GeForce GTX 780M, 770M, And 765M: Scaling Vs. Radeon HD 8970M

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We already have a really good idea how desktop-bound graphics cards perform. But what about the mobile hardware typically derived from those same GPUs? We test four identically-configured notebooks and show how they scale in six popular games.

Power And Heat

One of the challenges we run into with battery testing is that it's an imprecise science, very workload-dependent and varying over time as the lithium-ion battery ages.

Then again, this isn't a Clevo P177SM notebook review; it’s a graphics comparison. So while it's important to know that these systems sport 76.96 watt-hour batteries, gamers considering each of these modules will be more interested in how much heat they dissipate.

AMD's Radeon HD 8970M doesn’t properly report temperatures below a certain threshold, so we can only see how hot it gets under load.

All four notebooks use thermal fan controls to lock temperature between 60° and 70° Celsius, and none of them are forced to spin their coolers up to correspondingly-annoying noise levels.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
43 Comments Comment from the forums
  • outlw6669
    Nice review.
    I can honestly that I was not expecting Pitcairn to perform so well against GK104 while also maintaining lower power consumption!
    Reply
  • guvnaguy
    Are Optimus or Switchable Graphics available in these systems?With those solutions around, I wish we could start seeing reasonable (>4-5 hr) battery life out of these laptops when not under load.
    Reply
  • damric
    In about a year or so when there is a catalog of Mantle games, laptops could make a comeback as a viable gaming platform under $1500.
    Reply
  • blackmagnum
    When will they make mainstream external boxes for these gaming cards? Give it a cheap and fast link to a notebook and price it competitively to the gaming laptops; awesome upgrades like the desktop crowd.
    Reply
  • tchahin
    I own a 780M.I would like to see 780M versus 8970M using Mantle in BF4.
    Reply
  • San Pedro
    I really like my 8970M. It's awesome having that much power in a notebook. I just hope it doesn't die like my 6990M did.
    Reply
  • cats_Paw
    A great place to check GPUs in laptops and laptops in general is notebookcheck.netIts especially important because heat can be a problem in laptops very, very fast.Sure those did not seem to have that problem but ambient temps, as well as dust acumulation are two factors rearly taken into consideration when talking about overheating.
    Reply
  • daglesj
    I have seen people buy the kind of laptops that these cards exist in. The main issue with them is that they are often so compromised in one way or another they spend more time getting sent back for repairs and fixes than they do on the owners desk.Like TVR cars, they did more miles strapped on the back of low loaders going to and from Blackpool than actually on its own wheels.
    Reply
  • gxpbecker
    the wife has a MSI i7QM 3630 i believe and a 670mx. It has been over a year and still runs strong. Alpha testing EQNLandmark with her laptop and it runs like a champ on a mix of ultra and high settings. we have not had one issue with it and runs pretty dang cool and quiet for a gaming laptop. not sure what machine the people you have seen Daglesj, but we are very happy with ours.
    Reply
  • manitoublack
    Wish you included the GT750m SLi available on the Lenovo Y510P. I own said laptop and $ for $ couldn't ask for more, but have no real goal post against the other chips in the Nvidia range.Great to finally see some mobile GRFX chop reviews and look forward to more in the future.
    Reply