ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3200 Graphics vs 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 4650?

I’m planning on getting the HP dv6z Artist Edition 2 series mainly because of the software that comes with it and it’s stylish look. I was going to go with 6 gb ram, AMD Turion(TM) X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-86 (2.4GHz, 2MB L2 Cache). i’m not a hardcore gamer by any means although i will play some low graphics rpg games and watch some dvds. (maybe my brother will install FEAR or left4dead). I have found a coupon that will save me 250 bucks on the laptop and the 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) HD 4650 costs just that, $250, is it worth it? is there a huge difference in performance and how it looks? i need help, coupon expires soon

The 3200 is Integrated gfx, which sits on the mboard and uses the system memory. This is adequate for business users, or those who don’t want to run games or other gfx heavy software. The 4650 is a discreet or separate gfx card, more like the ones found in desktops. In desktop terms is is quite underpowered, but decent enough for a laptop. There would be a marked difference in any application which requires gfx processing, with the 4650 outperforming the onboard chip.

The HP spec list gives some useful info on the differences.

I notice you plan to buy 6gb of RAM. Are you intending running 64bit version of the Vista/Windows 7 therefore? I ask because 32bit Vista will only recognise up to a max of 4gb of RAM, so the remaining RAM will be ignored. Might be worth considering saving money on this rather than something as fundamental as gfx.

Coming Soon – Splinter Cell: Conviction Xbox 360 ELITE Bundle

Comments are closed