NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M SLI vs NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M

NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M is a DirectX 11 graphics card of the middle class. It is based on the Kepler architecture and manufactured by TSMC in a 28-nanometer process. In addition to an older version with the GK107 chip (384 shader, 128 bit memory), there also exist models with the new GK208 (384 shader, 64 bit memory). Both versions use DDR3 memory.

Architecture

Both GK107 and GK208 are based on the Kepler architecture and offer two shader blocks, called SMX, each with 192 shaders for a total of 384 shader cores. The shaders are clocked at the same speed as the rest of the chip. Although more shader cores are available in the Kepler architecture as compared to the Fermi design, the Kepler shaders are much more efficient. However, due to the missing hot clock of the shader domain, two shaders of a Kepler chip are as fast as one shader of a Fermi chip even though Fermi shaders are clocked at twice the speed.

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. This feature is available on any notebook with a graphics card of the 700M series.

Performance

The gaming performance of the GK107 version is on the same level or slightly above an average GT 645M, or about 10 - 15 percent below the GT 650M. Therefore, demanding games (as of 2013) like Battlefield 3, Bioshock Infinite, or Tomb Raider are playable in 1366x768 resolution and medium settings. Less demanding games like Diablo III can be played fluently with maxed out settings at full HD resolution settings. The GK208 version, however, performs significantly worse and is sometimes even below the GT 640M. Still, the performance depends on the core clock and the GPU Boost 2.0. Detailed benchmarks can be found further down on this page.

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 GK107 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 via the NVENCI API.

The power consumption of the GeForce GT 730M should be similar to the GT 640M or possibly slightly less. As a result, the Nvidia GPU is best suited for multimedia notebooks 14-inches in size or greater.

NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M SLI

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M SLI is a high-end DirectX 11-compatible graphics solution for laptops, consisting of two GeForce GT 750M. Each card has a 28nm GK107 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 GK107 Kepler core offers two shader blocks, called SMX, each with 192 shaders for a total of 384 shader cores that are clocked at the same speed as the processor core. Although more shader cores are available in the Kepler architecture as compared to the Fermi design, the Kepler shaders are expected to be up to two times more power efficient. However, due to the missing hot clock of the shader domain, two shaders of a Kepler chip are as fast as one shader of a Fermi chip, even though Fermi shaders are clocked at twice the speed.

PCIe 3.0 is now supported by the mobile Kepler series and GPU Boost 2.0 can automatically overclock the card if the laptop cooling system allows it. This feature is available on any notebook with a graphics card of the 700M series.

Performance

Equipped with fast GDDR5 memory, the GT 750M SLI performs similar to a single GeForce GTX 675MX or GeForce GTX 770M.  Depending on the game, there can be big differences here, depending on how well SLI scales in a particular case. Overall, most current games (as of 2013) can be played fluently in 1080p and (very) high settings.

Features

The feature set 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.

The 5th generation PureVideo HD video processor (VP5) (also integrated in the GK107 core) 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 feature is the inclusion of a dedicated video encoding engine similar to Intel QuickSync that can be accessed via the NVENCI API.

Power Consumption

The power consumption of the GeForce GT 750M SLI doubles compared to a single 750M, reaching about 70 - 80 W. As a result, the Nvidia GPU is only suited for larg gaming notebooks.

NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M

The NVIDIA GeForce GT 745M is a DirectX 11 graphics card of the middle class. It is based on the Kepler architecture and manufactured by TSMC in a 28-nanometer process. The GK107 chip (384 shaders) is clocked at up to 837 MHz plus boost and has a 128 bit memory interface (usually DDR3, but GDDR5 also possible).

Architecture

The GK107 Kepler core offers two shader blocks, called SMX, each with 192 shaders for a total of 384 shader cores that are clocked at the same speed as the processor core. Although more shader cores are available in the Kepler architecture as compared to the Fermi design, the Kepler shaders are expected to be up to two times more power efficient. However, due to the missing hot clock of the shader domain, two shaders of a Kepler chip are as fast as one shader of a Fermi chip, even though Fermi shaders are clocked at twice the speed.

PCIe 3.0 is now supported by the mobile Kepler series and GPU Boost 2.0 can automatically overclock the card if the laptop cooling system allows it. This feature is available on any notebook with a graphics card of the 700M series.

Performance

Depending on clock speed and memory configuration, the GT 745M performs just below the GT 650M or GTX 660M. Models with GDDR5 memory are usually slightly faster than models with DDR3. Current games (as of 2013) can be played fluently in medium to high settings. In older titles, there are also reserves for additional quality features like AA and AF.

Features

The feature set 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) (also integrated in the GK107 core) 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 feature is the inclusion of a dedicated video encoding engine similar to Intel QuickSync that can be accessed via the NVENCI API.

Power Consumption

The power consumption of the GeForce GT 745M should be similar to the GT 645M (about 25 - 30 watts). As a result, the Nvidia GPU is best suited for multimedia notebooks 14-inches in size or greater.