Need help choosing Quadro FX 2500M or 1500M for a new M90!

[RubaDuck7]

I'm about to order a Dell M90, so need some help with configuring it. I have pretty much everything selected, except for the gfx card.

My current machine is a Dell M60. It's my work machine, on which I run 3ds max, Photoshop, Premiere as well as Visual Studio and Office apps. Since I do design work, I also lug around the laptop to meetings to show off mockups and finished designs. Also, while the M60 was still powerful enough, I also had a parallel, minimal Windows install for gaming in my spare time.
I use a D/Port port replicator at my desk at work and I also have another one at home, for hooking up to my personal monitor, keyboard and mouse. Still, most of the time when I use (surfing/email) the M60 at home I'm on the couch, with the PC on my lap.

So...

My main requirement for the M90 is to have as good graphics performance as possible, but still have enough battery life to be able to make it through a meeting without a power brick. I've heard that the power brick for the M90 is quite large and bulky, but never seen any pictures of one.

At work I use a Dell 2001FP monitor (1600x1200) and at home a 2005FPW (1680x1050). I'm looking to replace the work monitor with a 2407FPW (1920x1200). So my docked working resolutions are quite high, but I choose to have the same DPI on the laptop screen, so that resolution is naturally lower (see spec below).

My current M90 config would look like this:
2.0GHz CPU
2 GB RAM
100GB 7200rpm HDD
WXGA+ display (too bad WSXGA+ isn't available )
Intel wireless
Dell Bluetooth
DVD/RW

- The Big Question: Quadro FX 2500M vs 1500M?

- Is there a significant difference in battery life using the 2500M or 1500M? 100W vs 45W seems to indicate this, but the performance of the 2500M seems so sweet... (note that I rarely use 3D apps when not docked/plugged in)

- ...and how about "real-world" performance differences? Any comments? I.e. is the 1500M 'enough' for my needs?

- Since the M90 has a larger powerbrick, do the power bricks for my D/Ports have to be swapped as well? If so, also if using the 1500M?

- I'd like a pretty quiet machine as well, but have understood that this is quite good regardless of configuration on the M90?

Any help you can provide would be much appreciated. I have to spec out this machine yesterday and then live with it for the next 3-4 years, so I'm naturally a bit anal about getting the best combination possible.

Thanks!

[FlashSVT]

A good chart with real world numbers. Be sure to visit www.spec.org for more benchmarks.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width=650 align=left border=1><TBODY><TR align=left><TD></TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center bgColor=#dfdfdf colSpan=3>Mobile</TD></TR><TR class=threeDheader align=left bgColor=#000000><TD>Board Features</TD><TD vAlign=center>NVIDIA Quadro FX 350M</TD><TD vAlign=center>NVIDIA Quadro FX 1500M</TD><TD vAlign=center>NVIDIA Quadro FX 2500M</TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain>Memory Size</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>256MB</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>256MB</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>512MB</TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain>Memory Type</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>DDR2</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>GDDR3</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>GDDR3</TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain>Memory Interface</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>64-bit</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>256-bit</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>256-bit</TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain>Memory Bandwidth</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>6.4GB/sec.</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>32.0GB/sec.</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>38.4GB/sec.</TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain>Max Power Consumption</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>15W</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>45W</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>100W</TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain>Display Connectors</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>DVI
VGA
TV
</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>DVI
VGA
HDTV
</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>DVI
VGA
HDTV
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain>OpenGL</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>2.0</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>2.0</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>2.0</TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain>Shader Model</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>3.0</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>3.0</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>3.0</TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain>DirectX</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>9.0c</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>9.0c</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>9.0c</TD></TR><TR class=threeDheader align=left bgColor=#000000><TD align=left colSpan=4>3D Primitive Perf </TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain>Triangles per Second</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>81 Million</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>145 Million</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>181 Million</TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain>Texels per Second/Fill Rate</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>1.7 Billion</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>7.5 Billion</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>10.8 Billion</TD></TR><TR class=threeDheader align=left bgColor=#000000><TD align=left colSpan=4>Relative 3D Application Performance<SUP>1</SUP></TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain>ugs-04</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>11.80</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>40.40</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>58.01</TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain>proe-03</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>28.72</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>57.91</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>70.34</TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain>sw-01</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>16.30</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>31.20</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>42.30</TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain>3dsmax-03</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>22.83</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>43.64</TD><TD class=iomain vAlign=center>47.96</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=iomain><SUP>1</SUP>SPECviewperf® 8.1: for more information visit www.spec.org. Tested on 3.8 GHz Pentium® 4, Driver Release 84.26.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[ew2x4]

1500M will do just fine. The only differences are with higher resolutions.

