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Please EXPLAIN to me: "total available graphics memory" cards

post #1 of 6
6/18/07 at 5:22pm
Thread Starter 
Ok

I am looking into getting a new laptop.

Last time I bought one it was a simple affair as regards to graphics. It was either shared or integrated. Shared was bad, integrated was good. Basically.

Now it appears there is a third category which is a mix of both and I'm rather confused.

I've just come across the Sony CR series on their website, which looks rather nice, and then I saw that it has
"ATI Mobility RADEON™ HD2300 notebook graphics processing unit with Total Available Graphics Memory of 831 MB"
What the hell does that mean?! 831MB, sounds like a lot?

So essentially what I want to know is what these new fangled graphics cards are all about. Will i be able to play Pro Evo 6 on them? Are they any good?!

Any help much appreciated
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post #2 of 6
6/18/07 at 9:32pm
It obviously will use up to that amount of your RAM. It does not have 831MB dedicated video memory.

I am not too up to date on the gaming market so I can't answer your second question. Integrated graphics are getting a lot better at playing newer games though.
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post #3 of 6
6/18/07 at 9:35pm
If you are into games, look into E1705/M90/XPS M1710. They are the best bang for the buck 17" inch laptops out there at the moment IMO. All 3 models are built in identical motherboards which are capable of 7900GS/1500M (256MB Ram) video cards for budget, and 7900GTX/2500M/7950GTX/3500M (512MB Ram) for higher graphics demands which will cost you more.

E1705/XPS M1710 come with 1 year standard warranty, but M90 come with 3 yrs standard, so I would go for M90 from Dell Outlet, or Ebay(becareful w/ scams though).
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post #4 of 6
6/19/07 at 6:30am
Thread Starter 
Whats video memory?! somebody please answer the question!

Forget the bit about games.

Please explain how these cards work. 831MB graphics card?! Why are there never any specific details on manufacturers sites about amount of dedicated/shared memory?
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post #5 of 6
6/19/07 at 12:21pm
Shared and integrated generally mean the same thing - the system memory is used for the video card.
Quote:
Total Available Graphics Memory refers to the new Windows Vista classification of graphics memory, which is the total of Dedicated Video Memory, System Video Memory and Shared System Memory.
What you're asking for is the discrete or dedicated video memory. I've not found many references to the Radeon HD 2300, but this review seems to indicate one number http://review.zdnet.com/laptops/gate...-32432741.html
Quote:
our E-475M review unit featured an ATI Mobility Radeon HD2300 with 256MB of dedicated video RAM. The system was too slow, however, to run our standard gaming benchmark tests at our bare minimum acceptable frame rate of 30 frames per second, but in anecdotal testing, we were able to get a playable, if not always smooth, frame rate on the upcoming Vista-only game Halo 2 by knocking the resolution all the way down to 800x600.
The HD 2300, despite its 2x00 labelling, is not a DirectX 10 card. It is based on the older X1000 designs rather than the R600 chip. I don't see this as a gaming video card at all.
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post #6 of 6
6/19/07 at 6:19pm
Thread Starter 
256 dedicated memory sounds tres bon, no? my last laptop had 64mb dedicated and i know that ran Pro Evo 5 pretty well.
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