X-bit labs

GeForce Go 7800 GTX: Desktop Performance on Mobiles

by Yaroslav Lyssenko

[ 09/28/2005 | 11:14 PM ]

Bit-tech.net has looked at one of the first notebooks to use the new NVIDIA GeForce Go 7800 GTX mobile graphics chip. The web-site had managed to obtain Evesham’s Voyager C720 notebook equipped with the latest graphics chip from NVIDIA and benchmarked it against a desktop system featuring similar graphics component.

“This laptop is something of a stunner. It’s form factor is the best we’ve seen for 17” mobile PCs, and the battery life we obtained was pretty damn impressive. We like the fact that hardcore gamers - and let’s face it, who else is going to buy this thing? - can have a DVI output for a secondary display. However, the most amazing thing about this laptop is the price. The 2.0GHz model comes in at £1349, which for the graphics power you are getting, is absolutely outrageous. Even with the extra processor speed, the uprated display and the faster hard drive, it’s still only £1700 - which for the amount of PC under the hood, is brilliant, in this form factor,” writes bit-tech.net.

Evesham Voyager C720 computer boasts with Intel Pentium M 770 CPU clocked at 2.13GHz, 1024MB of dual-channel DDR2 memory operating at 533MHz, 17” WXGA X-Bright display with native resolution of 1440x900 pixels. The notebook sports dual-layer DVD-RW recorder and wireless mini PCI 802.11 a/b/g LAN adapter. The total weight of this DTR mobile PC is around 3.9kg.

The new mobile graphics processing unit (GPU) from NVIDIA is called the GeForce Go 7800 GTX and inherits specifications of the desktop brother, the GeForce 7800 GTX, e.g. supports DirectX 9 Shader Model 3.0 and other capabilities. The novelty sports 24 pixel processors as well as 6 vertex processors, which is similar to the desktop flavour of the component.

“Frankly, we didn’t believe NVIDIA when it told us that this mobile chip was going to be as fast as the desktop chip. However, leaving aside the fact that desktop enthusiast mainboards and chips are faster than laptops, the graphics chip itself appears to be almost exactly as fast as the 7800 GTX – that’s an incredible feat. NVIDIA have done another hard launch with Go 7800 - you will be able to go out and order laptops based around the chip tomorrow. If you’ve got a LAN party coming up this weekend, you could be the belle of the ball - or, rather, the Lord of the LAN, the Power of the Party,” concludes bit-tech.net.

• bit-tech.net: Evesham Voyager C720 with 7800 GTX Go.
• NVIDIA Pressroom: NVIDIA GeForce Go 7800 Achieves Broad Notebook PC Industry Adoption.