should i return my notebook because it has shared graphic memory?

I bought an HP pavilion dv5 1000 us.

Specifications:

intel core 2 duo p7350 @ 2.00 ghz
4 gb ram, expandable to 8gb
Graphic memory(shared) : 1.760 mb
Chip : Mobile intel 45 express 4500 HD
dedicated video memory is 64 mb


The thing is i am very happy with the laptop (it's blazing fast! ).

But i'm a gamer, and i wouldnt be satisfied with my laptop completely if it won't be able to run the latest graphic intensive games.

I am currently playing Devil may cry 4, the witcher-enhanced edition, and Left for dead , all on medium settings with shadows turned off, and so far, they are playing decent....

I still have the option to return it...

Should i consider getting one with the same specs(=same price range), but, with dedicated graphics memory instead of shared?


Thanks.

 

If you are a gamer, then yes, you should return it and get one with dedicated graphics.

 

It seems like your laptop is satisfying ya, thats awesome. But as a gamer you should definitely get one with dedicated graphics.

 

If you can return it, then I would do so and get one with dedicated graphics. I am very surprised the Witcher and Devil May Cry 4 can even run on those Intel graphics! Even a low end dedicated GPU like the Geforce 9300 will give you much better performance.

 

Yeah, return it and get one with a dedicated card

Games might run at medium settings now, but look at the future
Games are just likely to get more intensive, so in the future you might have trouble running them on the integrated card

Hope this helps

 

Well...Devil may cry is running on medium-low setting, not medium...

but yeah, i love the laptop, it's very fast ...

 

The integrated x4500 is nothing compared to a dv5 with a 9600m GT

 

Yeah, no doubt, but the thing is that i might not be able to find a dv5 with dedicated graphic card...


And like i said: i love that laptop, it's very successfully built and amazingly fast!

 

You should look around first then, before you return it too see if you can get a decent dedicated cars

That's good to hear

But with a dedicated card, games will be even faster (if that is possible )

 

They stopped selling the 9600m GT on the dv5. Have look at the HDX16 series

 

Interesting....
Do you know the reason????
Was it due to temp issues by any chance??

 

Heck yeah you should return it! How much did you pay for that laptop? I've seen some laptops with the ATI 3650 for as low as $650 before. It'll play just about every game out there at medium settings (lowish on Crysis)

 

the dv5t has no option for 9600M GT anymore.... probably since they might want to push their new line.

but the next best thing is:
- dv5z with ATI HD 3650
- HDX 16t with 9600M GT

the ATI 3650 should perform comparable to the Nvidia 9600M.

 

Yeah it's way above my price range....
I spent 1000 bucks on the dv5....
If i return it, i can't spend a dime more....

 

But why did they remove the option

I'm curious

 

This isn't primarily an issue of dedicated graphics memory vs shared graphics memory, just want to clear that up. Even dedicated graphics cards can utilize shared graphics memory these days.

Your low performance is a result of not having real graphics card. You have an integrated graphics system, a low-power Intel chip.

See if you can find something in the GPU/VideoCard category along the lines of an Nvidia 9600 (or above) or an ATI 3650 (or above). Those are the beginning of real gaming cards.

 

Ok. And how much Ram is enough? 2gb?
And 2 ghz processor is enough? or i need more?

 

2GB is good enough for XP

4GB is recommended for Vista (to prevent bottlenecks... since Vista is a resource hog)

2.0-2.4GHz dual core CPUs are the bang for the buck CPUs... they should do fine for mid-range gaming.

 

HP DV5z can come with ATI Radeon HD3450 or HD3650.

 

Sager 2096 comes standard with the 9600M GT and is $802 before any other upgrades.

 

Yup. And Sager is a great, high-quality brand. You can get an optimal Sager NP2096 notebook for $950 with a 2.4 Ghz. processor.

 

ok thanks everyone.
I'll go to the store today and give him the bad news( i know he won't like it!) and then see what laptops he has that fits the specs you mentioned here.
Most likely, the dv5z would be a good choice.

Thanks!

 

Go for the Sager.

They make great gaming machines, you probably arent familiar with them.

 

what are some (Gforce or ATI) graphic cards with 256 mb memory that would do the job? cuz it looks that anything with a 512 mb graphic memory would jump the price up higher than what i paid for my dv5.....

 

Something most people don't understand is that the amount of video memory doesn't determine the performance of a video card.

In fact you can have 1GB of memory on a video card, and one with only 256mb can be 10x faster. It's the graphics core, and the speed of the memory that matters. All of this together can be quite confusing to someone new to PC hardware.

All you should pay attention to is the video card's name, completely disregard how much memory it has as long as it's at least 256mb, it probably won't make a difference for a mid range card which is what you'll be looking for.

And what cards should you be looking for?
The Nvidia 8600GT or higher
Nvidia 9600 or higher
ATI 3650 or higher

More info can be found on this thread - http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=302231

 

what do you guys think of the dv5 1160 us?
That is available now for the same price of my dv5 1000....

