NVIDIA GeForce Go 6800 Ultra: Gaming On Dell's Inspiron XPS Gen 2
Benchmark Summary: Without having an identically configured notebook, powered by a different GPU, we can't really make any direct comparisons between the GeForce Go 6800 Ultra and a competing product, but we will say this. The GeForce Go 6800 Ultra, as it's configured in the Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2, is the fastest mobile GPU we have tested to date. If you guage its performance against the Mobility Radeon X700, Mobility Radeon 9800, or Mobilty Radeon 9700, you'll see that the GeForce Go 6800 Ultra is currently in a league of its own. However, the Mobility Radeon X800 may, or may not go toe-to-toe with the GeForce Go 6800 Ultra. Time will tell. When we get our hands on one for testing, we'll let you know.
We were impressed by the GeForce Go 6800 Ultra, and with the Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2 in general. As a gaming platform, the combination of a fast Pentium M processor, the Intel Mobile i915 Express chipset, and a high-end GPU like the GeForce Go 6800 Ultra is a force to be reconned with. Notebooks powered by the GeForce Go 6800 Ultra should be able to hang with some of the fastest desktop machines available in gaming scenarios, provided the core and memory are clocked at similar speeds to the unit we tested. With the launch of this GPU, NVIDIA has vaulted the performance of their flagship mobile GPU, to nearly the same level as their best desktop part. And even though the GeForce Go 6800 Ultra has four fewer pixel-pipelines than a desktop GeForce 6800 Ultra (12 vs. 16), the Go's higher core clock speed (450MHz vs. 400MHz) and fast memory make it an excellent performer. For now, the GeForce Go 6800 Ultra will be abailable exclusively in Dell's Inspiron XPS Gen 2, but NVIDIA tells us other notebooks featuring this GPU should arrive in the coming months.
