[Q]Motherboard built in VGA.

m-sabra

Hello,am planning to buy a new PC so am bit confused here i am not a gamer and i don't use any program that require high graphic performance,so i was thinking of getting the Intel DH61WW board and use it's built-in VGA connector instead of buying a video card,all that i need is 1024x768 resolution (for the Metro UI of windows 8),and being able to use Windows 7 and upgrade to windows 8 when it's released since they have the same requirements,so the questions are:what is the resolution that the built-in VGA will give it to me ?
will i be able to install windows 7 ? (i got no problem with the RAM,free space,or the processor)
what is the memory of the built-in VGA?

The-MMMs

I have a much older Intel board (really can't remember model name but i bought it back in 2007/2008) - and i have the built-in hooked up to a 32" TV and i can attain 1920x1080 resolutions very easily - i use it to watch HD movies

The rig has 3GB of DDr2 and Core 2 Duo @ 2.3Ghz

Not sure about the memory of the built-in VGA but if im not mistaken it will eat up some of your RAM (i could be wrong)

Anyway, don't worry, your using a MUCH lower resolution so you should be FINE. Aero Effects work well with the built in (even at such 1080p resolutions).

m-sabra

Thanks for your reply,yeah after some research i heard that it's called something like "shared vga"and it will eat up some RAM (i could be wrong too)
by the way which OS are you using ?

ibxoful

yes its supported by windows 7
also all vgas use abit of ram

m-sabra

thank you ibxoful.then i will go with it,now lets ask for a plus feature can it run some games like FIFA or it can't run any game ?

The-MMMs

m.sabra wroteby the way which OS are you using ?

Windows 7 / hence the Aero Effects as i said.

Well to answer the games question, i tried playing Limbo and the game fails to start since i don't have the correct pixel shader model (3.0 i believe)

So in the long run i doubt that anything more than the default Windows games would work

you can get a cheapo AGP card, or a low end PCI one for around 100$ - even less - should be able to play light games.

yasamoka

ibxoful wroteyes its supported by windows 7
also all vgas use abit of ram

This RAM is reserved for virtual video memory in case the graphics card runs out of VMEM. Then it doesn't have to use the HDD for swapping which is already painful enough for RAM, how painful then would it be for VMEM? The amount of RAM allocated is set by the operating system. (XP does not reserve any RAM). The space allocated is still accessible like other parts of the RAM, that can be deduced by that the amount of available RAM (total) doesn't decrease.

However, in 32-bit operating systems, only 4GB of MEMORY can be addressed. The VMEM and RAM are part of these 4GB. So what does the system do? It maps VMEM to this pool of addressable memory then maps the RAM to the rest. What you will see is the following:

1) 256MB VMEM --- 3.75GB of RAM available
2) 512MB VMEM --- 3.5GB of RAM available
3) 1GB VMEM -- 3GB of RAM available

Thus in 32-bit OSes it appears that having more VMEM actually causes more available RAM loss, which is incorrect. Just a sidenote.

yasamoka

m.sabra wrotethank you ibxoful.then i will go with it,now lets ask for a plus feature can it run some games like FIFA or it can't run any game ?

You could check reviews that mention Intel's graphics capabilities with such low demand games. However, be reminded that although Intel has seriously progressed with its integrated graphics when it started bundling them into the Core iX CPUs, it can barely compete with Nvidia's / AMD's low-end solutions. Some are comparable, and compete. Others are not. But then, at the low end, you're getting low performance for extra low bucks, so you still kinda get your money's worth. AMD, for example, sells its lowest-end cards for as low as $20. Good luck finding them in Lebanon this cheap, though.

Beej

Or you can get an AMD Llano platform :). Problem solved... You will get a good cpu with an excelent integrated gpu. Its miles better than whatever intel's integrated gpus has to offer...

Also sandy bridge integrated gpu can go up to 1080p resolution, you will be fine in both.

m-sabra

Beej wroteOr you can get an AMD Llano platform :). Problem solved... You will get a good cpu with an excelent integrated gpu. Its miles better than whatever intel's integrated gpus has to offer...

Also sandy bridge integrated gpu can go up to 1080p resolution, you will be fine in both.

thanks for the help can you suggest me any place to buy the AMD Llano ? and can you estimate a price ?

yasamoka

Republic of Gamers store can get Llano laptops and desktops for you...he requests you join his page and add him on messenger (found in page's info):
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Republic-of-Gamers-Store/215692111791867

And tell him what you need.

