Review Acer TravelMate TimelineX 8481TG Notebook
Intel Core i5-2467M | NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M | 14.00" | 1.8 kg
The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M is an entry level dedicated laptop graphics card presented in 2010. It is based on the GF119 or GF108 core, which are both related to the Fermi architecture. Depending on the version, it features a 64 Bit memory bus and higher clock rates (GF119 version) or a 128 Bit memory bus and slower clock rates. Theoretically, the card also supports fast GDDR5 memory, but due to cost limitations, DDR3 will be used by the laptop manufacturers.
Compared to the GT 420M, the 520M offers only 48 instead of 96 shader cores.
Architecture
The GF119 offers 48 ALUs, 8 texture units and a 64 Bit memory interface for DDR3-VRAM. Therefore, it is similar to a half GF108 (GeForce GT 540M) but already manufactured with optimized transistors. As a difference the amount of raster-operation-processors (ROP) stayed the same counting 4. The GF119 is the smalles chip of the Fermi generation and is used for low end laptops.
Performance
As an entry level card, the GT 520M has to compete against the Intel HD Graphics 3000 in the current Sandy Bridge processors. In our tests, the card was only slightly faster, but the better driver support did make a difference. However, demanding games like Battlefield 3 or The Witcher 2 are not playable. Other modern games only run in low details, and therefore gamers wont be pleased with the performance. Low demanding games like Fifa 12, however, are playable with high detail settings.
Features
As the other 500M series chips, the 520M supports Bitstream HD Audio (Blu-Ray) output via HDMI. That means the card is able to transfer Dolby True HD and DTS-HD bitstream-wise without quality loss to a HiFi receiver.
The GT520M offers the PureVideo HD technology for video decoding. The included Video Processor 4 (VP4) in the GF108 chip supports feature set C and therefore the GPU is able to fully decode MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2 (MPEG-4 ASP - e.g., DivX or Xvid), VC-1/WMV9, and H.264 (VLD, IDCT, Motion Compensation, and Deblocking). The newer GF119 supports already the next generation VP5 (feature set D) with faster decodes, HD-to SD transcodes, lower power decodes and 4K x 4k resolution H.264 decode support.
Furthermore, the GPU is able to decode two 1080p streams simultaneously (e.g. for Blu-Ray Picture-in-Picture).
Through CUDA, OpenCL, and DirectCompute 2.1 support, the GeForce GT 520M can be of help in general calculations. For example, the stream processor can considerably faster encode videos than a fast CPU can. Furthermore, physics calculations can be theoretically done by the GPU using PhysX (e.g. supported by Mafia 2 or Metro 2033) but the performance wont be sufficient for this.
The power consumption of approximately 17 Watt (including board and memory) allows the usage of the 520M in small laptops. Furthermore, Optimus is supported (if implemented by the manufacturer) for automatic switching to the processor graphics card to save power.
GeForce GT 500M Series
| |||||||||||||||||||
Codename | N12P-GP/LV | ||||||||||||||||||
Architecture | Fermi | ||||||||||||||||||
Pipelines | 48 - unified | ||||||||||||||||||
Core Speed | 740 / 600 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||
Shader Speed | 1480 / 1200 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||
Memory Speed | 800 / 900 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||
Memory Bus Width | 64 / 128 Bit | ||||||||||||||||||
Memory Type | DDR3 (GDDR5) | ||||||||||||||||||
Max. Amount of Memory | 1536 MB | ||||||||||||||||||
Shared Memory | no | ||||||||||||||||||
API | DirectX 11, Shader 5.0 | ||||||||||||||||||
Power Consumption | 17 Watt | ||||||||||||||||||
technology | 40 nm | ||||||||||||||||||
Features | PhysX, Verde Drivers, CUDA, Optimus, DirectCompute, OpenCL, DirectX11, OpenGL 4.1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Date of Announcement | 05.01.2011 |
The following benchmarks stem from our benchmarks of review laptops. The performance depends on the used graphics memory, clock rate, processor, system settings, drivers, and operating systems. So the results don't have to be representative for all laptops with this GPU. For detailed information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.
