High Detail Gaming and 3DMark
We also ran several of the games at higher detail settings to put more of a load on the graphics cards. Not surprisingly, performance sometimes becomes unacceptable at higher resolutions and detail settings with these laptops, depending on the game. The GeForce 9800M GTS and 8800M GTX may be some of the fastest mobile graphics chips currently available, but they're both still slower than a single desktop 8800 GT 512MB because of the more stringent power requirements. We'll also include 3DMark results here for reference; we put a lot more stock in gaming performance than in 3DMark results, but at least 3DMark results are easily generated and easily compared.
The patterns on the previous page are continued for the most part, with a couple items that bear mention. First, Assassin's Creed DX10 is faster than the DX9 version on the Sager NP9262, so there's at least some small driver glitch with the tested NVIDIA SLI drivers. You can also see that several of the games are all but unplayable on everything but the Sager NP9262, particularly at 1920x1200. It's interesting that the Sager is still CPU limited in quite a few situations, so the faster models that are now shipping will benefit from the CPU upgrade.
Looking at the 3DMark results (and then hurriedly moving on), most of the charts are similar to the gaming results. The integrated graphics on the Alienware m15x are clearly not for gaming, with performance that's about 5% of the slowest of the gaming laptops. It also is unable to run in 3DMark Vantage, since it lacks DX10 support. While you definitely won't want to do serious gaming using the X3100, we will see in a moment how useful it is when we get to the battery life tests.
As a final summary of gaming performance, we offer the following table comparing relative performance between the various graphics solutions at 1920x1200. While CPU and platform will still have a small impact, in most cases the GPU(s) are what will determine frame rates at higher resolutions.
| Performance Relative to GeForce 8800M GTS (Gateway P-171XL) | ||||
| Gateway P-171XL FX | Gateway P-7811 FX | Alienware m15x | Sager NP9262 | |
| Assassin's Creed DX9 | 100.0% | 119.9% | 124.2% | 150.3% |
| Assassin's Creed DX10 | 100.0% | 103.9% | 116.5% | 226.0% |
| Company of Heroes DX9 | 100.0% | 118.4% | 132.5% | 255.7% |
| Company of Heroes DX10 | 100.0% | 117.4% | 124.3% | 275.7% |
| Crysis - Medium | 100.0% | 103.1% | 123.7% | 261.2% |
| Crysis - High | 100.0% | 106.7% | 126.9% | 251.3% |
| Devil May Cry 4 | 100.0% | 155.0% | 163.5% | 177.2% |
| ET Quake Wars 0xAA | 100.0% | 100.3% | 108.6% | 167.5% |
| ET Quake Wars 4xAA | 100.0% | 99.5% | 104.2% | 182.1% |
| Race Driver: GRID 0xAA | 100.0% | 122.4% | 127.3% | 205.9% |
| Race Driver: GRID 4xAA | 100.0% | 118.1% | 120.2% | 227.0% |
| Mass Effect | 100.0% | 114.2% | 120.2% | 190.4% |
| Oblivion | 100.0% | 124.3% | 129.7% | 236.9% |
| Unreal Tournament 3 | 100.0% | 128.9% | 126.9% | 195.7% |
| Average All Games | 100.0% | 116.6% | 124.9% | 214.5% |
| Average for HQ Settings | 100.0% | 112.0% | 120.3% | 227.0% |
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NotebookGamer - Monday, October 20, 2008 - link
I've been wanting to see a gaming laptops showdown between the Clevo matched up against the m1730.I got my NP9262 from Factor Gaming.
cg0def - Monday, September 15, 2008 - link
Say it ain so! I still remember when Alienware laptops used to look good. What happened guys? Oh, nm dell bough them ... well tough luck ...jfdmit - Saturday, September 13, 2008 - link
I exchanged my crashing 7811 for another one today, and so far it's working perfectly. No lockups, no webcam crashes, just speed and stability. I can finally see the real potential of this great gaming machine. It really does seem to be luck of draw whether you get a good one or a dud.jfdmit - Thursday, September 11, 2008 - link
As I noted in the comment I added to your first review of this machine, I've had a pretty bad time with stability. It doesn't matter whether I use the stock 176, or the patched 177.92 or 177.98 drivers, my 7811 is still totally unstable when playing games that even moderately tax the graphics subsystem. Spore locks the machine hard after an hour. Crysis gets about 30 minutes. Thereafter, the locks happen more and more frequently, interspersed with occasional BSODs.I suspect the problem is heat. The increasing frequency of the lockups when gaming, coupled with the fact that the machine works fine for non-gaming tasks, makes me think that the machine's cooling system just can't handle the load. I've ensured that there is plenty of room underneath the machine and even set it on a laptop cooling pad, but none of this has made any difference.
Unfortunately, as it stands, I cannot recomment the 7811 as a gaming PC.
Ben - Sunday, August 31, 2008 - link
Thanks for the article, but I expected more than 3 laptops when I read the title, "roundup".Ben - Sunday, August 31, 2008 - link
OK, you have 3 models listed on the index, you say 4 in the test setup, and then there's 5 benchmarks.I guess 5 is enough for a "roundup" though. :)
JarredWalton - Sunday, August 31, 2008 - link
Four "new" models, and one returning model. This was originally going to be a seven laptop roundup, but the text was already too long. The next three are midrange options.ikjadoon - Sunday, August 31, 2008 - link
What gives? Overdrive PC overclocks their laptops and Velocity Micro has some fine systems, too..Great review, however. :)
rvikul - Sunday, August 31, 2008 - link
I went to BestBuy today to take a look at the Gateway model. thought i'd add a few observations.I was surprised by how large the laptop was. The optical drive kept popping out and would not close properly, but that could be due to customer abuse on the display model.
I am not too thrilled about the form factor - it looks kinda ugly but thats subjective. Ethernet port is on the side which is weird since i would like it hidden behind the laptop. For a gaming laptop I dont see the need for a full keyboard. The arrow keys are really cramped together.
nycromes - Tuesday, September 2, 2008 - link
I actually purchased the P7811fx from BB this weekend. For those interested it is $200 off (at least in my area) and you get a free PC game up to $50 value.It does have a large form factor, in fact it wont fit most 17' carrying cases. Sitting on my lap, it feels like a table because it is so large. I don't mind though, I wanted the 17 in screen as well as a full keyboard. Many people want a keypad for uses in things like MMOs, that is a big selling point for me.
As for the optical drive... it opens easily. Mine will stay closed unless I push on the button (which as indicated in this roundup, is very easy to do just picking it up).
From what I have read, the lockups on these machines are only affecting some laptops. Many people have exchanged in the 14 day window to get one and their problems have been fixed.
Oh, the wireless button feels kinda cheap... I will have to see how long it lasts. I look forward to being able to upgrade it in the future (hopefully) and keep this laptop for a long time. Its a good machine, the colors aren't fabulous, but they don't really bother me. Its a great time to get one if you are looking at it since it is discounted right now.