Mobile Graphics Card Comparison Chart

Mobile Graphics Card Comparison Chart

If you're looking for a gaming laptop, Or doing graphic intensive work the GPU should be your top priority.
GPU is the "video card" for those of you who don't know.

Even if you're not into games, keep in mind that Windows itself "likes" a fast video card and the new Vista will be VERY graphics intensive.

For anything that is graphic intensive the GPU is more important than the CPU in most cases.
This is a re-post from another board, all credit going to the orginal author.

Fiqured I'd post it here so someone that's in the market can be informed on which video card (GPU) to look for when buying.

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Mobile Graphics Card Comparison Chart
By: ChazMan421

The purpose of this chart is to show where a given GPU places in the 3D mobile arena. I have included everything from integrated and the outdated AGP graphics cards to the latest PCI-express ones.

Before I start the guide, here's a quick and easy way to find out if your computer can run any game:
http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest
Thanks to titaniummd for submitting the link.

Integrated and AGP graphics

1. Integrated Graphics Cards
2. AGP Cards
3. PCI-Express Cards

The cards are in order, from top to bottom, in the level of performance.
In order from lowest to highest performance.

Part #1: Integrated Graphics Processors

In order of performance:

Intel Extreme Graphics
SiS Integrated Graphics
Intel Extreme Graphics 2
Intel GMA900
Intel GMA950
ATI Radeon Xpress 200M

Part #2: Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) Cards:

In order of performance:

Nvidia GeForce 4 440 Go
ATI Radeon 9000

Nvidia FX Go5200
ATI Radeon 9200

Nvidia FX Go5600/5650
ATI Radeon 9600

Nvidia FX Go5700
ATI Mobility Radeon 9700

ATI Radeon 9800 (no competition)

Notes: The Nvidia Go FX series are horribly outdated, and will not perform well in the latest games. ATI's Mobility Radeon 9600/9700/9800 are considerably better in the latest games, but still not ideal. Skip all of the above cards if you can and get a newer one. Avoid the Nvidia FX.

Part #3: PCI Express (PCI-e x16) Cards

In order of performance:

ATI Radeon X300
Nvidia Go6200
Nvidia Go7300
ATI Mobility X1300

Nvidia GeForce Go6400
ATI Radeon X600
Nvidia Go7400
ATI Radeon X1400

Nvidia Go6600
ATI Mobility X700
Nvidia Go7600
ATI Radeon X1600

Nvidia Go6800
ATI Radeon X800
Nvidia Go6800 Ultra
ATI Radeon X800XT
Nvidia Go7800
ATI Radeon X1800

Nvidia Go7900GS
Nvidia Go7800GTX
ATI Radeon X1800XT
Nvidia Go7900GTX

The ultimate chart - including all cards:

In order of performance:

Intel Extreme Graphics

SiS Integrated

Intel Extreme Graphics 2

Intel GMA900

Intel GMA950

Nvidia GeForce 4 440 Go

ATI Mobility Radeon 9000

Nvidia FX Go5200

ATI Radeon Xpress 200M

ATI Mobility Radeon 9200

Nvidia FX Go5600/5650

ATI Radeon 9600

ATI Radeon X300

Nvidia GeForce Go7300

ATI Radeon X1300

ATI Radeon 9700

ATI Radeon X600

Nvidia GeForce Go7400

ATI Radeon X1400

Nvidia Go6600

ATI Radeon 9800

ATI Radeon X700

Nvidia Go6800

ATI Radeon X800

Nvidia Go7600

ATI Radeon X1600

Nvidia Go6800 Ultra

ATI Radeon X800XT

Nvidia Go7800

ATI Radeon X1800

Nvidia Go7900GS

Nvidia Go7800GTX

ATI Radeon X1800XT

Nvidia Go7900GTX

And there you have it. For technical specifications of many of the above listed cards, please see Meaker's Charts here.
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Basic Explanations of video card classes:

Integrated Graphics cards:

Although integrated graphics cards are for basic purposes, it would be useful to include it in this guide to answer any questions vs. dedicated graphics.
Integrated Graphics cards are not what you want to have if you plan on doing 3D-related activities. They are fine for web browsing, watching videos/DVD's, and other basic tasks, but they are not suited for much else.

Out of the cards I have listed, the GMA900 is the most common, often found in lower-end mainstream notebooks. It is currently being replaced by the GMA950, which is not that much faster [still useless for 3D] in newer notebooks. The GMA900/950 is only found in Intel notebooks.
Another common integrated GPU is the ATI Radeon Xpress 200M, avaliable in two versions - one with shared memory (does not have any of its own memory), and one with dedicated, which has its own memory, meaning it doesn't have to borrow memory from your main RAM. The X200M is the best integrated graphics card in terms of performance today, much faster than the Intel GMA900/950. It is mainly found in AMD-based notebooks, although it is starting to make its way into the Intel-based notebooks. For comparison purposes, the dedicated X200M is about 2/3 as fast as a standard Mobility Radeon X300, which it is based on. The X200M is actually capable of some light 3D, but remember that it is integrated, and you will be very limited when it comes to games - do not buy it for that purpose.