For more games that might be playable and a list of all games and graphics cards visit our Gaming List
LG P420-N.AE21G: Intel Core i5-2410M, 14.00", 2 kg
Review » Review LG P420-N.AE21G Notebook
Asus U30SD-XA1: Intel Core i5-2410M, 13.30", 2.2 kg
Review » Review Asus U30SD-XA1 Subnotebook
MSI CX640-i547W7P: Intel Core i5-2410M, 15.60", 2.5 kg
Review » Review MSI CX640 Notebook (GT 520M)
Samsung QX412-S01DE: Intel Core i5-2520M, 14.10", 2.2 kg
Review » Review Samsung QX412-S01DE Notebook
Asus U40S: Intel Core i5-2520M, 14.00", 2 kg
External Review » Asus U40S
Asus U36SD-RX057X: Intel Core i5-2450M, 13.30", 1.7 kg
External Review » Asus U36SD-RX057X
Acer TravelMate 8481TG-2634G38nkk: Intel Core i7-2637M, 14.00", 1.9 kg
External Review » Acer TravelMate 8481TG-2634G38nkk
Acer TravelMate 8481G-2464G12ikk: Intel Core i5-2467M, 14.00", 1.6 kg
External Review » Acer TravelMate 8481G-2464G12ikk
LG P530-K.AN61G: Intel Core i7-2620M, 15.60", 2.2 kg
External Review » LG P530-K.AN61G
Asus U40SD: Intel Core i5-2430M, 14.10", 2 kg
External Review » Asus U40SD
Asus U36SD-RX377: Intel Core i5-2430M, 13.30", 1.7 kg
External Review » Asus U36SD-RX377
Lenovo IdeaPad Z570-102468G: Intel Core i3-2330M, 15.60", 2.6 kg
External Review » Lenovo IdeaPad Z570-102468G
Asus U36SD-RX113V: Intel Core i5-2410M, 13.30", 1.7 kg
External Review » Asus U36SD-RX113V
Asus U36SD-XA1: Intel Core i5-2410M, 13.30", 1.4 kg
External Review » Asus U36SD-XA1
Samsung 300V3A-SO2DE: Intel Core i5-2410M, 13.30", 2.1 kg
External Review » Samsung 300V3A-SO2DE
Asus U36SD-RX013V: Intel Core i5-2410M, 13.30", 1.7 kg
External Review » Asus U36SD-RX013V
Asus P53SJ-SO002X: Intel Core i5-2410M, 15.60", 2.6 kg
External Review » Asus P53SJ-SO002X
Packard Bell EasyNote TS44-HR-060FR: Intel Core i5-2410M, 15.60", 2.6 kg
External Review » Packard Bell EasyNote TS44-HR-060FR
Acer TravelMate 8481TG-2674G38nkk: Intel Core i7-2677M, 14.00", 1.8 kg
External Review » Acer TravelMate 8481TG-2674G38nkk
Asus P43SJ-VO006X: Intel Core i5-2410M, 14.00", 2.3 kg
External Review » Asus P43SJ-VO006X
Samsung 300E7A-S01FR: Intel Core i5-2430M, 17.30", 2.7 kg
External Review » Samsung 300E7A-S01FR
Acer TravelMate 8481TG-2678G38nkk: Intel Core i7-2677M, 14.00", 1.8 kg
External Review » Acer TravelMate 8481TG-2678G38nkk
Dell XPS 14z: Intel Core i5-2410M, 14.00", 2 kg
External Review » Dell XPS 14z
Asus U36SD-RX135V: Intel Core i5-2410M, 13.30", 1.7 kg
External Review » Asus U36SD-RX135V
Samsung RC520-S06PL: Intel Core i5-2410M, 15.60", 2.5 kg
External Review » Samsung RC520-S06PL
Asus U36SD-A1: Intel Core i7-2620M, 13.30", 1.7 kg
External Review » Asus U36SD-A1
Asus U36SD-RX114V: Intel Core i5-2410M, 13.30", 1.7 kg
External Review » Asus U36SD-RX114V
Asus U36SD-RX167V: Intel Core i7-2620M, 13.30", 1.7 kg
External Review » Asus U36SD-RX167V
LG P430-K.AN51G: Intel Core i5-2520M, 14.00", 1.9 kg
External Review » LG P430-K.AN51G
Alienware M17x R3, GT 520M, i7-2720: Intel Core i7-2720QM, 17.30", 4.3 kg
External Review » Alienware M17x R3, GT 520M, i7-2720
Asus X53SJ-SX534V: Intel Core i5-2410M, 15.60", 2.7 kg
External Review » Asus X53SJ-SX534V
Asus U36SD-RX146V: Intel Core i7-2620M, 15.60", 1.5 kg
External Review » Asus U36SD-RX146V
MSI CX480: Intel Core i5-2410M, 14.00", 2.2 kg
External Review » MSI CX480
Samsung RV420-S07: Intel Core i3-2310M, 14.00", 2.4 kg
External Review » Samsung RV420-S07
MSI CX640-071US : Intel Core i3-2310M, 15.60", 2.6 kg
External Review » MSI CX640-071US
LG P530-K.AN51G: Intel Core i5-2520M, 15.60", 2.2 kg
External Review » LG P530-K.AN51G
Asus U30SD-RO111V: Intel Core i3-2310M, 13.30", 2.2 kg
External Review » Asus U30SD-RO111V
Samsung RV518-S02BG: Intel Core i3-2310M, 15.60", 2.4 kg
External Review » Samsung RV518-S02BG
