x300/9600/FireGL... real questions!

Well, after browsing through almost 20 pages, I've found only sparse information on any of the three cards. Searching on the web, I can't even find benchmarks for the x300; what I can find are comments that are definitely on the "bad" side." Here's what I've found for each so far, and I'm wondering if anybody can provide more information on these...

x300: From what I've heard, this has delivered terrible quality, but several of the comments I've found have suggested (but not confirmed) that this may be a driver issue. However, I find it odd that I can't find any positive reviews with updated drivers or benchmarks. So far, the PCIe interface has been what everyone has talked about, but this doesn't match up with users' comments.

9600: Since I do plan to be playing a fair amount of games (hey, its college!), this is the one I've been eying. The DX9 compatability seems to be the main calling card for this model, but I'm wondering if the 64mb will stifle its performance. The only benchmarks I've been able to find for this are relatively outdated, and most of them deal with its initial release about a year or so ago. Is this ideal for games? I'm not an intense gamer, but of some of the more recent games I've played--KotOR2, HL2, and Doom 3--were among them.

FireGL T2: Now from what I understand, this is largely aimed at workstation users. Concerning the desktop version, this was just a Radeon 9700 that was identified as a different chipset, and nothing more. However, I found only sparse reviews for this card, with one or two of them saying it delivered poor gaming performance. Given the workstation nature of this card, I wouldn't be surprised, but does anybody here have conclusive information?

I'd be really happy if someone could list some hard facts about these cards' performance, and I'm sure a lot of potential Thinkpad customers would welcome it as well. I know there have been other threads about this, but most of them are simple "get this one," without having any real information.

So far I'm incredibly excited about getting my first Thinkpad! However, I really want to be able to game on it in my free time, but I don't expect it to replace my desktop (which has a Radeon 9700 128mb). I want it mostly for those boring lulls in class, on the go, breaks, etc.. ALso, I've heard mixed reports about the X600 on this forum, but that they removed it. Any current updates on when we might be seeing this? I need the laptop before my first classes begin on September 1st, so if it comes out mid-summer, I'm more than willing to wait...

 

I'm curious about this issue also, does anyone have any knowledge on these video cards?

When I searched for reviews for the x300, I only found mentions of it within articles reviewing the x600 or x700. I haven't looked at the 9600 much, because it seemed more or less replaced by the x300.

From what i've heard about the FireGL cards, they are designed for professionals in video editing, autocad, 3d modeling etc, and do not perform well for gaming.

I've heard the x300 has problems as a desktop card, but have not heard anything about the mobility version.

 

I actually was able to find information on a few things be scouring for hours. I don't have any of the links, but from what I've found, the problems are all due largely to driver issues. Firstly, the X300 is roughly the equivalent of a 9200, but most people already knew that. FireGL seems to be a 9600 or so, but slightly more powerful... either way, I read several hard-to-find reviews of people who actually had the T42 with the FireGL, and most of them said it delivered great game performance. The one I chose to get (and will be ordering soon) actually has the FireGL... plus, the 128mb of RAM is always good.

Anyways, about the drivers. Everybody I've seen has said to IMMEDIATELY uninstall the IBM Catalyst drivers... they seem to deliver terrible performance. This was especially true concerning the X300, but it seems to be the same with the FireGL. So the FireGL or the 9600 both seem like good choices no matter how you look at it! Hope this helps!

PS. X300 is just not a very powerful card, and if you plan on gaming, don't go with it... 9600 is much better if you're not willing to go for the FireGL, but it only has 64mb of VRAM.

EDIT: Use Patje's modder to install the said drivers: http://www.driverheaven.net/patje/

 

What's the price difference going to be between a T42 or 43 with the x300 vs 9600?

 

They don't make the T series with the 9600 anymore, which is a real shame, as it's a better card than the x300. I'd say check out www.newegg.com and the T42 2378-FVU, which has the card and is an all around great laptop.

 

Actually, they DO make the Thinkpads with the 9600 still. However, if you use the online builder (none of the express models feature it), you're only presented with one screensize option. If you'll check the tabook, you'll find many more options available to you. HOwever, some things you want to keep in mind...

Radeon 9600 = 9600 chipset
Radeon X300 = 9200 chipset
FireGL T2 = 9600 + workstation additions (and 128mb of ram)

The extra 128mb of RAM is a big deal for games... it could mean the different between Doom 2 and Doom 3, for instance. O Anyways, I'd check it out, if I were you. Spec pages on ATI give you more information on each of the cards.