Am I missing the point re. nvidia nvs 3100m gfx ?

When speccing out a T410, T510 or T410s I have always automatically specced the nvidia nvs 3100m. Looking into this I have come to the realization just how crappy this chip is. It appears to me I gain very little with this dedicated gfx chip versus the new on die Intel HD. Plus the downside of greater heat, non switchable (for current Thinkpads) and less battery life.



So what am I missing? For a non gamer I cant see any reason why you would opt for the Nvidia and for a gamer I cant see much reason either. I require illumination

 

The NVS 3100M is a pretty weak card, weaker than the Radeon 3650 in the T500, but more powerful than the Radeon 3470 in the T400. So, in the 14" T410, the NVS 3100M is not that bad, but it is really lackluster in the T510.

For users without very intensive graphics needs, it would be better to go for integrated graphics. For users with intensive graphics needs, the W510 is probably a better bet.

I wish Lenovo had gone with the new ATI Radeon 5xxx cards. One can hope...

 

is the nvs 3100m optimized for CAD application?

 

i doubt this gpu would be optimised for CAD. W510 and W70x would be the machine of choice for CAD.

 

Technically, yes, the NVS 3100M is a Quadro workstation variant of the GeForce G210M and G310M cards, and is targeted towards CAD uses. However, it lacks the horsepower necessary for very intensive use, so as I said earlier, the W510 would be a better choice for serious CAD users.

 

I concur. A T510 with a ATI 5xxx series would have been wonderful.

 

i think it would be interesting to see the upper limit of 3100m on CAD applications.

 

i was really bummed out by lenovo's choice to use the nvs3100
with the ati mobility 5 series out there... they really had an opportunity to hit a big home run there
but really, i'm sure the nvs3100 was cheaper and the vast majority of their customers will be just fine with it
so i can't really fault them for the decision

 

edit table for top post

 

any benchmark on CAD applications (like maya or autocad) for the 3100m and the comparison with the other cards?

 

No it isn't? The 3100M is listed with 3274 in 3dmark06 as far as I can see.

 

I suspect the fact that the power consumption is way less than the 3650 was important to Lenovo. ATI couldn't guarantee the 5 Series would be availble in the numbers they wanted for their launch.

 

edit edit ...

 

<3 HD 5650 being number 3 good news for my new ideapad at the end of the month!

 

So any verdict about autocad/solidworks performance?