6630 vs 6650 graphics card, big difference?

Hi,

I was just wondering if there is a big difference between the two with regards to gaming? I am thinking of returning my low end model and getting the middle class, which is $3000, 6 gb of ram, 256 gb ssd, hd display and the 6650

 

If you're doing intensive gaming then i'd sway away from Sony Vaios all together. But, to answer your question, no, the FPS difference is around 4-5 on games such as Starcraft 2.

 

If you're an intensive gamer, go for another brand and get a geforce GT550M (in this range of price, have a look to the Razer Blade, which should be great for gaming and will be available soon)

 

Have a look here: Mobile Graphics Cards - Benchmark List - Notebookcheck.net Tech
According to there, the 6650 is about 8% faster in 3Dmark vantage and 12% faster in 3Dmark06 than the 6630.

So in other words, not much.

 

Obviously it is SA/SB you are comparing with the Z2 here, and I must tell you that the 6650M in the Z2 PMD performs better than 6630M in benchmarks but in real world gaming it does worse.
You can check the notebookcheck review for more on this issue.

 

That sounds very interesting. I couldn't see the review anywhere. Why is it slower?

 

The Z2's GPU is external, and connected by something that is theorized to be about equivilent to a PCIe 2.0 x1.2 link (as in, little more than one lane, but not by much). The entire thing is bandwidth limited, since it also has to share with the USB port on the back, the BluRay drive, and even if that was done in a perfect world, it isn't.

On top of all that, it has to send back frame data 60 times per second, either at 1600x900 or 1920x1080 resolution.

 

I still can't understand why anyone would spend 3000 dollars on a Sony strictly for gaming. Both the SA and the Z2 run extremely hot and loud under "heavy" load ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX6zLMS9DWQ).

If you want a gaming laptop then go with the Asus G74SX or the Clevo/Sager 8170 or 8150 series. Those laptops will allow you to play games at full 1920x1080 at the highest settings. For 3000 bucks, I'd recommend getting the 6990m with the 8170 or 8150. Do not get a Sony for gaming. You're going to regret it.

 

^
Sad but true

 

Obviously the Z2 is not a gaming machine, however it does have the best GPU of all the ultra-portables, most of which have the Intel 3000. Because the GPU is in a separate box the heat and noise of the laptop itself is much reduced.

 

true, though looks and the fact that my previous m11xR2 (and it's potential upgrade routes: m11xr3 and m14x were worse) was already rather noisey under load made me think all gaming laptops were loud...

 

It's not necessarily a bandwidth issue... it could be a driver issue as the drivers Sony is using are very old and not update-able as they are hybrid.

 

see the eGPU solutions ben used for ages by those of us with exprescard solutions. my X220 w/eGPU in real world gaming is 40-60% faster than the Z2 I had tried out for a week. and I am awfully sure my Z1 was faster as was stated.

 

true

Though the NBR fellows seem to be working on it

 

Probably a little of both. An external graphics card is a relatively new concept for the consumer space. Not only is the PMD bandwidth limited due to its external nature it is also sharing the pipe with and optical drive and usb ports.* The external nature of the GPU also adds additional, albeit slight, latency to the mix that people most are not use to with traditional notebooks (even switchable graphics ones).

*Which brings me to a question. Has anyone benchmarked the difference when having something plugged into the USB on the PMD or using the Optical Drive vs just using the AMD/ATI GPU on its own without those things being utilized? I would assume there must be some sort of effect.

The drivers are also gimped but it is difficult to determine what extent at this point.

 

Well, the smaller the chassis, the lesser the heat dissipation. I'd never get anything smaller than a 15 inch when it comes to gaming. Better yet, get a desktop.

 

Lol. The only complaint I have of the S 2011 line is.... why? Why a pointless DVD/Bluray drive when it could of fit a bigger fan, or better cooling? Or better yet: enough space so the second RAM stick doesn't have to be soldered in...

As much as I use the DVD/Bluray drive, I would of gladly used an external DVD/Bluray unit, rather than have to put up with the heat this SC punches out... straight into the hinge assembly.


Oh, well. At least Sony equipped my SC with a Intel 6250 WiFi/WiMAX card, so I cannot complain about the signal reception...

It's not much louder than my m11xR2, but it's definately at a much more annoying high pitch tone that my ATH-M50s have a tough time blocking out.

 

with all due respect (and i'm not disagreeing with you just for the sake of disagreement with someone), i do like the fact that the 2011 S series do have an optical drive; in my opinion, it completes the package. i wouldn't spend that much money on one if it didn't have an optical drive. it's just my personal preference.

about the wireless adapter, is there a trend to which model gets the Intel 6250? my SA has an Intel 6205 WiFi card (no WiMAX).

 

The ones at BB have a 6250 ONLY so BB can say they have "WWAN."

A very useless form of "WWAN," IMO.

On the optical drive, well... I do feel like sometimes Sony likes to show off "look everyone! we fit all this... AND an optical drive in under 1 inch!"

But forgets the optical drive takes an insane amount of space up, and Sony is forced to put the air vent in one of the worse places possible (it's not bad, without the context of the hinge design - which is curved near the vent to make it not block away airflow, but it's not enough), while also being forced to put nearly every port on one side of the laptop

I dunno. If they could fit in an optical drive... and also have everything else nearly neatly done, then I'd be all for it. However, it just lacks that finishing touch, in my opinion (In a sense, the SA *is* the spiritual successor to the Z1. It has nearly everything down... just not the final 10%, lol).

 

i see. thanks!

i agree with you. i would have liked the ports arranged better (and that stupid Memory Stick slot removed and its space used for a better thing). but considering its price point, build quality, weight, discreet GPU, and optical drive, it was the best choice for me.

sorry OP for hijacking your thread