Graphics w/ shared memory performance hits?

[jarkarj]

Does a graphics card with shared system memory (in a laptop) have any effect on the overall performance of the machine when not running graphic intensive programs? I'm planning on getting a laptop for music performance/production but I am afraid that the shared memory will cause problems. The programs I will be working with mainly use lots of CPU and are storing and playing back large audio files from RAM. The system I am most interested in is the HP nx6125 with an ATI x300.

 

[fbrdphreak]

It won't make a huge enough impact to worry about.
If you don't need 3D capabilities, but want to maximize portability, get integrated graphics.
If this machine won't be used portably, get discrete to maximize system performance.

Also, the nx6125 uses the AMD64 architecture. What this means for you is that instead of traditional Front Side Bus which is rather limited in bandwidth and has higher latency, you get a HyperTransport Link. This is a dedicated transfer link between the system components with a LOT more bandwidth than a traditional FSB. I would imagine that the IGP of the RadeonXpress200M chipset has much less of an impact due to this fact.