Two real advantages of integrated GPU's is that they are very light on power, and they reduce the overall cost of the notebook signifigantly. But, remember - these cards are not 3D work, so steer clear if you plan on doing that. The only exception I can make is the X200M - it is at the bottom of the barrel for performance compared to any of the dedicated cards I have listed in this comparison, but will still beat any other integrated card handily.

Low-End Graphics Cards (highlighted in blue):

These cards are fine for multimedia purposes, plus light 3D, but don't expect to play the latest games at anything but lower settings. That is not what they are designed for anyway. If you are a gamer, these cards are not for you. These cards can be found in any number of notebook sizes, ranging from as low as 12" to 17". I'd recommend having one of these cards if you like to do multimedia-oriented tasks more often than not (Photoshop, apps. such as that so that the video card won't take any of your system memory as with an integrated card).

The latter two cards, the X1300/Go7300, are the replacements for the X300/6200.

What games can I play on these?

As I stated, you aren't going to want these cards for gaming. Counter-Strike: Source and Half-Life 2, plus older generation cards such as Unreal Tournament 2004 would be fine, but newer games such as FEAR - barely, if at all, playable. WoW will be fine on these cards. Don't bother.

Mainstream/Mid-range Graphics Cards (highlighted in green):

A clear step up in performance from the low-end cards, these cards are good enough to play the latest games at medium settings and resolutions give or take, but do not expect blazing performance. These cards are fine for the occasional gamer, but if the prime intent of your notebook is to game, you won't get spectacular performance out of these.
Mid-end cards do not produce a large amount of heat, and therefore, can be found in smaller notebooks around 13.3-14". However, they would be more common in a larger 15.4" notebooks.

The X1400/Go7400 are the replacements for the X600/6400.

Performance Standings: The two newest cards in this segment are the Go7400 and the X1400. Of the two, the Radeon X1400 is slightly faster when compared to the GeForce Go7400. Either will provide comparable performance, but the X1400, due to it's higher memory bandwidth (it has a full 128-bit bus vs. the 64-bit one in the Go7400), will perform better at higher resolutions and settings - again, the difference isn't huge, but might be noticable to more demanding users. You can't go wrong with either card.

What games can I play on these?

Unlike the low-end cards, these actually have a chance at the latest games. You can play HL2/CS:S fine, along with Far Cry and games similar to that. BF2 will be fine at medium-medium-high. FEAR is where these cards will choke up, but it's going to be playable at lower settings and resolution.

Performance Graphics Cards (highlighted in red):

The Performance cards are designed for 3D gaming on a mobile level; you don't have to get a huge desktop replacement in order to have one of these cards. They do not produce a huge amount of heat, but don't exactly run cool. Battery life is balanced. A notebook equipped with one of these cards will see noticeably lower battery life when compared to one that has integrated graphics.
Performance-class cards are great for gamers wanting fast 3D performance in a mobile form factor. These cards are capable of playing the latest games with no problems, at close to or maximum settings and a balanced resolution. Typically, expect to see performance cards in a 15-15.4" notebook.

The new GeForce Go7600 is replacing the current generation Go6600, and ATI also has the X1600 as a replacement for the current X700.

What games can I play on these?

These cards are what to target if you want to play games at good settings and resolution. They can handle just about everything on high settings (at various resolutions, depends on the game), the Go7600/X1600 more so than the Go6600/X700. FEAR would be decent on a system with one of these cards as long as you have a good amount of RAM (1GB+, 1.5-2.0 is best). An X700/Go6600 can run FEAR at high settings at 800x600, the X1600 and Go7600 can do the same but at higher resolutions. It is advisable to get a Go7600/X1600 over the Go6600/X700 because they will be better able to play newer games.

High-End/Desktop Replacement (left black):

Not found in many notebooks, the high-end cards are at the top of their game, easily playing the latest games at maximum settings. However, all that performance comes at a price. A large amount of heat and considerable power consumption all add up to a notebook with a large cooling solution, which in turn leads to a bigger and heavier notebook. High-end cards are most often found in a 17" form factor. Battery life, as you probably already concluded, is poor indeed.

What games can I play on these?

Everything and anything at maximum settings. However, the Go7800 and X1800 series are a huge improvement in performance over the older Go6800- and X800-class cards. Go for one of those. The newest high-end card is the Nvidia GeForce Go7900 series. The Go7900GS is just under the Go7800GTX, about 12% slower according to 3DMark06 benchmarks. The GeForce Go7900GTX on the other hand is noticably faster than the Go7800GTX, which it replaced by about 15%. It also runs cooler and has better power management. You can think of it as basically a tweaked and refined Go7800GTX.

