Hypersonic Aviator EX7: NVIDIA GeForce Go 7800 GTX First Look
by Josh Venning on October 10, 2005 9:30 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
Performance Tests
Because we weren't able to physically take the Go 7800 GTX and put it into our desktop system, we can't really compare the laptop and desktop version of the 7800 GTX directly. Instead, we performed tests with the Hypersonic system and compared these numbers with tests from a desktop setup fitted with a normal 7800 GTX.
Since the two systems have differences other than the graphics card (i.e. system RAM, processor speed, processor type, etc.), there will be some variation here, but we can still get a general idea of how well the Go 7800 GTX performs compared to the desktop version. Especially at higher resolutions, we will become more GPU limited than CPU/system limited. With our desktop system using an AMD Athlon 64 FX-55 rather than an Intel part, we can definitely expect that the numbers will favor the desktop system.
When looking at the comparison of the stock 7800 GTX and the Go 7800 GTX, keep in mind that the drop in core clock speed is almost 10% and the drop in memory clock is also almost 10%.
While there is variation between the two systems, the differences that you see in framerates are in large part due to the difference in the clock speeds of the 7800 GTXs. You can see from the graphs that for the most part, the difference in framerates between systems are consistent, with the exception of Half life 2, which isn't too surprising given the fact that it's a little more CPU limited than the other 2 games.
In Battlefield 2, we see about a 20%-23% decrease in performance with the Go 7800 in each of the settings. Half life 2 sees about a 22% decrease in performance at 1600x1200 with and without AA, but only a 15% decrease at 1920x1200 without AA, and about 10% at the same resolution with AA. Doom 3 decreases in performance with AA enabled at both resolutions by around 12% on the Go 7800 GTX, and around 18% without AA.
Overall, Battlefield 2 did the worst of these three games on the Hypersonic system, but even at 1920x1200 with 4x AA enabled, it still achieved 38.2 fps, which is playable. Most gamers wouldn't be too upset about either turning off AA at that resolution or going down in resolution (especially if in a notebook with a smaller panel). Doom 3 is only slightly better with 4xAA, while Half-Life 2 has no trouble at all with AA enabled at 1920x1200 resolution.
The bottom line is you do sacrifice some performance going with the mobile 7800 GTX instead of the standard one, but not an incredible amount. Again, we're talking about a notebook here and this one surpasses most great gaming desktops, truly earning the label of a "desktop replacement".
Because we weren't able to physically take the Go 7800 GTX and put it into our desktop system, we can't really compare the laptop and desktop version of the 7800 GTX directly. Instead, we performed tests with the Hypersonic system and compared these numbers with tests from a desktop setup fitted with a normal 7800 GTX.
Since the two systems have differences other than the graphics card (i.e. system RAM, processor speed, processor type, etc.), there will be some variation here, but we can still get a general idea of how well the Go 7800 GTX performs compared to the desktop version. Especially at higher resolutions, we will become more GPU limited than CPU/system limited. With our desktop system using an AMD Athlon 64 FX-55 rather than an Intel part, we can definitely expect that the numbers will favor the desktop system.
When looking at the comparison of the stock 7800 GTX and the Go 7800 GTX, keep in mind that the drop in core clock speed is almost 10% and the drop in memory clock is also almost 10%.
While there is variation between the two systems, the differences that you see in framerates are in large part due to the difference in the clock speeds of the 7800 GTXs. You can see from the graphs that for the most part, the difference in framerates between systems are consistent, with the exception of Half life 2, which isn't too surprising given the fact that it's a little more CPU limited than the other 2 games.
In Battlefield 2, we see about a 20%-23% decrease in performance with the Go 7800 in each of the settings. Half life 2 sees about a 22% decrease in performance at 1600x1200 with and without AA, but only a 15% decrease at 1920x1200 without AA, and about 10% at the same resolution with AA. Doom 3 decreases in performance with AA enabled at both resolutions by around 12% on the Go 7800 GTX, and around 18% without AA.
Overall, Battlefield 2 did the worst of these three games on the Hypersonic system, but even at 1920x1200 with 4x AA enabled, it still achieved 38.2 fps, which is playable. Most gamers wouldn't be too upset about either turning off AA at that resolution or going down in resolution (especially if in a notebook with a smaller panel). Doom 3 is only slightly better with 4xAA, while Half-Life 2 has no trouble at all with AA enabled at 1920x1200 resolution.
The bottom line is you do sacrifice some performance going with the mobile 7800 GTX instead of the standard one, but not an incredible amount. Again, we're talking about a notebook here and this one surpasses most great gaming desktops, truly earning the label of a "desktop replacement".
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cryptonomicon - Tuesday, October 11, 2005 - link
Wouldn't it have made the benches slightly more accurate if the same processor was used?Don't tell me intel doesnt give parts to AT to review anymore..
fishmonger12 - Monday, October 10, 2005 - link
i did a double take when i first saw the processors used... however, at high resolutions such as the ones used, the game wouldn't be very cpu limited. it still might account for a 3-5 frame difference though...timmiser - Tuesday, October 11, 2005 - link
I'm thinking AT should just redo this just to prove their point!ElFenix - Monday, October 10, 2005 - link
in the second to last article it claims that the power draw for the X1800XT is higher than that of the X850XT. but according to your initial X1800XT review, power draw for that part is lower than the X850XT. i can only imagine that what you really meant is the X800XT mobile part.ElFenix - Monday, October 10, 2005 - link
as was stated early on, far too warm and too big to sit on your lap for any time. they probably shouldn't be called notebooks either. 13 lbs would put your leg to sleep. no, these should be called portables.what i really want, and no one really seems to provide, is a truely mobile notebook computer with good gaming capability. there is a big gap between the x300 type graphics you get on a laptop with good mobility and the 6800gt/7800gt/x800 graphics you can get on a portable that weighs as much as 2 text books and is too big to possibly open on an airplane or a cramped college desk. the acer ferrari/travelmate 8100 laptop is about as close as it gets (x700, under 7 lbs, 15" screen) but i find the warranty to be a bit lacking.
Johnmcl7 - Tuesday, October 11, 2005 - link
Dell have the Precision M70 which comes with a GeForce 6800 class card although since it's a Quadro you obviously pay a lot more for the machine.John
ElFenix - Tuesday, October 11, 2005 - link
hmmm... looks like a latitude d810 with better gfx... i wonder why you can't get that gfx card in a d810? i wonder how much it would be to order the gfx card as a spare part for your d810? actually... comparing prices between the M70 and d810 it isn't that differentbbomb - Monday, October 10, 2005 - link
Didnt they just release the 6100 and 6150 GO mobile parts? And now a week later the 7800GTX Go part? Why did they even bother with the 6x series then?JarredWalton - Monday, October 10, 2005 - link
Because they don't cost $500+ for just the GPU. Those are the budget offerings for laptops. If you want a $1000 lappy with okay graphics, that's what you'll get.yacoub - Monday, October 10, 2005 - link
I'd totally pay $1800 for one of those. Sadly, it probably retails for almost three times that much. Laptops are the ultimate rip-off. Shame, 'cause it'd be nice to finally replace the desktop with something still decent for gaming. It's simply not worth paying three to four times as much though. $1500 will get you a high end AMD-based system with a real 7800GTX.