Does graphics card affect performance?

I've ordered a Dell XPS M1710 notebook with the following specs:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7400 Processor (2.16GHz,667MHz,4MB L2 cache)

2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024]

160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive

512MB DDR3 nVidia® GeForce™ Go 7950 GTX graphics card

Vista Installed

I was wondering if the graphics card affects the performance while gaming (as in frame rate etc), or just the detail and eye candy on screen whilst having no effect on performance but just changing what you see and how it looks? thanks,

Steve

 

The graphics card has a major impact on performance. As a rule of thumb, RAM is generally for loading and such issues, graphics cards are for performance (frame rates) and features (HDR, antialiasing, etc... the "bells and whistles), and processors are also for performance (frame rates).

So, yes, graphics cards do make a big difference on frame rates, but they also make a big difference on the bells and whistles.

 

The graphics card is by-far the most important factor in gaming performance. The Go 7950 GTX is the top of the line notebook card. Your specs extremely similar to mine, and I assure you, you will have an amazing gaming experience.

 

Thanks Ayepecks.
Is my graphics card of high enough standard to run some games such as Oblivion and other high end games?

 

Joga, nice to meet you i am glad you say that.
The graphics card is even more important than the RAM?
And i take it the notebook i've ordered is good?

 

Yep, you can run pretty much anything (Oblvion, FEAR, etc. included) at max settings. (read my review linked in my signature for some gaming benchmarks)

Edit: Yes, it's more important than RAM. RAM is important to be sure, but since you have 2GB you have nothing to worry about.

 

Should be... the 7950 GTX is a pretty high end card, and your processor and RAM are perfect.

 

Stevo790
Deja Vu! Are you having fun or is there an echo, not supposed to start the same thread question twice. And yes it is the best on the market! No more double posting OK, promise. Now go wait for the UPS guy.

 

I think you will find that this question is completely different, baddogboxer, as it concerns graphics cards

Joga, thank you, your news excites me My processor can handle this stuff?

 

ur video card will ultimately effect ur overall gaming experience. it has the biggest effect on ur frame rate and visuals. depending on what series u go with, IE Geforce 7 series 8 series Radeon 1k series, HD series, will give u the ability to enable newer, more pleasing visuals. like the geforce 7 series feature was Shader model 3 i believe. might have been the 6 series that introduced SM 3.0 and the Radeon HD and the Geforce 8 series give u SM 4.0 which just gives u more details in game and DX10 visuals.

 

Gaming enthusiasts pretty much build their rig around their graphics card. So the graphics card in this day and age is the most important component in your computer...thats is if you plan on doing any kind of serious 3D gaming.

 

Well as an overclocker I start at the motherboard But apart from that yeah the GFX card is the difference between a gaming machine an fast office machine.

 

Yeah the gfx card is most important, and yours sir is top of the line.

Now i understand your "new" and all but who buys a laptop like that wondering if its good or not?

 

50 year old man with lots of money or 18 year old kid with lots of money or somewhere in between with lots of money. Hmm......Lots of money.