Intel Media Accelerator 950

I'm considering buying a new notebook, and one of my options now is the Dell D620, which comes with the Intel GMA 950. I know integrated graphics aren't all that great, especially for games, but here's my question.

The most intense graphics-wise game I'm likely to play for the next while is Civilization IV. Otherwise, I like games like Europa Unversalis, which, anyone whose ever seen it knows, is not a very demanding game. I also like Scrabble and Hearts.

My questions is, would the Intel GMA950 be up to par for this level of gaming? If not, what would be the minimum card that would be capable of handling the load?

Steele

 

Nope it cant handle Civilization IV. You could possibly run it on a dedicated ATI 200M - I think. Thats the most basic card.

 

Nope, as RTS go, Civ 4 is a little more intensive.

 

any dedicated card right now will be much better then a 950..

pb,out.

 

Hmm i don't think it will, Alot of the other RTS Games do, but as someone said before it's a little more needy on the Graphics card. If i get a chance i'll download a demo, and i'll tell you how it runs.. if it does at all.

 

" Civilization IV* game is not playable due to an extremely low frame rate (FPS)."

From Intel's GMA 950 Game Compatability List.

 

I have Intel 915 graphics in my system (as you can probably tell by my ever so lovely sig!) and was able to play Civ 4 at 1024x768 at low detail. Whilst it was not always the most fluid graphical experience, it was playable nonetheless. Lets face it, after spending several hours preparing for an offensive, you are not going to be distracted by the PC running at 20fps! The 950 is the next step up, so I see no reason why it shouldn't cope a little better than mine.

As well as Civ4, I can play Quake 3 engine games 1024x768 at high detail levels.
Hope this helps somewhat.

 

The 915 is the Chipset of your computer, not the GPU.

 

Intel's compatability list is not accurate. I would not go by that.
They claim doom III can run on the intel 950, but Half life 2 cannot.
I think you'll find its the other way round. not sure about doom, but it's been reported it doesn't play, yet it's been reported that half life 2 does play at about 25-30 fps on low quality on the GMA950, i saw this on a website comparing graphics.. So the Intel compatability chart is not really to go by.

 

what kidn of desktop card would the intel 950 be compared to?

 

There is a GMA950 for desktops, so that's what it compares to. Just about any dedicated card will beat it.

 

The good news now, although it might be too late for Steele, is that the D620 is now available with the Nvidea 110 video card once again.