[RubaDuck7]

ew2x4,
wouldn't you regard running 3ds max fullscreen at 1920x1200 (or 1600x1200) a higher resolution?

[FlashSVT]

Originally Posted by RubaDuck7

ew2x4,
wouldn't you regard running 3ds max fullscreen at 1920x1200 (or 1600x1200) a higher resolution?

Yes and that's where the 2500M shines . . .

[ew2x4]

Yes, but he wants a WXGA+.

[RubaDuck7]

Sure, but most of the time the M90 would be docked, using one of the monitors I described. So primarily, this is a desktop replacement.

My current M60 has a WUXGA screen, but I find it too high a resolution to be able to use when showing stuff off in meetings (I'm doing a lot of UI work, so I want to be able to run at the sharp, native res). Therefore I chose a WXGA+ for the M90. Also, I'm planning to use the laptop's own display as secondary when docked.

So basically I'd like as much horsepower I can get as long as my battery life is still good enough and I'm not forced to carry a huge power brick around.

[-=Woody=-]

Originally Posted by RubaDuck7

Sure, but most of the time the M90 would be docked, using one of the monitors I described. So primarily, this is a desktop replacement.

My current M60 has a WUXGA screen, but I find it too high a resolution to be able to use when showing stuff off in meetings (I'm doing a lot of UI work, so I want to be able to run at the sharp, native res). Therefore I chose a WXGA+ for the M90. Also, I'm planning to use the laptop's own display as secondary when docked.

This is a good observation. I have several programs that don't comply with the font DPI settings. This would make the system hard to use daily in the environments I'm in. (Not always the best of conditions, and normaly cold as .) So big display is a big deal to me.

Originally Posted by RubaDuck7

So basically I'd like as much horsepower I can get as long as my battery life is still good enough and I'm not forced to carry a huge power brick around.

I can work for 2.5 hours reliably on office type tasks. Killing wifi and bluetooth help a bit. Multi-media is about 1.25 - 1.5 hours.

The power brick is smaller than my XPS gen 1 brick was/is (but so are most houses ) The brick measures 2.25" x 6.5" x 1.5", so not tiny by any strech . My reccomendation is get one and try it out. You have a while to send it back if you don't like it. I realy love mine. Now if i could get the bluetooth to work with my Cingular 8125...

HTH,
-Woody

[codek]

Originally Posted by -=Woody=-

This is a good observation. I have several programs that don't comply with the font DPI settings. This would make the system hard to use daily in the environments I'm in. (Not always the best of conditions, and normaly cold as .) So big display is a big deal to me.



I can work for 2.5 hours reliably on office type tasks. Killing wifi and bluetooth help a bit. Multi-media is about 1.25 - 1.5 hours.

The power brick is smaller than my XPS gen 1 brick was/is (but so are most houses ) The brick measures 2.25" x 6.5" x 1.5", so not tiny by any strech . My reccomendation is get one and try it out. You have a while to send it back if you don't like it. I realy love mine. Now if i could get the bluetooth to work with my Cingular 8125...

HTH,
-Woody

can't you just get a fx1500 and overclock the hell out of it to get about 85% of the fx2500's performance?

[-=Woody=-]

Originally Posted by codek

can't you just get a fx1500 and overclock the hell out of it to get about 85% of the fx2500's performance?

Possibly, but in a work environmet is it worth it? "Sorry that presentation looked like crap, but my OC'ed card is artifacting real bad today."

[xfaega]

Get the FX2500. This way you won't regrit it and you will always have the power at your command. Also you can overclock the FX2500 Like the 7900GTX from what I heard. Also check out the outlets they always have great deals with the FX2500 card. I got mine last friday - check it out http://www.notebookforums.com/thread169777.html

[codek]

get the fx2500, if you get the 1500 you will have buyer's remorse.

[RubaDuck7]

I did. Order the 2500, that is.
Thanks for all your help.