Lonavista

I suggest you Laptops having 2 VGA s, one which is built in (intel you can use for low quality applications and more battery life) and the other VGA which could be ATI or NVIDIA ( you can use for gaming and high quality applications) this technology can be found in most of the new laptops.

m-sabra

i started thinking of buying a laptop since i realized it's gonna cost me more for buying a PC with some how lower spec. i have found a Samsung Laptop with 3 GB of RAM,500 GB HDD,512 MB dedicated VGA,Intel T4500 2.3 GHz CPU,15.6 LED display for about $400 so is it good ?

AvoK95

m.sabra wrotei started thinking of buying a laptop since i realized it's gonna cost me more for buying a PC with some how lower spec. i have found a Samsung Laptop with 3 GB of RAM,500 GB HDD,512 MB dedicated VGA,Intel T4500 2.3 GHz CPU,15.6 LED display for about $400 so is it good ?

dude don't buy crappy brands , don't buy anything else then toshiba HP dell or asus or lenovo

yasamoka

m.sabra wrotei started thinking of buying a laptop since i realized it's gonna cost me more for buying a PC with some how lower spec. i have found a Samsung Laptop with 3 GB of RAM,500 GB HDD,512 MB dedicated VGA,Intel T4500 2.3 GHz CPU,15.6 LED display for about $400 so is it good ?

LOL Dude are you serious? It's a known fact that any desktop-equivalent laptop will certainly be more expensive, while a similarly priced one will be way inferior. Let me show you some examples.

This is the desktop build I could (not would) build for $400:

CPU: Intel Core i3 2100 ($121)
GPU: Integrated
Mobo: Intel DH61WW ($67)
RAM: 4GB (2x2GB Kingston DDR3-1333 ($34)
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB ($60)
Opt.: LG GH24NS50-24X DVDRW ($24)
Chassis: InWin EA007 ($65)
PSU: 400W - Included with Chassis

And for $20 more you could go for 8GB, but I fail to see its purpose. If you're going for 8GB, then you probably need something CPU / GPU intensive, and would have to replace this entire build with something more high-end.

SUM: $371 without tax - $408 with tax
You just add any monitor and there you go (that is if you don't already have one at home!)

Let's make a comparison between this and the laptop:

CPU: Core 2 Duo x 1.5 = Core i3 xxx * 1.5 = Core i3 2xxx (based on architecture alone, a 2.25x increase in processing power)
Add to that the clockspeed difference: 3.1GHz / 2.3GHz = 1.35

2.25 x 1.35 = 3 times more performance...and that's the lowest end Sandy Bridge chip.

HDD: double the capacity, more speed.

Opt.: Much faster writes.

Chassis: better cooling, upgradeability, fits in more HDDs and Opt. drives, PCI-E graphics card.

PSU: just how many times have you heard of a laptop charger going dead?? Even this PSU is more reliable.

Now this Samsung laptop, is it new, refurbished, or used? $400 is too low of a price. If you can provide me with the model, I'll do a further comparison, especially GPU.

I will try to get you a price quote on Llano first thing tomorrow. So make sure you sign-in tomorrow if you're interested.

Cheers.

m-sabra

it's new, i have sawed it in an ad for $369 so including taxes it will be 406$,it's the Samsung RV510 (i have read some reviews now and i think i am not going to buy it),i was going to pay $460 for a PC with a i3 3.1 GHz processor, 2Gb of RAM, 320 Gb HDD, built in VGA,a crappy case, DVD Rw, and a 18.5 LCD display.
and i usually sign-in every day,so i will check your post, and thanks for your help :)
maybe after all i will try save some money i order to get a PC/Laptop with some higher specs.

yasamoka

m.sabra wroteit's new, i have sawed it in an ad for $369 so including taxes it will be 406$,it's the Samsung RV510 (i have read some reviews now and i think i am not going to buy it),i was going to pay $460 for a PC with a i3 3.1 GHz processor, 2Gb of RAM, 320 Gb HDD, built in VGA,a crappy case, DVD Rw, and a 18.5 LCD display.
and i usually sign-in every day,so i will check your post, and thanks for your help :)
maybe after all i will try save some money i order to get a PC/Laptop with some higher specs.

you're most welcome :) and now I agree with your decisions...today morning / noon I'll try to get that price quote as I promised.