Notebookcheck Logo

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX SLI

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670MX SLI is a high-end DirectX 11-compatible graphics card for laptops, consisting of two GeForce GTX 670MX. Each card has a 28nm GK104 core based on the Kepler architecture. With SLI, each card usually renders a single frame (AFR mode). Therefore, it may suffer from micro stuttering in low fps ranges of 30fps. This happens because of different timespans between two frames (e.g., irregular delays between sequential frames).

Architecture

The Kepler architecture is the successor to the Fermi architecture that first appeared in laptops with the GeForce 400M series. The GK106 Kepler core offers five shader blocks, called SMX, that are clocked at the same speed as the central core. In the GTX 670MX, all 5 blocks are active leading to the 960 CUDA cores. Although more shader cores are available in the Kepler architecture as compared to the Fermi design, the Kepler shaders are still expected to be up to twice as power efficient. However, due to the missing hot clock of the shader domain, two shaders of a Kepler chip are of similar speed to one shader of a Fermi chip (as the latter is clocked twice as fast). PCIe 3.0 is now supported by the mobile Kepler series and an optional Turbo mode can automatically overclock the Nvidia card by a theoretical 15 percent if the laptop cooling system allows it. The implementation of this boost mode is done in the BIOS, but it is ultimately dependent upon the manufacturer of the laptop.

Performance

The graphics performance of the GeForce GTX 670MX SLI depends on the driver support of the benchmark / game. Ideally it can be up to twice as fast as a single GTX 670MX, ranking it as one of the fastest mobile graphics solution for laptops in 2012. The performance should be on average similar to a single GTX 680M, but with the problems of micro stuttering (see above) and a higher power consumption. The GPUs have enough power to run games of 2012 fluently with Full HD resolution, maxed out graphical settings and antialiasing. Even extremely demanding titles like Metro 2033, Alan Wake or Risen 2 are playable at the highest detail settings.

Features

The improved feature set now includes support for up to 4 active displays. Furthermore, high resolution monitors of up to 3840x2160 pixels can now be connected using DisplayPort 1.2 or HDMI 1.4a if available. HD-Audio codecs, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, can be transmitted via bitstream mode through the HDMI port. However, as most laptops will feature Optimus, the integrated GPU will likely have direct control over the display ports and may limit the feature set available by the Nvidia Kepler cards.

The 5th generation PureVideo HD video processor (VP5) is also integrated in the GK104 core and offers hardware decoding of HD videos. Common codecs such as MPEG-1/2, MPEG-4 ASP, H.264 and VC1/WMV9 are fully supported up to 4K resolutions while VC1 and MPEG-4 are supported up to 1080p. Two streams can be decoded in parallel for features such as Picture-in-Picture. Another novelty is the inclusion of a dedicated video encoding engine similar to Intel QuickSync that can be accessed by the NVENC API.

Power Consumption

The power consumption of the GeForce GTX 670MX SLI should double compared to a single GTX 670MX. Therefore, only large desktop replacements can handle the heat.

GeForce GTX 600M Series

GeForce GTX 680M SLI compare 2688 @ 0.72 GHz2x 256 Bit @ 3600 MHz
GeForce GTX 680MX compare 1536 @ 0.72 GHz256 Bit @ 5000 MHz
GeForce GTX 675M SLI compare 768 @ 0.62 GHz256 Bit @ 3000 MHz
GeForce GTX 680M compare 1344 @ 0.72 GHz256 Bit @ 3600 MHz
GeForce GTX 670MX SLI 1920 @ 0.6 GHz2x 192 Bit @ 2800 MHz
GeForce GTX 675MX compare 960 @ 0.6 GHz256 Bit @ 3600 MHz
GeForce GTX 675M compare 384 @ 0.62 GHz256 Bit @ 3000 MHz
GeForce GTX 670MX compare 960 @ 0.6 GHz192 Bit @ 2800 MHz
GeForce GTX 670M compare 336 @ 0.6 GHz192 Bit @ 3000 MHz
GeForce GTX 660M compare 384 @ 0.84 GHz128 Bit @ 4000 MHz
CodenameN13E-GR
ArchitectureKepler
Pipelines1920 - unified
Core Speed600 MHz
Memory Speed2800 MHz
Memory Bus Width2x 192 Bit
Memory TypeGDDR5
Shared Memoryno
APIDirectX 11, Shader 5.1, OpenGL 4.2
Power Consumption150 Watt
Transistor Count5.1 Billion
technology28 nm
FeaturesOptimus, SLI, PhysX, Verde Drivers, CUDA, 3D Vision, 3DTV Play
Notebook Sizelarge
Date of Announcement01.10.2012
Link to Manufacturer Pagehttp://www.geforce.com/hardware/notebook...

