Integrated Graphics Dillemma

Hi,

I've been reading this really great forum for sometime now, and I have a couple questions that I hope people can help me with. I'm going to be buying a new notebook in the next few months and I have a few questions regarding graphics cards. The main use of my notebook will be to go on research trips to archives and writing a phd dissertation somewhere down the line. As such, portability, battery life and (graduate students are always broke) price are the main characteristics I'm looking for (and performance isnt crucial with these relatively light tasks). These all point toward getting a thin and light notebook with integrated graphics.

However, I do also enjoy the occasional game. I read the graphics card guide and I realize that integrated graphics are really terrible for gaming, but the games I'm usually interested in are strategy games (say europa universalis 3 and the likes) and the odd RPG (wow for now). I'm wondering if recent games in these categories would run acceptably on integrated graphics. Whenever people talk about graphics cards I get the impression that the games they play (that are really demanding) are more of the FPS category (I dont care for those at all).

Now, assuming that integrated graphics would give decent performance for these types of games, what do you think I should aim for, an Intel core 2 duo with a GMA 950, or an AMD with a Go 6150? These seem to be the most common alternatives and as I understand it Intel makes better processors but worse integrated graphics cards... which leaves me wondering which combo offers the better performance for my particular needs.

Lastly, will there be an evolution in integrated graphics soon (next 3-4 months) that would be worth waiting for?

I'm not really looking for notebook suggestions right away, I'll be filling the FAQ later for that, but if you have some, fell free to share.

I realize this post got way more long winded than I first intended it to be, but thanks in advance for all the help.

 

From a purely gaming prospective AMD with Nvidia Go 6100/6150 or Radeon Xpress 1100/1150. The reason being the Intel GMA offloads a lot of the GPU features onto the CPU, like transform & lighting, which not only increases the CPU load and decreasing overall performance, but many games the require T&L won't detect the GMA950 as a valid source.

However, from a travel perspective, the Intel processor is better not only on processing power but on battery life.

 

The videocard will be the bottleneck with games so you won't feel the difference between a Core 2 Duo or Turion X2. I would definately go for the 6150 nVidia. It is a fine card and can play WoW easily.
You could also take a look at the nVidia Go 7200. It is also a shared videocard and it can play WoW great too.

Hope I helped you!

Notebook Solutions

 

I think X1300 will do the trick for you.Anyway I think after the release of Intel Centrino Pro the NAPA platforn (the current version of Centrino) laptop's will experience price cuts, so at that time you might be lucky enough to be able to buy a laptop with a discreet GPU.

 

The intel X3000 will come out with santa rosa in april/may and by that time amd/ati will likely also have new integrated graphics. I don't know how big the improvement will be over current igp's.

 

I've got a Ge 6150 on my laptop (got the HP DV6000z with the integrated) and it runs Wow pretty well. I hover around 15 (towns) to 30 fps with some graphics effects turned on. So def. 6150 > 950.

 

Just get a dedicated one

trust me. I was in your situation several years ago when purchasing my first computer. I was stucked with a crappy intergrated for 2 years while i awed my friends crazy 7600GTX (Back then). Now i have a x1400. it plays everything i throw at it.

Trust me. It's worth it.

Get the inspiron 6400... i got one with 2g ram and x1400 1.6 core 2 duo for 900 w/ vista (not the best thing in the world :S)

 

Thanks for all the answers. Hopefully I'll be able to find a notebook with dedicated graphics that fit my needs and budget, but at least I fell I know which of the integrated solutions is the lesser of two evils at this point. The real problem is that in the budget thin and light sector, there doesn't seem to be much out there that fits the bill. I guess I could go for a dell e1505 or a HP dv6000t, but I'm not sure how much fun it'll be to log these around when I go on archive trips all over the country (and abroad). One solution might be to wait for some big retailer to offer a nice promotion on a HP dv2000z with the go6150...

In any case, this gives me things to think about, and I'm not looking to buy right away (unless I run into a deal that simply can't be turned down). Like mujtaba said, I might be lucky and see some price cuts (or certainly better performance for the same $$$) in april/may

 

Just remember the dedicated graphics card will eat up battery a lot more than the integrated.

There's a new one by ati, the x1250, but it doesn't seem to be in any models at the moment. nVidia likely has a new chipset out as well.

If it makes you feel better, i want a laptop badly but I'm holding out for a new integrated chipset.

 

For your purposes I'd realy just pick up a notebook with decent integrated (6150 or x1150). If you're really going to be hauling this thing around a lot, a few pounds lighter will make a big difference, and to find a light notebook with a dedicated card will be very expensive. My 17" toshiba plays games great, but weighs around 8 lbs. Doesn't sound like much, but unless carried in a backpack it weighs the shoulder down a lot. Besides, do you really want all those wonderful games distracting you from your work? Believe me, I've certainly spent a lot of time putting off my thesis by playing video games!