ATI Radeon XPRESS 200M

Hi, I was wondering I have a Compaq M2000z and a ATI Radeon XPRESS 200m video card with 128MB of shared memory. Also, I have 512MB of system memory (128 of it is used for video so I really only have 384). I am thinking about upgrading my system memory to 1GB or 896MB after subtracting 128 for video. How much of a difference will it 896MB make in games vs. 384?

 

Doubling the system RAM to 1GB would have a significant decrease in slow downs when you're running games or just regular applications, so it'd recommended. A minimum of 1GB for gaming is usually best.

 

It should give you a nice bump in performance.

 

Hey Maniac, interesting that you asked such a questions because I have an IBM R51e that has an Xpress 200m video card and have 512 MB RAM. Yesterday I ordered an extra 1G to install on my laptop so hopefully I can tell you in a week how computer's performance has changed.

 

I'm kind of dissatisfied with this graphics card, but I did choose to buy it...

 

Yes they are not for serious gamers. But look at the source. IBM's are not known for gaming.

 

Ok guys heres the low down on the x200 gpu. Theres 4 versions out there and there are some minor to moderate differneces between them. First there is the one that has no dedicated memory and borrows all of its memory from the system RAM.Avoid this one as it is barely any better than the Intel integrated graphics.

The second version is found in the Hp Pavillion 5000 and has 32mb dedicated+96 borrowed. It is an ok performer but does not use the full potential of the gpu as it hasnt got much memory dedicated to it.

The third version is the one with 64mb dedicated + 64mb shared and is found in the latest toshiba laptops such as the basic A100 model. It is a good performer as it has enough memory dedicated to it so that its using taking advantage of the gpus full potential. It will run the likes of FAR CRY and HL2 on near max settings with respectable framerates (27-35fps). However it wont run anything too fancy(although it plays DOOM3 on medium-low settings very well)

The fourth version is also found in a version of the HP pavillion and has 128mb dediacted+128mb shared. This version, even with all of the extra memory isnt going to perform much better than the 64+64mb version above, as the GPU simply doesnt have the power to take advantage of all of this extra memory. However it is still a solid performer.

Overall the higher end versions of the x200's are very good considering that they werent really designed for gaming and can play 'newish' titles and even DOOM3 at respectable framerates. I have proof of this as i own a Toshiba Satellite with the 64+64mb version of the x200 and can play all of the above mentioned perfectly. (Provided you have at least 1GB RAM!!) I have 1.2GB's.

And finally for some reason the x200 plays HL2 very very well in nearly all forms! Not sure why.. The game jst seems like its highly compatible.

So that should answer all your questions about the x200. Its a good GPU!