[my1stnotebook]

Hello everyone.. I just purchased my 1st laptop computer, and I hope I chose wisely. I originally orered a Dell Latitude D820, but returned it and re-ordered a new M90, mainly due to the graphics card was much better, and it was just a better computer.

I own a landscape company, so I just purchased the new, latest version of my industry software, and will also use QB, and Word, email, light gaming (although I don't own a game, im in mid 30s, havent gamed in several years). I need it to be powerfull like desktop, this will be main ofice computer, just connect to dport and ofice printer,scanner,copier, phone,backup HD,mouse, etc... also will wi-fi for first time, never did wireless, currently use high speed cable sevice at home only, so this should be fun. Not too sure about pc cards, or express cards, or whatever cards you use, i have a great deal to learn, and quickly, the Dell computer is beening shipped as we speak. I also want to use this in my nice f350 truck for estimates, etc, with mobile printer in truck, can take digital photos, contracts, bids, customer history reports, etc, and print on site, become more effecient, also, in my biz i run the fertilization division (lawn care like TruGreen) and it is really only labor i do anymore, and it will be nice to print out fert reports (higly detailed info) on new laptop and print and keep copy on HD, etc.

Anyway, hope I chose well, can't wait.

Also, 3 questions, #1) can I still add bluetooth to my system, i failed to add that option to my order.? #2) What is the best game to start with, maybe best 2.? #3) Will I ever beable to pick up wifi wireless internet connection in my truck with the reg. wi-fi card? or do I have to order an additional card and sign a 1yr dealwith someone like Verizon and pay $200 extra? has that all work?

Thanks forthe feedback !!!!

Here are my specs:

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=gridTitle style="WIDTH: 80px">Order Group</TD><TD class=gridTitle style="WIDTH: 50px">Quantity</TD><TD class=gridTitle style="WIDTH: 75px">Item</TD><TD class=gridTitle style="WIDTH: 595px">Description</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=4 height=5></TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 75px">222-5481</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 595px">Dell Precision M90, Intel Core2 Duo Processor T7200 (2.00GHz/667MHz/4MB)</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 75px">320-4752</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 595px">17 Inch Wide Screen WUXGA LCD for Dell Precision M90</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 75px">311-5877</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 595px">2 GB, DDR2-667 SDRAM, 2 DIMM for Dell Precision M90</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 75px">310-7669</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 595px">Internal English Keyboard for Dell Precision M90</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 75px">320-4754</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 595px">NVIDIA Quadro FX 2500M 512MB OpenGL, Dell Precision M90</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 75px">341-3321</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 595px">80GB Hard Drive 9.5MM, 7200RPMfor Dell Precision M90 Factory install</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 75px">420-4867</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 595px">WINDOWS XP PRO SP2, with MediaDell Precision Mobile,English Factory Install</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 75px">313-4070</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 595px">24X CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive withCyberLink PowerDVD, Dell Precision M90</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 75px">430-1893</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 595px">Intel 3945 (802.11a/g) Dual-band Mini-Card, Dell Precision M90</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 75px">313-4073</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 595px">Resource CD w/ Diagnostics and Drivers for Dell PrecisionM90</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 75px">420-3699</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 595px">NTFS File System,Factory Install</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 75px">310-7823</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 595px">Quick Reference Guide for DellPrecision M90</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 75px">970-2208</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 595px">CompleteCare Accidental DamageSvc, WorkStation, 3Yr , 1-800-624-9896</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 75px">980-8010</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 595px">Type 3 Contract - Next Business Day Parts and Labor On-Site Response, Initial Year</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 75px">980-8012</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 595px">Type 3 Contract - Next Business Day Parts and Labor On-Site Response, 2 Year Extended</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 75px">461-3749</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 595px">GTS,Personal Systems,TechnicalSupport Letter</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 75px">902-4902</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 595px">Gold Technical Support ServicePrecision, 3 Years, 1-866-876-3355 (DELL)</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 75px">982-5729</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 595px">Thank you for choosing 3 Year Standard Plan</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 75px">983-2207</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 595px">Thank You for buying Dell</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 75px">983-2217</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 595px">Please visit WWW.Dell.COM</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 75px">900-9987</TD><TD class=gridCell style="WIDTH: 595px">Standard On-Site Installation Declined</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 80px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 50px">1</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 75px">310-8314</TD><TD class=gridCellAlt style="WIDTH: 595px">Intel Centrino Core Duo Processor</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>