 

It's better than what you have, but it's still not the kind of notebook you would buy for gaming. While the 9200m GS will be more than twice as powerful as what you have now, it's still pretty weak. How much is the price of the dv5 1160us ? A google search sees it going at $1049 USD new, but for that much you could get MUCH faster gaming notebook.

 

I bought the dv5 1000 for 1000 us including everything.
I am living overseas and the dv5 1160 won't be shipped here till next monday.
Hopefully , the guy will give it to me for the same price.
If not, i am willing to pay the extra 100 bucks.
I looked into the specs. It's very close to what i have now , except for the 320 gb hard drive and the gforce.

I think i'm gonna go for it...

Unfortunatly, my budget doesnt allow me to pay 1500 bucks for a powerful laptop with 2,4 ghz and a 9600 gt, like the hp dv5 1199 for example....

 

by the way, the dv5 1000 rates 3.8 on the vista rating system.
The dv5 1160 rates 3.6....

 

actually I was thinking of something more like this, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152073

Which, while having some other inferior specs, it will still slaughter that notebook in terms of gaming performance.

 

That looks like a great gaming machine...
but the thing is , i don't know if it will be available for me as an option.
The problem is that i can't get my money back and go to a different store, so i'm stock with this one and with what laptops he has to offer...

IT sucks!!!

 

Yea that does, I was also going to suggest this one here. If your main intent is gaming then you should try to see if you can get your money back on it, if not then I don't know, I guess your out of luck ..

 

But the dv5 1160 is still not bad right?
What i also like about it is the 3m cache memory.
I mean i'm planning to run all my games on medium settings after all..

 

and by the way, the toshiba looks great too...
is there any other laptop that gets on top of your mind other than those?
You can just list them, i'll google them.

Thanks!

 

To someone who's intent is to get a great media notebook to watch HD content, do photoshop/video work or other general things, it's great, but for "gaming" it's terrible for the price since as I've shown, you can get ones that are at least 3-5x faster in games for actually less money.

And actually what I did was go to newegg.com, click notebooks, filter the searches by certain video cards, and filter the results by price, and those two came out on top amongst hundreds.

 

i see..
Ok thanks for all the help.
Appreciated.

 

I'm getting the MSI gx620 for the same price. He can get it for me as soon as tomorrow!
Specs:
intel core 2 duo 2.0 ghz
3gb ram/upgradable to 4gb
250 gb hard drive
nVIDIA Geforce 9600M GT 3D Graphic Card

I can't believe i'm gonna end up with this amazing machine.
That's a loooong way from the the dv5 for sure!

 

RETURN IT! Do it while you can, you will be kicking yourself if you don't.
I am in the opposite boat, i do not currently play any games yet i have a laptop with a 9800GS just incase, i have the peace of mind that i can run pretty much anything in the future that i will want to play.

 

I'm getting the MSI gx620 for the same price. He can get it for me as soon as tomorrow!
Specs:
intel core 2 duo 2.0 ghz
3gb ram/upgradable to 4gb
250 gb hard drive
nVIDIA Geforce 9600M GT 3D Graphic Card

I can't believe i'm gonna end up with this amazing machine.
That's a loooong way from the the dv5 for sure!

 

Man I am happy for you

i have the same card and it plays everything at medium/high @ 1280x800

It PWNS the other laptop you had

CONGRATS and GAME ON!!!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks man!

I finally will have a laptop that will last me for years and years !

I can't wait to get my hands on it!

 

Dunno about YEARS AND YEARS

Should last 2-3 easily though, as long as you don't mind med/high settings and not maxing everything

 

Gotcha.
It's sleek looking machine too!
The MSI website praises its sound speaker system and its multimedia capbilities.
That also is important to me as well after all.

 

Yeah, I love the red trim BUT IMO this looked so much more awesome, too bad its outdated now:


Love the flame / tribal design
I hope to spray something like that on my notebook some day

 

This is exactly why I am so interested in the possibility of a Laptop that has external graphics like the Amilo.

If I were in your situation I would definitely return that laptop.

 

i think that's the GX600, correct?

 

Yup GX600 extreme edition

Almost bought it, but it had the 8600 GT and an older T series processor

 

Dam!
I just noticed that the MSI Gx 620 that i will be getting soon, will have a clocking speed at 800 mhz....
That's what it says on the paper the store gave me:

-Core 2 duo 2.0ghz, 800 mhz, 2M L2 cache (doesnt mention the processor series name)

-Intel® PM45+ICH9M

Am i gonna see lack in performance because the clocking speed is not 1060 mhz????

I was hoping it's gonna come with the P7350....

 

I doubt it

IIRC the diff. between 800 and 1060Mhz isn't very great, so it shouldn't be a problem

 

Ok great!
Cuz i kinda like how the p7350 runs on my dv5...