Mobile Graphics Powerhouse: A Look at Today's Top Laptop GPUs

For those serious about gaming on the go, the mobile graphics card landscape is getting exciting! We're seeing laptop GPUs that can truly rival their desktop counterparts, offering the kind of performance needed to run the newest, most demanding titles with all the eye-candy cranked up. Let's break down the top contenders.

Performance Class 1: Desktop-Like Gaming Power

The cards in this top tier are serious business. Think of them as being in the same league as today's high-end desktop cards, like the impact you'd get from an ATI Radeon X800 or an NVIDIA GeForce 6800. While the mobile versions might have slightly lower clock speeds and thus be a tad slower, they share a similar core architecture. You can expect the latest games to run smoothly with high detail settings on these powerhouses.

Dual GPU Dominance: SLI Setups

• 2x NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GTX SLI: This is the pinnacle! Two GeForce Go 7900 GTX cards working in tandem thanks to NVIDIA's NForce 4 SLI chipset. Expect performance that mirrors a single 7900 GTX, but amplified. We're seeing 3DMark01 scores around 26,600 and 3DMark03 hitting roughly 24,500.
• 2x NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS SLI: A step down from the GTX SLI, but still incredibly potent. Two 7900 GS cards combined, offering a significant boost. Look for 3DMark01 scores in the neighborhood of 24,400 and 3DMark03 around 21,800.
• 2x NVIDIA GeForce Go 7800 GTX SLI: Another formidable SLI configuration, this time with two 7800 GTX cards. As reported by NBC News, this setup is pushing past 10,000 in 3DMark05 – a very respectable score!

Single Card Heavyweights

• NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX: The successor to the already mighty 7900 GTX. It boasts higher clock speeds while keeping the same underlying tech. Power consumption is expected to be similar to its predecessor, which is good news.
• NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GTX: A true beast on its own. With 24 pixel pipelines, 8 vertex pipelines, a 500 MHz chip clock, and 1200 MHz memory clock on a 256-bit GDDR3 bus, it's built for speed. It supports Shader Model 3.0 and can handle up to 512MB of VRAM, though it draws about 45 Watts. Benchmark numbers are impressive: around 18,200 in 3DMark03, 8,500 in 3DMark05, and 4,700 in 3DMark06. (3DMark01 scores vary).
• ATI Mobility Radeon X1900 (Rumoured): Keep an eye out for this one! Codenamed M59 and based on the R580 architecture, details are still scarce. Word on the street (from The Inquirer) is that it might be a bit faster and run a bit hotter than the X1800.
• NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS: A strong contender with 20 pixel pipelines, 7 vertex pipelines, a 375 MHz chip clock, and 1000 MHz memory on a 256-bit GDDR3 bus (max 256MB VRAM). Expect scores like 23,600 (3DMark01), 14,000 (3DMark03), 6,300 (3DMark05), and 3,800 (3DMark06).
• ATI Mobility Radeon X1800XT: This ATI card packs 16 pixel pipelines and a 256-bit memory bus, with Shader Model 3.0 support. Codenamed M58 (R520 architecture), it's likely to have core clocks up to 550 MHz and memory at 650 MHz. Early 3DMark05 indications put it around 7,300 (though closer to 6,700 at 1280 resolution in some tests).
• NVIDIA GeForce Go 7800 GTX: Still a very powerful option. It features 24 pixel and 6 vertex pipelines, with a 400 MHz chip clock and 1100 MHz memory on a 256-bit GDDR3 interface. It's pin-compatible with the older Go 6800. Interestingly, despite its power, power consumption and heat are said to be similar to the 6800 Ultra. Expect around 24,800 (3DMark01), 14,800 (3DMark03), and 6,600 (3DMark05).
• ATI MOBILITY RADEON X800XT: Another strong ATI offering, codenamed M28Pro. It sports 16 pixel and 6 vertex pipelines with a 256-bit memory bus and PixelShader 2.0. We're seeing scores around 22,000 (3DMark01), 11,000 (3DMark03), and 5,200 (3DMark05). (3DMark01 scores are estimated).
• ATI Mobility Radeon X1800: A solid card with 12 pixel pipelines, a 256-bit memory bus, and Shader 3.0 (M58/R520 architecture). Clocks are around 450 MHz core and 500 MHz memory. Early pre-production models were hitting about 5,500 in 3DMark05.
• NVIDIA GeForce Go 7800: The non-GTX version, still very capable with 16 pixel and 6 vertex pipelines on a 256-bit memory bus. Scores are roughly 19,500 (3DMark01), 9,300 (3DMark03), and 3,800 (3DMark05).
• ATI MOBILITY RADEON X800: Codenamed M28, this one has 12 pixel and 6 vertex pipelines, with options for 128-bit or 256-bit memory. With the 256-bit configuration, expect around 19,100 in 3DMark01 and 8,600 in 3DMark03.
• NVIDIA GeForce Go 6800 Ultra: A high-clocked version of the Go 6800, featuring 12 pixel and 5 vertex pipelines on a 256-bit bus. It scores around 23,800 in 3DMark01 and 11,000 in 3DMark03.
• NVIDIA GeForce Go 6800: The standard Go 6800 still offers great performance with its 12 pixel and 5 vertex pipelines, especially with the 256-bit memory configuration, hitting about 20,000 in 3DMark01 and 9,500 in 3DMark03.

Professional Workstation Graphics

• NVIDIA Quadro FX 2500M: For the CAD professionals out there, this card is optimized for those workloads. It's based on the G71 architecture with a 256-bit memory bus, up to 512MB VRAM, a 500 MHz core clock, and 1200 MHz memory. It's hitting around 8,400 in 3DMark05 and 4,690 in 3DMark06.
• NVIDIA Quadro FX 1500M: Another CAD-focused card, likely based on the 7900GS (G71 architecture). It has a 256-bit memory bus and up to 256MB graphics memory. Seen in systems like the Dell Precision M90, it scores about 6,400 in 3DMark05 and 3,900 in 3DMark06.
• NVIDIA Quadro FX Go 1400: This is essentially the CAD version of the GeForce Go 6800, allowing for the use of professional drivers.
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9800: An older but still capable card, especially with its 256-bit memory bus. It has 8 pixel and 4 vertex pipelines. Scores are around 17,800 in 3DMark01 and 6,500 in 3DMark03.