GeForce GTX 480M: AVADirect’s W880CU Is Packing The Heat
Table of contents
- 1. Out With The Old, In With The New
- 2. Graphics Processor Details
- 3. AVADirect’s W880CU
- 4. More W880CU Features
- 5. Inside The W880CU
- 6. Test Settings
- 7. Benchmark Results: Synthetics
- 8. Benchmark Results: Encoding
- 9. Benchmark Results: Productivity
- 10. Benchmark Results: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- 11. Benchmark Results: Crysis
- 12. Benchmark Results: DiRT 2
- 13. Benchmark Results: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call Of Pripyat
- 14. Power, Efficiency, And Battery Life
- 15. GeForce GTX 480M Upstages The Rest
With the launch of its GeForce GTX 480M, Nvidia’s Fermi architecture takes center stage in high-end gaming notebooks. But is the notoriously-hot GPU able to compete against AMD's Mobility Radeon HD 5870? AVADirect gives us the answer with its new W880CU.
Every so often, a new technology reaches the mobile market that brings shock and awe to high-end buyers. Recent advances, such as Intel’s Clarksfield-based Core i7 processors (last fall) and AMD’s Mobility Radeon HD 5870 (in the spring) have finally introduced mainstream performance computing power back to the world of notebooks. But weren’t those advances immediately preceded by a new Nvidia product?
As it turns out, the refresh cycle for notebook tech is far longer than that of desktops, and graphics have become one of the best examples of this disparity. While desktop gamers expect biannual updates and major architecture improvements every 18 months, notebook enthusiasts watched with chagrin as NVidia’s three-year old G92 architecture was continuously rehashed, relabeled, and revamped from the 8800-series all the way up to the so-called GeForce GTX 285M, last winter.
Widely panned for applying the model numbers of revolutionary desktop parts to evolutionary notebook products, Nvidia finally saw the writing on the wall: it was time to try something different. Welcome the truly new, DX11-compatible GeForce GTX 480M!
Based on its now well-known Fermi architecture, the GeForce GTX 480M eschews the furnace-like power consumption and heat production of its namesake part through several carefully-devised optimizations, one of which must surely be a reduction in voltage.
Yet, while a voltage cut would certainly require a corresponding reduction in clock rate compared to the desktop part, the place where Nvidia really needs its new GPU to shine is a market dominated by the formerly-mentioned GeForce GTX 285M and AMD Mobility Radeon HD 5870. AVADirect made that comparison possible by configuring its Clevo W880CU based notebook with internal components identical to those of its previously-reviewed W860CU.
| AVADirect W880CU Component List | |
|---|---|
| Platform | Clevo W880CU Core i7 17.3" Barebone, Intel PM55 Express, MXM-III Discrete Graphics |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-820QM Quad-Core 1.733 GHz, 2.5 GT/s QPI, 8 MB L3 Cache, 45 nm, 45 W, OEM |
| RAM | Kingston 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) PC3-10666 DDR3-1333 MHz SDRAM SO-DIMM, CL9, 1.5 V, Non-ECC |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce GTX 480M 2 GB GDDR5 Mobile Graphics Card |
| Display | 17.3" "Full HD" Glossy TFT, 1920x1080 |
| Webcam | 2.0 Megapixel |
| Audio | Integrated HD Audio |
| Security | Built-in Fingerprint Reader |
| Storage | |
| Hard Drive | Corsair 128GB Nova Series SSD, MLC, 270/195 MB/s, 2.5-Inch, SATA 3 Gb/s, Retail |
| Optical Drive | Matshita UJ-240A Blu-ray Re-Writer |
| Media Drive | Multi-Format Flash Media Interface |
| Networking | |
| Wireless LAN | Intel Ultimate-N 6300, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, 11/54/450 Mb/s, Internal Mini PCIe Card |
| Wireless PAN | CastleNet BTC04R Bluetooth Module |
| Gigabit Network | Built-in 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet |
| IEEE-1394 | Integrated IEEE-1394 FireWire 400 controller |
| Telephony | Integrated 56K V90/92 Fax/Modem |
| Peripheral Interfaces | |
| USB | 3 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0 |
| Expansion Card | 1 x ExpressCard 54 |
| HDD | 1 x eSATA 3Gb/s |
| Audio | Headphone, Microphone, Line-In, Digital Out Jacks |
| Video | 1x Dual-Link DVI-I w/VGA Adapter, 1x HDMI |
| Power & Weight | |
| AC Adapter | 180W Power Brick, 100-240V AC to 19V DC |
| Battery | 11.1V 3800mAh (42.18Wh) Single |
| Weight | Notebook 8.6lbs, AC Adapter 2.2lbs, Total 10.8 pounds |
| Software | |
| Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition, OEM |
| Accessories | |
| RJ11 Telephone Cord | |
| DVI-I to VGA Adapter Block | |
| Software/Documentation Binder | |
| Deluxe Nylon Notebook Bag | |
| Service | |
| Backup | OEM System Recovery (secure HDD partition only) |
| Warranty | Standard 1-Year Warranty |
| Price | 3192.18 |
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- Fermi Heading to Laptops With GTX 480M?
