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    Multiple 680m versions?

    Discussion in 'Sager and Clevo' started by Blauwhelmpje, Jun 29, 2012.

  1. Blauwhelmpje

    Blauwhelmpje Notebook Guru

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    Hi all!

    So I ordered a Titan Ivy17 6 days ago(sager np9170/clevo170em) from xnotebooks.nl with a 680m in it.

    Now i noticed it "only" has 2gb's of gddr 5 where I thought a 680m would have no less then 4gb equiped? I don't really mind the vram, but is there any other differences between this version and the 4gb version(besides the pricedifference probably)?


    ps: Xnotebooks should have these badboys delivered next week, and assemble+ship it towards me asap since i'm in the first batch.

    Thanks in advance
     
    Blauwhelmpje, Jun 29, 2012
    #1
  2. jaybee83

    jaybee83 Biotech-Doc

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    yup two versions were confirmed,but aside from the vram theres no difference in perf.

    Sent from my GT-I9001 using Tapatalk 2
     
    jaybee83, Jun 29, 2012
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  3. Tyranids

    Tyranids Notebook Evangelist

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    haha was it cheaper than a $300 upgrade with the 2GB version?
     
    Tyranids, Jun 29, 2012
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  4. HTWingNut

    HTWingNut Potato

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    I still don't understand the need for 4GB vRAM. I'd love to be able allocate some of that very fast vRAM for my OS. :)
     
    HTWingNut, Jun 29, 2012
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  5. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    4GB may be needed in dual card configurations in future multi monitor gaming lol.

    Anything else is a marketing gimmick.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Jun 29, 2012
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  6. HTWingNut

    HTWingNut Potato

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    But 4GB is on a single card. SLI would be 8GB! :eek: :confused:

    Drop $50 off the price of the card and offer 2GB.
     
    HTWingNut, Jun 29, 2012
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  7. Tyranids

    Tyranids Notebook Evangelist

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    No no, drop $100 off, at least.
     
    Tyranids, Jun 29, 2012
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  8. Blacky

    Blacky Notebook Prophet

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    I say drop $200 and I'm sold.
     
    Blacky, Jun 29, 2012
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  9. shutdo

    shutdo Notebook Enthusiast

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    SLI doesn't work that way....VRAM don't add up like that because they are mirrored. so practically, only 4GB is "usable" in a 4GB GTX 680M SLI configuration.
     
    shutdo, Jun 29, 2012
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  10. HTWingNut

    HTWingNut Potato

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    And current top end desktop CPU's won't manage 2GB of vRAM. And SLI it's still 8GB. 4GB to render half (more or less) of the scene or frames and 4GB to render the other half. It's complete overkill.
     
    HTWingNut, Jun 29, 2012
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  11. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    No, xfire and sli need identical copies of data on each card.

    If you think otherwise you are wrong.

    Also the cpu does not manage the vram.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Jun 29, 2012
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  12. Religion

    Religion Notebook Consultant

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    it sounds like you are suggesting that each of those 4gb of ram have different textures loaded and are acting independently of each other. If that is indeed what you are saying then you are wrong. Both 4gb frame buffers have the exact same data loaded onto them, if one goes over the 4gb limit they both go over the limit.
     
    Religion, Jun 29, 2012
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  13. 5482741

    5482741 5482741

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    Anyone know if the 4GB and 2GB versions use memory that has different GDDR frequencies?
     
    5482741, Jun 29, 2012
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  14. jaybee83

    jaybee83 Biotech-Doc

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    specs are identical only vram amount differs.

    Sent from my GT-I9001 using Tapatalk 2
     
    jaybee83, Jun 29, 2012
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  15. PuppyOfDoom

    PuppyOfDoom Notebook Enthusiast

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    i could see the vram being useful if you use excessive monitors all in 1080p with breathing backrounds. the 4th would be a toolbar ! i wonder what you could do with em in Mechawarrior online.
     
