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NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT

NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT

NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT is the DirectX 10 capable successor of the GeForce Go 7600 GT for laptops. Depending on the used graphic memory and the clock speed,  the performance is between the 7600 GT and 7900 GS video card. Therefore, games like Company of Heroes, Supreme Commander, or F.E.A.R can be played fluently with high details in a resolution of 1024 or similar. Still, the shader power is not sufficient to display DirectX 10 effects of games like Crysis fluently (Crysis will only run well in low details).  Gamers, who every time expect supreme frame rates, should get at least a 8800M card.

The 8600M series is one of the first-laptop-GPUs, which support DirectX 10 and accelerate the H.264-decoding of HD-movies.

The particularity of this video card are the "Unified Shader". Pixel- and vertex-shaders do not exist any more but 32 of the so called stream processors do the graphic work (which up to now pixel- and vertex shaders did).

The memory clock speed depends on the used memory: 400 MHz for GDDR2 memory and 700 Mhz for GDDR3 (which is noticeable faster).

The integrated PureVideo engine is one of the advantages of the 8600M GT. It supports (HD) encoding of H.264, VC-1, MPEG2, and WMV9 video content. Compared to the slower 8600M GS (and 8400M series) the 8600M GT supports a few more video features (see comparison chart).

ManufacturerNVIDIA
SeriesGeForce 8M
CodenameG84M
Pipelines32 - unified
Core Speed *475 MHz
Shader Speed *950 MHz
Memory Speed *700 MHz
Memory Bus Width128 Bit
Memory TypeGDDR3, GDDR2
Max. Amount of Memory512 MB
Shared Memoryno
DirectXDirectX 10, Shader 4.0
Current Consumption20 Watt
Transistors289 Million
technology80 nm
FeaturesShader clock frequence 950 MHz, PureVideo technology (H.264, VC-1, MPEG2, WMV9 decoding acceleration), MPEG2, WMV9 decoding acceleration), HDCP-capable, PowerMizer 7.0 power management (dynamic switching between performance and energy economizing), HDR (High Dynamic-Range Lighting), designed for Windows Vista, 16x full screen AA, 16x AF independent of angles, 128-Bit HDR illumination with AA, Dual-Link DVI-D exits for resolutions of TFT up to 2560x1600, PCI-E 16x, OpenGL 2.1, Gigathread technology
Notebook Sizemedium sized
Date of Announcement09.06.2007
InformationSpeichertakt (Vorgaben): DDR2 - 400 MHz
DDR3 - 700 MHz
Link to Manufacturer Pagehttp://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_860...
* The specified clock rates are only guidelines for the manufacturer and can be altered by them.

benchmarks

3DMark 2001: - Standard 1024x768
0% 100%
      min: 13417, avg: 22071, max: 28050 Points
... More Details

3DMark 03: - Standard 1024x768
0% 100%
      min: 5244, avg: 10215, max: 13515 Points
... More Details

3DMark 05: - Standard 1024x768
0% 100%
      min: 4279, avg: 6175, max: 8078 Points
... More Details

3DMark 06:
0% 100%
      min: 2671, avg: 3347, max: 4434 Points
... More Details

Cinebench R10: - Shading
0% 100%
      min: 2100, avg: 3207, max: 5230 Points
... More Details

- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
Based on 133 benchmarks

Game Benchmarks

Crysis - GPU Benchmark
Crysis - GPU Benchmark (2007)
low:
50.8 40.3 43.8 50.3 ~ 46 fps
med.:
17.6 18 18.6 19.6 20 ~ 19 fps
high:
7.6 8.7 9.8 10.1 10.1 ~ 9 fps
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
Crysis - CPU Benchmark
Crysis - CPU Benchmark (2007)
low:
34.8 42.9 46.8 51 ~ 44 fps
med.:
14 15.3 18.3 19 19.9 ~ 17 fps
high:
7.2 8.6 9.4 10.1 10.7 ~ 9 fps
» With most tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
World in Conflict - Benchmark
World in Conflict - Benchmark (2007)
med.:
27 29 ~ 28 fps
high:
11 14 ~ 13 fps
» With most tested laptops not playable.
F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R. (2005)
low:
34 102 112 211 222 231 250 270 270 283 284 286 291 299 302 303 306 311 342 383 423 ~ 263 fps
med.:
29 29 29 29 30 30 32 32 55 88 96 98 98 101 101 102 109 112 114 127 127 ~ 75 fps
high:
13 24 25 25 26 27 28 28 28 29 30 30 31 31 31 36 36 37 43 44 73 ~ 32 fps
» With most tested laptops playable in detail settings med..
Doom 3
Doom 3 (2004)
low:
96.7 106.4 107.1 111.9 115 119.8 132.5 132.5 135.5 141.3 142.3 145.5 149.7 150.2 151.8 153.9 167.3 169 ~ 135 fps
med.:
97.5 103.8 111.9 113.2 113.8 118.3 121.9 123.2 125.8 126.1 126.4 127.8 130 133.6 143.7 150.2 150.5 170.8 ~ 127 fps
high:
84.8 91.7 97.6 98.3 98.5 105 106.3 109.7 114.3 114.4 114.7 115.3 119 119.2 126.5 129.5 142.5 145.4 ~ 113 fps
ultra:
53.9 59.7 60.6 67.8 75.8 76.1 76.1 77 77.1 79.2 81.1 83.4 86.5 86.5 87.9 92.2 99.9 100.6 ~ 79 fps
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Quake 3 Arena - Timedemo
Quake 3 Arena - Timedemo (1999)
high:
153.3 236.5 239.3 268.4 345.3 348.4 365.2 422.2 451 453.8 461 474 479.8 ~ 361 fps
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.

