Dumb GPU question

Ok so I'm still looking at buying a Dell Vostro. The one I'm looking at is the 1710 and it comes with the nVidia Geforce 8600GT 256MB GPU.

My dumb ? is this - is that an integrated card or IGP or a dedicated card, or something else, cos I'm getting slightly confused by what is and what isn't?

Thanks in advance for any advice

 

the 8600GT is a dedicated card

 

The terms get imprecise with notebooks as size and space are at a premium. In the generally accepted meaning of the terms it is a dedicated GPU not an IGP. A clear way of saying it is "discrete" GPU. Is it integrated? It could be I don't know this model. What do I mean when I say that. It could be soldered to the MoBo but that is not what people normally mean by integrated but would be factually correct. It would also indicate that GPU failure could mean replacement of MoBo also. In this case it has 256MB of it's own onboard. memory.

 

integrated is not the same as soldered.

if the motherboard came to dell with the gpu already intact. ie- if the gpu is built into the motherboard, its integrated.

if dell receives the motherboard and puts a gpu on it, its dedicated, or discrete. they can solder it on or not, its still a dedicated and discrete gpu, and NOT integrated.

that also means, as powerpack said, that the 256 mb of memory actually exists on the physical, real gpu. often the advertised memory has little to do with what actually exists on the part.

 

It's a mid-range dedicated gaming card. It offers good performance from a laptop gpu.

 

masterchef341 I agree with your usage of the terms just trying acknowledge there is misuse. And modular either being or not being is another one I could of thrown in. So to OP yes it is dedicated but may not be modular and user replaceable/upgradeable. OP follow masterchef341 naming convention some people will misunderstand you some may disagree with you but you would be correct. There, I feel better.

 

Are you looking for advice on buying a laptop? I would suggest you post in the What notebook should I buy forum

 

Nope, just getting a bit lost where dedicated, integrated and IGP are being used in various posts regarding Dell and the 8600GT.

 

IGP and Integrated are the same thing. IGP stands for integrated graphics platform. Hence, integrated graphics. These are very light graphical processors that are not generally meant for gaming or HD content playback. With time, this will change, but so far we are only on the cusp of truly capable IGPs.

Dedicated, discrete, etc mean there is an actual graphics card installed into your system that does not come integrated into the motherboard. These cards always offer performance superior to IGPs. In almost any case, the only place where an IGP is better than a dedicated solution is power usage. Dedicated cards require more power than integrated chips.

 

if you read the other vostro 1710 thread in this forum and the Dell ones...


don't count on it.