When you’re shopping around for a new PC, you’ll definitely want to pay attention to whether to laptop has integrated graphics or a dedicated graphics card. Depending on what you plan on doing with your laptop or computer, a dedicated graphics card may be worth the extra investment.
Integrated vs Dedicated Graphics
Integrated and dedicated graphic processors are the two main types of graphic processors you’ll find in a computer. Integrated graphic processors are included in the motherboard, dynamically allocating your system’s RAM for video processing. Since the graphics card is integrated, it improves battery life and allows your system to run cooler since there isn’t a second chip to cool down. However, integrated graphics parts reduce your systems total available RAM (since it shares it with your system), which may slow your computer slightly.
Dedicated graphics card are always faster and more powerful than integrated graphics parts, so they’ll be able to perform more intense processes. It doesn’t need to share RAM with your main system and can be removed and easily serviced if there’s a problem. However, they will almost always be more expensive than an integrated graphics processor.
How do I choose?
It all depends on what you plan on doing with your computer. If you just want a simple computer that can surf the web, type up documents, and make presentations, you won’t need to invest the extra money into a dedicated graphics card. However, if you’re looking to edit videos, play games, or work on graphic design, you may want to invest the money in a dedicated graphics card or you may be unable to run many of the graphically intensive applications.
Professional Advice
If you’re still unsure about which type of card to choose when purchasing a new computer, you may want to consider asking a computer professional. TalkLocal can connect you, in minutes, with a high quality local IT professional who can advise you which type of card you need to get!
