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The New Graphics

T

TomD1

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 14, 2012
26
17
I'm thinking of buying the iMac 2012 base 21.5 inch,

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html
this list clearly says the nvidia GT640M (nr. 80 in the list) is superior to the Radeon HD 6570M I'm using now (nr. 129 in the list).

But what does this mean in real world performance? Is it a huge boost? will I even notice it? Is it a weak card (512MB RAM)? How does it compare to the Radeon 6570M?

Thank you.
 
TomD1 said:
I'm thinking of buying the iMac 2012 base 21.5 inch,

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html
this list clearly says the nvidia GT640M (nr. 80 in the list) is superior to the Radeon HD 6570M I'm using now (nr. 129 in the list).

But what does this mean in real world performance? Is it a huge boost? will I even notice it? Is it a weak card (512MB RAM)? How does it compare to the Radeon 6570M?

Thank you.
Click to expand...
You'll only really notice it in games, or if you use professional applications that utilise the graphics card like Final Cut, etc.
 
We should wait for real Mac benchmarks. Apple usually uses real DDR5 VRAM compared to most PC notebook shared RAM solutions. A HD6630 in the mini is also 20-30% faster than the ones found in PC notebooks.
 
Thank you,

so not that much of an improvement?

Does anyone know when reviewers like Engadget etc. get review-units?
 
512 video memory is enough for a 21". You don't have large areas in full screen.

GeForces are generally better when it comes to calculating physics in games. But that's only if you play games.
Actually the most important reason for me whereas I'd always pick GeForce is GPU acceleration. Currently Adobe Premiere uses GeForce's CUDA to aid the rendering - it's called Mercury Engine and it has a tremendous effect. Not sure for After Effects though. But what's more important is the tendency - more and more software tends to use GPU acceleration: video players, editing software, browsers etc. The main reason i didn't buy 2011 imac was the video-card . I'd never buy a Radeon.

And the best advice is to wait some real benchmarks. I hope AnandTech will - this guy is the best tech tester: http://www.anandtech.com/tag/mac
 
Skulls said:
I'd never buy a Radeon.
Click to expand...
Nothing wrong with the Radeons. For 95% of people both major brand of GPU will work just fine. I prefer the Radeons myself. But I'm not that stuck in the mud that I won't ever buy a nvidia.
 
Skulls said:
512 video memory is enough for a 21". You don't have large areas in full screen.

GeForces are generally better when it comes to calculating physics in games. But that's only if you play games.
Actually the most important reason for me whereas I'd always pick GeForce is GPU acceleration. Currently Adobe Premiere uses GeForce's CUDA to aid the rendering - it's called Mercury Engine and it has a tremendous effect. Not sure for After Effects though. But what's more important is the tendency - more and more software tends to use GPU acceleration: video players, editing software, browsers etc. The main reason i didn't buy 2011 imac was the video-card . I'd never buy a Radeon.

And the best advice is to wait some real benchmarks. I hope AnandTech will - this guy is the best tech tester: http://www.anandtech.com/tag/mac
Click to expand...
Mercury Engine requires 1GB VRAM minimum, does it not?
 
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