NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480M

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480M

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480M is a high-end graphics card for laptops based on the Fermi architecture. As a result, it supports DirectX 11 and is produced in 40nm at TSMC. Featuring 352 cores, the GTX480M is similar to the desktop GTX 465 but with a lower clock rate. The GeForce GTX 480M is combined with 2 GB of fast dedicated GDDR5 graphics memory and the overall performance should be generally superior to the Mobility Radeon HD 5870.

The GF100 (aka. Fermi) chip was redesigned from scratch and features 3 billion transistors, assuming all 512 shaders are present. Compared to the desktop HD 5870 with 2.13 billion transistors or the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 (RV870) with 1.04 billion transistors, the GTX 480M die is physically quite large.

The mobile Fermi chip is stripped down to 352 shader cores (1-dimensional) with 32 ROPs and 44 Texture Units. The memory bus is 256 bit wide, but due to the fast GDDR5 memory, this should not be a bottleneck. The power consumption has been specified to 100 Watt TDP when taking into account the MXM board and the 2 GB GDDR5. AMD usually specifies the TDP of the chip alone, therefore this value is not directly comparable with competing Radeon cards. Still, the GTX 480M is only suited for very large desktop replacement (DTR) laptops with an excellent cooling solution. Originally, only Clevo was offering the GTX 480M in its 17" (D901F) and 18" (X8100) barebones.

The performance of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 480M is about 10% better on average than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870. In demanding DirectX 11 games and benchmarks (that make use of the Tessellation engine), the GTX 480M is even faster. That means the GTX480M is the fastest single GPU graphics solution for laptops as of  early to mid 2010. Modern DirectX 10 games should run fluently in high resolutions and details with antialiasing. Only very demanding games like Crysis or Metro 2033 may need some reduced settings (see list below). Due to the DirectX 11 hardware support (and the good tessellation implementation), the Fermi based laptop graphics card should be well suited for upcoming DirectX 11 games.

As the GeForce 300M series, the GeForce GTX 480M supports PureVideo HD with VideoProcessor 4 (VP4 with Feature Set C). This means the GPU is able to fully decode HD videos in H.254, VC-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 ASP. The graphics card can also accelerate Flash videos by using Flash 10.1 or greater.

The rendering cores of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 480M can be used for general calculations with CUDA or DirectCompute. For example, the encoding of HD videos can be done significantly faster than most modern CPUs by using the shader cores of the GPU instead. PhysX is also supported by the mobile Fermi chip to calculate physics effects in supported games.

Compared to desktop GPUs, the Geforce GTX 480M is comparable to a nunderclocked Nvidia GeForce GTX 465 (607/1200 clock speed) and is therefore on par with a desktop Radeon HD 5770.

ManufacturerNVIDIA
GeForce GTX 400M Series

GeForce GTX 580M SLI 768@620MHz

GeForce GTX 485M SLI 768@575MHz

GeForce GTX 470M SLI 576@535MHz

GeForce GTX 480M SLI 704@425MHz

GeForce GTX 460M SLI 384@675MHz

GeForce GTX 485M 384@575MHz

GeForce GTX 470M 288@535MHz

GeForce GTX 480M 352@425MHz

GeForce GTX 460M 192@675MHz

CodenameFermi
Pipelines352 - unified
Core Speed *425 MHz
Shader Speed *850 MHz
Memory Speed *1200 MHz
Memory Bus Width256 Bit
Memory TypeGDDR5
Max. Amount of Memory2048 MB
Shared Memoryno
DirectXDirectX 11, Shader 5.0
Current Consumption100 Watt
Transistors3000 Million
technology40 nm
Notebook Sizelarge
Date of Announcement25.05.2010
Link to Manufacturer Pagehttp://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_gtx...
* The specified clock rates are only guidelines for the manufacturer and can be altered by them.

