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Author Topic: Dedicated Graphics Card  (Read 1826 times)

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GlassMoon

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Dedicated Graphics Card
« on: June 21, 2009, 01:49:38 PM »
Hi, I'm looking for a laptop which is has great graphics. I know you should have a dedicated video card or something, but I'm not sure which one that is. So, I need to know if either an "Intel GMA 4500MHD" or and "ATI Radeon HD3200, RS780M" are dedicated ones? Or which ones better...thanks.

Broni


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Re: Dedicated Graphics Card
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2009, 02:31:24 PM »
Laptop can't have dedicated (separate) video card. Laptops have video chips built into the motherboard.
Laptop external video card goes for about $500.

Calum

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Re: Dedicated Graphics Card
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2009, 02:35:09 AM »
Laptops can't have traditional dedicated graphics (i.e. a plug in card), correct.
Usually though, "dedicated graphics" on a laptop means a higher performance graphics chip, as opposed to one that's low-end and has little or no video memory, etc.
The GMA 4500 and HD3200 are both integrated chips and won't be any good for modern games.
Do you have to use a laptop?  A desktop for the same price will be much faster, or a desktop with the same performance will be much cheaper.  Been there and done that - I spent a stupid amount of money on my laptop, and it's now worthless 3 years later.  At the time a comparable desktop was less than half the price, and if I'd spent as much on a desktop I'd have got one that was at least twice as powerful.
That's not a sob story, it's just to make sure you know that gaming laptops are usually not a good idea, especially as they're not very upgradeable.