Laptops with onboard 3D graphics processors

BeVonk!

BeVonk!

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Question: What impact does a 3D graphics processor have on a laptop's (between charge) battery life?

I'm sure different laptop and graphic processor brands will have different impacts so an answer in general will have to do (a few specific examples will be nice though).

I'm doing my research for the purchase of a new laptop and considers getting one with 3D graphics for casual gaming on the move ... but I am concerned that an onboard 3D graphics processor will drain the battery much faster ... and battery life is a major deciding factor for me.
 
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Trafeye said:
Question: What impact does a 3D graphics processor have on a laptop's (between charge) battery life?

I'm sure different laptop and graphic processor brands will have different impacts so an answer in general will have to do (a few specific examples will be nice though).

I'm doing my research for the purchase of a new laptop and considers getting one with 3D graphics for casual gaming on the move ... but I am concerned that an onboard 3D graphics processor will drain the battery much faster... and battery life is a major deciding factor for me.
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Im not quite certain what you asking here but obviously a better/more powerful gfx card will drain the battery quicker than a standard one.

As for the part in bold im very confused? All laptops have an onboard gfx card (If they didn't, we would be able to upgrade them) so i dont understand what an onboard card would drain the battery faster than.

If you looking for a pc that can handle average games and also hold a good charge when mobile then first look for one that has the standard gfx card in it ( afaik the standard is the Mobile Intel 915GM ).
 
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I'm talking about the latest high-end nVidia (8600M etc) and ATI graphics processors for mobile computing here ... not Intel.
 
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Trafeye said:
I'm talking about the latest high-end nVidia and ATI graphics processors for mobile computing here ... not Intel.
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Ok well obviously it will drain the battery alot quicker than say mine. Im not certain but if its got a high-end gfx card then most the time you'll find the battery should also be high-end ( i.e. more cells than say a laptop with entry level stuff )

Best bet would be to buy the laptop with the most battery cells if its high end graphics and longer mobilty you want
 
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I've seen quite a few gamers sporting these Ferrari laptops at LANS, of cause, those buggers are kark expensive but ya... the performance of a actual PC will always kick a laptops ass... at least for the forseeable future.
 
Trafeye, trust me, if you want to play some of the latest games (Bioshock, Crysis, etc) on a laptop, make sure it's plugged into the mains. On battery power, it won't last long...
 
3D gaming on a laptop is for mains only. You'll only achieve about 10-20 minutes max gameplay on one of these top spec 3D graphics laptops on battery power alone.
 
but if you arent playing a game on it, then the gpu clocks down (since around 3 years ago) and goes into a "doze" state and consumes just about as much as the bog standard intel integrated gpu.

so buy one if you want, battery life will be on par with others (assuming all other components are the same between your comparison), and if you want to play a game then the gpu ramps up and battery life shortens, but at least you have the option.

p.s. 3dfx is a long dead company. but i am sure you knew that.
p.p.s. some laptops have replaceable gpu's...have a look at the mxm standard. but if the board designer chose not to use it then it makes no difference to anybody.
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3292&article=MXM+Upgrade+Graphics+Cards
http://www.mxm-upgrade.com/
 
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BiteMe said:
p.s. 3dfx is a long dead company. but i am sure you knew that.
p.p.s. some laptops have replaceable gpu's...have a look at the mxm standard. but if the board designer chose not to use it then it makes no difference to anybody.
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Thought id make you happy and change all of it. besides 3dfx and gfx mean all the same to me.
 
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