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    AMD Radeon HD 7970M vs Dual GTX 670MX

    Discussion in 'Sager and Clevo' started by Fluttershy, May 11, 2013.

  1. Fluttershy

    Fluttershy Notebook Geek

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    I am highly considering buying a clevo/sager P370EM and Im trying to see how much this thing is going to cost me. I customized it on xoticpc and I dont know whether to go with the 7970M or Dual GTX 670MX. I know a lot of people say if you have the choice choose a single GPU over dual GPU (I assume this is because then your GPU is twice as likely to fail) but I how good actually is the 7970M ? If I go with that card I will save an extra $100. But I dont want to go with a card that wont work for me either. Opinions are much appreciated.


    Also I probably plan to go with xoticpc do most people recommend them?
     
    Fluttershy, May 11, 2013
    #1
  2. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    Considering the lack of enduro in the P370EM I would get a single 7970M. It's on par in that machine with a 680M.
     
    Meaker@Sager, May 11, 2013
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  3. Fluttershy

    Fluttershy Notebook Geek

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    Im sorry, what do you mean by enduro?
     
    Fluttershy, May 11, 2013
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  4. Tmets

    Tmets De-evolving to Amoeba

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    Switchable graphics. AMDs version of Nvidia Optimus. There have been driver issues with it, but you avoid those as the P370EM doesn't support it.
     
    Tmets, May 11, 2013
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  5. smellon

    smellon Notebook Evangelist

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    I agree with Meaker. Also with the 7970m configuration, you have the option of adding another 7970m in the future for crossfire.

    The reason people try to avoid dual card setups is because both SLI and crossfire solutions can be tricky and not always work right. Personally, I believe this was true for older generations but has gotten better. Keep in mind that using two of the same card does not mean 200% performance. Real world, you'll see 150-180%.

    I went with XoticPC for my NP9150 and I really enjoyed them. They have an annoying rule where you must have your bank "authorize" them on your account, but that was taken care of pretty quickly and I didn't have any problems with them.
     
    smellon, May 11, 2013
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  6. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    Yeah, the performance of two 670MX even at peak is not that much over 7970M if anything.
     
    Meaker@Sager, May 12, 2013
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  7. Prostar Computer

    Prostar Computer Company Representative

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    Make sure you can still get a 7970M. Production on them stopped, so get them while they're hot. :)
     
    Prostar Computer, May 13, 2013
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  8. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    Yes they are very low so move now if you can.
     
    Meaker@Sager, May 13, 2013
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  9. Support.3@XOTIC PC

    Support.3@XOTIC PC Company Representative

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    Just a few 7970M left on the NP9370 but once they are gone they are gone. I do recommend a single 7970M. You'll see similar benchmarks with that vs 2x 670MX but only when the game will support dual graphics cards. Most games do but some popular ones don't like Battlefield 3. In those instances you'll just have the power of 1x670MX. In that case the 1x7970M will be much better.
     
    Support.3@XOTIC PC, May 13, 2013
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  10. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    Also SLI has downsides like higher input lag, which if you are sensitive like me, a single powerful card will always "feel" better than 2 lower powered ones.
     
    Meaker@Sager, May 13, 2013
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  11. Prostar Computer

    Prostar Computer Company Representative

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    Whichever setup you go with just be sure to keep an eye on your temps. Better to be safe than sorry - even if that means sending it in for warranty service and being without the laptop briefly. :)
     
    Prostar Computer, May 14, 2013
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  12. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    I suppose, but should be fine at stock :)
     
    Meaker@Sager, May 14, 2013
    #12