Benchmarks

3DMark 2001SE - Standard 1024x768
0% 100%
min: 37908     avg: 39907 (65%)     max: 41906 Points
3DMark 03 - Standard 1024x768
0% 100%
min: 42919     avg: 43732.7 (41%)     max: 44727 Points
3DMark 05 - Standard 1024x768
0% 100%
min: 18745     avg: 20818 (64%)     max: 23842 Points
3DMark 06
0% 100%
min: 13273     avg: 15393.8 (59%)     max: 18731 Points
PCMark Vantage - Gaming Score 1024x768
0% 100%
min: 5750     avg: 6633.5 (30%)     max: 7517 Points
Cinebench R10 - Shading 32Bit
0% 100%
min: 4919     avg: 4919 (45%)     max: 4919 Points
3DMark Vantage - P Result no PhysX 1280x1024
0% 100%
min: 8467     avg: 8872 (29%)     max: 9277 Points
3DMark Vantage - P GPU no PhysX 1280x1024
0% 100%
min: 7854     avg: 7906.3 (23%)     max: 7986 Points
...
Radeon HD 4850 -6%
GeForce GTX 480M
GeForce GTS 450 8%
GeForce GTX 550 Ti 26%
...
GeForce GTX 590 300%
0%
100%
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - 3ds Max 1280x1024
0% 100%
min: 10.03     avg: 10 (21%)     max: 10.03 fps
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - Catia 1280x1024
0% 100%
min: 10.72     avg: 10.7 (23%)     max: 10.72 fps
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - EnSight 1280x1024
0% 100%
min: 20.91     avg: 20.9 (44%)     max: 20.91 fps
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - Maya 1280x1024
0% 100%
min: 17.93     avg: 17.9 (10%)     max: 17.93 fps
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - Pro/Engeneer 1280x1024
0% 100%
min: 12.38     avg: 12.4 (24%)     max: 12.38 fps
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SolidWorks 1280x1024
0% 100%
min: 8.05     avg: 8.1 (12%)     max: 8.05 fps
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - UGS Teamcenter 1280x1024
0% 100%
min: 1.12     avg: 1.1 (3%)     max: 1.12 fps
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - UGS NX 1280x1024
0% 100%
min: 0.9     avg: 0.9 (2%)     max: 0.9 fps
Windows 7 Experience Index - Graphics
0% 100%
min: 7.2     avg: 7.3 (92%)     max: 7.3 points
Windows 7 Experience Index - Gaming graphics
0% 100%
min: 7.2     avg: 7.3 (92%)     max: 7.3 points
Cinebench R11.5 - OpenGL 64Bit
0% 100%
min: 30.13     avg: 32.1 (42%)     max: 34.09 Points
Unigine Heaven 2.1 - high, Tesselation (normal), DirectX11 1280x1024
0% 100%
min: 33.7     avg: 33.7 (25%)     max: 33.7 fps
...
GeForce GTX 550 Ti -5%
GeForce GTS 450 -1%
GeForce GTX 480M
Radeon HD 5770 10%
Radeon HD 5850 12%
GeForce GTX 460 768MB 36%
Radeon HD 6790 37%
...
GeForce GTX 590 304%
0%
100%
3DMark 11 - Performance 1280x720
0% 100%
min: 2336     avg: 2387 (27%)     max: 2438 points
3DMark 11 - Performance GPU 1280x720
0% 100%
min: 2177     avg: 2184.5 (24%)     max: 2192 points
- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card

Game Benchmarks

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 detailled information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.

