Laptop Video Cards - Cutting Edge Graphics For Your Notebook
Gaming has come a long way from the likes of games like Pacman etc. Today's gamers expect games that are heavily grounded in graphics. In fact, the graphics of a game comes second, only to the storyline when gamers estimate the value and playability of a particular game. The advent of high end games led to an influx of enhancers for the desktop computer, designed specifically with gaming in mind. Prominent among these were the video and sound cards that hone the video and audio capabilities of the system. With desktops undergoing what one might call the 'graphics revolution' it was well known that laptops were not going to be left far behind. Recent years have seen notebook computers that show high potential for game playing. With them, came laptop video cards.
One major difference between video cards in desktop computers and laptop video cards was the fact that comparison was highly impossible. While two identical cards produced the same performance in desktop systems, it was not the case when it came to laptops. This article reviews some of the best video cards that are currently available in the market.
nVidia GeForce
nVidia has almost become synonymous with graphics and germane applications. Their GeForce series is certainly a force to be reckoned with. The GeForce Go 6600, with DirectX 9c support is one of the simpler installments of the GeForce series, yet it packs quite a punch. The card supports 8 pipelines and the memory configurations that are compatible are 128 bit, 64 MB and 128 MB. This laptop video card is not the best at the moment and does not work well with games that require very high graphics. However, it suffices for most games and is the optimal choice for most notebooks. The Go 6800 on the other hand, is now considered one of the best laptop video cards that can be equipped in your computer. It has a 12 pipeline capability and has configurations of 256 bit, 256 MB. The 'Ultra' variation provides excellent antialiasing capabilities and most modern games are bound to work flawlessly. ATI Mobility Radeon ATI are said to be the true forerunners for laptop video cards. The Radeon laptop video card series, specifically the Mobility Radeon 9600 was said to be the first laptop video card that produced a gaming experience that was equivalent to desktop gaming. ATI has come a long way since then, and has produced laptop video cards with astounding capabilities such as the 9800, X700 and the X800. The Mobility Radeon 9800 was the best choice for older Dell notebook computers. Though it has been overshadowed by the recent versions, it is still capable of supporting high end games. The X700 and X800 can match their GeForce counterparts in performance. They however, are not as common as the GeForce series. Though the Radeon series has not met with success that equals GeForce, it remains an excellent competitor in the laptop video card scenario. It is pretty obvious that the laptop video cards have arrived. What's left to see is the extent to which this technology can be improved.
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