Notebookcheck Logo

NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS vs NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT vs NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT SLI

NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS

► remove from comparison NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS

The Nvidia GeForce 9800M GTS is a graphics adapter for laptops and is based on the G94 core with 64 shader processors. The chip is produced in 65nm (512 MB) and later in 55nm (1024 MB versions). Therefore, the power consumption between both boards are similar at about 75 watts each. Note that the 55nm version of the 9800M GTS was later renamed to the GeForce GTS 160M.

Because of the additional shaders and higher clock speeds, the 9800M GTS is noticeably faster than the 9700M GTS (see benchmarks below). Therefore, DirectX 10 games of 2008 should all be playable in medium to high detail settings.

As with all DirectX 10 cards, the GeForce 9800M GTS renders 3D images using "Unified Shaders". Dedicated pixel- and vertex shaders are completely replaced with 64 so called Stream Processors, which now take over most of the graphics workload. Furthermore, these shader units are clocked higher than the core GPU itself.

An advantage of the GeForce 9000 series is the integrated PureVideo HD video processor. The GPU is able to assist the CPU in the decoding of H.264-, VC-1-, MPEG2- and WMV9 video formats throughout a wide range of resolutions.

In conjunction with the Nvidia 9100M G integrated graphics, the 9800M GTS supports Hybrid-SLI (only HybridPower). HybridPower is a Windows Vista-only technique for switching between integrated and discrete graphics for power-saving purposes. The technology was eventually supplanted by a more automatic and optimized system, called Optimus. GeForceBoost is not supported with this card as there would be no performance gain from combining the discrete 9800M GTS with the integrated GPU.

Compared to desktop graphics cards, the 9800M GTS should be a bit slower than the GeForce 8800 GS, the latter of which has a higher memory clock rate.

NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT

► remove from comparison NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT

The Nvidia GeForce 9800M GT is a graphics adapter for laptops and is based on the  9800M GTX (G92 core), but with only 96 shaders instead of the 112. The 9800M GT is produced in 65 nm and is therefore more similar to the 8800M GTX as both cores have similar shader counts. The chip is intended for relatively large desktop replacement laptops with more powerful cooling. 

Similar to all cards with DirectX 10 capabilities, the GeForce 9800M GT renders 3D images using "Unified Shaders". There no longer exists any dedicated pixel- and vertex shaders. Instead, 96 so-called stream processors handle most of the the graphics work previously done by vertex and pixel shaders. Furthermore, these shader units are clocked higher than the core GPU processor.

The performance of the 9800M GT is similar to the Geforce 8800M GTX (same specs). The GTS 360M with GDDR5 and the 9800M GTS both with higher clock speeds) also perform on the same level as the 9800M GT. Therefore, the performance of the 9800M GT in 2008 and 2009 was sufficient for most games in high details. A detailed performance analysis of the 9800M GT can be found in our 9800M GT review.

An advantage of the GeForce 9000 series is the integrated PureVideo HD video processor. The GPU can assist the CPU in decoding  H.264-, VC-1-, MPEG2- and WMV9 videos.

In conjunction with the Nvidia 9100M G integrated graphics, the 9800M GT supports Hybrid-SLI in the form of HybridPower. HybridPower is a Windows Vista-only technique to switch between the integrated and dedicated graphics core for power-saving purposes. Up to now, the user had to use a tool to switch between the GPUs. Eventually, graphics switching can be done automatically in drivers (now known as Nvidia Optimus). GeForceBoost is not supported with this card as there would be no performance gain from combining the integrated GPU with the 9800M GT.

Compared to desktop graphic cards, the 9800M GT is most similar to the GeForce 8800 GS. The latter, however, still features higher memory clock rates and has a slight edge over the 9800M GT.

NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT SLI

► remove from comparison NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT SLI

The Nvidia GeForce 9800M GT is based on the G92 architecture and is essentially a reduced 9800M GTX chip with only 96 shaders instead of the usual 112 found on GTX chips. Like with the 8800M GTX, the chip is produced in a 65nm fabrication process and even share comparable specs. Since this is an SLI system, the amount of available shaders is doubled due to the use of two 9800M GT cards. Note, however, that the available memory is not doubled because the same content is stored onto each card.

Like all DirectX 10 graphic cards, the GeForce 9800M GT SLI contains "Unified Shader" cores, 2x96 stream processors to be exact. These cores take the place of dedicated pixel and vertex shaders and are even clocked higher than the core GPU itself.

 

Hybrid Power is a Windows Vista only option that allows switching between onboard graphics (with Nvidia chipset) and dedicated graphics cards, in this case the 9800M GT SLI. Therefore, the dedicated graphics card can be disabled at will for power-saving purposes. Future Nvidia cards are expected to allow automatic switching through drivers, now known as Optimus Technology. GeforceBoost does not work with the 9800M GT because the connection with the SLI chipset would not result in any increase in performance.