Other information regarding video cards:


Windows Vista

Many of you out there are interested in upgrading to Microsoft's next-generation operating system when it is released (whenever that may be, right now Q1 2007). You are probably aware by now that it will have a 3D-based interface, which relies on your graphics card. It is recommended that you have a 64MB DirectX 9 GPU in order to run the "Aero Glass" 3D interface. The Radeon Xpress 200M is your best bet for an integrated card if you plan to run Windows Vista; Intel's GMA950 will also run it. The GMA900 cannot run the Aero Glass interface. Any of the above dedicated cards [Parts 2-5] can run the Aero Glass interface. But remember, even if you don't meet the requirements for the Aero Glass, Windows Vista will still be able to run fine, just with the 3D settings scaled lower or off.

Video Memory

A very common question when referring to gaming concerns the amount of video memory you need. Today's games have been requiring 64MB video cards for quite a while, and some are beginning to require 128MB.
Basic explanation: Video memory is important because the video card needs a place to store all the information about the 3D environment in a game - if it doesn't have enough room to store it all, the card will not be able to render a scene as quickly becaues the card will have to keep swapping in and out information to the memory. This becomes especially limiting at higher resolutions.

The minimum I recommend for gaming today is 128MB. Gamers should be comfortable with 128MB cards with most games. However, if you are a hardcore gamer and plan on doing a lot of intensive gaming, especially with higher-end and more modern games, it is best to have a 256MB card. This will also help 'future-proof' your notebook for next-generation games, since they will be more complex and advanced, and thus need to store more information. Cards equipped with 256MB of video memory are better able to play at higher resolutions and settings. Gaming at higher resolutions uses more video memory because the 3D environment is much larger, and therefore requires a larger memory space. Do not buy a notebook with a 64MB graphics card if you plan to play games.

There is one more factor that goes along with video memory - the GPU itself. Some GPU's, although they have a lot of memory [example: 256MB X600] cannot use it all because they are not fast enough to do so.
Cards in the performance class and above can use more than 128MB of memory effectively, but not 256MB. Very few cards can. If you can get a 256MB version of those cards (X700/Go6600 and up), then go for it by all means. It helps for reasons I stated above about video memory. They will be great for gaming.
What I mean by using the memory 'effectively' is that the card will perform better if it has more memory - some cards will have performance benefits if you have 256MB of memory versus 128MB, some won't.

To clear up confusion, a midrange card will not outperform a higher-end card with more video memory (ex: 128MB X700 is faster than 256MB X1400/Go7400).

Another point - a high-end CPU won't make up for a weak card. If you have integrated graphics, it doesn't matter if you have a top-of-the-line AMD Athlon processor paired to it, that won't help your 3D performance enough to make a difference.
In other words, if you're looking for a gaming laptop, the GPU should be your top priority.

Conclusion:
Overall, I hoped this guide has helped clear up some common and more advanced questions regarding 3D graphics in a notebook. Please make sure any questions you ask here in the Gaming/Graphics forum aren't already answered in this guide. Feel free to post specific questions in this thread by replying to it.

Useful Links:
ATI Mobile Cards http://www.ati.com/products/mobile.html
Nvidia Mobile Cards http://www.nvidia.com/page/mobile.html

Thank you for reading!
__________________
Sager NP 5320
15.4 WSXGA+ - PM 1.86 - 2GB RAM - 256MB X700 - 100GB 7.2k - Bluetooth v1.2 - DVI-D

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BTW: if any of the info presented helps in any way take a moment to click the little icon under my user name once you're logged in that says: "Add to WeAreNotAlone's Reputation"

I'd like to know that I'm not totally wasting my time here. Would be nice to know that the posts I make may be of help to someone.

That's why I posted the info.... so people would know what to stay away from.

If everyone that bought a laptop knew the info presented what would happen is sales of the crappy units with weak video card /GPU would drop...

This would mean more of the higher end units would be sold, and with econmies of scale the price would come down on the higher end models.

Here's some more info

The Notebook GPU Numbering System Guide.:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=52468


BTW: if any of the info presented helps in any way take a moment to click the little icon under my user name once you're logged in that says: "Add to WeAreNotAlone's Reputation"

I'd like to know that I'm not totally wasting my time here. Would be nice to know that the posts I make may be of help to someone.

Mobile workstation doesn't mean a whole lot without knowing what kind of "work" you're going to be doing on it. What apps you plan on running.

Yes HP and Dell have differant cards, Dell in some cases providing a higher end card... the option to buy with a higher powered card. That being said HP offers GPU's that should be more than powerful enough to run any kind of business app. (Dell's GPU's are more so targeted towards "gamers"...)

