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    GT 550M 1gb vs GT 540M 2gb

    Discussion in 'Alienware M11x' started by avillabon, Jan 11, 2012.

  1. avillabon

    avillabon Notebook Evangelist

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    I noticed some m11x r3 pcs are offering the nvidia GT 550M 1gb video cards while others have the GT 540M 2gb.

    I would believe the 550 version is more powerful but is this the case only at 1gb while the 540 has 2gb?

    Alex
     
    avillabon, Jan 11, 2012
    #1
  2. ejohnson

    ejohnson Is that lemon zest?

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    Thats a typo, they all have the 540
     
    ejohnson, Jan 11, 2012
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  3. avillabon

    avillabon Notebook Evangelist

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    Are you sure? I see it on dell's outlet all the time. Some say 550 1gb while others 540 2gb? Are you saying 540's can come with 1 or 2 gb too? or is that a typo as well?

    Alex
     
    avillabon, Jan 11, 2012
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  4. darkdomino

    darkdomino Notebook Deity

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    darkdomino, Jan 11, 2012
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  5. ejohnson

    ejohnson Is that lemon zest?

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    ejohnson, Jan 11, 2012
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  6. RipJak

    RipJak Notebook Guru

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    For future references anymore than 1gb on the card is irrelevant on these graphics because you wouldn't ever use that much. At least form what I've read.
     
    RipJak, Jan 11, 2012
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  7. avillabon

    avillabon Notebook Evangelist

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    So what exactly is the typo? 550 instead of 540 or 1gb instead of 2gb?

    Im confused now...

    Alex
     
    avillabon, Jan 11, 2012
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  8. i has m11x

    i has m11x Notebook Evangelist

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    No M11x models come with a 550, only either a 1 or 2GB 540.
     
    i has m11x, Jan 11, 2012
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  9. ejohnson

    ejohnson Is that lemon zest?

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    yes this is what I have heard also, but I have also heard you cant get a i7 without the 2gb card in some places.
     
    ejohnson, Jan 11, 2012
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  10. zenstrata

    zenstrata Notebook Geek

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    Some games can and Do use that much if they have it available. In particular The Witcher 2 will let you turn on certain graphics options which would cause cards with less ram to have errors or crash the game.

    So while it is rare, there are games which can take advantage of more ram if you have it. Of course as time goes on more games will use more ram. As with all things in the computer world, the more the merrier!
     
    zenstrata, Jan 11, 2012
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  11. KurtH

    KurtH Notebook Evangelist

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    EJohnson your correct there is no option between the 1gb or the 2gb it all about the i5 with the 1gb or the i7 with the 2gb. Most dont know this and believe its like the M14x where you have the option.
     
    KurtH, Jan 11, 2012
    #11
  12. jlkyfckkhj

    jlkyfckkhj Notebook Enthusiast

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    I see an M11x R3 on Dell's Outlet website now with a GT550 (see attached):

    Alienware M11x R3

    Processor: Intel Core i3 2357M Dual Core Processor (1.3GHz, 3MB Cache)
    Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
    Alienware M11x R3 Laptop
    320 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM) 3Gb/s
    6 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz (2 DIMMs)
    8X DVD +/- RW Drive
    NVIDIA GeForce GT 550M 1GB graphics with Optimus
     

    Attached Files:

    jlkyfckkhj, Jan 11, 2012
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  13. i has m11x

    i has m11x Notebook Evangelist

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    Any M11x R3 in the outlet that shows it having a 550 is a typo. All M11x R3 models have a 540m.
     
    i has m11x, Jan 12, 2012
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  14. FahrenheitGTI

    FahrenheitGTI Notebook Consultant

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    Doesn't matter, it's the exact same chip clocked slightly higher. Anything claiming a 550M is a typo, like said before.
     
    FahrenheitGTI, Jan 12, 2012
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  15. manu72

    manu72 Notebook Consultant

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    Seriously?
    There are still people that fall for marketing gimmicks like 2GB ram on a GT540m (or for example 3GB ram for GTX460/560m)?

    The only way you could use that much video ram (more than 1GB ram) it to maximize AntiAliasing on an already high resolution setting (1080p or more). But good luck running anything at 1080p with full AA on 540m.
    So for whatever gaming and practical reasons, I see the 2GB ram as a burden not as a blesing (more energy consumption / more heat dissipated)
    Unfortunatelty, Dell tied the i7 with the 2Gb ram option on the discrete card.

    Disclaimer: We are talking about the regular Joe that is using the laptop for gaming and such.
    I agree that you can use a 3D modeling software and to be actually able to experiment and fill the 2GB or even more using the aforementioned software, but this is not the case here and also the M11x is not designed for that.
     
    manu72, Jan 12, 2012
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  16. zenstrata

    zenstrata Notebook Geek

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    It is not a marketing gimmick if you actually use it. I plug my m11x into an external monitor and often run things at higher resolutions. Sure, right now there are not many games which use more than 1gb. But they Are out there. I happen to know of 2, Crysis 2 and The Witcher 2 will both Utilize more than 1gb of video ram if you tune their options a bit. I believe Crysis tops out about 1.2gb and The Whitcher 2 is around 1.4gb. Once that 1gb framebuffer runs out it spills into system memory, it will start slowing things down considerably on a 1gb video card.

    The thing is, Games are not at a standstill, more and more will start using larger amounts of video ram as time goes on.

    Also in regards to the power consumption and heat production, if you really want to make that a good argument you should show the exact differences in temperature between a 1gb and 2gb video ram system. And don't forget to include the difference in battery life between the two. I honestly doubt that is has any great impact on the system in a negative fashion.

    In addition, I have been very happy with the other things that come along with the higher end i7 system. You are not just paying for 1 extra gb of video ram. You get a larger hard drive, a better stock wireless card, a faster cpu, and larger base system ram at the higher starting price. And as I have mentioned in other threads, I have run into game performance comparison situations where I am able to do more with the graphics options of my game than a person with an i5 can do and still have a smooth gameplay experience (decent frame rates and such, not choppy due to better graphics options being selected). This is especially noticable with cpu intensive games.
     
    zenstrata, Jan 12, 2012
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  17. RipJak

    RipJak Notebook Guru

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    Well on the M11x the i7 isn't worth it for the extra bucks imo, of course there's a debate on that in another thread and both sides are valid.

    I was also under the impression that the extra vram wouldn't be as effective since the quality would be hindered by the card itself anyway.

    In the end it's about what the user want/need, but as mentioned the 550 is a typo so happy shopping. =D
     
    RipJak, Jan 12, 2012
    #17