The performance increase of two 9800M GT cards in SLI mode is between 0% and 40% over a single 9800M GT, depending on the application. For current DirectX 10 games such as Crysis, World in Conflict, Bioshock or Age of Conan, the performance of dual 9800M GT cards should be sufficient for smooth play at high levels of detail.

The phenomenon known as micro stuttering can occur in all SLI systems, including this 9800M GT SLI setup. The user may experience stutterings despite average frame rates of around 30fps. See here for more information on micro stuttering.

A hardware feature of the GeForce 9000 series is the integrated PureVideo HD video decoder. This allows the GPU to aid the CPU in decoding H.264-, VC-1-, MPEG2- or WMV9 video files.

The high current consumption of up to 130 Watt (when including both the VRAM and MXM board) means that the 9800M GT SLI is reserved for large and heavy laptops with sufficient cooling only. Therefore, the 9800M SLI series can only be found in big and heavy laptops.

NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTSNVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTNVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT SLI
GeForce 9800M Series
GeForce 9800M GT SLI 192 @ 0.5 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GTS SLI 128 @ 0.6 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GTX 112 @ 0.5 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GT 96 @ 0.5 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GTS 64 @ 0.6 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GS 64 @ 0.53 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GT SLI 192 @ 0.5 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GTS SLI 128 @ 0.6 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GTX 112 @ 0.5 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GT 96 @ 0.5 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GTS 64 @ 0.6 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GS 64 @ 0.53 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GT SLI 192 @ 0.5 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GTS SLI 128 @ 0.6 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GTX 112 @ 0.5 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GT 96 @ 0.5 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GTS 64 @ 0.6 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
GeForce 9800M GS 64 @ 0.53 GHz256 Bit @ 800 MHz
CodenameNB9E-GTNB9E-GT2NB9E-GT2
ArchitectureG9xG9xG9x
Pipelines64 - unified96 - unified192 - unified
Core Speed600 MHz500 MHz500 MHz
Shader Speed1500 MHz1250 MHz1250 MHz
Memory Speed800 MHz800 MHz800 MHz
Memory Bus Width256 Bit256 Bit256 Bit
Memory TypeGDDR3GDDR3GDDR3
Max. Amount of Memory1024 MB512 MB512 MB
Shared Memorynonono
APIDirectX 10, Shader 4.0DirectX 10, Shader 4.0DirectX 10, Shader 4.0
Power Consumption75 Watt65 Watt130 Watt
Transistors504 Million754 Million1.5 Billion
technology65 nm65 nm65 nm
FeaturesPureVideo HD, HybridPower, PureVideo HD, CUDA, PhysX-ready, Hybrid-SLI (HybridPower)

PureVideo HD, CUDA, PhysX-ready, SLI

Notebook Sizelargelargelarge
Date of Announcement15.07.2008 15.07.2008 15.07.2008
InformationMXM 3MXM 32xMXM 3
Link to Manufacturer Pagewww.nvidia.comwww.nvidia.comwww.nvidia.com

Benchmarks

3DMark Vantage
3DM Vant. Perf. total + NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. total
4060 Points (1%)
3DM Vant. Perf. total + NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT
4011 Points (1%)
3DM Vant. Perf. total + NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT SLI
min: 6120     avg: 6271     median: 6271 (2%)     max: 6422 Points
3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX + NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX
3700 Points (2%)
3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX + NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT
3725 Points (2%)
3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX + NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT SLI
7591 Points (4%)
3DMark 2001SE - 3DMark 2001 - Standard
36940 Points (38%)
min: 34871     avg: 35285     median: 35284.5 (37%)     max: 35698 Points
3DMark 03 - 3DMark 03 - Standard
min: 29179     avg: 29830     median: 29829.5 (16%)     max: 30480 Points
min: 30129     avg: 30224     median: 30223.5 (16%)     max: 30318 Points
3DMark 05 - 3DMark 05 - Standard
16430 Points (18%)
min: 14713     avg: 14869     median: 14869 (16%)     max: 15025 Points
3DMark 06 3DMark 06 - Score Unknown Settings + NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS
3DMark 06
9636 Points (13%)
3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x1024 + NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS
3DMark 06
min: 9320     avg: 9502     median: 9501.5 (13%)     max: 9683 Points
3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x1024 + NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT
min: 9228     avg: 9416     median: 9258 (12%)     max: 9762 Points
3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x1024 + NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT SLI
min: 14000     avg: 14400     median: 14400 (19%)     max: 14800 Points
3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x800 + NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS
3DMark 06
9700 Points (13%)
Cinebench R10 Cinebench R10 Shading (32bit) + NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Shading (32bit)
min: 4460     avg: 4527     median: 4526.5 (3%)     max: 4593 Points