    PuppyOfDoom, Jun 29, 2012
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  16. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    Nothing if the notebook uses optimus and is therefore limited to 2 displays.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Jun 29, 2012
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  17. aduy

    aduy Keeping it cool since 93'

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    hm series mother****er! yeaya!, someone needs to check if it works with 3 screens!
     
    aduy, Jun 30, 2012
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  18. TrantaLocked

    TrantaLocked Notebook Deity

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    It seems to me 2GB is perfect, and now the standard. Hell, even GTA IV uses more than 1GB if it has access. Imagine how bad GTA V will run with 1GB Vram in 1080p. Kiss performance goodbye my friend. I would bet you 2GB is the minimum requirement for resolutions above 1920x1080. Now you see why 4GB makes since, especially for the future and with enough allocation space with the amount of RAM gamers use these days.
     
    TrantaLocked, Jun 30, 2012
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  19. Tonrac

    Tonrac Notebook Evangelist

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    4 GB of vram will be usefull in the future but when this future come the GTX680M will be an antiquity .
     
    Tonrac, Jun 30, 2012
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  20. HTWingNut

    HTWingNut Potato

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    It doesn't matter how much texture RAM the game uses. If the performance of the GPU and bandwidth are limited, which most are at 1080p, it won't make a lick of difference.

    This is an older article comparing two desktop cards 6950 1GB vs 2GB, but concept still applies. 2GB made zero difference in performance until resolutions of 2560x1600 were reached. Even then difference was marginal. The 7970m has less bandwidth than the 6950, so it will bottleneck before the full 1GB vRAM can be utilized.

    And here's 5870 at 5760x1080 (triple monitor) 1GB vs 2GB.

    Can't find GTA IV specific benchmarks but you can throw 4GB at it and the system will bottleneck before it can ever exceed use of the 1GB limit. But many forum posts across the web from users indicate no improvement with larger video RAM sizes.

    edit: Here's an article on GTA IV multi-monitor that 1GB is a restriction greater than 1920x1200 (i.e. multimonitor 1080p) but below that minimal performance hit.
     
    HTWingNut, Jun 30, 2012
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  21. jaug1337

    jaug1337 de_dust2

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    maybe, who knows, we still haven't met games taking full advantage of vRAM yet :p
     
    jaug1337, Jun 30, 2012
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  22. Religion

    Religion Notebook Consultant

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    I just wish clevo would offer a 2gb version for cheaper.
     
    Religion, Jun 30, 2012
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  23. jaug1337

    jaug1337 de_dust2

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    you have a point, that sure wouldn't be bad
     
    jaug1337, Jun 30, 2012
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  24. HTWingNut

    HTWingNut Potato

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    Yes, like I noted earlier, heck $50-$100 less for the 2GB version. There is absolutely no need for 4GB.
     
    HTWingNut, Jun 30, 2012
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  25. jaug1337

    jaug1337 de_dust2

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    Precisely, I don't know what nVIDIA is thinking.... annoys me
     
    jaug1337, Jun 30, 2012
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  26. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    They are thinking marketing and profit margins.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Jun 30, 2012
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  27. HTWingNut

    HTWingNut Potato

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    But do people who buy an $2000 laptop not at least have a basic understanding of what they're buying. OK, exclude Mac owners. Otherwise power Wintel machines are usually owned by users that are somewhat educated in the technology. Or at least seek out answers at places like NBR before spending serious coin.
     
    HTWingNut, Jun 30, 2012
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  28. Meaker@Sager

    Meaker@Sager Company Representative

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    No, no they generally don't.

    They see a 4GB is $300 more than the 2GB 7970M, they think, its a lot bigger and must be a huge upgrade.
     
    Meaker@Sager, Jun 30, 2012
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  29. Kaffikjelen

    Kaffikjelen Notebook Enthusiast

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    4GB VRAM secures bragging rights and also serves as a great pick-up line. ("Hey, toots, wanna see my laptop with 4 gigs of video RAM?")
     
    Kaffikjelen, Jun 30, 2012
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  30. jaybee83

    jaybee83 Biotech-Doc

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    lol, nice one :p
     
    jaybee83, Jun 30, 2012
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  31. wingman4ever

    wingman4ever Notebook Consultant

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    Why not the 7970m the 680m is 400 us dollars more expensive...

    I got the 7970m from xnb with he p150em.
     
    wingman4ever, Jul 1, 2012
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  32. jaybee83

    jaybee83 Biotech-Doc

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    ah well, different people have different preferences, its always been like that :) last time i chose the 485M cuz the perf. boost over the 6970M was more substantial, now im going for best bang per buck :p
     
    jaybee83, Jul 1, 2012
    #32