nVidia GT 120 vs. ATI 4850

If you don't play games, then you probably won't need the 4850.

I have been wondering the same thing as the original poster as well. How to quantify if the ATI 4850 is worth $200 if you do not play games? I have read that Snow Leopard will take advantage of the GPU processor to offload from the CPU, but know one really knows just how much of an impact that will have. Certainly if I go with the ATI 4850 I will not worry that I did not get the best card, but money may be better spent towards a HD Video Camera. Problem with the iMac is the decision you make now is the one you are stuck with since the GPU cannot be upgraded...

Any advice on the performance difference for non gaming would be appreciated!

If you are not a gamer, then it is unlikely that you will be able to tell the difference between the latest Radeon and an S3 ViRGE circa 1996. The desktop will still look the same, whichever card you use. Yes, there are differences under the hood, but these are quite esoteric and you would be better posting on the ATI forums.

No brainer really !!

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4850 scores: 14881
anufacturer ATI
Series Mobility Radeon HD 4000
Codename M98
Pipelines 800 - unified
Core Speed * 500 MHz
Shader Speed * 500 MHz
Memory Speed * 850 MHz
Memory Bus Width 256 Bit
Memory Type GDDR3
Max. Amount of Memory 1024 MB
Shared Memory no
DirectX DirectX 10.1, Shader 4.1
Transistors 956 Million
technology 55 n


NVIDIA GeForce GT 120M = 5431
Manufacturer NVIDIA
Series GeForce GT 100M
Codename NB10P
Pipelines 32 - unified
Core Speed *
Shader Speed *
Memory Speed *
Memory Bus Width 128 Bit
Memory Type GDDR2, GDDR3
Max. Amount of Memory
Shared Memory no
DirectX DirectX 10, Shader 4.0
Transistors 314 Million
technology 55 nm

Where did you get all that info and how would it relate to the nVidia 8800?

Message was edited by: Gordon Grotts

I can only speak for mobile cards Im constructing a site with all modern card details. Here is the imac: score 13423 - 14952

Manufacturer NVIDIA
Series GeForce 8000M
Codename NB8E
Pipelines 96 - unified
Core Speed * 500 MHz
Shader Speed * 1250 MHz
Memory Speed * 800 MHz
Memory Bus Width 256 Bit
Memory Type GDDR3
Max. Amount of Memory 512 MB
Shared Memory no
DirectX DirectX 10, Shader 4.0
Current Consumption 65 Watt
Transistors 754 Million
technology 65 nm
Features 1250 MHz Shader clock, PureVideo technologie (H.264, VC-1, MPEG2, WMV9 decoding acceleration), HDCP-capable, PowerMizer 7.0 energy administration (dynamic switching between performance and current consumption), HDR (High Dynamic-Range Lighting), designed for Windows Vista, Dual-Link DVI-D exits for TFT
resolutions of up to 2560x1600, PCI-E 16x, OpenGL 2.1, Gigathread technology