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.

    gtx485 + 7200rpm hdd vs. 6970 + 120gb SDD. Which is better route for gaming?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by psycheight, May 1, 2011.

  1. psycheight

    psycheight Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    49
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    Im configuring a notebook to use for the sole purpose of gaming and i'm trying to fit my budget. Which would be the better option to go for?

    Nvidia GTX 485m + 500gb 7200rpm HDD

    vs.

    ATI Radeon 6970m + 120gb SDD
     
    psycheight, May 1, 2011
    #1
  2. svl7

    svl7 T|I

    Reputations:
    4,719
    Messages:
    3,758
    Likes Received:
    134
    Trophy Points:
    131
    The GTX 485m seems to perform a bit better than the 6970m, but it costs a lot more and you don't gain much. And it will also depend on the game, I guess in some games the 6970m will be better.

    For gaming the SSD won't help you, but it will definitely improve the overall system performance. However if you plan to install a lot of games make sure your system has a 2nd HDD or get a bigger SSD.
     
    svl7, May 1, 2011
    #2
  3. Agent 9

    Agent 9 Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    565
    Messages:
    205
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    The Nvidia and 500GB hdd (if you have tried using a primary computer with below 250GB hdd/ ssd, then you thankfully don't know the pain it is to have such limited space, especially true once you are gaming -game installs take up a lot of space -also I like Nvidia for multiple reasons, which is why I say Nvidia; but that is personal preference)

    as said, a SSD will not improve gaming performance (at most it will reduce some game load times, but not by a huge amount, and not in all games)
     
    Agent 9, May 1, 2011
    #3
  4. Zero989

    Zero989 Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    910
    Messages:
    2,835
    Likes Received:
    583
    Trophy Points:
    131
    for gaming SSDs will help you, games from bestheda are streamed, ssd will help a lot in that area.
     
    Zero989, May 1, 2011
    #4
  5. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,431
    Messages:
    58,189
    Likes Received:
    17,900
    Trophy Points:
    931
    Get the ATI + standard HDD and upgrade the HDD yourself to a 240GB one.
     
    Meaker@Sager, May 1, 2011
    #5
  6. Cloudfire

    Cloudfire (Really odd person)

    Reputations:
    7,279
    Messages:
    10,304
    Likes Received:
    2,878
    Trophy Points:
    581
    ATI Radeon 6970m + 120gb SDD

    GPU difference is around 5% and storage difference is a whole lot more
     
    Cloudfire, May 1, 2011
    #6
  7. Patrck_744

    Patrck_744 Burgers!

    Reputations:
    447
    Messages:
    1,201
    Likes Received:
    41
    Trophy Points:
    66
    I would go with 6970M + SDD for a money well spent. Since the difference is too small when it comes to performance, but the price difference is big. You can use that ~$250 to buy another storage.
     
    Patrck_744, May 1, 2011
    #7
  8. TANWare

    TANWare Just This Side of Senile, I think. Super Moderator

    Reputations:
    2,548
    Messages:
    9,585
    Likes Received:
    4,997
    Trophy Points:
    431
    485M + HDD, alot easier to upgrade the HDD at a later point if you want/need too..................
     
    TANWare, May 2, 2011
    #8
  9. FragZero

    FragZero Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    8
    Messages:
    198
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    This is really a 6970m vs 4850m topic. hdd <> ssd affects almost no games, raw performance the 485m wins but there are some arguments to take the 6970m.

    I myself would get the 6970 and an ssd, you won't really notice the difference gfx wise but the improved storage setup will make every day use a whole lots smoother
     
    FragZero, May 2, 2011
    #9
  10. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

    Reputations:
    9,431
    Messages:
    58,189
    Likes Received:
    17,900
    Trophy Points:
    931
    Its also easy to upgrade the GPU here, the tiny returns on the massive investment here are just not worth it.
     
    Meaker@Sager, May 2, 2011
    #10