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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M

The NVidia GeForce GTX 280M is a high-end graphics card as part of the 200M series and is based on the G92b core (Desktop GeForce 9800 GTX+). Therefore, it is actually more related to the GeForce 9800 GTX+, both performance-wise and architecturally, than to the GTX 280. The chip is produced in 55nm with all 128 pipelines enabled, as opposed to the GT 9800M with only 112 pipelines produced in a 65nm process.

Hybrid Power makes an appearance on the GTX 280M as well, but with much improved performance. Switch times on the graphics card now completes in just a fraction of a second, compared to a full 7 seconds on the 9800M GTX,

As with all DirectX 10 graphics cards, the GeForce GTX 280M renders 3D images using "Unified Shaders". Dedicated pixel and vertex shaders of yesteryear are gone in favor of 128 stream processors running at 1250MHz on the GTX 280M.  The stream processors handle all of the workload that would have otherwise been processed by pixel or vertex shaders. VRAM can be up to 1024 MB GDDR3 clocked at either 800MHz (on MXM2 boards) or 950MHz (on MXM3 boards).

Due to the full 128 shader cores, the GTX 280M is about 10-25% faster than the older 9800M GTX and slightly faster than the 260M. Compared to the performance of the Mobility Radeon HD 4870, the GTX 280M is about equal in synthetic benchmarks, if not slightly lower. The Nvidia card, however, has proven to be slightly faster in games, so the GTX 280M can therefore be rated more highly in terms of real-life performance. Specifically, games with PhysX support (e.g., Mirrors Edge) can have significant performance advantages if PhysX effects are enabled. 

Another feature of the GeForce GTX 280M is the integrated PureVideo HD video processor. The card is able to assist the CPU in decoding of H.264-, VC-1-, MPEG2- and WMV9 video material.

HybridPower is a Windows Vista-only technique used to switch between the integrated (only with Nvidia chipset) and dedicated graphics cores for power-saving purposes. Eventually, Nvidia will have its future chips switch automatically between dedicated or integrated through drivers (now known as Optimus Technology). GeForceBoost is not supported with this card, as there would be no performance gain from combining the integrated GPU with the discrete video card.

A high power consumption of up to 75 Watts (including the VRAM and MXM board) means that only large notebooks with powerful (and possibly loud) cooling systems can run the GTX 280M.

The newer GTX 285M is based on the same core as the GTX 280M, but with only slightly altered clock rates. As a result, the performance of the GeForce GTX285M is very similar to the GTX 280M.

Compared with Desktop graphic cards, the performance can be considered somewhere in between the 9800 GT and the 9800 GTX, the latter of which has considerably higher clock rates at 675/1675/1100MHz.

GeForce GTX 200M Series

GeForce GTX 285M SLI compare 256 @ 0.58 GHz256 Bit @ 1020 MHz
GeForce GTX 280M SLI compare 256 @ 0.59 GHz256 Bit @ 950 MHz
GeForce GTX 260M SLI compare 224 @ 0.55 GHz256 Bit @ 950 MHz
GeForce GTX 285M compare 128 @ 0.58 GHz256 Bit @ 1020 MHz
GeForce GTX 280M 128 @ 0.59 GHz256 Bit @ 950 MHz
GeForce GTX 260M compare 112 @ 0.55 GHz256 Bit @ 950 MHz
CodenameN10E-GTX
ArchitectureG9x
Pipelines128 - unified
Core Speed585 MHz
Shader Speed1463 MHz
Memory Speed950 MHz
Memory Bus Width256 Bit
Memory TypeGDDR3
Max. Amount of Memory1024 MB
Shared Memoryno
APIDirectX 10, Shader 4.0
Transistor Count754 Million
technology55 nm
FeaturesHybridPower, PureVideo HD, CUDA, PhysX ready
Notebook Sizelarge
Date of Announcement02.03.2009
InformationMXM 3
Link to Manufacturer Pagewww.nvidia.com

