Dell XPS M1710 - GeForce Go 7900 GTX 512 Mobile Gaming, Part 1
by Jarred Walton on April 18, 2006 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
Battlefield 2 Benchmarks
The final game we'll test in part 1 is Battlefield 2, and like DODS it's fairly CPU limited. While it is entirely possible to run BF2 in widescreen resolutions, there are a couple of issues. First, there's no way to select widescreen resolutions in the GUI, so you have to pass the resolution via command line parameters. Unfortunately, there's no way to adjust aspect ratio in Battlefield 2, so you basically end up with a stretched image. (If you look at what should be a circular map in the top right corner of the screen while playing, you'll find that it's an ellipse, clearly showing that widescreen resolutions are running with the wrong field of view.)
A clear indication that the game is becoming CPU limited can be found in the fact that the sound enabled tests significantly impact performance. FEAR, for example, generally shows little to no performance impact when you turn on sound, because it's almost completely GPU limited. Once again, the audio subsystem in the M1710 appears to be the least demanding of the processor. Note that the laptop was set to 5.1 audio, even though there's no way to connect five speakers, so for now it simply appears to be more efficient. Only the X2 3800+ is able to come out ahead of the M1710, and then only with a faster graphics card.
The final game we'll test in part 1 is Battlefield 2, and like DODS it's fairly CPU limited. While it is entirely possible to run BF2 in widescreen resolutions, there are a couple of issues. First, there's no way to select widescreen resolutions in the GUI, so you have to pass the resolution via command line parameters. Unfortunately, there's no way to adjust aspect ratio in Battlefield 2, so you basically end up with a stretched image. (If you look at what should be a circular map in the top right corner of the screen while playing, you'll find that it's an ellipse, clearly showing that widescreen resolutions are running with the wrong field of view.)
A clear indication that the game is becoming CPU limited can be found in the fact that the sound enabled tests significantly impact performance. FEAR, for example, generally shows little to no performance impact when you turn on sound, because it's almost completely GPU limited. Once again, the audio subsystem in the M1710 appears to be the least demanding of the processor. Note that the laptop was set to 5.1 audio, even though there's no way to connect five speakers, so for now it simply appears to be more efficient. Only the X2 3800+ is able to come out ahead of the M1710, and then only with a faster graphics card.
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rqle - Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - link
i rather take 2 Dell 17inch w/ 7900GT then one 15.4 apple w/ 1600xt.Or rather take 2 non XPS w/7900GT then one with 7900GTX
Quiksel - Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - link
what are you smoking? The 17" PBG4 is only 6.9 lbs.http://www.apple.com/powerbook/specs.html">Specs for the 17" PowerBook
8.8lbs. is crazy heavy. Nice performance, but DAMN, that's heavy.
NullSubroutine - Wednesday, April 19, 2006 - link
i have an E1705 which is a xps without the cool lights and currently has 7800 go, instead of 7900 go gtx (but i will be purchasing). i believe mine weighs like 7 or 8 lbs, and i take it with me to class, unless its just because im buff guy, 8lbs isnt that heavy.ProviaFan - Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - link
...but I'm not going to use this in favor of my Athlon X2 4400+ workstation with 4GB of RAM, multiple hard disks, and a 21" Samsung LCD. While it would be "good enough" for most photo editing (certainly has enough CPU), and it would totally kick ass for LAN parties, it doesn't dethrone the workstation plus smaller laptop that is actually portable setup for people who need more expansion flexibility with some portability as well.Trisped - Friday, April 21, 2006 - link
So you would spend your $1000 mobility tax on a laptop and use the rest of the money to buy a desktop. That makes sense. The only disadvantage is if you need mobile power, but I think that would be rare. So you would spend your $1000 mobility tax on a laptop and use the rest of the money to buy a desktop. The only disadvantage is if you need mobile power, but I think that would be rare.Trisped - Friday, April 21, 2006 - link
Sorry about the double print, just follow the second lineKeypoX - Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - link
can i have onePeteRoy - Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - link
I want one too.JarredWalton - Tuesday, April 18, 2006 - link
And I don't want to send this one back! :( LOL