GPU choice, please help.

Hi guys

I am considering to get a gaming laptop like:

Dell 1730 8800 GTX sli for about 1600 quid
D901 from Kobalt 9800m GT sli for 2000 quid
D901 from Kobalt 9800m GTX sli which would be 2600.

Which one would be the best bang for the buck, in terms of 'futureproofnes'?

Now, after intense reading I understand that:

8800m GTX = 9800m GT < 9800m GTX

But, according to the Ikas V thread, for some unknown reason, 9800m GT sli performs quite better than 8800m GTX sli. So:

8800m GTX sli < 9800m GT sli < 9800m GTX sli

Please correct me if I am wrong.

Also people are moaning that difference between 8800m GTX and 9800m GTX is just 10%-15%. Could Someone, please enlight me what was the aprox. performance jump from 7950m GTX to 8800m GTX (besides DX9 - 10 case)

I would like it to be futureproof immobile desktop replacement. Could please some SLI users tel me how is eg. 7950m GRX sli performing today. Is it worth the money?

Thanks for help

 

I can confirm that

8800m GTX sli < 9800m GT sli < 9800m GTX sli

is true.

 

get the best that you can afford

 

Nope the 8800m gtx is EXACTLY the same of 9800m gt.

 

That's what I think.

But I see absolutely no reason to pay 500 pounds more for 5 fps in Crysis and 500 pts more in 3dmark06. What do U think?

Thats why I wanted to know how was it when the first 8800m GTXs showed up. Did people say:

'wow it's 40% better than 7950, go for it, worth to pay 700 quid more'

or did 8800m GTX developed its great performance with time?

I wonder if it will be the same with 9800m GTX

Thanks gus

 

Yeah, Thats the common knowlage. Although I remember there was someone in 9800 vs 8800 thread who was arguing that 9800 is actually 30% worse.

But anyway we're talking about sli cards

Thanks

 

I'll leave this thread alone apart from to say that we are on our last couple of 9800M GT chassis so please check with us first if you are interested as the 98M GT is end of life!

Also just to confirm, performance wise the 8800M GTX is identicle to the 9800M GT in every way. If anyone is experiencing better performance in single card or SLI setups it's down to either a newer VGA BIOS or better GPU drivers.

 

yes.

mak5 wrote: But anyway we're talking about sli cards

Dear Mak, if one 8800m gtx is the same as 9800m gt please explain me why two 8800mgtx should differ from two 9800mgt.
We are talking about videocards not "sli cards"

 

I honestly don't know. But evidence from different sources indicates that 9800m GT sli IS performing better than 8800m GTX sli, and quite a bit.

See:

notebookcheck benchmarks
IKAS V thread '9800m GT sli Crysis benchmarks'
NBR members like DevlReD in the same configuration get up to 15600
3dmark06 score

 

I'd pick the D901C with SLI 9800M GTs. Of course there are the rumors a new model is coming out. (which is why it was discontinued)

 

When the 8800M GTX came out, it was instantly insanely better than the 7950GTX, I upgraded in January (when 8800MGTX came out).

3dMark06 scores previously (c2d x7800/GT7950MGTX stock clocks/drivers):
5451

after upgrade (c2d x9000/GF8800MGTX stock clocks/drivers):
8948

As you can see, huge difference

 

Also could U guys please tell me if quad core Intel Q9300 will be a lot faster than dual core E8600?

Will it make any difference in gaming?

Cheers

 

Notebookcheck only compares the total 3DMark06 scores which, as you undoubtedly know, are a combination of both GPU and CPU scores. Because of this, and because different CPUs are used in their tests (note that quads were used for their 9800 tests and a dual was used for their 8800 test), their results are virtually useless as a means of comparing GPUs. Although the 3DMark06 graphic scores (SM2/SM3) are influenced to some degree by CPU speed, a comparison of these scores alone is a much safer comparison of GPU capability.

IKAS V's dx9 Crysis scores looked reasonable and seemed to show that the 9800M GT is roughly comparable to the 8800M GTX. However, I believe his dx10 results are not useful for the following reasons:

1) The data are not self-consistent. Note that in some cases when resolution is increased, FPS also increases, and when AA is increased, FPS increases.

2) All other Crysis benchmark results I've seen show FPS with dx10 are lower than with dx9, but IKAS V shows a huge difference in the opposite direction.

3) His dx10 numbers are so high they are comparable to equivalent desktop cards. I find it hard to believe nVidia would keep this remarkable capability of the 9800M GT a secret.

 

Four times 2.5ghz is greater than two times 3.33ghz, so the Q9300 will win most CPU benchmarks I'm sure. However, for most of today's games, outright CPU speed seems to beat CPU capacity, so, for now, the E8600 may appear to be the best gaming choice. However, the difference will be small, and new games may take better advantage of the additional cores.

 

Thanks for all Your help guys, appreciate it.

It's probably not very good time for getting new laptop... I'll maybe wait for a new nvidia release.

Cheers

 

That's correct - for outright fps a Core 2 Duo will beat a Core 2 Quad "buck for buck" but not "clock for clock" and there are very few games that support quad core CPUs.

As NVIDIA drivers are now supporting PhysX the GPU is even more important. NVIDIA works closer with game developers than ATi/AMD and that's why (on the notebook front anyway) NVIDIA cards lead the way.

I think I've said something like this before so at the risk of repeating myself :

It's completely unfair to compare the 98M GT with the 98M GTX, mainly because the 98M GT is end of life but also because the 98M GTX is now the same price that the 88M GTX was 6 months ago whilst it was still in production. So what we are actually getting is 10% more power for the same price. As you can't buy the GT anymore it's sort of a non argument - the GTX is the most powerful card and will stay that way for quite a while

 

From my experience, if you are going to spend a considerable amount on a laptop (which it looks like you will), I would suggest buying a Sager/Clevo over a Dell. Other than that I cannot comment.

Regards,