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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M SLI

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M SLI

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M SLI is a graphics solution that combines two Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M cards in an SLI setup. As not every game supports SLI efficiently, the performance increase compared to a single card is only about 0-40%. The most frequently used technique is Alternate Frame Rendering (AFR), where one card renders every odd frame while the second card renders every even frame. Due to the SLI setup, users may experience micro stuttering due to the irregular delays between sequential frames.

Each of the two GeForce GTX 280M is based on the G92b core and is produced in 55nm. It features the full 128 pipelines of the G92b and is therefore more comparable to the desktop 9800M GTX+ than the desktop GTX 280.

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M SLI is bundled with the GeForce 9400M G chipset (for laptops based on the Core 2 Duo) and therefore supports HybridPower if supported by the manufacturer. With HybridPower, both GTX cards can be disabled and only the chipset graphics core can run, leading to longer battery life (and possibly less fan noise). Modern Core i7 laptops use an Intel chipset and do not support HybridPower.

Since there are two GTX 280 cards active in SLI, the electric current consumption and exhumed heat are about twice as much as what a single GTX 280M can produce. Due to the large power and cooling requirements, this SLI combination is usually reserved for large desktop replacement (DTR) laptops (like the Alienware M17x).

ManufacturerNVIDIA
GeForce GTX 200M Series
GeForce GTX 285M SLI compare 256 @ 576 MHz256 Bit @ 1020 MHz
GeForce GTX 280M SLI 256 @ 585 MHz256 Bit @ 950 MHz
GeForce GTX 260M SLI compare 224 @ 550 MHz256 Bit @ 950 MHz
GeForce GTX 285M compare 128 @ 576 MHz256 Bit @ 1020 MHz
GeForce GTX 280M compare 128 @ 585 MHz256 Bit @ 950 MHz
GeForce GTX 260M compare 112 @ 550 MHz256 Bit @ 950 MHz
CodenameN10E-GTX
ArchitectureG9x
Pipelines256 - unified
Core Speed585 MHz
Shader Speed1463 MHz
Memory Speed950 MHz
Memory Bus Width256 Bit
Memory TypeGDDR3
Max. Amount of Memory2048 MB
Shared Memoryno
DirectXDirectX 10, Shader 4.0
Transistor Count1508 Million
technology55 nm
FeaturesHybridPower, PureVideo HD, CUDA, PhysX ready
Notebook Sizelarge
Date of Announcement02.03.2009
InformationMXM 3
Link to Manufacturer Pagehttp://www.nvidia.com/object/product_gef...

Benchmarks

3DMark Vantage
3DM Vant. Perf. total +
3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX +
3DMark 2001SE - 3DMark 2001 - Standard
min: 37453     avg: 38453     median: 38453 (40%)     max: 39453 Points
+ 2 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark 03 - 3DMark 03 - Standard
min: 57010     avg: 57553     median: 57552.5 (30%)     max: 58095 Points
+ 2 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark 05 - 3DMark 05 - Standard
min: 19180     avg: 19268     median: 19267.5 (36%)     max: 19355 Points
+ 2 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark 06 3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x1024 +
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - 3dsmax
10.2 points (21%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - Catia
12.3 points (26%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - EnSight
15.5 points (33%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - Maya
20.9 points (11%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - Pro/Engeneer
10 points (20%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SolidWorks
11 points (16%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - UGS Teamcenter
3.4 points (9%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - SPEC Viewperf 10.0 - UGS NX
5 points (10%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
Windows Vista Experience Index - Windows Vista Leistungsindex - Grafik (Spiele)
5.9 Points (87%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
Windows Vista Experience Index - Windows Vista Leistungsindex - Grafik
5.9 Points (87%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
Cinebench R10 Cinebench R10 Shading (32bit) +
- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance

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.

Anno 1404

Anno 1404

2009
low 1024x768
105  fps    + Compare
ultra 1280x1024
37.6  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Sims 3

Sims 3

2009
low 800x600
312  fps    + Compare
med. 1024x768
145  fps    + Compare
high 1280x1024
120  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
F.E.A.R. 2

F.E.A.R. 2

2009
low 800x600
180 208.8 ~ 194 fps    + Compare
med. 1024x768
127.5  fps    + Compare
high 1280x1024
116.9 123.1 ~ 120 fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
GTA IV - Grand Theft Auto

GTA IV - Grand Theft Auto

2008
low 800x600
46.1 65.4 ~ 56 fps    + Compare
med. 1024x768
44.6 45.2 ~ 45 fps    + Compare
high 1280x1024
35.5 62.2 ~ 49 fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead

2008
low 640x480
165  fps    + Compare
high 1024x768
104  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Far Cry 2

Far Cry 2

2008
low 640x480
91.6  fps    + Compare
high 1024x768
50.8  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Crysis Warhead

Crysis Warhead

2008
low 800x600
73  fps    + Compare
ultra 1024x768
35  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings low.
Racedriver: GRID

Racedriver: GRID

2008
low 800x600
122 208.8 ~ 165 fps    + Compare
med. 1024x768
81 127.5 ~ 104 fps    + Compare
high 1280x1024
77 116.9 ~ 97 fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare

Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare

2007
low 800x600
237.2  fps    + Compare
med. 1024x768
175.3  fps    + Compare
high 1280x1024
105.9 119 ~ 112 fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Supreme Commander - FA Bench

Supreme Commander - FA Bench

2007
low 1024x768
77.2  fps    + Compare
med. 1024x768
67.2  fps    + Compare
high 1024x768
64.6  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Crysis - GPU Benchmark

Crysis - GPU Benchmark

2007
low 1024x768
102.6 108.5 ~ 106 fps    + Compare
med. 1024x768
64.1  fps    + Compare
high 1024x768
52 53.2 ~ 53 fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Crysis - CPU Benchmark

Crysis - CPU Benchmark

2007
low 1024x768
123.5 124.8 ~ 124 fps    + Compare
med. 1024x768
65.4  fps    + Compare
high 1024x768
41.3 53.2 ~ 47 fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
World in Conflict - Benchmark

World in Conflict - Benchmark

2007
med. 1024x768
47  fps    + Compare
high 1024x768
74  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Half Life 2 - Lost Coast Benchmark

Half Life 2 - Lost Coast Benchmark

2005
high 1024x768
130.8  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft

2005
low 800x600
267  fps    + Compare
high 1280x1024
52  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Doom 3

Doom 3

2004
low 640x480
217.1  fps    + Compare
ultra 1024x768
215.7  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.

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

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v1.15

Notebook reviews with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M SLI graphics card

Alienware M17x: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9300, 17", 5.8 kg
  Review » Review Alienware M17x Gaming Notebook

Cyber System QX18: Intel Core 2 Duo T9900, 18.4", 5.4 kg
  Review » Review Clevo M980NU Notebook

Alienware M17x: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9300, 17", 5.8 kg
  External Review » Alienware M17x

Cyber System QX18: Intel Core 2 Duo T9900, 18.4", 5.4 kg
  External Review » Cyber System QX18

MALIBAL Veda: Intel Core 2 Duo P8700, 18.4", 5.7 kg
  External Review » Malibal Veda

Rock Xtreme 840SLI: Intel Core 2 Extreme X9100, 18.4", 6 kg
  External Review » Rock Xtreme 840SLI

Schenker XMG8: Intel Core 2 Duo T6500, 18.4", 5.6 kg
  External Review » mySN XMG8

» 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.