8MB rage mobility vs intel 815 integrated video

[EdipisReks]

i have the chance to get either a toshiba or a sony laptop for about $600.00. each one has a 1gHz piii, 15 inch screen, 256 MB of ram, etc. the only real difference is the vid card. the toshiba has an 8 MB ati rage mobility, and the sony has an integrated intel vid card. i've used computers with the 810 chipset, and the integrated sucks. however, i couldn't imagine that the 8 MB rage mobility could be that much faster. is the 8MB enough faster than the intel integrated to warrant my choosing the rather clunky toshiba over the very slim and light sony? (i'll choose more performance in a heavier laptop over less performance in a lighter one). i'm not looking to play RTCW or anything, just some RPG's, and some half-life (well, counter-strike, anyway). would either vid option be fast enough for Unreal tournament to run half way decently? thanks.

thanks,
--jacob

 

[Agamar]

Toshibas are generally easier to work on, but I like the Sony design. really, they both are very good laptops. Parts will be harder to find for the Sonys, and there is always a chance that Sony may bail out of the laptop business. Toshiba has been making laptops for a pretty long time. I don't see them bailing anytime soon. At $600, I would buy them both

 

[EdipisReks]

thanks for the opinion, but that doesn't answer my question of which vid adaptor is faster. thanks anyway. btw, if i had the money to buy both, i would be buying a laptop with a geforce2 go, and my question would be moot .

thanks,
--jacob

 

[vss1980]

In all honesty, the ATI Rage mobility is the better graphics solution.
Should be slightly (but noticably) faster than the i81x based graphics also, but the main thing that helps it out is the fact that it has support for far more 3D features.

The main reason that the Rage graphics will not completely destroy the i81x integrated solution (as would happen on a desktop machine) is that both solutions are crippled as they have only a 64-bit memory path, thus limiting the fill-rate of the graphics and the overall speed in general.

Edit: After reading up the old review done by Anandtech on the Rage Mobility, it appears that getting the graphics memory upgraded to 16MB significantly benefits performance as it expands the memory bus width from 64-bit to 128-bit apparently. Linky.

 

[EdipisReks]

unfortunately, i won't be able to choose to add more video ram, unless the ram is upgradeable by the end user. the laptops i can choose from are configured a certain way. if the rage mobility is only a little faster, then i will just go with the slim sony.

thanks!
--jacob

 

[vss1980]

There is one feature the Rage has over the i81x is that it supports texture compression. You say you want to play some UT so this is a feature which all die-hard players will happily use.

In terms of 3DMark2001, the Rage mobility scores around 200 points higher than an equivalent i81x based graphics machine although I should point out that the scores are only just breaking the 1000 mark barrier (so we're not talking cutting edge - about the same performance as a fast P3-500 with a TNT2).

 

[EdipisReks]

little bit off the 7600 3dmarks in 2001 that i'm used to, but hey . well, i didn't realize that the 81x series doesn't support texture compression. i think that i will go with the toshiba notebook (assuming that the deal is still there after i get my paycheck next week!).

thanks!!
--jacob

 

[hans007]

the rage mobility, m1, which is what you are getting since its got 8mb on chip, is a piece of crap. i had it on a p3-800 laptop. it got a less than 20fps on a compaq at 640x480 normal. another laptop with a 4mb savage ix got like 41 fps with a p3-700.



the i815 integrated may well be faster. the rage has hardware dvd decoding though.


i'd take the r505 over the tecra or sat pro which is what it seems like you are choosing between

 

[vss1980]

Can you try before you buy??

 

[aswedc]

No wait! The Rage Mobility you are buying is probably the same as the desktop Rage Pro and NOT the Rage 128, because it has 8mb of memory. The Rage Pro is much, much slower than the 81x from Intel, and has lower image quality too (although they are both horrible). To give you an idea, the Rage Pro is a little slower than a Voodoo 1, while the 81x is slightly slower than a Voodoo 2

 

[vss1980]

aswedc is correct that there are some Rage Mobility variants floating around which are low performance parts and mainly have a high level of integration, but I doubt that would be partnered by a P3 1GHz chip.

The easiest solution would be a model name and number to compare specs.

 

[vss1980]

Checked on ATI's web-site and Toshiba use the slower Rage Mobility.
This page at ATI shows which manufacturer and product uses which graphics processor. Toshiba have none under the Rage Mobility 128 or M4 (the best options), only the Rage Mobility (slower option).

So, now I've taken foot out of mouth, it appears that the Toshiba is not the best option as they aren't using the Rage 128 based mobility graphics.

 

[EdipisReks]

the toshiba is the sattelite 1805-s273. the toshiba website has been down, so i have checked the specs at other places on the web. according to other site, it has an "Ali graphics controller with 8MB external UMA video memory". at first i thought it was a typo, and it meant ATi, but i have seen this at several places. if it has an Ali vid chip, i think i will skip it totally.

thanks!
--jacob

 

[aswedc]

Ali does not make any graphics chips. If it is a Ali chipset with video it is either a TNT2 or ArtX core, neither of which are too bad.

EDIT: I forgot the whole Trident CyberBlade line. The dektop version (Blade3D) is also slightly slower than a Voodoo 2 but the image quality is good.

 

[hans007]

the rage mobility m1 and rage mobility 128 are the same chip. the 128 is the m1 with the 8mb external frame buffer (rage m1, has 8mb on a dual die package). anyways, the m1 sucks, its based on the rage128vr chipset (original rage fury etc are the rage128gl). the vr is in the speed of the original tnt1 vanta, with 64bit memory access. it sucks ass.

 

[adlep]

Hmm!
I have a Sony Vaio FX 210 laptop with Duron 800 + Rage Mobility 8 MB.
Actually, the mobility chip is the fastest version of Rage Pro Turbo and... it works good.
On the medium quality settings Quake 3 is playable on 800x600 it will do just fine with vertex instead of lightmap settings.....
I would recommend you the mobility...
If you want I can send you some screenshots off my vaio, just email me at adlep@mediaone.net
you can juge for yourself
Much better solution than 810.... although Rage 128 would be nicer....

 

[adlep]

Do not believe me???
An owner/creator of this excellent site:

http://www.myplc.com/sony/index.htm

Brad,

runs RTCW on his Sony equipped with 8mb Rage Mobility......
???
Ask him.....