are video cards important for notebooks?

HiME

Senior member
Jan 30, 2006
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I'd like to know whether X3000 would be good enough for watching movies and high resolution videos on a laptop, given the condition that most laptops have a life span of 3 years.

Another question is does onboard graphics like X3000 share any CPU resources? Would the 8400M GS be worth it if there are no gaming being involved? I heard that 8400M can hardware decode videos but wouldn't it be better if the money is being invested on the CPU, such as the jump from T5250 to T7100.
 

Ruptga

Lifer
Aug 3, 2006
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I've got a T2300 CPU and GMA 950 for my graphics, and have no problems at all with movies. I'm not entirely sure about the X3000, but GMA 950 does require the CPU to do some stuff, though I'm 90% certain that only matters in games, not movies. X3000, like all integrated graphics, does share system memory. And according to Wikipedia, the X3000 does support VC-1 decode acceleration.
 
Dec 10, 2005
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No point getting a dedicated video card if you aren't going to game. The X3100 chip found in new notebooks is more than enough for what you want to do. It won't take up CPU time as the video processor is found on the northbridge. And ifADDAvenger has no problems using the GMA 950 for the same tasks, the X3100 would be overkill since it is much better compared to the older generation of integrated graphics. Also, going with the integrated graphics means getting more battery time (at least 20 minutes, if not much more).
 

HiME

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Jan 30, 2006
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Thank you very much guys. I'd just noticed that there are two versions of onboard graphcis, X3000 and X3100. I see that dell offers X3000, where most other manufactures offers X3100 for their santa rosa platform. What's the difference between them anyway in terms of gaming? Are they DX10 chips?
 

TheStu

Moderator<br>Mobile Devices & Gadgets
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Sep 15, 2004
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They are both DX10 cards, but are of course still integrated. So don't expect super framerates, but it will be more than sufficient.
 

HiME

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Jan 30, 2006
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Ok. One last question..

How well does a Intel® Celeron M® M540 (1.86GHz, 1M L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB) actually perform? I couldn't find any benchmarks for Celeron processors. Would this be sufficient for movies or is it better to spend an extra $100 and upgrade for a Core2 Duo T5470 through Dell?
 
Dec 10, 2005
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Originally posted by: HiME
Ok. One last question..

How well does a Intel® Celeron M® M540 (1.86GHz, 1M L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB) actually perform? I couldn't find any benchmarks for Celeron processors. Would this be sufficient for movies or is it better to spend an extra $100 and upgrade for a Core2 Duo T5470 through Dell?

The Celeron performs about on par with a Core Solo processor since they are all single-cored. Going for the Core 2 Duo would give you better multi-tasking performance and power-saving features not found on the Celeron (more battery-life). I would say it is certainly worth the upgrade to go with at least the lowest level of Core 2 Duo processor you can afford and skip the Celeron.
 

Ruptga

Lifer
Aug 3, 2006
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Yeah, get a Pentium, basically it's a dualcore Celeron (same amount of cache and FSB speed) but it does have the power saving features. Also about 3000 vs 3100... Wikipedia is your friend

As you can see, the 3100 is DX10 compatible, while the 3000 is not
 
Dec 10, 2005
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Originally posted by: ADDAvenger
Yeah, get a Pentium, basically it's a dualcore Celeron (same amount of cache and FSB speed) but it does have the power saving features. Also about 3000 vs 3100... Wikipedia is your friend

As you can see, the 3100 is DX10 compatible, while the 3000 is not

I don't even see why this is an issue. If you are buying a notebook on the Santa Rosa platform (965 mobile chipset), then the graphics chip will be the X3100. If you are buying any other notebook not based on the Santa Rosa chipset, then you'll either be getting the GMA 950 or the ATI X1150 (AMD). The X3000 is only found on certain 965 series desktop boards.
 

Ruptga

Lifer
Aug 3, 2006
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Oooh I just learned something. Well all the better then, the stuff from Dell is probably a misprint then, either that or the OP doesn't realize they're now using the Inspiron name for desktops as well.
 

HiME

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Jan 30, 2006
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yes, it was a misprint for the dell Inspiron 1520 series. It should be X3100 instead of X3000.