When the dedicated graphics card is necessary in laptops ?

I intend to order either Dell Latitude D620 or Lenovo N100, both come with Intel GMA 950 (built-in into MB chipset) with shared memory. Most of the users here and at other places strive to put their bucks into laptop models with dedicated graphic cards instead (such as ATI, nVidia , etc...). I'd like to understand when dedicated video card is necessary in laptops (except of teh cases of very graphic-intensive gaming which isn't my case).
Main usage of my prospective laptop would be EE engineering (MATLAB), moderate software design, my final B.Sc. EE project, office applications, etc..some web and emailing, very occasional movie or something like that.
Will I be limited by built-in graphic accelerator (I intend to have 1 GB RAM) ? Any reasons to look for dedicated video card ?
I'd be also interested in teh ability to hook the laptop to my home CRT and utilize both screens simulteously.
Will Intel GMA 950 be a limiting factor for that ?

Thanks, Alex

 

It's not even a question of "very graphic intensive gaming". If you want to do *ANY* gaming, the GMA950 is terrible. Solitaire and Minesweeper play OK, but it can barely run Unreal Tournament 2004 at its lowest possible settings... But it's not only about 3-D.

Discrete graphics also improve 2-D rendering and OpenGL protocols for many high-end CADD programs. Image quality is also vastly improved with certain cards allowing for higher resolutions, better color reproduction, more accurate geometry, and less visual distortion.

Multimedia also gets a boost from enhancements on the graphics cards. Programs like AVIVO (for ATI) and PureVideo (for nVidia) greatly improve the visual quality of DVDs, TV shows, assorted videos, and even HDTV. They can also take over calculations from your CPU and do them more efficiently - which is especially important for laptops.

Seriously, I would recommend springing for even the lowest end discrete graphics. I don't think it costs very much to have a GeForce 7400 or ATI X1400...

 

My X1400 in my E1505 was only like a $179 increase, and for everyday gaming it works well, but really struggles with FEAR.

 

Thanks.
The issue is that first D620 doesn't come with dedicated graphics card (yet, perhaps in some future), secondly, my rough guess is separate video card will eat up considerably more battery power and possible will heat up the casing. Am I wrong ?

 

It depends upon which card you go with, but I know that the some ATI solutions draw very little wattage, so if you are able to render object Y 6X faster with 2X the power, technically you are getting much more productivity out of your battery. Most of the low-to-mid range mobile GPUs use less power than the CPU to render stuff, so if you take into account that the CPU will take over certain tasks that the GPU can't do, the more capable your GPU, the less work your CPU does, saving you even more power... I guess it's a game of give and take, but I think you'll be much happier with a discrete graphics option.

My mom has an HP with the GMA950 and she only really uses Office, watches some DVDs, and sometimes use CorelDraw to create fancy newsletters. It works fine for her, but I can't stand it because of its limitations. Personal preference will play into this a lot as well.

Here's an older review of the GMA950 chipset against other very low end solutions. These are strictly gaming benchmarks, but it is still very telling:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2427

 

The only thing you need it for is gaming and heavy DAC/CAM applications. I don't think 2D will benifit much from dedicated, as because AFAIK, 2D engines haven't evolved much over the last century or so

 

LOL @ century

2D engines haven't really changed, but the GPU's interpretation of that engine is what is key. Stuff like mesh renders and other detailed linework is where you see the benefit of better graphics solutions. Higher-quality components, tighter standards, more advanced features, greater performance, they all prove themselves worth the extra dough. If you aren't as picky as me, I'm more than willing to accept that, I just want you to feel good about your purchase. You asked about discrete graphics because deep down you know it's better, I'm just here to tell you why. It's only money...

 

OK, that strengthens my confidence to go D620 route with just plaing Intel GMA 950, it seems it nevertheless going to satisfy my needs offering just enough extra to drive my very limited entertainment requirements (perhaps some movies now and then and very rarerly some light gaming experience) over my main workload (math, MATLAB, web, mailing, docs, Excel...)
Would I opt for 15" or 15.4" models I certainly woudl be able to benefit from both worlds (D820 is offered with dedicated graphics cards), but then I'll trade the weight, size (aka portability) and probably battery life...

 

Wow, I just noticed I became a Notebook Enthusiast ! LOL not exactly reflects my intentions - just trying to make the wise choice for the expensive tool, nothing more...

 

Based on your description, Intel GMA 950 will be sufficient for your needs.