GeForce 8600M-GT SLI and Nvidia GeForce 8700M-GT(Nvidia GeForce 9650M-GS). i compared 2 of those because the range of cost is not too big..

    this is a big dilemma for me >< some peole said SLI is easier to be hot, but in term of performance, 8600SLI is better than 8700. any advices??
     
    sbobet, Sep 2, 2008
    #1
  2. NAS Ghost

    NAS Ghost Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    297
    Messages:
    1,682
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    8600SLI > 8700. What kind of games do you play?
     
    NAS Ghost, Sep 2, 2008
    #2
  3. sbobet

    sbobet Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    latest games actually.. just say crysis, call of duty 4, alone in the dark, etc
     
    sbobet, Sep 2, 2008
    #3
  4. Thaenatos

    Thaenatos Zero Cool

    Reputations:
    1,581
    Messages:
    5,346
    Likes Received:
    126
    Trophy Points:
    231
    Either setup will struggle on crysis, but in this case I would take the 8700mGT as Im not a big fan of SLi still.
     
    Thaenatos, Sep 2, 2008
    #4
  5. sbobet

    sbobet Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    7
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    can any1 explains to me what are advantages and disadvantages of SLI?
    sorry for the silly question >,< but i really dont have ideas bout this :D
     
    sbobet, Sep 2, 2008
    #5
  6. NAS Ghost

    NAS Ghost Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    297
    Messages:
    1,682
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Advantages; increased performance for games that support SLI
    Disadvantages; more heat, no advantage in games that dont support SLI, so at 8600 vs 8700, 8700 wins. I agree with Liquid; 8700 as SLI can be a PITA

    If you play mostly newer games and fps, I suggest something with a 8800 or 9800.
     
    NAS Ghost, Sep 2, 2008
    #6
  7. Thaenatos

    Thaenatos Zero Cool

    Reputations:
    1,581
    Messages:
    5,346
    Likes Received:
    126
    Trophy Points:
    231
    Yeah as soon as SLi has complete support I prefer a single card over SLi. But when that day comes Ill be all over it. But yeah I do agree that 8600mGT SLI is more powerful then a single 8700mGT.
     
    Thaenatos, Sep 2, 2008
    #7
  8. AspireBMX029

    AspireBMX029 Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    2
    Messages:
    141
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    8700 for the win
     
    AspireBMX029, Sep 2, 2008
    #8
  9. KernalPanic

    KernalPanic White Knight

    Reputations:
    2,125
    Messages:
    1,934
    Likes Received:
    130
    Trophy Points:
    81
    Honestly, as much as I like my 8700m GT....

    Is there a better deal with an 8700m GT than the $1250-1300 gateway with the 9800m GTS?

    Sure, you might save a few bucks one way or the other; but if you are plopping down $1000 or so the gateway seems well worth the extra cost.

    This is different if you are buying second-hand for a significant discount.
    The 8700m GT is 30% faster than the 8600m GT at stock clocks.
    The 8600m GT SLI will perform up to 70% better than an 8600m GT at stockl clocks.

    However, the 8700m GT's advantage is in its insane overclocking with current drivers.

    Such overclocks are not impossible in SLI, but MUCH trickier.


    It isn't an easy choice if all else is the same. it really depends on if the games you love have solid support for SLI.
    If the SLI 8600m rig costs more, its an easy choice.
     
    KernalPanic, Sep 2, 2008
    #9
  10. IKAS V

    IKAS V Notebook Prophet

    Reputations:
    1,073
    Messages:
    6,171
    Likes Received:
    535
    Trophy Points:
    281
    The gateway is really a great deal for the money, performance on the 7811-FX from BestBuy is really good, it can play all new games(Even Crysis but on low settings but still very playable).I have a Gateway 6831-FX and installed a T9300 CPU and can play ALL games on it, the updated version(7811-FX) is even better!
    When getting a gaming laptop ALWAYS get the highest GPU.
    Sli works great when the games support them, look at some scores on my SAGER.
     
    IKAS V, Sep 3, 2008
    #10
  11. littledonny

    littledonny Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    6
    Messages:
    58
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    For what it's worth I can overclock my 8600M GT SLI setup to 600/900 stable
     
    littledonny, Sep 3, 2008
    #11