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Graphics Cards

priznaprizna
edited June 2010 in General Chat
Hi,

Just a quick question, usually in the games system requirements it will mention a recommended model of graphics card you should have to be able to play the game smoothly. Im just wondering if anyone knows of a place that is always being updated that I can go and check whenever I want a new game to see if my graphics card is better than the recommended one.

btw I am not asking this for a specific game, Im just asking for a source that I can check before I buy future games.

Comments

  • OzzieMonkeyOzzieMonkey
    edited June 2010
    Try searching 'can I run it?' into google. That should come up with something
  • skeeterskeeter
    edited June 2010
    This would be useful as I am looking at the best kind of graphics card to run Telltale games. I can play them, but it's at 1 on the scale.
  • priznaprizna
    edited June 2010
    OzzieMonkey wrote: »
    Try searching 'can I run it?' into google. That should come up with something

    It came up with something, but I need to install something and it doesnt seem like the games list has all titles.

    If anyone knows of a place please post it.
  • TorTor
    edited June 2010
    Tom's Hardware has pretty good graphics card charts.
    I tend to use the "Sum of FPS Benchmarks" lists for quick comparisons, here's the most recent ones for mainstream cards and high performance cards.
  • priznaprizna
    edited June 2010
    Tor wrote: »
    Tom's Hardware has pretty good graphics card charts.
    I tend to use the "Sum of FPS Benchmarks" lists for quick comparisons, here's the most recent ones for mainstream cards and high performance cards.

    Thanks,

    I had a look but my card doesnt show up on the chart.
  • VeronicanPlayVeronicanPlay
    edited June 2010
    Just means you are well out of date my friend, your card is ancient! :D
  • priznaprizna
    edited June 2010
    This is my laptops graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT

    I heard that it was meant to be pretty good.
  • VeronicanPlayVeronicanPlay
    edited June 2010
    Well, I could say it was the list that was out of date, but then I couldn't have made the ancient joke. :p
  • priznaprizna
    edited June 2010
    can anyone tell me if NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT is a decent graphics card for a laptop?
  • VeronicanPlayVeronicanPlay
    edited June 2010
    Ok, I did a little search on google and I found this list, it was last updated at 21 Nov 2009, so not "always updated" but it looks reasonably up to date.

    GeForce 9600 GT, is on Mid/High End.

    http://icrontic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43899

    Hope it helps a little. :)
  • priznaprizna
    edited June 2010
    VeronicanPlay wrote: »
    Ok, I did a little search on google and I found this list, it was last updated at 21 Nov 2009, so not "always updated" but it looks reasonably up to date.

    GeForce 9600 GT, is on Mid/High End.

    http://icrontic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43899

    Hope it helps a little. :)

    Thankyou for that,:) at least I know its an ok card now
  • TorTor
    edited June 2010
    Oh, I didn't realize you meant laptop graphics cards. The Tom's Hardware lists only apply to cards for desktop computers. Laptop cards have to save power, so they have very different performance from their desktop counterparts. What counts as high end in the laptop world is maybe equivalent to mid range laptop cards. Often they are differentiated by a letter 'M' in the model name: A GeForce 9600M GT (laptop model) is vastly different from a GeForce 9600 GT (desktop model).

    Here's a benchmark list for laptop graphics cards (it's based on user-submitted scores, so I don't think it's as reliable as the one from Tom's Hardware)
  • priznaprizna
    edited June 2010
    Tor wrote: »
    Oh, I didn't realize you meant laptop graphics cards. The Tom's Hardware lists only apply to cards for desktop computers. Laptop cards have to save power, so they have very different performance from their desktop counterparts. Often they are differentiated by a letter 'M' in the model name: A GeForce 9600M GT (laptop model) is vastly different from a GeForce 9600 GT (desktop model).

    Here's a benchmark list for laptop graphics cards (it's based on user-submitted scores, so I don't think it's as reliable as the one from Tom's Hardware)

    Sorry, it does actually have an M in the model name ut I forgot to type it, thanks for the site :)
  • VeronicanPlayVeronicanPlay
    edited June 2010
    Damn now my help don't work! Nah it's alright, after I looked at it I started to wonder if I gave some true help, looks like the list I have on there is just for desktops. It says mobile, but I don't know if that is actually laptops. :)
  • priznaprizna
    edited June 2010
    btw when they have the recommended graphics card in the system requirements, that would most likely be a desktop card, so how do I know if my laptop card is better than the desktop one since desktop and laptop graphics cards are very different
  • TorTor
    edited June 2010
    VeronicanPlay wrote: »
    looks like the list I have on there is just for desktops. It says mobile, but I don't know if that is actually laptops. :)
    Looks like all of the cards in the 'Mobile' sections are actual laptop graphics cards :) (look for the 'M', 'Go' or 'Mobility' in the model name)
    prizna wrote: »
    btw when they have the recommended graphics card in the system requirements, that would most likely be a desktop card, so how do I know if my laptop card is better than the desktop one since desktop and laptop graphics cards are very different

    Hm, that's more tricky... you'd need to find a test where they compare desktop and laptop cards using the same benchmark software and the exact same settings--and there'd still be some variation due to different CPUs, memory, chipsets, etc.

    The best I could come up with at the moment: I cannot personally vouch for the accuracy of any of these of course.
  • priznaprizna
    edited June 2010
    Tor wrote: »
    Hm, that's more tricky... you'd need to find a test where they compare desktop and laptop cards using the same benchmark software and the exact same settings--and there'd still be some variation due to different CPUs, memory, chipsets, etc.

    The best I could come up with at the moment: I cannot personally vouch for the accuracy of any of these of course.

    Thanks for all that,:) ill check them out
  • VeronicanPlayVeronicanPlay
    edited June 2010
    Tor wrote: »
    Looks like all of the cards in the 'Mobile' sections are actual laptop graphics cards :) (look for the 'M', 'Go' or 'Mobility' in the model name)

    Yeah I just worked that out, I should have known mobile was for Laptops, but hey you learn something new everyday right. :)
    prizna wrote: »
    btw when they have the recommended graphics card in the system requirements, that would most likely be a desktop card, so how do I know if my laptop card is better than the desktop one since desktop and laptop graphics cards are very different

    So, I have looked at my list and your Graphics card: GeForce 9600M GT for the Laptop is on the Mid Range, whereas the GeForce 9600 GT for the Desktop is on Mid/High End.
    And it carries on like that down the list, the Laptop model has 1 level lower range than the Desktop model. But that is for the newer graphics cards, as they are trying to improve the performance for the laptop graphics cards.

    So I think the recommended card for a Desktop should have a 1 level upgrade for the laptop.

    So as an example lets say the game says GeForce 9600 GT, look at the list and see where it is, in this case it's at the Mid/high End. Then go down to the High End and look in the Mobile list for a 1 level higher graphics card, in this case it's the GeForce 9800M GT.

    But I don't think the same model of graphics card for a Laptop will perform worse than the model for the Desktop, like the GeForce 9800 GT and GeForce 9800M GT is both in the High End. :)

    Sorry for the long description, I just don't know how to keep complex answers simple. :p
  • TorTor
    edited June 2010
    It stands to reason that performance is different. For one, desktop graphics cards have much more space in which to cram components and heat sinks. Secondly, desktop graphics cards can draw over 300 W of power alone, while I think even high end laptops are in the 90-120 W range--for the whole computer.

    What makes it so confusing is that ATI and Nvidia use the same names/numbers for laptop and desktop cards, even though they are very different products.
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