Question about GPU, CPU Capabilities to Help Decide on New Laptop

[Koomdin]

Hello,

This is my first post here, however, I have been researching GPUs for the last two weeks trying to get my head around all the new technology. This forum has been extremely helpful with getting me up to speed on the latest GPUs and laptops.

I know that of the higher end GPUs that the AMD 7970M is going to be the best and when I started my search for a new laptop a couple of weeks ago I was dead set on getting the Alienware M17X. But I had a chance to use an Asus G74 with the Nvidia 560 and really liked it, so the new G75 is definetely an option. Then, just yesterday I see the new Samsung 7 Series Gamer and that is making the decision even harder. I looked at the Sagers, MSI, and a few others and while I am sure they are great machines, I need aesthetics and the Alienware and Samsung certainly win out there. The Asus looks pretty good to.

What I would really like to know is how the processors interface with the graphics card. All three of these computers have the i7-3610Qm Ivy Bridge from Intel. For GPUs, the Samsung has the GTX 675M, the Asus has the GTX 670(or GTX 660), and the Alienware comes with the 7970M(or the GTX 660M). More specifically, if I was to drop nearly $2000 on the Alienware M17X with the 7970M, will the processor be able to keep up with the GPU? Will the processor be able to keep up with the 675M on the Samsung? Would I be better off upgrading the CPU on the Alienware and just keeping the 660M? By keep up, what I mean is will the entry level i7 be able to fully utilize the potential of the 7970M or the GTX 675? If it can't then I can save $500 and opt for the Asus, which I know is still a really good machine.

To give you some background, I am a Flight Instructor(part time) and I use the flight sim alot, both FSX and X-Plane 9 (once I get the new laptop X-Plane 10). I want to be able to run the sim with the settings pretty well cranked up and with an FSX add on called Active Sky running. Active sky creates some pretty nice water, weather, and runway environments. That is not too say that I won't play other games, but after playing the Xbox 360 for the last four years, any of these cards would be an upgrade for gaming.

I currently have an Alienware M11X R2, i5 with 8GB of RAM. I picked it up Feb 2011 for about $700 and I have been pretty impressed with its performance, ecspecially considering its size and price. I travel constantly with work, but I will be quitting my regular job later this year and going full time with the Flight Instructing. So, I won't need the portability of the M11X, although I will be keeping it and upgrading the Hard Drive to an SSD, just can't get rid of it!

While I know that any of the above Laptops are going to run circles around my little M11X, I want to make sure that if I pay the extra money there will be some benefit.

Thank You

[nissangtr786]

Well in simple terms don't get the nvidia 670m or 675m as they are old 40nm fermi cards basically rename. Get the gtx660m if it is cheap as it is a new 28nm kepler card or the 7970m which is also 28nm. The 7970m is around 80% more powerful then the 675m. Also the 3610qm should be more then capable of keeping up with a 7970m for games on most things.

[Koomdin]

Thank you for the input, I think I really want the Alienware, but just want to make sure that the extra $$$$ is well spent.

[RiddlelddiR]

Well in simple terms don't get the nvidia 670m or 675m as they are old 40nm fermi cards basically rename. Get the gtx660m if it is cheap as it is a new 28nm kepler card or the 7970m which is also 28nm. The 7970m is around 80% more powerful then the 675m. Also the 3610qm should be more then capable of keeping up with a 7970m for games on most things.

A 670M is still better than a 660M, despite being 40nm. If your budget will allow for either a 660M or 670M, go for the 670M! A 7970M is of course more worthwhile than anything else out right now, but if you can't afford it, there is no problem with getting a 675M.

[maverick1989]

Also the 3610qm should be more then capable of keeping up with a 7970m for games on most things.

For a good number of applications (including games) the CPU doesn't bottleneck the GPU but is the bottleneck itself. Skyrim, for example, demands a lot of the CPU. That doesn't mean that the CPU is not communicating with the GPU fast enough. Unless you buy a low power dual core current gen processor and can find a notebook that pairs one with a 675m or a 7970m, you do not need to worry about a CPU screwing a GPU over as long as both are current gen.

[RiddlelddiR]

For a good number of applications (including games) the CPU doesn't bottleneck the GPU but is the bottleneck itself. Skyrim, for example, demands a lot of the CPU. That doesn't mean that the CPU is not communicating with the GPU fast enough. Unless you buy a low power dual core current gen processor and can find a notebook that pairs one with a 675m or a 7970m, you do not need to worry about a CPU screwing a GPU over as long as both are current gen.

The point is that, given that most games rely on the GPU a lot more than the CPU, that the CPU itself won't become the problem before the GPU does.

Even a dual core processor with a 675M or 7970M will yield around the same performance as an i7 quad paired with a 675M/7970M. Skyrim still depends on the GPU far more than the CPU.

[Koomdin]

Thank you all for the responses. It sounds like the new i7 should be fine with whatever GPU I end up going with. That makes my decision much easier.

[maverick1989]

The point is that, given that most games rely on the GPU a lot more than the CPU, that the CPU itself won't become the problem before the GPU does.

Again, that is very relative and there are too many variables involved. If you have hardware accelerated PhysX (which not many games support) then yes they will use up a lot of your GPU. On the other hand, BF3 does not and it makes the CPU work. Here is a good example of how random it can be. The dual core actually performs better than the quad WITH a better GPU. So it all depends.

Even a dual core processor with a 675M or 7970M will yield around the same performance as an i7 quad paired with a 675M/7970M. Skyrim still depends on the GPU far more than the CPU.

Your GPU still depends on your CPU to feed it information. If the CPU does not work fast enough, the GPU will just be chillin' waiting for info to be given to it to chew through. You'd be hard pressed to find one but if you had a laptop with like a 2637m and a 6990m or even a 6990m in Xfire, you'd not be able to play any game on max. It also depends on the way the game is actually written. Some times you simply cannot optimize it enough that the CPU won't matter. I know of several games where I had to drop my resolution by a few notches before I saw any increase in frame rate. Then you have the RAM which does not factor in as many times as the GPU/CPU combo but can pop up some times.

If you have a 4 core and a good GPU, you shouldn't have a problem. Go dual core and your bottlenecks will start at the CPU for better settings except resolution/tessellation etc.

[Curs3]

A 7970m is really not necessary unless you are gonna be playing some of the most demanding games in probably the best resolutions. There is noting wrong in getting a GTX670m or the 675m even. yes they are just rebadges but what does that have to do with their performance? They perform as good as their predecessors and actually a bit better too. For ppl hu feel the 7970m is out of their budget or too much power can gladly get the GTX670m/675m. The 660m may be Kepler but that is not gonna help it in playing probably Skyrim or Witcher at high settings. So always get the best GPU possible for your needs and also in your budget. Then build the entire system around it. Also look into factors like upgrading. The CPU, ram etc is all secondary. A dual core CPU would do fine with most of the games except a few say like BF3. So the most important thing is the GPU. Decide on that and then build ur system over it. You should be just fine.

[nissangtr786]

curs3 the main thing in laptops is power efficiency and laptop weight and cooling. The 675m will run hotter, weigh more perform 80% less even take more electricity. The 7970m is future proof, heck the 7870m holds its own against the 675m and thats a 45-50w card designed for thin notebooks.