The write up is geared towards the best cards for GAMES... and GAMES are very "taxing" on a system.
If you have a card that will run a complex game well, its going to have no problem running a "Mobile Workstation"... Whatever you mean by that statement.

Mobile workstation to me maybe meaning you're running some CAD drafting programs... Apps that display complex images on the screen. If so the GPU is an important factor.

Another consideration will be the OS your planning on running... Vista for example requring a higher powered (faster) GPU than what has been needed in years past.

Will XYZ card be good for you? Don't know... Read thru the info, find your card (or one thats close) then read between the lines....

craziecomrade,

You may want to post you concerns in the orginal source thread. (link is in first post)

From what I gather the GPU is the most important item for a gaming system, the CPU not as important. (Fast hard discs a plus)

In other words if you have one machine @1.83, with a faster GPU than a machine @ 2.0ghz with a slower GPU the extra speed of the faster CPU isn't going to help you.

PS: The 7400 (at least in my 2.0ghz HP Dv8000t) has 128mb memory + plus it steals memory from the system, giving it 256 (or more depending on how it's being reported)


You may want to verify the 7400 you're looking at does the same.

"The first one has core duo 1.83mhz, 1gb ram, 128 nvidia go 7400
the second one has core duo 2.0, 2gb ram, 128 ati x1300 (w/extra 128mb shared from hypermemory feature)"

Here's some info that might help:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/show...6&postcount=44

7900GTXgo SLI = 24 pipes, 8 vertex units, 256 bit mem (500/600) *2 SM3
7800GTXgo SLI = 24 pipes, 8 vertex units, 256 bit mem (400/550) *2 SM3
7900GTXgo = 24 pipes, 8 vertex units, 256 bit mem (500/600) SM3
X1800 XT = 16 pipes, 8 vertex units, 256 bit mem (550/650) SM3
7800GTXgo = 24 pipes, 8 vertex units, 256 bit mem (400/550) SM3
X1800 = 16 pipes, 8 vertex units, 256 bit mem (450/500) SM3
7900GSgo = 20 pipes, 7 vertex units, 256 bit mem (375/500) SM3
7800go = 16 pipes, 6 vertex units, 256 bit mem (350/550) SM3
x800xt = 16 pipes, 6 vertex units, 256 bit mem (480/550)
6800U = 12 pipes, 5 vertex units, 256 bit mem (450/550) SM3
x800pro = 12 pipes, 6 vertex units, 256 bit mem (400/400)
6800 = 12 pipes, 5 vertex units, 256 bit mem (300/300) SM3
x1600 = 12 pipes, 5 vertex units, 128 bit mem (470/470) SM3
7600 = 12 pipes, 5 vertex units, 128 bit mem (~450/500) SM3
x700 = 8 pipes, 6 vertex units, 128 bit mem (350/300)
6600 = 8 pipes, 3 vertex units, 128 bit mem (300/300) SM3
7400 = 4 pipes, 3 vertex units, 64 bit mem (450/450) SM3
x600 = 4 pipes, 2 vertex units, 128 bit mem (400/250)
x600se = 4 pipes, 2 vertex units, 128bit mem (358/277)
9700 = 4 pipes, 2 vertex units, 128 bit mem (450/213)
x1400 = 4 pipes, 2 vertex units, 128 bit mem (432/200) SM3
9600 = 4 pipes, 2 vertex units, 128 bit mem (333/? (240 turbo))
6400 = 4 pipes, 2 vertex units, 64 bit mem (400/350) SM3
x1300 = 4 pipes, 2 vertex units, 128 bit mem (hyper mem) (?/?) SM3
7300 = 4 pipes, 3 vertex units, 64 bit mem (350/350) SM3
x300 = 4 pipes, 2 vertex units, 64 bit mem (300/230)
6200 = 4 pipes, 2 vertex units, 64 bit mem (300/300) SM3
5x00 = 4 pipes, (Array) vertex units, 128 bit/64 bit mem (%/%)
xpress200 = 2 pipes, 2? vertex units, 128^ bit & 32* bit mem (300/ (SYS MEM & 350*))
All other integrated solutions (GMA 900, 950 etc.)

*Dependant on memory attached to side port
^system mem bus width
% Covers entire series, pretty awful due to high power consumption and generally poor arc, 5700go would rate a little higher but those above it perform much better in DX9 titles such as HL2 therefore they get stuck at the bottom.

Credit where credit is due, recently Neeyik (http://www.neeyik.info/3dspecs/) has really helped get core details.

Update: Downgraded the x1300 and x1400 to propper positions

Since it's "new" probally not much info on it..

Read thru this and you should get a feel where the card stands:

The Notebook GPU Numbering System Guide. http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=52468