HP Pavilion g6-1145ef: Intel Core i3-370M, 15.60", 2.6 kg
External Review » HP Pavilion g6-1145ef
LG P530-K.AE31G: Intel Core i7-2620M, 15.60", 2.2 kg
External Review » LG P530-K.AE31G
MSI FX720-014UK: Intel Core i5-2410M, 17.30", 2.8 kg
External Review » MSI FX720-014UK
Asus U31SD-A1: Intel Core i3-2310M, 13.30", 1.8 kg
External Review » Asus U31SD-A1
Lenovo IdeaPad Z570-A1: Intel Core i5-2410M, 15.60", 2.6 kg
External Review » Lenovo IdeaPad Z570-A1
Acer TravelMate TimelineX 8481TG-2464G38nkk: Intel Core i5-2467M, 14.00", 1.8 kg
External Review » Acer TravelMate TimelineX 8481TG-2464G38nkk
Samsung RV520-S01: Intel Core i3-2310M, 15.60", 2.7 kg
External Review » Samsung RV520-S01
Acer Aspire 5742G-384G64Mnkk: Intel Core i3-380M, 15.60", 2.6 kg
External Review » Acer Aspire 5742G-384G64Mnkk
Acer Aspire 5830TG-6402: Intel Core i5-2410M, 15.60", 2.5 kg
External Review » Acer Aspire 5830TG-6402
Acer TravelMate 8481G: Intel Core i7-2617M, 14.00", 1.8 kg
External Review » Acer TravelMate 8481G
Fujitsu LIFEBOOK SH-561: Intel Core i5-2410M, 13.30", 1.9 kg
External Review » Fujitsu LIFEBOOK SH-561
Samsung SF511-S01PL: Intel Core i5-2410M, 15.60", 2.5 kg
External Review » Samsung SF511-S01PL
Novatech Nspire Pro 2540: Intel Core i5-2540M, 15.60", 2.6 kg
External Review » Novatech Nspire Pro 2540
Asus K53SJ-SX383: Intel Core i3-2310M, 15.60", 3.4 kg
External Review » Asus K53SJ-SX383
Acer Aspire 3750G-2312G50Mnkk: Intel Core i3-2310M, 13.30", 2.1 kg
External Review » Acer Aspire 3750G-2312G50Mnkk
Asus U31SD-RX080V: Intel Core i5-2410M, 13.30", 1.8 kg
External Review » Asus U31SD-RX080V
Lenovo IdeaPad Z570: Intel Core i3-2310M, 15.60", 2.6 kg
External Review » Lenovo IdeaPad Z570
LG P420-N.AE21G: Intel Core i5-2410M, 14.00", 2 kg
External Review » LG P420-N.AE21G
Samsung RC720-S01PL: Intel Core i3-2310M, 17.30", 3.1 kg
External Review » Samsung RC720-S01PL
MSI CX640-021FR: Intel Core i5-2410M, 15.60", 2.6 kg
External Review » MSI CX640-021FR
Asus A43SJ-VX068V: Intel Core i3-2310M, 14.00", 2.2 kg
External Review » Asus A43SJ-VX068V
Asus U43SD: Intel Core i5-2520M, 14.00", 2.3 kg
External Review » Asus U43SD
MSI CX640-018UK: Intel Core i5-2410M, 15.60", 2.6 kg
External Review » MSI CX640-018UK
Acer TravelMate 5760G-2416G64Mnsk: Intel Core i5-2410M, 15.60", 2.5 kg
External Review » Acer TravelMate 5760G-2416G64Mnsk
Asus U30SD-XA1: Intel Core i5-2410M, 13.30", 2.2 kg
External Review » Asus U30SD-XA1
Acer Aspire 5750G-2313G32Mikk: Intel Core i3-2310M, 15.60", 2.5 kg
External Review » Acer Aspire 5750G-2313G32Mikk
Asus K53SJ-SX084V: Intel Core i5-2410M, 15.60", 2.7 kg
External Review » Asus K53SJ-SX084V
Samsung QX412-S01DE: Intel Core i5-2520M, 14.10", 2.2 kg
External Review » Samsung QX412-S01DE
MSI CX640-i547W7P: Intel Core i5-2410M, 15.60", 2.5 kg
External Review » MSI CX640-i547W7P
Acer Aspire 4743G-482G50Mnkk: Intel Core i5-480M, 14.00", 2.3 kg
External Review » Acer Aspire 4743G-482G50Mnkk
Asus U36S: Intel Core i5-2410M, 13.30", 1.9 kg
External Review » Asus U36S
MSI CX640: Intel Core i5-2410M, 15.60", 2.5 kg
External Review » MSI CX640
» Comparison of GPUs
Detailed list of all laptop GPUs sorted by class and performance.
» Benchmark List
Sort and restrict laptop GPUs based on performance in synthetic benchmarks.
» Notebook Gaming List
Playable games for each graphics card and their average FPS results.
* Approximate position of the graphics adapter
Top 10 Laptops
Multimedia, Budget Multimedia, Gaming, Budget Gaming, Lightweight Gaming, Business, Budget Office, Workstation, Subnotebooks, Ultrabooks, Chromebooks
under 300 USD/Euros, under 500 USD/Euros, 1,000 USD/Euros, for University Students, Best Displays
Top 10 Smartphones
Smartphones, Phablets, ≤6-inch, Camera Smartphones