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Dell XPS 1710 single 7950gtx vs Alienware m9700 dual 7900gs

post #1 of 19
12/8/06 at 8:53am
Thread Starter 
I have been looking around the internet trying to find the fastest graphics laptops within our budget and
we need serious graphics power, so the question of the hour is:

Bottom line which has more graphics clout the-
Dell XPS 1710 Intel dual core 7600 single 7950gtx OR Alienware m9700 Amd turion 2.4 dual 7900gs

(We are actually a science research laboratory and need portable graphics workstations for displaying openGL models of cancer tumours and hearts).

Any help would be much appreciated.
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post #2 of 19
12/8/06 at 11:06am
uhhh, both the above laptops are mentioned for gaming.

If you need a portable graphic workstation for displaying openGL models then you want this: Dell M90 or Dell M65. It currently has a graphics card which is on par with the 7950gtx; the quadro FX3500M.
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post #3 of 19
12/8/06 at 12:30pm
M90 with the FX3500M in it. That's what she's made for.
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post #4 of 19
12/8/06 at 2:14pm
Thread Starter 
The only reason I was looking at 7900gs SLI and 7950gtx is because I know the fx2500 is based on a 7900gtx which is outperformed in 3D mark by the above two.

Trouble is I need to know what the performance is like if i throw standard opengl at it, (coded myself in a C++ file, not in an optimised CAD package).
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post #5 of 19
12/9/06 at 2:59am
I love my m9700, but it seems like CPU power might be helpful in your situation. If that's the case, the 1710 or one of the other options suggested might be better than the m9700, It is a single core Turion CPU...works great for gaming, okay for multi-tasking (but not on a par with the Core 2 Duo).

Mine is used almost exclusively for gaming and some amateur photoshop work...it's a treat for these uses. When it comes to the benchmarks, the m9700 in SLI outperforms the 1710, but I doubt the margin is significant enough to make a difference in real use. Also, will the applications you are writing/using work okay with SLI...seems like that might be just one more complication...?
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post #6 of 19
12/9/06 at 3:54am
7950gtx > 7900gs in SLI
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post #7 of 19
12/9/06 at 12:10pm
Thread Starter 
Here is an example of a test that would determine the most suitable one:

If I write a basic openGL c++ file that puts 50,000 cubes on the screen and spins them round the Y axis. Which gets higher fps?

m9700 with SLI 7900gs and turion 2.4ghz OR 1710 with 7950gtx and Core2 7600

and same question for these cards on there own:
Quadro Fx 2500m
Geforce Go 7900gtx (or a 7950 for that matter ?)
Geforce Go SLI 7900gs
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post #8 of 19
12/10/06 at 1:40am
oh for crying out loud. ati & nvidia would not have created their respective fireGL and Quadro series if it were not for applications such as these. nvidia's opengl coding is superior to ati's. the fx 3500m is the PERFECT card for what you are doing. It will beat out the 7950gtx (which you will see if you google for benchmarks). I seriously think you should get your priorities and the laptop you are looking for right. If you want to GAME GO GEFORCE, IF YOU ARE AN ENGINEER OR WHATEVER YOU ARE GO QUADRO.
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post #9 of 19
12/11/06 at 12:59pm
The Quadro drivers are optimized for Open GL so for the applications you want to run the M90 is the way to go. The M1710 will not perform as well with those apps.
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post #10 of 19
12/15/06 at 1:03am
m90 with quadro 1500M 2500M would also both do

and c2d would be a much better choice than turion
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post #11 of 19
12/17/06 at 8:02am
Since you need graphic power, SLI 7900GS is the hardcore's choice. It will be better than single 7950GTX. But trust me, 7950GTX will be enough for you. Unless you're very rich.
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post #12 of 19
12/17/06 at 8:03am
Since you need graphic power, SLI 7900GS is the hardcore's choice. It will be better than single 7950GTX. But trust me, 7950GTX will be enough for you. Unless you're very rich.
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post #13 of 19
12/17/06 at 1:06pm
i found on alienware site that 7900GS in SLI mode is faster than 7950GTX
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post #14 of 19
12/18/06 at 2:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by faction
i found on alienware site that 7900GS in SLI mode is faster than 7950GTX
i'd trust a 3rd party over the company that is selling the item in question

and don't forget not every game supports SLI
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post #15 of 19
12/19/06 at 11:47pm
Dude...if this was a desktop, I love the AW 7500 design, the added features etc...but this M9700 doesn't appeal to me. IMO the XPS M1710 is one HECK of a gaming laptop, and the 4 year XPS warranty speaks for itself..you will be taken care of by the XPS guys. If something doesnt work, they will overnight it and fix it, and overnight it back. Dell XPS M1710 is my choice in this case.
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post #16 of 19
12/20/06 at 12:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickster
i'd trust a 3rd party over the company that is selling the item in question

and don't forget not every game supports SLI

That's exacty what I was thinking. Even if SLI was a little faster, that's only in SLI mode and when the program is optimised for it. Then you're stuck with a single GS and would fall behind by a longshot. Plus on top of that the CPU is severely limiting.

Go for the M90 or 1710 as other suggested above.
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post #17 of 19
12/20/06 at 2:55am
As my SIG shows, I did once own an Alienware and I will never again go back to that company. The build quality of the laptop was crappy. Their support was horrible. XPS support has taken care of me 100% with all my problems I've had.

In some of the benchmarks on Toms and anandtech some of the single cards beat the SLi cards.
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post #18 of 19
12/20/06 at 1:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dajohu
That's exacty what I was thinking. Even if SLI was a little faster, that's only in SLI mode and when the program is optimised for it. Then you're stuck with a single GS and would fall behind by a longshot. Plus on top of that the CPU is severely limiting.

Go for the M90 or 1710 as other suggested above.

M90, it seems the 3500 is a very very expensive upgrade.
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post #19 of 19
12/20/06 at 2:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whitedragon101
The only reason I was looking at 7900gs SLI and 7950gtx is because I know the fx2500 is based on a 7900gtx which is outperformed in 3D mark by the above two. Trouble is I need to know what the performance is like if i throw standard opengl at it, (coded myself in a C++ file, not in an optimised CAD package).
Since when is any 3DMark program indicative of OpenGL/CAD rendering/etc performance? Think of it this way, in any OpenGL rendering application a FX2500 compared to a 7900GTX is like the difference between a C2D with SSE extensions enabled compared to the same CPU without SSE optimization. Physically the core is the same between both graphics cards (same G71 core) but the OpenGL extensions that are enabled in a Quadro make it the clear champ when it comes to rendering...
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