please help me...

I want to buy a toshiba laptop and i cant wrap my head around these graphics card options. It drives me crazy. I know i should get 128 mb of video but the computer i want said 64-128 shared video memory which one is it im so confused any help would be just great...
thanks
Lee

 

There are basically two types of graphics cards: Integrated and Dedicated

The card you are looking at is an integrated card. That means that the graphics card uses the system memory to run the graphics. This is not good if you plan on playing any games.

You need to find a laptop with a dedicated card. Dedicated cards use their own memory. Because of this you can play games better.
Tim

 

yes but due to my lack of funds i really can only afford an integrated type. what im wondering is why it says 64-128 insted of just saying 128?

 

Well what kind of games are you going to play?

It says 64-128 because the integrated graphics will use anywhere between 64-128MB of system ram depending on what you are doing.
Tim

 

Dude I saw the title of this thread and thought you were trapped beneath an overturned, burning car with an Internet accessible phone and browser.

Really, if it's integrated, then don't worry about it at all because it makes no difference whatsoever if it's 64 or 128MB. You may be able to set it in the BIOS screen, which is accessible by pressing a certain button (ESC, or F2, or whatever it tells you to).

 

i play RTS games like Rome and medieval II total war, star wars empire at war and some old school wierd games like sam and max. I also play Kotor 1 and 2 but those work on my current 64 MB not name brand gateway card the requirements are a graphics card with 128 MB for medieval...so these should in theory work with a card that says 64-128? providing that i boost the ram to a gig


and yes i am trapped under a sea of conflicting reports on this stupid internet and am drowning...

But this is helping, thanks guys

P.S. the computer im buyings card is ATI radeon...dont know if that helps

 

Oh no no no no, if you want to play Medieval II Total War, you need a dedicated card from ATI or nVidia, both at the X1400/7400 level (or equivalent) minimum. Anything lower and you'll have problems. Hope you haven't bought the laptop already. Consult the GPU guide at the top of this forum for more details.

 

It might be helpful to post what system it is you are considering and what ATI IGP it comes equipped with. But as mentioned, you cannot expect stellar 3D performance on an IGP.

Take a look at the minimum requirement for the games you want to play and make a decision based on that. As much as possible, you want to be closer to the recommended system configuration than the minimum requirements.

Also, read through the GPU guide as gator suggested. Lots of information there.

And if you haven't already, consider filling out an FAQ and posting your answers in the "What Notebook Should I Buy" Forum for some personalized recommendations.

Good luck.

 

Toshiba Satellite A105-S1712 Intel Celeron M 1.6GHz / 802.11b/g Wireless / 15.4-Inch WXGA / 512MB DDR2 / 80GB HDD / DVDRW / Windows XP Home / Refurbished Notebook PC
Graphics Description Integrated Graphics
GPU/VPU ATI Radeon® Xpress 200M Video Memory 64MB-128MB Shared

 

Do you have an FAQ posted and a budget? You might be able to do better than that. How much is this one?

 

i just posted my faq in the what should i buy area this ones 550

 

for 550 your going to be hard pressed to find a good laptop used that can play games. You could get an okay desktop for that kind of money though. at that kind of budget i think thats pretty much your only option, unless your willing to save.

 

Here's the preselectlee's FAQ:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=97007

Let's continue this over there.