For more games that might be playable and a list of all games and graphics cards visit our Gaming List

Game Performance

The following values are based on different reviews and can actually differ due to low processor power or lower clocked graphics cards. It should only give a general impression, which games should be playable. If not stated otherwise, the benchmarks were recorded without Antialiasing (AA) and Anisotrope Filtering (AF).

Gears of War: 1280x800, default (medium-high): 35 fps -> well playable with seldom stuttering
Call of Juarez : 1280x800, DX10: 20 fps -> barely playable
Company of Heroes: 1440x900, high details-> playable (not completely fluent)
World in Conflict: 1024x768, medium details (DX9), Benchmark: 23 fps -> playable (DX 10 not playable)
F.E.A.R.: 1024x768, CPU max, GPU max: 24-40 fps -> well playable
Command and Conquer 3 (C&C 3): 1024x768, high details: 30 fps well playable
Supreme Commander: 1024x768, high details: 16-44 fps -> playable (large Multiplayer battles may need a faster GPU)
Colin McRae Dirt: 1024x768, high: 20 fps -> barely playable (reduce details)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: 1024x768, maximum quality: 18 fps not playable -> with reduced details playable
Splinter Cell - Chaos Theory: 1280x800 -> well playable
Oblivion: 1280x800, max details: 40 fps -> well playable
Half Life 2 - Episode 1: 1280x800: 70 fps -> well playable
Prey: 1280x800: 40 fps -> well playable
Anno 1701: 1024x768, high Details: 48 fps -> well playable
Doom 3: 1024x768, Details: Ultra: 67 fps -> well playable
Age of Empires 3: 1024x768, hohe Details (without footprints), Skirmish zu 8t: 30-40 fps -> well playable
Quake 3 Arena: 1024x768, max Details: 236.5 fps -> well playable

The gaming tests show that the 8600M GT is capable of displaying current games fluently. However, DirectX 10 effects should not be enabled to sustain playable framerates.

Framerate in Gears of War with a 8600M GT with 256 MB GDDR3 (MacBook Pro 2.2 GHz)
Framerate in Gears of War with a 8600M GT with 256 MB GDDR3 (MacBook Pro 2.2 GHz)

Notebook reviews with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics card

Acer Aspire 5920 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 15.4")
» Acer Aspire 5920 - External Review

Acer Aspire 5920G (Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 15.4")
» Review Acer Aspire 5920G Notebook - Review

Acer Aspire 6920G-594G32Bn (Intel Core 2 Duo T5900, 16.0")
» Acer Aspire 6920G-594G32Bn - External Review

Acer Aspire 9920G (Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 20.1")
» Acer Aspire 9920G - External Review

Apple MacBook Pro 15 Zoll Santa Rosa (Intel Core 2 Duo T7700, 15.4")
» Apple Macbook Pro (15 inch Santa Rosa) - External Review

Apple MacBook Pro 15" 2.2GHz (Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, 15.4")
» Long-term review Apple MacBook Pro 2.2 GHz Notebook with Mac OS X - Review

Apple MacBook Pro 15" 2.4GHz (Intel Core 2 Duo T7700, 15.4")
» Review Apple MacBook Pro 15'' Notebook (Santa Rosa) - Review

Apple MacBook Pro 15" 4,1 Penryn (Intel Core 2 Duo T9300, 15.4")
» Review Apple MacBook Pro 15" V4.1 (2.5 GHz Penryn) - Review

Apple Macbook Pro 17“ 2008-12 (Intel Core 2 Duo T9300, 17.0")
» Apple Macbook Pro 17“ 2008-12 - External Review

