Is a Graphics Card necessary if I buy a laptop with an SSD?

I am looking to buy a laptop soon but I am only considering laptops with dedicated graphics cards because they tend to be better work horses than ones with integrated graphics.

However I am looking for some other opinions. Is a dedicated GPU required if I get an ultrabook with an SSD? I dont do much gaming and when I do it is very light gaming. I do plug in a second monitor and use it as an extended monitor quite a bit though. I usually have quite a few programs running (chrome, thunderbird, spotify, videos, etc.) at the same time.

Would an ultrabook fit my needs or should I continue to look at laptops with dedicated graphics cards? I currently have a T400 with dedicated graphics and 8gb of ram.

 

The presence of a dedicated GPU and an SSD have no effect on each other. For the tasks you've listed though the integrated GPU would be perfectly fine (multitasking is more dependent on the CPU power and RAM), so an Ultrabook would fit your needs perfectly.
As far as I know the integrated HD 4000 only supports output to 2 monitors at the same time though, so if you use more than 2 you might want a dedicated GPU.

 

Like these two said, the GPU and SSD are mutually exclusive when it comes to performance. GPUs are needed for gaming that's too heavy for an integrated GPU, and a SSD is used to speed up storage I/O. It's like asking if I need to put low-profile tires on my car if I install bucket seats.

Since you only do casual gaming, I see no reason to get a dedicated GPU. SSDs will speed up I/O, so it'll make your computer feel "snappier" when you're loading Windows, programs, files, etc. You probably already know this, seeing that you have a SSD in your T400.

 

You don't need a GPU at all unless you play games. The Intel HD 4000 is good enough for everything else, hell it will even play some games if you need it to.

 

gotcha.

OP, you should definitely consider an ultrabook based on the usage you mention. if you only game lightly and don't work heavily with any media (e.g. video production), it doesn't sound like you have any real need for discrete graphics. an SSD on the other hand will give you a large performance gain.

what everybody's been trying to say in different ways is that your choice of graphics processing and hard drive (be it a HDD or an SSD) don't affect each other. having a discrete graphics card will perform just the same with a mechanical platter-drive as it will with a solid state drive. so to answer your question: no, there is no need to have a dGPU if you get an ultrabook with an SSD. the HD 4000 integrated graphics that are part of ivy bridge CPUs are plenty powerful enough to handle connecting an external monitor. are there certain models you're trying to choose between in particular that made you ask this question?