Should I switch out my 485M to the 6970M?

The NP8150/8170 both use, IIRC, MXM 3.0 Type B, meaning that they can be upgraded with any of the GPUs that fit that standard. Indeed, when you buy the 8150/8170, the builder/reseller doesn't replace the motherboard - they simply put in the new GPU. Nvidia and AMD will both fit.

If you're looking at other models though that aren't upgradeable, you'll be stuck w/ the GPU you choose since some of those are soldered directly into the motherboard or have other things. Not so w/ the higher end Clevo's. Check the 8150/8170 threads, some people have gone back and forth before

You should definitely look at the min FPS because, after all, what good is 60 fps average if one card dips down to 20 fps but spikes up to 100 fps every other second (hence 60 average), versus a card that hits 55-65 all the time? The 20 to 120 fps card is unplayable, the 55-65 one will feel smooth as butter

 

For what it's worth, my order for the 8170 is going to be with the 485m for reasons other than price/performance. If I had an alternative, I would have plumped for the ATI card but my main consideration for the new laptop is gaming capability which the 485m should provide at some cost.

 

Ok, wow what a thread, some very heated responses and interesting defenses.

I have some questions though, when really sitting down to buy on a budget. I play mostly FPS and RtS games, Call of Duty, SC 2, ... looking forward to Diablo 3 and maybe Deus X.

I am going to be getting external 3D, I love 3d.

Although early stuff seemed to downplay the AMD 3d, it seems that it should work fine. When you really read up on it.

Physics ... ok ... I see the benefit BUT ... please read my final calculation.

I can get a sager p170hm with a single 485m or ... Alienware m18x with dual 6970s ... everything else equal. My real question then, is which is better all considered here. Does Physics on a single 485 really beat out Dual 6970ms ?

Please advise...

 

a 485 can't beat 2 X 6970 in crossfire.

 

I've been looking at these two gpu's as well and have been reading this thread with interest. Something I haven't seen mentioned as a consideration, which is relevant in my own situation, is that I don't use my machine exclusively for gaming. Some of my other applications (CAD stuff) works better with nVidia and possibly won't be stable at all with AMD/ATI. Therefore, having the 485 option for better quality gaming while still maintaining compatibility with other programs is certainly worth a couple hundred extra.

 

If you use CUDA as part of your CAD work, then the 485m is your only choice since the 6970m does not use a proprietary Nvidia technology out of the box.

 

6970 hands down beats the 485 easy cooling is better and the card features new designs to ensure life expectancy.

 

Please elaborate more, broad sweeping statements about card superiority based on dubious cooling advantages and undefined new designs don't win plaudits for credibility.

Read the Anandtech review of the 6970m a few months ago? Power consumption for the two cards is very close and very high because of their performance. Whether or not the 6970m outlasts the 485m is something that cannot be confirmed at present since both cards were only released this calendar year.

 

I'm not so sure about the "any card will fit" thing there...

I read from one of the websites (Mucro.Asia) that I was considering to purchase from and some other forum posts that the NP8170 uses a different cooling system for AMD and NVIDIA options, so if you get the 6970M you can't install a 485M or vice versa (though I doubt anyone will want to given how close these 2 cards are performance wise). They didn't mention anything about the NP8150 though...

 

It´s written in the sticky sager post from April 7 in this forum:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/568309-official-sager-news-thread-updated-apr-7-a.html