Benchmarks

3DMark Vantage
3DM Vant. Perf. total +
3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX +
3DMark 05 - 3DMark 05 - Standard
min: 16800     avg: 18414     median: 18669 (20%)     max: 20713 Points
3DMark 06 3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x1024 +
3DMark 06
min: 11767     avg: 12569     median: 12551 (17%)     max: 13652 Points
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
100  fps    + Compare
ultra 1280x1024
40 51.5 52.7 ~ 48 fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
F.E.A.R. 2

F.E.A.R. 2

2009
high 1280x1024
82.5 86.1 91 ~ 87 fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
GTA IV - Grand Theft Auto

GTA IV - Grand Theft Auto

2008
low 800x600
48 55.7 63.9 65.3 ~ 58 fps    + Compare
med. 1024x768
47 53.9 55.7 56.3 ~ 53 fps    + Compare
high 1280x1024
33 38.4 39.3 41.5 ~ 38 fps    + Compare
» With most tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead

2008
high 1024x768
104 121.2 131.5 ~ 119 fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Far Cry 2

Far Cry 2

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

Crysis Warhead

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

Racedriver: GRID

2008
high 1280x1024
72.8  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare

Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare

2007
high 1280x1024
75 78.8 117.5 ~ 90 fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Supreme Commander - FA Bench

Supreme Commander - FA Bench

2007
med. 1024x768
54.6 54.9 56 ~ 55 fps    + Compare
high 1024x768
45 45.9 46.1 47.3 ~ 46 fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Crysis - GPU Benchmark

Crysis - GPU Benchmark

2007
low 1024x768
106 115.4 128.6 138.9 ~ 122 fps    + Compare
med. 1024x768
60.9 65.9 66 67 ~ 65 fps    + Compare
high 1024x768
43.1 44 45 45.1 48.6 ~ 45 fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Crysis - CPU Benchmark

Crysis - CPU Benchmark

2007
low 1024x768
95.2 102.1 117.1 ~ 105 fps    + Compare
med. 1024x768
61.2 66.2 72.4 ~ 67 fps    + Compare
high 1024x768
41.2 43.8 47.3 49.5 ~ 45 fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
World in Conflict - Benchmark

World in Conflict - Benchmark

2007
med. 1024x768
77  fps    + Compare
high 1024x768
46  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Call of Juarez Benchmark

Call of Juarez Benchmark

2006
high 1024x768
29.3 33 33.1 ~ 32 fps    + Compare
» The benchmarks indicate that the game is not playable in the tested settings.
Half Life 2 - Lost Coast Benchmark

Half Life 2 - Lost Coast Benchmark

2005
high 1024x768
144  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Counter-Strike Source

Counter-Strike Source

2004
high 1024x768
265  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Doom 3

Doom 3

2004
low 640x480
161  fps    + Compare
ultra 1024x768
160  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Quake 3 Arena - Timedemo

Quake 3 Arena - Timedemo

1999
high 1024x768
695  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
lowmed.highultraQHD4K
Anno 140410048
F.E.A.R. 287
GTA IV - Grand Theft Auto585338
Left 4 Dead119
Far Cry 29862
Crysis Warhead7617
Racedriver: GRID72.8
Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare90
Supreme Commander - FA Bench5546
Crysis - GPU Benchmark1226545
Crysis - CPU Benchmark1056745
World in Conflict - Benchmark7746
Call of Juarez Benchmark32
Half Life 2 - Lost Coast Benchmark144
Counter-Strike Source265
Doom 3161160
Quake 3 Arena - Timedemo695
< 30 fps
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≥ 120 fps

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Notebook reviews with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M graphics card

 

Review Deviltech Devil 9700 DTX (W860CU) Notebook

The Gaming Devil? Deviltech probably has the fastest 15.6 inch gaming notebook in the world in its range with the Devil 9700 DTX. Intel's Core i7-820QM and Nvid...
Intel Core i7-820QM | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M | 15.60" | 3.5 kg
 