Asus C90S (Intel Core 2 Duo (Desktop) E6600, 15.4")
» Review Asus C90S (AK001C) Power-Notebook - Review
» Asus C90S - External Review

Asus G1S (Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, 15.4")
» Review Asus G1S Notebook - Review
» Asus G1S - External Review

Asus G2S (Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, 17.1")
» Asus G2S - External Review

Asus Lamborghini VX2S (Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, 15.4")
» Asus Lamborghini VX2S - External Review

Asus V1S (Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 15.4")
» User-Review Asus V1S Notebook - Review
» Review Asus V1S Notebook - Review
» Asus V1S - External Review

Compal FL90 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 15.4")
» Review Compal FL90 Notebook - Review

Dell Inspiron 1720 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7100, 17.0")
» Review Dell Inspiron 1720 Notebook - Review
» Dell Inspiron 1720 - External Review

Dell Vostro 1500 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7100, 15.4")
» Review Dell Vostro 1500 Laptop - Review
» Dell Vostro 1500 - External Review

Dell Vostro 1700 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7100, 17.1")
» Dell Vostro 1700 - External Review

Dell XPS M1530 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 15.4")
» Review Dell XPS M1530 Notebook - Review
» Dell XPS M1530 - External Review

HP Pavilion dv9500t (Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 17.1")
» HP Pavilion dv9500t - External Review

LG R700 (Intel Core 2 Duo T8300, 17.1")
» LG R700 - External Review

Maxdata Belinea o.book 5 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, 17.1")
» Maxdata Belinea o.book 5 - External Review

MSI Megabook GX600 (Intel Core 2 Duo T9300, 15.4")
» Review MSI Megabook GX600 Notebook - Review
» MSI Megabook GX600 - External Review

MSI Megabook GX700 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, 17.1")
» Review MSI Megabook GX700 Extreme Gaming Notebook - Review
» MSI Megabook GX700 - External Review

Packard Bell EasyNote MB89 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, 15.4")
» Packard Bell EasyNote MB89 - External Review

Samsung R700 Aura T9300 Dillen (Intel Core 2 Duo T9300, 17.0")
» Review Samsung R700 Aura T9300 Dillen Notebook - Review

Sony Vaio VGN-AR51SU (Intel Core 2 Duo T7700, 17.1")
» Sony Vaio VGN-AR51SU - External Review

Sony Vaio VGN-AR590E (Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 17.1")
» Sony Vaio VGN-AR590E - External Review

Sony Vaio VGN-AR61 (Intel Core 2 Duo T8300, 17.1")
» Sony Vaio VGN-AR61ZU - External Review

Sony Vaio VGN-AR71ZU (Intel Core 2 Duo T9300, 17.1")
» Sony Vaio VGN-AR71ZU - External Review

Toshiba Qosmio G40 10E (Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 17.1")
» Toshiba Qosmio G40-10E - External Review

Toshiba Qosmio G40 11L (Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 17.1")
» Toshiba Qosmio G40-11L - External Review

Toshiba Qosmio G45 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 17.1")
» Toshiba Qosmio G45 - External Review

Toshiba Satellite X200-219 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, 17.1")
» Toshiba Satellite X200-219 - External Review

Toshiba Satellite X200-24V (Intel Core 2 Duo T9300, 17.1")
» Toshiba Satellite X200-24V - External Review

Toshiba Satellite X205-SLi3 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7500, 17.1")
» Toshiba Satellite X205-SLi3 - External Review

Toshiba Satellite X205-SLi4 (Intel Core 2 Duo T8100, 17.1")
» Toshiba Satellite X205-SLi4 - External Review

Toshiba Satellite X205-SLi5 (Intel Core 2 Duo T8300, 17.1")
» Toshiba Satellite X205-SLi5 - External Review

Zepto Znote 3415W (Intel Core 2 Duo T9500, 15.4")
» Review Zepto Znote 3415W Notebook - Review
» Zepto Znote 3415W - External Review

Zepto Znote 6224W (Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 14.1")
» Review Zepto Znote 6224W - Review
» Zepto Znote 6224W - External Review

Zepto Znote 6324W (Intel Core 2 Duo T9300, 14.1")
» Review Zepto Znote 6324W Notebook - Review
» Zepto Znote 6324W - External Review

Zepto Znote 6623WD (Intel Core 2 Duo T7700, 15.4")
» Zepto Znote 6623WD - External Review

Zepto Znote 6625WD (Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, 15.4")
» User-Review Zepto Znote 6625WD Notebook - Review
» Zepto Znote 6625WD - External Review

Zepto Znote 6625WD T9500 (Intel Core 2 Duo T9500, 15.4")
» Review Zepto Znote 6625WD Notebook (T9500) - Review

 

Author: Klaus Hinum (Update: 2009-11-19)