Mafia 2
Mafia 2 (2010)
med.:
67.1  fps      Compare
high:
60  fps      Compare
ultra:
40.9  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
StarCraft 2
StarCraft 2 (2010)
med.:
45.2  fps      Compare
high:
44.5  fps      Compare
ultra:
36.8  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Just Cause 2 (2010): Not playable with a weaker graphics card. - more...
Metro 2033
Metro 2033 (2010)
low:
126  fps      Compare
med.:
58.6 69 ~ 64 fps      Compare
high:
31.3 34 ~ 33 fps      Compare
ultra:
11.8 12 ~ 12 fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings med..
Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising (2010): Playable with a weaker graphics card in detail settings ultra. - more...
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (2010)
low:
108  fps      Compare
med.:
64.8 97 ~ 81 fps      Compare
high:
58 70 ~ 64 fps      Compare
ultra:
37 38 ~ 38 fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Stalker: Call of Pripyat (2010): Not playable with a weaker graphics card. - more...
CoD Modern Warfare 2
CoD Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
med.:
78.6  fps      Compare
high:
68 68 ~ 68 fps      Compare
ultra:
47.9 51 ~ 49 fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Risen
Risen (2009)
med.:
68.4  fps      Compare
high:
48.7  fps      Compare
ultra:
33.7 38 ~ 36 fps      Compare
» With most tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5 (2009)
low:
150.5  fps      Compare
high:
96.3  fps      Compare
ultra:
59.7  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Need for Speed Shift
Need for Speed Shift (2009)
med.:
74  fps      Compare
high:
70.7 84 ~ 77 fps      Compare
ultra:
51 52.6 ~ 52 fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Colin McRae: DIRT 2
Colin McRae: DIRT 2 (2009)
low:
176.5  fps      Compare
med.:
94.1 130.5 ~ 112 fps      Compare
high:
81.6 84.4 ~ 83 fps      Compare
ultra:
46.8 46.9 ~ 47 fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Anno 1404
Anno 1404 (2009)
low:
170  fps      Compare
ultra:
53  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
ArmA 2 (2009): Not playable with a weaker graphics card. - more...
Sims 3
Sims 3 (2009)
high:
105  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
F.E.A.R. 2
F.E.A.R. 2 (2009)
high:
119  fps      Compare
ultra:
61  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
GTA IV - Grand Theft Auto
GTA IV - Grand Theft Auto (2008)
high:
53.9  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead (2008)
high:
142  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Far Cry 2
Far Cry 2 (2008)
low:
174  fps      Compare
high:
106  fps      Compare
ultra:
45.4  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Crysis Warhead
Crysis Warhead (2008)
low:
98  fps      Compare
ultra:
34  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
Racedriver: GRID (2008): Playable with a weaker graphics card in detail settings high. - more...
Trackmania Nations Forever
Trackmania Nations Forever (2008)
ultra:
52.8  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare (2007)
high:
93  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Supreme Commander - FA Bench
Supreme Commander - FA Bench (2007)
high:
52.4  fps      Compare
ultra:
45.1  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Crysis - GPU Benchmark
Crysis - GPU Benchmark (2007)
high:
62.3  fps      Compare
ultra:
16.1  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Crysis - CPU Benchmark
Crysis - CPU Benchmark (2007)
high:
58.3  fps      Compare
ultra:
15.5  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
World in Conflict - Benchmark
World in Conflict - Benchmark (2007)
high:
84  fps      Compare
ultra:
35  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Command and Conquer III (2007): Not playable with a weaker graphics card. - more...
Half Life 2 - Lost Coast Benchmark
Half Life 2 - Lost Coast Benchmark (2005)
high:
234  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
F.E.A.R. (2005): Playable with a weaker graphics card in detail settings high. - more...
Quake 4
Quake 4 (2005)
ultra:
62  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
World of Warcraft (2005): Playable with a weaker graphics card in detail settings high. - more...
Counter-Strike Source
Counter-Strike Source (2004)
high:
191  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Doom 3
Doom 3 (2004)
low:
310  fps      Compare
ultra:
290  fps      Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Quake 3 Arena - Timedemo
Quake 3 Arena - Timedemo (1999)
high:
720  fps      Compare
» 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

Notebook reviews with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480M graphics card

AVADirect Clevo W880CU (Intel Core i7 720QM, 17.3")
» AVADirect Clevo W880CU - External Review

Clevo D901F (Intel Core i7 (Desktop) 940, 17")
» Review NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480M "Fermi" in the Clevo D901F - Review

Clevo W880CU (Intel Core i7 720QM, 17.3")
» Clevo W880CU - External Review

Deviltech Fragbook DTX (W881CU) (Intel Core i7 720QM, 17.3")
» Review Deviltech Fragbook DTX (W881CU) Notebook - Review
» Deviltech Fragbook DTX (W881CU) - External Review

Sager NP8850 (Intel Core i5 520M, 17.3")
» Sager NP8850 - External Review

» Comparison of GPUs
Detailled list of all laptop GPUs with a short description. Classified and sorted by performance.

» Benchmark List
Sortable and restrainable list of all GPUs with benchmarks (e.g. 3DMarks).

» Notebook Gaming List
Which game can be played with my graphics card.

Class 1
GeForce GTX 590
GeForce GTX 580
Radeon HD 6970
GeForce GTX 570
GeForce GTX 480
GeForce GTX 560 Ti
Radeon HD 6870
GeForce GTX 470
Radeon HD 5850
GeForce GTX 460 768MB
Radeon HD 6790
Radeon HD 5770
GeForce GTX 550 Ti
GeForce GTS 450
Radeon HD 4850
Radeon HD 5670
Class 2
GeForce GT 240
GeForce GT 430
Radeon HD 7590M *
Radeon HD 5570
Radeon HD 7650M
Radeon HD 6550D *
GeForce GT 220
Radeon HD 6450 GDDR5
Class 3
Radeon HD 4350
GeForce G 107M *
Chrome9HD *
Class 4
Class 5
Class 6
SGX543MP2 *
Mali-400 MP *
PowerVR SGX540 *
PowerVR SGX535
unknown *

* Approximate position of the graphics adapter

> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > FAQ / Tips / Technics > Comparison of Laptop Graphics Cards > NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480M
Author: Klaus Hinum (Update: 2012-01-25)