GT240m (512) vs. GTX260M (1gb) ... how big of a difference?

[Maverick2002]

I'm pricing out an Alienware laptop that will be used as a graphics production machine. I need a high end video card to handle 3ds Max viewport rendering as best as possible (this is why I'm not opting for a Studio 17 which only comes with a Radeon 4650).

My two options are:

GT240m, 512mb
GTX260m, 1gb

The price difference is $250. Are they of the same generation? What's the performance difference like? Google doesn't like me today.

TIA!

EDIT: nm, found differences here:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/N...e-GT-240M.17654.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/N...-GTX-260M.14559.0.html

 

[Soleron]

The battery life of such a thing won't be more than 1-2 hours. Why don't you build a small-form-factor desktop instead; it will have a faster graphics card and, knowing Alienware, be a third of the price. [GTX260M = 9800GT, a $90 desktop card, while a HD5850 would have similar load power and temps for $260 while being 2-3 times as fast]

 

[Maverick2002]

This isn't a personal purchase. The main driving force here is having a powerful desktop replacement - battery life is secondary to performance and mobility in this case. Mobility being almost daily.

 

[s44]

Yep, 48 shaders vs 112 shaders. That's huge.

 

[Rezist]

Is the GT240M a 40 nm part? If it is I'd push for it just for the battery life. Otherwise I'd just take a 4650. Graphics cards do make a difference in video rendering depending on the programs, some programs the difference is basically nill.

 

[Maverick2002]

Thanks for the info, I think I found what I needed from those links though. Battery life isn't really an issue - I realize it's going to suck. With regards to rendering, the need for a high end 3D card is specifically for 3ds Max Direct3D viewport acceleration, nothing more. The actual rendering (i.e. hitting the "render" button) is 100% CPU.

 

[Zap]

If you're looking for a powerful desktop replacement with an Nvidia graphics card, you have many options beyond Alienware. I'm just sayin'.

 

[Maverick2002]

Such as?

 

[hans030390]

Originally posted by: Maverick2002
Such as?

There was an Asus laptop at Best Buy with a 260m, 2.4ghz C2D (or 2.6...I forget), 6gb RAM, 500GB HDD, etc. It was priced around $1200-1300. Definitely the best gaming laptop for the price.

 

[Maverick2002]

Ah, I should have mentioned ... mobile i7 (or normal i7 in a mobile platform) is mandatory in this machine, so C2D/C2Q isn't an option. That really limits me to Dell for now.

 

[Viper GTS]

http://1beyond.com/products/Go...7HD.asp?search=laptops

We have a few of those here. They're absolute monsters but they are fast. I'd try to find out who the OEM is & find other laptops based on the chassis, there are probably cheaper options out there since 1Beyond really focuses on the turnkey video editing niche.

Viper GTS

 

[s44]

Originally posted by: Maverick2002
Ah, I should have mentioned ... mobile i7 (or normal i7 in a mobile platform) is mandatory in this machine, so C2D/C2Q isn't an option. That really limits me to Dell for now.

Sager and the like have a couple of i7 options.