belledumonde

i'll get straight to the put, on a scale of 1-5, (5 being the highest) heres how i plan to use my computer with regards to the need for a certain graphics card.

photo editing: 5
video editing: 2
watching DVDs: 1 (um... expensive)
watching VCDs: 3
gaming: 0 (i really dont see this computer being used for much gaming other than the free ones you get over the net, not even by my brother)

so im thinking, an integrated card might just do it? but what if i wanted to do something like do homework with a movie playing in the corner? and when i do do some video editing, i dont want the computer to freeze or waste my time. thats why i was thinking of a dedicated graphics card with its own RAM so it wouldnt slow down my work pace, but how much RAM would i need for that?

** technical question that may seem ridiculous but im a newbie so bear with me** if i had an integrated graphics card, would i need to remove it from the motherboard to install a dedicated one?

mgoldb2

No the intergrated graphics is NOT removable. you will most likly break your motherboard if you try to remove it. You will have to disable it which is usually done through the bios.

Depending on what intergrated graphics you talking about some are fine for your needs other I rather not have.


If you dont want intergrated then I recommend.


Radeon X1300 128MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 $68

or

Radeon X300SE 128MB 64-bit DDR PCI Express x16 Video Card $45

belledumonde

^^

1. what specifications should i look for in an integrated graphics card so that it would meet my needs?

and

2. what minumum specifications should i look for in a dedicated graphics card so that it would meet my needs? (i dont want it to be much more than i need coz it would be a waste of money if i dont use the full capacity) you suggested ones with 128MB onboard RAM, is this the most i would ever really need?

thanks!

Bgretydews

1. You can't BUY intergrated graphics, it comes on prebuilt's motherboards.

2. Before you think about buying one you should look what type of slots you have, PCI, AGP PCE-E ect. Then we can tell you a good card for your needs

tehdigit

integrated cards just dont cut it for anything now adays

buy a cheap dedicated pci-express or AGP video card
you can get one for around 100 that wont fail you in any of those areas that you are wanting

MunkyPhil

You can get one much cheaper than that, a Radeon 9550 256Mb AGP card now costs £35 (that's just under $60) and it'll do everything you need and more.

I would stick with the on-board graphics initially though and if you feel you need anything better get something like the Radeon.

belledumonde

im actually looking for a whole new computer, i made a post in the "other" support forum about it, but i got different opinions on the graphics card so i came here.

hm.. im thinking now about going with an integrated card, and if my budget allows, (after adding more RAM and Hard Drive space) then i would look for a good dedicated card. if not then, i'll stick with the integrated one till it frustrates me half to death. THEN id buy a dedicated one.

oh and i know you cant buy integrated cards, but what i meant was what makes integrated graphics cards different from each other? OR are they all the same? in which case, ignore that question.

by the way, i'll be getting a computer with PCI slots.

forcifer

integrated cards are made differently, but there really isnt much change. with the PCI slot, is the PCI 2.0 or PCIe?

EDIT: what price range are you looking at though?

Bgretydews

There are many differant intergrated cards, and don't go with PCI, get a computer with AGP or PCI-E slots or both PCI is outdated

belledumonde

um, which is better? PCI 2.0 or PCI-E, i havent purchased anything yet so its best i know now. im still in the "information gathering stage" of buying something.

is there are better products for AGP slots or PCI-E slots? or are they relatively similar?

thanks!

Bgretydews

Not sure what PCI 2.0 is, but PCI-E is better than AGP, although for what you want a AGP card would be fine.

tehdigit

go with pci express because in the future you may choose to buy a better video card and your options will be broader if you just prepare yourself now

pci-e ftw

mgoldb2

In my eyes any intergrated graphics from intel is just plain crap.

intergrated graphics base either on radeon x300 technology or nvidia 6100/6150 would proberly suit you fine.

Personally I would need to know budget but I would go with seperate graphics and the Radeon X1300 128MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 for $68. you never know the HDTV support might come in handy one day.

tehdigit

like i said

its worth the investment into getting a pci-e
they arent expensive and are quite worth the money

i dont see integrated as anything worth keeping if you want to do things with photo and video editing. if anything you should look to invest on a card that wouldnt fail you( $100-150 ).

it isnt a large investment but you can definitely see a quality difference

Tumbleweed36

Hi,

I just came across this one so didn't see it earlier. I have copied the post by mgoldb2 to reinforce what he is saying. I believe that his logic is very good and the cards he has recommended would be a good card for you given the facts that you have stated. I just can't agree at all that the onboard graphics would please you. You must make the choice, but that is my (well mgoldb2's actually) two cents worth.

forcifer

PCI 2.0 is the basic white PCI slot. some people get confused with PCI and PCIe

mgoldb2

I just thought I clear some things up for example why a x1300 would be better then a x300 or a 9550 given your needs.

ATI have something called Avivo technology that works with any radeon x1000 series including the x1300.

You mention you do photo editing. Avivo have stuff built into it to do photo editing. Not at the level of photoshop but it free to use if you have the video card.

It got a lot of things that suppose to help clean up signals of any video recorder you have pluged in and stuff like that.

My personal favorite feature and something I wish I had which is hardware base video accelerating. Definally come in handy if you play any highdef videos on your computer.

oh forgot to provide links this the video card I had in mind
GIGABYTE GV-RX13128D-RH Radeon X1300 128MB 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814125027

tehdigit

mgoldb2 hit it

:) cheap good dedicated cards ftw

belledumonde

thanks for all the advice and suggestions. i am on a budget but i want this computer to serve me well for at least 7 years. so im thinking i'll probably go with a good inexpensive dedicated card, and a motherboard with pci-e slots for future expansion. sound good?

i'll look into the cards that were suggested. so the minimum specifications i should be looking at are 128MB 64-bit cards??

tehdigit

yes thats minimum

and you are a smart guy. its worth the investment in the end i promise

after your card gets worn out in a couple years you can upgrade it to a better card cheaply because after the nvidia 8 series comes out im predicting a drop in the 7 series cards :)