Verdict: NVIDIA unveils its new laptop
Nvidia has successfully followed new desktop GPUs with quick updates for laptops, so as surely as a querulous stomach follows the mince pie megatest, there's now a mobile version of the GeForce 7950 GT for laptops. The GeForce Go 7950 GTX has the same architecture as that of its predecessor, the GeForce Go 7900 GTX, but the core is clocked 75MHz faster, at 575MHz. The 512MB of memory is quicker too, running at 700MHz (1.4GHz effective) rather than 600MHz (1.2GHz effective).
As well as the graphics card update, our Evesham Voyager C720DC Plus review model is equipped with a 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 - the fastest mobile Core 2 chip.
The Voyager is kitted out with a 17in 1,680 x 1,050 widescreen panel and, with its highly reflective Sony X-black-style coating, it provides deep colours and sharp contrast. While Evesham also gives you the option of a higher-resolution 1,920 x 1,200 screen, 1,680 x 1,050 is by far the better choice for gaming, as it will allow the GeForce Go 7950 GTX to run new games comfortably for some time without having to drop the resolution to below the panel's native setting.
Both Rock and Evesham use the same wedge-shaped chassis for their high-end laptops, so the Voyager looks identical to Rock's Xtreme CTX PRO. While this chassis could be quieter, it's reasonably good-looking and, at under 4kg, relatively lightweight for a 17in laptop.
Like Rock's CTX PRO, the Voyager has 1GB of PC2-5300 RAM and a 7,200rpm 100GB hard disk, as well as a DVD writer, and a motherboard based around the Intel 945PM chipset. The only real difference between the two laptops in terms of hardware spec is the Voyager's quicker GPU.
As such, we anticipated that the Voyager's performance in our Media Benchmarks would be identical to that of the CTX PRO, but this wasn't the case. With a good score of 1.36 in our Paint Shop Pro test, the Voyager was faster then the CTX PRO, which scored 1.27. However, in DVD encoding, the Voyager scored 1.33, compared to the 1.40 of the CTX PRO. Confusingly, though, the Voyager again proved to be quicker in our multitasking test, with a score of 1.62 compared to the 1.57 of the CTX PRO. Overall, the Voyager was slightly quicker than the CTX PRO, with a score of 1.44 compared to the latter's 1.41.
We're not sure what was responsible for these discrepancies, although the newer drivers of the Voyager, and possible differences in the type of RAM used, are candidates for blame. Still, our real interest was the Voyager's GPU, and there were no unpleasant surprises there. At the native resolution of the screen, with 2x AA and 8x AF, F.E.A.R. ran at an average of 59fps - 4fps quicker than the CTX PRO with its GeForce Go 7900 GTX. The minimum frame rate was also 3fps quicker. In Need for Speed: Most Wanted, the difference was more telling, with the Voyager, on average, 7fps quicker than the CTX PRO.
CONCLUSION
The GeForce Go 7950 GTX is a small step forward from the GeForce Go 7900 GTX, providing a small but discernible improvement in frame rates, and helping gaming laptops keep pace with the increasing graphical demands of games.
At £1,749, the Voyager is a powerful package that outperforms the Elite-listed CTX PRO. Obviously, Rock has also updated its CTX range with the GeForce Go 7950 GTX, and it costs, you've guessed it, £1,749. Check for the best price when you order, as the two laptops are essentially the same. Also, Evesham's website currently insists that you buy a 1,920 x 1,200 screen if you want a GeForce Go 7950 GTX, and we think this is an ill-advised combination.