Average Benchmarks NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS → 100% n=3

Average Benchmarks NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT → 99% n=3

Average Benchmarks NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT SLI → 170% n=3

- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation

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

Crysis - GPU Benchmark

Crysis - GPU Benchmark

2007
low 1024x768
100%
GeForce 9800M GTS:
92  fps
90%
GeForce 9800M GT:
67.3 98.4 ~ 83 fps
med. 1024x768
100%
GeForce 9800M GTS:
52  fps
102%
GeForce 9800M GT:
49.8 55.6 ~ 53 fps
high 1024x768
100%
GeForce 9800M GTS:
33  fps
103%
GeForce 9800M GT:
33.1 35.5 ~ 34 fps
155%
GeForce 9800M GT SLI:
51  fps
Crysis - CPU Benchmark

Crysis - CPU Benchmark

2007
low 1024x768
GeForce 9800M GT:
75.3 115.9 ~ 96 fps
med. 1024x768
GeForce 9800M GT:
46.1 52.2 ~ 49 fps
high 1024x768
GeForce 9800M GT:
30.9 33.1 ~ 32 fps
World in Conflict - Benchmark

World in Conflict - Benchmark

2007
med. 1024x768
GeForce 9800M GT:
66  fps
high 1024x768
GeForce 9800M GT:
37  fps
F.E.A.R.

F.E.A.R.

2005
low 640x480
GeForce 9800M GT:
551 558 ~ 555 fps
med. 800x600
GeForce 9800M GT:
273 274 ~ 274 fps
high 1024x768
GeForce 9800M GT:
117 118 ~ 118 fps
Doom 3

Doom 3

2004
low 640x480
GeForce 9800M GT:
150.9  fps
med. 640x480
GeForce 9800M GT:
146.2  fps
high 800x600
GeForce 9800M GT:
144.9  fps
ultra 1024x768
GeForce 9800M GT:
141.1  fps
Quake 3 Arena - Timedemo

Quake 3 Arena - Timedemo

1999
high 1024x768
GeForce 9800M GT:
624  fps

Average Gaming NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS → 100%

Average Gaming 30-70 fps → 100%

Average Gaming NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT → 98%

Average Gaming 30-70 fps → 102%

Average Gaming NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT SLI → 155%

Average Gaming 30-70 fps → 155%

NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTSlowmed.highultraQHD4K
Crysis - GPU Benchmark925233
< 30 fps
< 60 fps
< 120 fps
≥ 120 fps


1

1


1










NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTlowmed.highultraQHD4K
Crysis - GPU Benchmark835334
Crysis - CPU Benchmark964932
World in Conflict - Benchmark6637
F.E.A.R.555274118
Doom 3150.9146.2144.9141.1
Quake 3 Arena - Timedemo624
< 30 fps
< 60 fps
< 120 fps
≥ 120 fps


2
2

2
1
2

3
1
2



1






NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GT SLIlowmed.highultraQHD4K
Crysis - GPU Benchmark51
< 30 fps
< 60 fps
< 120 fps
≥ 120 fps







1










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

v1.26
log 28. 17:57:33

#0 checking url part for id 774 +0s ... 0s

#1 checking url part for id 773 +0s ... 0s

#2 checking url part for id 886 +0s ... 0s

#3 not redirecting to Ajax server +0s ... 0s

#4 did not recreate cache, as it is less than 5 days old! Created at Thu, 28 Mar 2024 05:37:00 +0100 +0.001s ... 0.001s

#5 composed specs +0.153s ... 0.155s

#6 did output specs +0s ... 0.155s

#7 start showIntegratedCPUs +0s ... 0.155s

#8 getting avg benchmarks for device 774 +0.035s ... 0.19s

#9 got single benchmarks 774 +0.018s ... 0.207s

#10 getting avg benchmarks for device 773 +0.002s ... 0.209s

#11 got single benchmarks 773 +0.011s ... 0.22s

#12 getting avg benchmarks for device 886 +0.002s ... 0.222s

#13 got single benchmarks 886 +0.008s ... 0.23s

#14 got avg benchmarks for devices +0s ... 0.23s

#15 min, max, avg, median took s +0.203s ... 0.433s

#16 before gaming benchmark output +0s ... 0.433s

#17 Got 29 rows for game benchmarks. +0.003s ... 0.436s

#18 composed SQL query for gamebenchmarks +0s ... 0.436s

#19 got data and put it in $dataArray +0.003s ... 0.439s

#20 benchmarks composed for output. +0.015s ... 0.453s

#21 calculated avg scores. +0s ... 0.453s

#22 return log +0.002s ... 0.455s

Please share our article, every link counts!
> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Benchmarks / Tech > Graphics Card Comparison - Head 2 Head
Redaktion, 2017-09- 8 (Update: 2023-07- 1)