Do better GPUs improve video details?

I thought the only advantage of better GPUs was to do things like handle higher resolutions and improve framerates. But I'm comparing the various Nvidia Quadro GPUs, and I'm reading that they also determine how much detail is output to the screen.

For example, notebookcheck.com says that the K5100M has "all 1536 shader cores activated" and "most demanding games of 2013 will run fluently with maxed out details and very high resolutions."

For the K3100M, notebookcheck.com says it has "1152 out of 1536 shader cores active" and "most demanding games of 2013 will run fluently with high to very high details."

For the K1100M, notebookcheck.com says it has "all 384 shader cores activated" and "most demanding games of 2013 will run fluently with medium details and resolutions."

So does the number of shader cores matter? And does this mean that if I play a game on the K1100M/K2100M/K3100M/K4100M, I won't see as much detail as I would if I played it on the K5100M?

 

The number of shader cores by itself is not a way to judge the details the gpu can display.

That is a combination of real screen real estate, game complexity and also cpu power too.

The higher end gpu's will be able to handle more challenging games, but the details that you'll see between them on a given (reasonable) screen size/resolution will be minimal if gaming is what you what to do (vs. evaluating differences in on screen details).

 

Yes faster GPU's will allow you to turn up the graphics options and resolution in games while maintaining a playable frame rate.

 

It depends what you mean by that. If you mean, enabling more options in game settings, then the answer is yes. More enabled options (better textures, more shaders, anti-aliasing, higher anisotropic filtering, etc.) will make a game look better. To have all those options enabled at a decent framerate, the GPU has to be able to keep up.

 

All that is true. But its not the only advantage. Since not all cards can handle 4k for example. Although I'm pretty sure all Quadros can. And some can handle multiple monitors. They also have the advantage of being configured to maximize the performance of specific programs. You don't get that with lesser cards.

Read carefully. It say "demanding" games. If you have games that has a higher requirement beyond that which the card provide for maximum playability then yes.

They do in Nvidia terms. Especially since that's how they rate the capability of their cards. They are like the cylinders to a car. Hence the reference: the more cores the better.

You should also keep in mind that although Quadros can game, that is not their primary design function. So any information under that category is purely secondary information.

 

Quadros share the same video outputs as the geforce line they are based on except for a couple of professional type requirements.

 

This is almost like the chicken and the egg question....which must happen before you can get good gaming graphics the software or the hardware/lcd...both must be up to higher par standards otherwise turning up all the eye candies will be for nothing in the end and as other stated the GPU must be able to keep up with the graphics demand otherwise you will get tearing and bogged down fps which will destroy gaming experiences at ultra high resolution and multiple monitors. This is only and will only can be done on Desktop GPU not laptop GPU Desktop Ultra Gaming is the only system that can handle multiple monitors and house burning down power system.

 

Desktop GPUs will always have the advantage over laptop GPUs for obvious reasons. Which is not to say that you cannot get a satisfying experience from a laptop.

GPUs have come a long way in the past couple of years, and today's laptops when properly configured, can run circles around even the most robust gaming and editing desktops of just a few years ago.