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It plays Crysis!
I think that sums it up.
Portable vasectomy!
Portable vasectomy!
LOL +1
Quite a surprise on the power consumption...
That's a crazy heat pipe setup...
Agree on the naming thing on the last page, that would be helpful.
Great review.
Before its launch,it was rumored that it will have a much higher power consumption than 5870M, but now it seems they are close
"Notice that the component on the left uses both fans and has two-thirds the total number of heat pipes" Ummmmm if I'm looking at the picture correctly the GPU and the majority of the heat pipes are on the Right, you may want to retype that.
are there no temperatures for gpu in article or i missed it?
The funny thing is, AMD actually DID use the naming scheme you like in their LAST generation of mobile GPU's. The Mobility 4850 matched the standard 4850's number of stream processors, albeit with lower clock speeds. Same with the Mobility 4870 and Mobility 4870x2.
They changed it in response to Nvidia's naming scheme, which is a shame. I liked the matching of desktop/laptop performance to names, too.
Great review.Before its launch,it was rumored that it will have a much higher power consumption than 5870M, but now it seems they are close
The difference of around 50W under full load is a big deal! Fortunately, you only SEE that difference under full GPU load.
"Notice that the component on the left uses both fans and has two-thirds the total number of heat pipes" Ummmmm if I'm looking at the picture correctly the GPU and the majority of the heat pipes are on the Right, you may want to retype that.
Excellent observation, thanks! I was flipping it back over in my mind, since it's upside down, but that doesn't work for describing photos!
are there no temperatures for gpu in article or i missed it?
FurMark reports GPU temperatures in the mid 70's, but I'm not certain how accurate that reading is so the information wasn't included.
The funny thing is, AMD actually DID use the naming scheme you like in their LAST generation of mobile GPU's. The Mobility 4850 matched the standard 4850's number of stream processors, albeit with lower clock speeds. Same with the Mobility 4870 and Mobility 4870x2.They changed it in response to Nvidia's naming scheme, which is a shame. I liked the matching of desktop/laptop performance to names, too.
Yes, I've never been one to make a big deal of underclocking, but when NVidia named its G92 as a GTX 280M, I reached my personal limit.
With that kind of money i can get both, a good gaming desktop and a decent gaming laptop (with 5870M). Oh well...
But its nice to see nVidia catching up to ATI... Let the price wars begin so i canget my second 5850 ;-)
Great review.Before its launch,it was rumored that it will have a much higher power consumption than 5870M, but now it seems they are close
Many people were praising the Mobility Radeon HD5870 for its relatively low power consumption, especially in comparison to the spec sheet for the GTX480M, which described Nvidia's latest high end mobile part as having a TDP of 100W. In fact according to the spec sheets the Mobility HD5870 uses significantly less power then even the GTX285M at full load, 50W in comparison to 75W. However, it quickly became apparent that something wasn't adding up.
http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 15-11.html
What many of the people who were bashing the TDP's of the GTX285M and GTX480M didn't understand was that ATI and Nvidia calculate TDP differently. ATI only figures in the power draw of the GPU itself, while Nvidia measures the entire board including memory. So direct comparisons based solely on the numbers provided by the spec sheets won't accurately represent real-world differences in power consumption. In many cases the actual power draw of these mobile parts is much closer then the official spec sheets would have you believe.
How hot does this thing run? Manufacturers need to stop focusing on 'faster, faster' and more on 'cooler, cooler' now
No.. the chip itself IS the heat
!
Price is being overlooked here.
GTX 285M is 75$ more than Mobility 5870 so I believe I can buy 2 5870 for the price of one 480M.
I've been waiting to use this for some time now...
http://i49.tinypic.com/59x5xv.jpg
Article pretty much proves my point.
great catching up nV! but I like desktop computers more for performance!
lol at the price. I don't think anyone is going to pay twice as much for a laptop that has a 10% performance advantage. Also I don't think AVADirect is going to show us the laptop symbolic of the GTX480M. Their HD5870 Mobility model is not that good compared to ASUS, ACERs, and MSI's models. It will probably be from these three that will make a sellable laptop using the GTX480M.