Review mySN XMG7.c Notebook

The power of Core i7. The mySN XMG7.c, based on Clevo's W870CU barebone, doesn't only represent a notebook of the upper class in view of price. Thanks to the br...
Intel Core i7-720QM | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M | 17.30" | 4 kg
 

Review Intel Core i7 Processors in Notebooks

The need for speed. Up till now desktop processors often preceded their equivalents in the notebook sector. Although the field of mobile-computing is still grow...
Intel Core i7-920 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M | 17.00" | 4.5 kg
 

Review Intel Core i7 Processors in Notebooks

The need for speed. Up till now desktop processors often preceded their equivalents in the notebook sector. Although the field of mobile-computing is still grow...
Intel Core i7-950 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M | 17.00" | 4.5 kg
 

Review Intel Core i7 Processors in Notebooks

The need for speed. Up till now desktop processors often preceded their equivalents in the notebook sector. Although the field of mobile-computing is still grow...
Intel Core i7-975 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M | 17.00" | 4.5 kg

Clevo M980NU: Intel Core 2 Extreme X9100, 18.40", 5.4 kg
  Review » Hands-On Clevo M980NU Notebook

AVADirect D900F: Intel Core i7-920, 17.00", 5.6 kg
  External Review » AVADirect D900F

Eurocom M980NU: Intel Core 2 Duo T9900, 18.40", 5.9 kg
  External Review » Eurocom M98NU

Sager NP9280: Intel Core i7-720QM, 17.00", 5.2 kg
  External Review » Sager NP9280

Kobalt G860: Intel Core i7-720QM, 15.60", 3.4 kg
  External Review » Kobalt G860

Novatech X70 CA Pro: Intel Core i7-720QM, 15.60", 3.3 kg
  External Review » Novatech X70 CA Pro

Origin PC EON18: Intel Core 2 Duo P8700, 18.40", 5.6 kg
  External Review » Origin PC EON18

Deviltech Devil 9700 DTX: Intel Core i7-820QM, 15.60", 3.5 kg
  External Review » Deviltech Devil 9700 DTX

Deviltech Fragbook DTX: Intel Core i7-720QM, 17.30", 4 kg
  External Review » Deviltech Fragbook DTX

Rock Xtreme X790-I7-920: Intel Core i7-920, 17.00", 5.4 kg
  External Review » Rock Xtreme X790-I7-920

Sager NP5797: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9300, 17.00", 3.8 kg
  External Review » Sager NP5797

Eurocom D900F Panther: Intel Core i7-920, 17.00", 5.4 kg
  External Review » Eurocom D900F Panther

Novatech X1 PRO: Intel Core 2 Duo T9900, 18.40", 5.6 kg
  External Review » Novatech X1 PRO

Ibuypower Battalion 101 M571TU: Intel Core 2 Duo T9600, 17.00", 3.7 kg
  External Review » Ibuypower Battalion 101 M571TU

Falcon Northwest Fragbook DRX: Intel Core i7-920, 17.00", 5.5 kg
  External Review » Falcon Northwest Fragbook DRX

AVADirect Clevo D900F Core i7: Intel Core i7-920, 17.00", 5.5 kg
  External Review » AVADirect Clevo D900F Core i7

Kobalt Mojave: Intel Core 2 Duo P8400, 17.00", 4 kg
  External Review » Kobalt Computers Mojave

Clevo M980NU: Intel Core 2 Extreme X9100, 18.40", 5.4 kg
  External Review » Clevo M980NU

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» Comparison of GPUs
Detailed list of all laptop GPUs sorted by class and performance.

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» Notebook Gaming List
Playable games for each graphics card and their average FPS results.

Class 0

Arc A380

Class 1

Class 2

Radeon PRO W6600M *

Class 3

UHD Graphics 32EUs
UHD Graphics 750

Class 4

Class 5

* Approximate position of the graphics adapter