Benchmarks

3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance Score
6459 Points (9%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance GPU
7042 Points (6%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   - Hide comparison chart
3DMark Vantage
3DM Vant. Perf. total +
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. total
23526 Points (7%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX +
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX
23936 Points (14%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   - Hide comparison chart
3DMark 03 - 3DMark 03 - Standard
78213 Points (41%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
3DMark 05 - 3DMark 05 - Standard
29851 Points (33%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   - Hide comparison chart
3DMark 06 3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x1024 +
3DMark 06
23606 Points (33%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
Unigine Heaven 3.0 - Unigine Heaven 3.0 DX 11
66.1 fps (22%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
Unigine Heaven 2.1 - Heaven 2.1 high
87.2 fps (16%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   - Hide comparison chart
SPECviewperf 11
specvp11 snx-01 +
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 snx-01
1.7 fps (1%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
specvp11 tcvis-02 +
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 tcvis-02
0.8 fps (0%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
specvp11 sw-02 +
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 sw-02
8.4 fps (6%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
specvp11 proe-05 +
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 proe-05
1.1 fps (1%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
specvp11 maya-03 +
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 maya-03
10.2 fps (8%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
specvp11 lightwave-01 +
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 lightwave-01
14.5 fps (16%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
specvp11 ensight-04 +
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 ensight-04
14.3 fps (7%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
specvp11 catia-03 +
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 catia-03
6.2 fps (3%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
Cinebench R11.5 Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit +
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit
46.7 fps (17%)
+ 1 benchmarks and specifications   + Show comparison chart
- 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.

Far Cry 3

Far Cry 3

2012
low 1024x768
107.7  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
97.7  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
72.1  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
27  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Assassin´s Creed III

Assassin´s Creed III

2012
med. 1366x768
57.7  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
55.7  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
31.2  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Hitman: Absolution

Hitman: Absolution

2012
low 1024x768
67.6  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
62.7  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
53.3  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
24.7  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

2012
low 1024x768
185.9  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
171.7  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
124.4  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
85.7  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted

Need for Speed: Most Wanted

2012
low 1024x768
59.6  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
59.4  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
48.8  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
29  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Medal of Honor: Warfighter

Medal of Honor: Warfighter

2012
low 1024x768
151.3  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
128.9  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
113.2  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
47.2  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Dishonored

Dishonored

2012
low 1024x768
129  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
129.3  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
129.4  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
126.6  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
World of Tanks v8

World of Tanks v8

2012
low 1024x768
113.7  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
43.8  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
51.9  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
33  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Fifa 13

Fifa 13

2012
low 1024x768
361.2  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
331.6  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
315.4  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
207.2  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
F1 2012

F1 2012

2012
low 1024x768
124  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
102  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
98  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
79  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Borderlands 2

Borderlands 2

2012
low 1024x768
117.8  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
112.6  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
104.2  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
78.9  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars 2

2012
low 1024x768
85.4  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
45.8  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
35.2  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Counter-Strike: GO

Counter-Strike: GO

2012
low 1024x768
232.7  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
220.8  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
208.2  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
168  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Darksiders II

Darksiders II

2012
med. 1366x768
192.1  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
113  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs

2012
low 1024x768
140.7  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
102.9  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
84.6  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
26.7  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Max Payne 3

Max Payne 3

2012
low 1024x768
76.5  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
77.7  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
60.4  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
47.7  fps    + Compare