Onboard graphics vs. separate graphics

[Hogne1]

Hi
If I want to buy a laptop, and just want to play games like Sim City, Age of Empire, Civilasation and games like that. Will a Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 with up to 128MB Ram be good enough, or should I get a laptop with a seperate graphic card.
And if it's good enough, how good is it realy. Would games like Half Life and Counter Strike run any good on it?
I'm planing on getting a HP Pavilion with 1024 MB Ram memory.

Hope you can guide me

 

[Mech]

From what I've read/seen so far, NEVER get an integrated graphic card (ie. Media Accelerator, etc.) If you truly have to get an integrated one, get atleast an ATI Radeon X200M. Integrated graphics are not for games, at all. For comparison, go to the 2 websites below; they provide very good explanations for how to choose a graphics card for ur laptop, as well as ATI/nVidia comarisons.
http/www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=2757
http/forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=25449

 

[killernotebooks]

I agree with Mech about integrated graphics cards being closely related to poo, but the specific games you listed aren't very graphics intensive games AT ALL. I mean CIV3 is a freakin' spearman icon moving his arm right next to a warrior hacking an axe over his head. SIM's is like 1 step above an Atari 2600, so in this case you could probably get away with an x200.

If at all possible get a dedicated graphics card WITH dedicated (not shared) memory.

 

[Atolsammeek]

I think it depends on the laptop u get. See I have the intel centrino duo 1gb ram 1.66 ghz. 128 mb. I run Civilization 4. Which is a memory hog.

I also have a intel 3.4 extream edtion. with 1 gb of ram and radeon 256 mb onboard ram. with dual 80 gb hard disks.

 

[killernotebooks]

I think it depends on the laptop u get.

You think what depends on the laptop you get? Whether integrated graphics with shared memory is crap?

So are you saying your DUAL CORE YONAH has a problem running Civilization? ROFL.

That pretty much says it all... PLeeeeaase post that in the AMD vs. Intel thread for me... that is hillarious. I mean, I don't know how many other people have played Civilization, but it is like the most graphics UN-intensive game you can get. THAT is sad.

 

[HardWareBoss]

Hi
If I want to buy a laptop, and just want to play games like Sim City, Age of Empire, Civilasation and games like that. Will a Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 with up to 128MB Ram be good enough, or should I get a laptop with a seperate graphic card.
And if it's good enough, how good is it realy. Would games like Half Life and Counter Strike run any good on it?
I'm planing on getting a HP Pavilion with 1024 MB Ram memory.

Hope you can guide me

For the games you listed the HP will work fine. with the built in graphics. IF you want to play the newer games beyound what you have. You will need a better graphic card. Make sure you buy the Brightscreen or view. Plus buy widescreen laptop. I have a V2000 Compaq with widescreen and brightscreen.

 

[Mech]

arent most 15.4 laptops widescreened?

 

[killernotebooks]

15.4" specifically, yes.

I just built a cutom 12.1" widescreen for a client and I am a little jealous right now.

 

[enewmen]

I agree with most people here.
Forget the integrated graphics unless you KNOW that is what you need.
Even so, if you must have integrated, I suggest at least the x200 or the GMA 900/950

I think the 950 can play DX 7-8 games well enough - Like GTA 3, Empire Earth, Half Life 1, etc in 2002.
For DX9 games - Far Cry, HL2, DOOM3 (gl), and B&W2, expect 1+ fps.

Also try to get wide screen, at least 1280 x 800.
In any case, don't skimp on RAM or the screen.
Most any Pentium M is good enough - should be cheaper with Dual Cores coming out.

If you want to play a game that requires the power of a AMD X2 in a notebook, wait for a card that doesn't exist yet.

 

[nukemaster]

Hi
If I want to buy a laptop, and just want to play games like Sim City, Age of Empire, Civilasation and games like that. Will a Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 with up to 128MB Ram be good enough, or should I get a laptop with a seperate graphic card.
And if it's good enough, how good is it realy. Would games like Half Life and Counter Strike run any good on it?
I'm planing on getting a HP Pavilion with 1024 MB Ram memory.

Hope you can guide me

I think everything you are mentioning will run more then fine even Q3 based games like Q3, ET, Jedi Night, Jedi Acad and so on will run too as long as the settings are not too high. as long as you are not thinking of CS source. What are the rest of the specs on the latop you are getting?

 

[FuryThoR]

Yeah some things matter

I happend to read some reviews in here and www.notebookreview.com and came to conclusion that I changed my Acer 9312 laptop into HP pavilion 9000 series (GF Go 7600 256MBytes, Turion TL 50 CPU, 1 Gigabyte of memory etc...)

What comes to my choice of new laptop, I want that it runs newer games well, since my table PC is rather old one (P3 850 and GF 4 graphics card) but it has been enough to while... Now I got reason to get new laptop as I got invitation to gaming group.

 

[killernotebooks]

If I could make a suggestion to you, it would be to get a Core 2 Duo system over the Turion X2 system. They are far superior. That is my honest to goodness "built 'em both", "tested 'em both", "support 'em both" advice.

 

[HardWareBoss]

AMD has not reved up the X2's yet?

 

[killernotebooks]

BOSS, it is not anywhere near the C2D... it, unfortunately, isn't a viable competitor.

 

[FuryThoR]

SO I have heard, however student with low income has limited options available and as I live in finland here options are even more little more limited. So most likely I got to go with what I can get

 

[cfisherrktk]

An interesting solution may also be the new external videocard enclosure Asus just announced
http/www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5602

 

[HardWareBoss]

So much for AMD ramping the X2s. That everyone waited forever to arrive.

 

[willstaa]

if i get a computer with an onboard graphics card(that's pretty terrible) will i still be able to put a decent one in another socket

 

[max_68]

your mum is really fat