Question can actual M18x owners help please...

Im considering ditching my high end desktop that is pissing me off with hardware issues with a M18x. I would go for the base CPU , 256GB SSD and Dual 6990M

Current system is:
i7 920 (launch chip C0 stepping)
16GB DDR3 1600
160GB Intel SSD Gen2
480 GTX SLI

I play mostly WoW and most popular FPS titles and enjoy good performance.
I will be using the the M18x to drive my 30 Dell U3011 and about 10 USB devices through a hub.

My question is will this be a MAJOR step down in performance, a wash, or a what?

Thoughts??

 

Not that major but it is a step down that seems poinless

 

+1. if your system can still do what you need, downgrading your graphics to the m18x would be a waste of money

 

Thank you for the advice. Very much appreciated.

 

While I agree with the comments here, keep in mind that for WoW what you have and the M18x both eat that game alive, so, consider the following:

1) What kind of Hardware issues are you having? this is important, if you can't actually enjoy your desktop then maybe it isnt a bad idea to change

2) M18x will allow you to play anywhere Mobility to me is important, desktops are so 1999

3) The Mx18 is so damn cool, that it is a guilty pleasure so don't get too hung up in the "do I really need it" just enjoy life if you can and treat yourself

My 2 cents brother

 

6990m is equivalent to a 5850. 580m is equivalent to a gtx 460. i would not be driving a 30 incher with the laptop. your fps will be cut in half compared to your current desktop. gotta sacrifice performance for portability and space-saving, and lower electricity usage. if you don't need these, then why get a laptop?

 

Both m18x's I have struggle to drive my 27" desktop panel at stable framerates. AA is completely out of the question on most games. They cope reasonably well with the built in 1080p panel however.

If your system has problems then sell it off and either go for a z68 sandybridge setup or wait for sandybridge-e which is the successor to the 1366 socket, pairing it up with the hopefully soon amd 7 series or a gtx580 (5 series successor is apparently taking a back seat to kal-el tablets).

Unless you absolutely need the portability a desktop is far quicker and more cost effective.

 

i thought the 6990 is equivalent to the 6850?

 

the 5k series and 6k series cards are the same. it was just a name refresh.

 

Err... No.

Cayman and Barts are brand new cores. Only Juniper was pulled from the 5 series (6770, 6750)

On the mobile front. 69xxM use the new barts core (midrange 6 series 6850/6870), 68xxM use the old juniper core, again, pulled from the 5 series. Which are not available in the m18x.

Apart from the absolute low end (63xxM) and the leftover midrange (65xxM) the rest are all new design.

 

As mentioned, 6850 and 5850 are totally different cores. However, the 68xx and 58xx mobility versions are the same cores/refreshes which is where you may be getting confused.

A more accurate statement is the performance between the 5850 and 6850 (desktop cards) is about the same.

In regards to OP's question, I had the same dilemma. My solution was to keep my base (mobo, CPU, HDs etc.) and just sell the video cards. Your i7 920 (if OC'ed) is still fungible and should last you a while, especially if you're gaming at 2560x1600. This way, if you find the m18x is not enough, you have a fall back later when 28nm cards come out instead of having to build a whole new system.

As far as the m18x with dual 6990s go, no, it won't be as powerful as your current desktop, but yes, it will be able to push 2560x1600 in most games at reasonable FPS.

IMPORTANT: One consideration is you should check whether your 3011wfp supports full 2560x1600 via hdmi from a PC output (which you would need to use with the m18x). I was dismayed when I found out my 3008WFP only supports up to 1900x1200 via hdmi and DVI-D is needed for higher -- unless I use my desktop, my $1000 monitor is now limited to 1900x1200. Definitely check the specs and Google this if you intend on using your monitor with the m18x.

 

I certainly wouldn't say that it's a waste of money.. in fact.. instead of a desktop.. you would now have a portable rig that you can play anywhere with. You can't really do that with a desktop. I'd get the M18x

 

The 3008 comes with display port so all that is needed is a displayport to mini displayport cable.

However that's ignoring the fact that an m18x will do the job at extreme expense....poorly.

 

Go for the M18x 6990M you will be happy, I did downgrade from a desktop which GTX580 and Dell 27 inch monitor.

 

I concur I went from my Desktop GTX 460 Overclocked to 900 to this beast, and for the smaller size (my desktop is a beast) I love it. The only bad thing is the limited USB ports for my mouse/keyboard/xbox controller etc, but that's an easy $20 fix.

 

i was mainly implying the performance levels that the 5k series and 6k series are the same. the 6990m again is equivalent to the 5850 / 6850 and the 580m is a gtx460.