debating if i really need a dedicated Graphics card...

I barely play games to begin with.

I will be busy with college.

I mostly use audio processing programs, no video editing programs.


Would I benefit from a T7300 with a 8600 GT or a T7500 with integrated graphics?

would dedicated graphics reduce power consumption or boost my overall system speed?

 

Higher resale value and there are other things you can use it for if you are not a gamer

 

what kind of things can i use it for? would it make my webcam any better?

 

If you're a college student you're probably not going to be selling this anytime soon... and if you're going to try and sell it after a couple years the graphics aren't going to mean jack squat.

It wouldn't make your webcam any better, the X3100 isn't a piece of crap like the GMA950 (no evidence on that but I'm sure someone here can find the review where they did tests of it)...

If you're definitely going for either an 8600GT w/ 7300 or a 7500 w/ X3100, the 8600GT w/ 7300 definitely wins out. The only thing the 7500 has over the 7300 is a little bit higher clock speed, whereas the 7100 to the 7300 also has a cache upgrade. My recommendation would be (if you aren't going to be playing games that have come out in the last ~2-3 years) the 7300 w/ X3100.

 

Definitely go with the dedicated video card.

 

I would go with the integrated graphics card! It would reduce power consumption (but wouldn't boost the speed). If you do audio stuff, it would be better to go with more proc power too.

Since your gonna be a college kid, don't worry about having much video proc power. You might watch a movie or two while procrastinating two hours before an exam, but that doesn't require a good vid card .

By the time you get out of college, you will probably buy a new computer with that signing bonus from that job.

 

Yea. I kind of wish that I had gone with integrated graphics and a 7200rpm HDD instead of the dedicated graphics with a 5400rpm HDD. Just makes more sense for us non-gamers.

 

Yea... I don't know... I played Half life 2 for a bit but then i beat it and i was done... that was like 2 years ago. i still have it though, and it would be fun to play it again...

How does a 5200 FX by Nvidia compare to the x3100 integrated graphics?

i just want to save my dad some money... I don't want to feel guilty having him pay 200 dollars for something i won't really use to it's full potential.

 

If I were you, I would get 7300 with X3100 and upgrade my hard drive to 7200rpm for that money (and save some). 7300 to 7500 is no speed jump at all. Dedicated video card is for gamers, and a huge liability on battery for other folks. 5400 to 7200rpm is a huge jump in 1. booting, 2. resuming from hibernate, 3. image/video editing or 4. when swap comes in picture (programs can exhaust your 2gb ram these days, just edit a large enough photo in photoshop and you will know what I mean).

 

I have the 5200fx on the desktop I'm using now.

and yes you can play games with an integrated card, but not at high settings.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=50871

 

I don't know.. The graphics is the one thing you can't upgrade very easily. I really don't think it will take that much more power.. unless you are actually doing some heavy graphics/gaming.. at which time it won't matter.. you will be glad you have the discreet card. The intel graphics x3100 integrated graphics is pretty powerful on paper.. It can do direct x 10.. but I don't think it has drivers for it.. There are many features on the x3100 that need drivers to unlock... and intel is not really in to upgrading drivers for their integrated graphics. I ended up just getting the nvidia card so I would not regret it later.. and nvidia is much better in releasing updates on drivers. Intel has however stated that they will improve driver support for the x3100.. But thats just what they say. I don't have to second guess nvidia support. they are going to support it.. And nvidia are generally a better GPU for power saving... I think the ATI takes more power...if it were a choice between ati and x3100 for somebody like you i would go with x3100.

 

I think he was asking for benchies against the fx5200 as I am guessing that is what he has.

From what I have read the X3100 is actually a pretty powerful card for integrated. It won't game hardcore, but your proc and a ton of mem can help pick up the slack there. Like Farelli said, you won't be gaming at high res and all the settings turned up with a ton of fps, but you can game.

The battery life is not that much different as the 8600 downclocks when not gaming, thus using less power.

I personally would say, go with the T7300, 8400 card, and the 7200 rpm hdd, then you get a fast proc, decent graphics if you want them later for gaming, and a fast hdd which helps all the way around.

 

I'm pretty much in the same boat you are w/ an occasional game but mainly audio work and typical college uses. I don't see the need for the dedicated card-for some reason I used to have the impression that it would make all my movies and picture quality a lot better but for those uses it's really not necessary. Also that feeling of having it just in case makes you want to have it but in reality it sounds like you really won't need it and could spend that money more wisely in other places. Just my .02

 

All the more reason to get the 8400, it's there if you need it, but you only spend $100 vs $200. If I was a casual gamer I would have got that card. If I NEVER gamed, I would have gotten the integrated, but I assure you the 8400 will do you just fine if you want to game sometimes...

 

i might just get the dedicated when the new coupons come out. they might be cheaper by then

p.s. the reason i am hesitant too is b/c 70 bucks is going to Audio card for the headphone jack noise...

 

Plenty of coupons out now . Look at the thread I started today $150 off coupon.

 

lol 70 bucks is a rip off... buy it off newegg or someplace. it'll probably be cheaper.

 

For your purposes, I'd save some $ and just get the 7300 with the x3100 gpu. I have that in my D630 and it screams!