Graphics card comparisons

zental

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Jan 22, 2004
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Ok I'm getting super close to buying a laptop. I'm just trying to decide on video cards.

I'd like to know the difference between these models and some others that I may not know about in the same range, or better.

GTX 560m
GTX 570m
GTX 580m(sadly out of my price range I think)
GTX 670m

Can you guys tell me which ones are better than the others? From everything I've found online, the GTX 580m is the best out there right now, and the GTX 570m is the next step down.

I keep seeing these new GTX 6xx series though and I'm wondering if they're better than the 570m?

I only listed GTX670m because it was an option on a site I looked at, so if there are other 6xx series that are better let me know how they compare.
 

Chainzsaw

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Hello,

"GeForce GTX 670M is a high-end-class GPU part of the 600M Series released by NVIDIA in 2011/2012.
It's still based on the old Fermi architecture 'GF114', which means it's just a renamed GeForce GTX 570M, just like the previous renames (e.g 520M -> 610M, 540M -> 630M, etc) but unlike the GeForce GTX 675M, the clocks have been raised a little which cause a little performance boost.
Very Demanding games should run on high settings (not ultra!) and less demanding games should be maxed out easily...."

The 670 appears to be a rebadged 570m with a slightly higher clock speed. You are correct the 580m would be a much better choice.

I would go for the 670M due to the slightly higher clock than the 570m. At least you will get the most performance out of that midrange laptop card before getting into the high end video card/cost territory (580m).
 

zental

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I'm wondering if the exta $100 to go from the 570m to to the 670m is really worth the 10-20% increase it gives (based on benchmarks from that site). I hear you can overclock the 570m pretty well and I've seen it playing crisis on youtube. Anyone have personal experience using either?
 

Chainzsaw

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I would say yes if you plan on doing any gaming at all. If you game - the GPU is one of the most important parts in a system. You don't want to come back 6 months down the road and find out your GPU is starting to get weak due to new/newer games coming out.

What native resolution laptop do you plan on getting? If it's 1080P go for the 670. If the native resolution of the laptop is 1366x768 go for the 570 and save some money.
 

zental

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Jan 22, 2004
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Ya it's gonna be 1080p. Darn. Guess I'm just going to have to bite the bullet on that price difference. It will be worth it since I plan to use the laptop for about the next 3 years. Only about $500 per year if you split it up.

What about this. I plan to buy a xoticpc.com laptop MSI 1762 with the 670m. Do you know if that model would allow me to upgrade GPUs later on? I am tech savvy (been a hardware specialist for a while).
 
Give the guys at XoticPC a call and ask them.
One of the nice things about working with a boutique builder is you get to talk to the people that own the company or do the actual assembly of your notebook..
 

zental

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It's actually closer to about $65 so I think I'm going to do it. Here are the two I'm comparing:

$1433 - 42.99 discount = $1390.01
Specs:
FORCE 1761 / MSI 1761 FORCE 1761 / MSI 1761
- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Matte Screen (1920x1080) (SKU - X1R553)
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM, 2.2-3.1GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache) (SKU - X2N167)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds)
- nVidia GeForce GTX 570M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 (SKU - X3R454)
- 8GB DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Dual Channel Memory (2x4GB SODIMMS) (SKU - X4N203)
- Standard Finish
- 500GB (w/ 4GB SSD Memory) Seagate XT 7200RPM NCQ Hybrid 32MB Cache (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) (SKU - X5R429)
- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software (SKU - X7R451)
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card (SKU - X8R001)
- Integrated Digital Video Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- Windows 7 Home Premium - 64-Bit
- 1 Year Complete Care Warranty - 1 Year Parts with Ground Shipping, 24/7 Telephone Tech Support & Lifetime Labor Warranty (SKU - X9R000)
- Standard Production Time


$1498 - 44.94 discount = $1453.06
MSI 1762 (GTX 670M)
FORCE 1762 / MSI 1762 - ETA: 4/13/2012 FORCE 1762 / MSI 1762 - ETA: 4/13/2012
- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Matte Screen (1920x1080) (SKU - X1R553)
- 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM, 2.2-3.1GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache) (SKU - X2N167)
- IC Diamond Thermal Compound - CPU + GPU (Cools better than all Compounds)
- nVidia GeForce GTX 670M 1,536MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 (SKU – X3R518)
- 8GB DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Dual Channel Memory (2x4GB SODIMMS) (SKU - X4N203)
- Standard Finish
- 500GB (w/ 4GB SSD Memory) Seagate XT 7200RPM NCQ Hybrid 32MB Cache (Serial-ATA II 3GB/s) (SKU - X5R429)
- Combo Dual Layer SuperMulti DVDRW/CDRW Drive w/ Software (SKU - X7R451)
- Internal 7-in-1 Card Reader (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo/MS Pro Duo/SD/Mini-SD/MMC/RS)
- Internal Bluetooth + EDR
- Built-in 802.11 Wireless B/G/N - Stock Wireless Card (SKU - X8R001)
- Integrated Digital Video Camera
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- Smart Li-ion Battery (9-Cell)
- Windows 7 Home Premium - 64-Bit
- 1 Year Complete Care Warranty - 1 Year Parts with Ground Shipping, 24/7 Telephone Tech Support & Lifetime Labor Warranty (SKU - X9R000)
 

Chainzsaw

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With the 670m you should be able to play most games at med-high detail at 1080P, might have to play around with the AA/AF settings as they can kill your FPS if set too high.

As for replacing the GPU down the road...I know it's possible. However I don't have any information on that MSI 1762. Most "gaming" laptops use the MXM (version 2?) connector for their GPUs. You might be able to do it, however I don't know what kind of connector it uses.

Also if you are able to upgrade that laptop with a newer GPU...I just don't know how/if your AC power adapter would be able to handle the extra load of a faster/more power hungry GPU.
 

zental

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Jan 22, 2004
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Thanks everyone for the great responses! You helped me nail down which one I'm going for - the 1672 with 670m since I want to make it last about 3 years. The 580m is just too much to take the extra step past it though. Would put me at like $1700 rather than $1450.
 

Chainzsaw

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Ahh no problem. Also you mentioned its only a 65$ difference, when considering the total price IMO it's not that much. IMO I think you will be happy with that choice!
 

zental

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Jan 22, 2004
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Lol Oh snap. I was just poking around online and noticed the GTX 675m is basically a faster 580m. I found this on the Xoticpc site..... I haven't seen video reviews of this yet.... but I think it's too sweet of a deal not to get. You guys said Clevo was good and Sager is their brand... Anyone recommend this? I am willing to shell out the extra now that I'm already this far in since it gets me the best vid card.

Sager NP9170 / Clevo P170EM
- 17.3" FHD 16:9 "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Glossy Screen (1920x1080)
CPU - Sager - 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM, 2.2-3.1GHz, (32nm, 6MB L3 cache)
GPU - nVidia GeForce GTX 675M 2,048MB PCI-Express GDDR5 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology
RAM - 8GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory
- Smart Li-ion Battery (8-Cell)
BONUS lol- Basic Black Business Case - Included

$1535