Why are mobile graphics more versatile.

vietsquall

Junior Member
Jan 18, 2012
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Okay, ever since I've grown out of building big rigs, I've found new love in building tight efficient rigs. No longer do I get 700 watt power supply for a 400 watt over head "just in case. etc.

Main question.

If there are mobile versions of graphic cards such as the nvidia 550, 555, 560, etc, that can run 1920 x 1080 and truck through most games. Why are there no low profile versions of these cards? Lower clock is fine. With a better cooling option being a desktop card, why do none exist?
 

videogames101

Diamond Member
Aug 24, 2005
6,783
27
91
Okay, ever since I've grown out of building big rigs, I've found new love in building tight efficient rigs. No longer do I get 700 watt power supply for a 400 watt over head "just in case. etc.

Main question.

If there are mobile versions of graphic cards such as the nvidia 550, 555, 560, etc, that can run 1920 x 1080 and truck through most games. Why are there no low profile versions of these cards? Lower clock is fine. With a better cooling option being a desktop card, why do none exist?


I think it's because the companies think, "you have the space, so why would we make it smaller?" I mean, if you're building a really small HTPC or something, you're not really a major market for them.
 

vietsquall

Junior Member
Jan 18, 2012
7
0
0
That's what I feared.

Is that the for sure reason?
That aside, there is also the newly announced slim alienware desktop that has these cards in them. Is this an oem only thing or do they have a special rig that lets the full sized cards lay parallel to the board?
 

notty22

Diamond Member
Jan 1, 2010
3,375
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Mobile gpu's usually end with a m. And those are used in laptops and all in one touch screen PC's.
You probably caught the coverage of the new Alienware X-51, which looks like a console. It's actually using a desktop gpu, and very clever space management and a external power brick instead of a internal PSU.
Alien Autopsy: We Look Inside the Alienware X51


alienautopsyx51-interiortop-small.jpg
 

vietsquall

Junior Member
Jan 18, 2012
7
0
0
Thank you.

With that I got half the question across.

Let me redo it.

I know those laptop ones are labeled with m for mobile. ie 550m
Why are there not versions for desktop in the form of low profile. If its for demand reasons I'm just going to have to give up on slim PCs ever satisfying.
 

Concillian

Diamond Member
May 26, 2004
3,751
8
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If there are mobile versions of graphic cards such as the nvidia 550, 555, 560, etc, that can run 1920 x 1080 and truck through most games. Why are there no low profile versions of these cards?

Because when they made some of these low profile versions in past years nobody bought them.

Companies do what makes them money. Using a form factor that's not standard and more difficult to cool means cost is higher, which means there has to be a market who is willing to pay the extra price in order for such a device to be worthwhile.

Eventually they'll do something like they've done in the past, where there were a couple 9800gt level half height cards. You'll just have to wait until they believe there might be a market again and decide to try it out again.
 
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Magic Carpet

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2011
3,477
234
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mobile gpu's usually end with a m. And those are used in laptops and all in one touch screen pc's.
You probably caught the coverage of the new alienware x-51, which looks like a console. It's actually using a desktop gpu, and very clever space management and a external power brick instead of a internal psu.
alien autopsy: We look inside the alienware x51
Nice find, notty :thumbsup:

Interesting design. I like some of it.
 

Lonyo

Lifer
Aug 10, 2002
21,938
6
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Mobile versions are usually a level below their number, so a GTX560M is comparable to a GTX550 desktop (both 192 shaders)
The 560M has a TDP of 75w.
The 550Ti has a TDP of 116w.

The 560M also has a little over 80% of the texture fillrate and pixel fillrate, and less than 2/3rds of the memory bandwidth.

You are imagining that it can churn through 1080p games, in actual fact it can't, and is slower than a desktop GTX550Ti.
Yes, the 550Ti is less efficient than the 560M, but not that much worse.
 
Aug 11, 2008
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Because when they made some of these low profile versions in past years nobody bought them.

Companies do what makes them money. Using a form factor that's not standard and more difficult to cool means cost is higher, which means there has to be a market who is willing to pay the extra price in order for such a device to be worthwhile.

Eventually they'll do something like they've done in the past, where there were a couple 9800gt level half height cards. You'll just have to wait until they believe there might be a market again and decide to try it out again.



You can say that again, about the cooling. I had a low profile 9600GT and from day one it ran 60degC at idle and 95 at load. And this in a case where a 9800 GT I put in to replace it never goes over 70 under full load.
 

Alaa

Senior member
Apr 26, 2005
839
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You can say that again, about the cooling. I had a low profile 9600GT and from day one it ran 60degC at idle and 95 at load. And this in a case where a 9800 GT I put in to replace it never goes over 70 under full load.
My 9600GT is 40C at idle with all the dust above it for more than 2 years.