NVIDIA GeForce4 440 Go

Competition is really only meaningful if the competing product poses a threat. If an unknown company would have attempted to enter the mobile market by releasing a chip that was easily dominated by an existing chip, the dominating company would only continue to rule the market. This is not the case however. NVIDIA is not an unknown company and the GeForce4 440 Go is certainly not a low performing chip.

There is no question that the GeForce4 Go series release has left ATI a bit unsettled. Not only do the GeForce4 Go chips contain power saving features that do make a real world difference, they also contain enough power to dethrone the ATI Mobility 7500 as the leading mobile graphics solution. NVIDIA has stepped the performance bar up a notch and ATI has to be getting worried.

As it stands right now, the GeForce4 440 Go holds the crown as the most powerful mobile gaming solution out there today. The GeForce4 440 Go in maximum performance mode has the ability to play 3D games as well as or better than a large number of desktop systems out there, making the transition to a notebook all the more easy. In fact, the discrete GeForce4 440 Go performs very similarly to the desktop GeForce4 MX 440; an impressive feat.

In balanced or maximum battery mode, the GeForce4 440 Go has the ability to play a good number of games at reasonable resolutions while increasing battery life. Although the battery savings may not be enormous, they do result in real world battery life increases. Using one of the lower PowerMizer modes makes perfect sense for those who want to do a bit of mobile gaming on the road but still want battery life left over to work on a document or spread sheet.

Competition like this is what we like to see best. Not only does the current battle going on in the mobile arena force both ATI and NVIDIA to stay on their toes to maintain or gain market share, it also provides great solutions to the consumer. Although only Dell and Toshiba have announced laptops based on the GeForce4 Go series chips, NVIDIA promises more are coming. At the same time, ATI has a number of large OEMs that use the Mobility Radeon 7500, including Dell and WinBook.

We love to see a good battle and the one being waged on the mobile graphics front is just beginning to warm up. Trust us.