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NVidia NV17M Mobile GPU Preview
Mathew Solnik writes: "A year ago nVidia set the laptop world on fire with the release of the GeForce2 Go mobile graphics chipset. Today they push the envelope with the release of the NV17M mobile graphics chipset. Offering unmatched performance in 3D gaming applications, the NV17M promises to put nVidia at the forefront of high end graphics solutions for mobile systems. This GPU is much faster then the Geforce2 Go and is more or less the Geforce3 for laptops. Check out AMDZone for the preview." Pretty incredible how powerful laptops are, even given their lag behind desktop performance. This is far more powerful than any video card I've ever owned.
Gaming on a laptop is unwieldy. Even though my laptop gets perfect FPS in TFC at 1024X768, I'd still much rather play it on my desktop (which also gets perfect frame rates). Even if I felt like installing my keyboard and mouse on my laptop, gaming on it just doesn't seem right. Besides, unless you're rich and have plenty of time to sit and play multiplayer games on your laptop away from home, a desktop is perfect for gaming usually.
Job? I don't have time to get a job! Who will sit around and bitch about being broke and unemployed then?
-the small screen
You can connect the laptop to a monitor, or even a big screen TV in your living room. Moving a laptop to the living room is a lot easier than moving your desktop.
-the cramped keyboard
Who plays games with a keyboard? Get a gamepad or a joystick.
-the battery life....
It should be easy enough to find a electric outlet if you're indoor. When I carry my laptop on the go, I rarely have to use my battery.
OK if this doesn't make you drool, then you must be at the wrong web site.
I can see Nvidia's next generation GPU to have embeded DRAM. This one is soo close.
I'm beginning to doubt the performance ratings. The 17M rates at 40.9 fps for Max Payne at 1024x768x16, and 79.5 fps for Q3 at 1024x768x32. It also says for relative performance that in Q3, the 17M outperforms the GF2Go by 5x, and in Max Payne by 3.5x. I know for a fact that this cannot be the case, because I have an Inspiron 8000.
Here are the benchmarks for my system:
Q3 1024x768x32: 49.7. High Detail.
Max Payne 1024x768x16: (no FPS display, definitely playable, I'd say ~24). Max Detail.
The system is a 1ghz/256M running Windows 2000. Unless NVidia's benchmarks were done on say, a 500mhz laptop, I'd imagine much better performance than what they'd note; especially nothing that NONE of the benchmarks broke the 100 fps mark, when according to my numbers, they should have creamed it (Q3 1024 at 5X GF2 should have been 250 fps, and Max Payne should have been near 90).
It works absolutely beautiful as a gaming platform and as a development box. I regularly play CounterStrike, Unreal, and Starcraft (real box breaker there..) I'm not sure of any game that is on the market that is not well playable on it.
Dacels Jewelers can't be trusted.
EVERYTHING is there in a laptop to replace an average workstation, but there's one thing I'd really like for overall performance boost... if you can stick a high power processor, high resolution LCD panel with super brightness, and have a 3d GPU in the lot, how about IDE raid, imagine having 2x48GB striped under your laptop, a second drive wouldn't take that much more volume (ok forget about the ultrathin or small laptops, we're talking about a nice workstation replacement here :)) I'd like booting off a laptop faster... IDE RAID would be the best solution for speed increase in that area. The drawback of course would be doubling the chance of losing data but then again you could also put mirroring or striping as options (so mirroring would actually ensure data integrity from disk drive failure).
I am using a Dell 8100 notebook 512MB ram, external 80GB firewire drive for dumping data that I won't access too often, 48GB 2.5" drive, overall my rating is 9/10, it ROCKS, the IDE raid thing would really be welcomed but I know it's not a mainsream request, unfortunately.
--- Metamoderating abusive downgraders since my 300th post.
As a Senior Network dude for a company that specializes in massively multi-user (isn't that getting old fast?) on-line 3D environment technology, I can tell you we're waiting with bated breath for these kinds of developments. Right now we use one of the laptops with the GeForce 2 Go chipset, and we'd love a laptop with this new chipset. More FPS with all the features turned on == better demo == better chance of closing a valuable deal.
Also, when we developers travel, it helps to be able to work on the environment while on the move. Our system requires quite a powerful system (if you insist on running the various servers and the client all on the same box - *grin*) to allow you to do testing and full blown development on the move.
So, _you_ might not see the reason for this, but believe me, a lot of companies working with any kind of 3D technologies certainly will, as will developers and people who like to go to a LAN party using something smaller than an SUV (moving my 19" hitachi monitor is a b*tch)....
Tomb.
-- Mal: "Well they tell you: never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious."