Laptop video chip questions

[zmatch]

I have never owned a laptop and have some basic questions.

I'm looking at the video chips available in the Dell Inspiron 8600, and they include:
32MB DDR ATI MOBILITY® RADEON? 9000 4x AGP 3D Video
64MB DDR NVIDIA® GeForce?4 4200 Go AGP 4X Graphics [add $75]
128MB nVidia® GeForce? FX Go 5650 4X AGP Graphics [add $142]

Is either the 64 or 128 MB worth it? Since I'm not a huge gamer, I'm wondering how much cash to pour into video. I figure that I can upgrade many components later, but not the video.

A more basic question: What applications would the better video cards actually improve? Is it just games that rely on the video card for coprocessing, or would Windows applications, DVD's, etc. derive any greater benefit from the more capable cards?

Another (stupid?) question: When using the VGA output of the laptop on a separate monitor, is it possible to show a higher resolution than the LCD would support? Is there then a good reason to spring for the better WUXGA screen? Is it worth considering these really wide screens, since they make the laptop a couple inches wider and more bulky?
Pentium M Processor,1.3 GHz,15.4 in WUXGA (1920x1200 Resolution)
Pentium M Processor,1.3 GHz,15.4 in WSXGA+ [subtract $95] (1680x1050 Resolution)
Pentium M Processor,1.3 GHz,15.4 in WXGA [subtract $143] (1280x800 Resolution)

 

[BoomAM]

Originally posted by: zmatch
I'm looking at the video chips available in the Dell Inspiron 8600, and they include:
32MB DDR ATI MOBILITY® RADEON? 9000 4x AGP 3D Video
64MB DDR NVIDIA® GeForce?4 4200 Go AGP 4X Graphics [add $75]
128MB nVidia® GeForce? FX Go 5650 4X AGP Graphics [add $142]

If you can get it, the GF4 Ti4200Go is a good option. If you can affored, then the GF FX 5600 Go is even better.

Is either the 64 or 128 MB worth it? Since I'm not a huge gamer, I'm wondering how much cash to pour into video. I figure that I can upgrade many components later, but not the video.

If your not a huge gamer, then you could get away with the 64mb ones, but i personally wouldnt get anything under 128mb, for futureproofing sake.

A more basic question: What applications would the better video cards actually improve? Is it just games that rely on the video card for coprocessing, or would Windows applications, DVD's, etc. derive any greater benefit from the more capable cards?

Apart from games, the extra memory will do squat in everything else.

Another (stupid?) question: When using the VGA output of the laptop on a separate monitor, is it possible to show a higher resolution than the LCD would support?

Should be ok, asuming that the video card supports those higher resolutions that you want.

Is there then a good reason to spring for the better WUXGA screen? Is it worth considering these really wide screens, since they make the laptop a couple inches wider and more bulky?

IMO, no.

Pentium M Processor,1.3 GHz,15.4 in WUXGA (1920x1200 Resolution)
Pentium M Processor,1.3 GHz,15.4 in WSXGA+ [subtract $95] (1680x1050 Resolution)
Pentium M Processor,1.3 GHz,15.4 in WXGA [subtract $143] (1280x800 Resolution)

Get the 1.4ghz with the WSXGA+, that does 1680x1050.

 

[Mingon]

Apart from games, the extra memory will do squat in everything else.

except Cad / 3d rendering 😛 And check that the 64mb cards are 128bit memory access as the lower of two memory configurations can sometimes have half the bandwidth e.g. 32mb vs 64mb = 64bit vs 128bit

 

[leolaw]

If you are not going to do gaming on the laptop, I see no reasons to buy a ultimate graphic card.

BTW dvd would play well on most graphic chip on the laptop which you had purchased recently