GeForce GTX 880M, 870M, And 860M: Mobile GPUs, Tested

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Nvidia is in the process of rolling out its GeForce GTX 800M-series graphics modules. Despite the new name, we're still looking at GK104-based GPUs. One thing is for sure, though: the processor is running faster than ever. We benchmark three models.

Power And Heat

So far, the GeForce GTX 770M looks to be slightly faster than the 860M. And yet, it also uses less power. Other modules follow the power curves we'd expect, given their performance. I wouldn't be surprised to see the next generation of gaming notebooks including larger and heavier coolers to contend with the additional heat. 

Thermals aren't an issue for Origin PC’s full-sized Eon17-S, though. I didn’t need to adjust its fan speed at any point during our experimentation. Rather, the system sets its fans to roughly 50% under load, regardless of the graphics module you have installed. If, at some point in the future, you find your Eon17-S to be noisy, it’s probably time to blow the dust out.

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.