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Minimum Graphics Requirements for Grandma?

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  • *Overclocking can damage your Grandma. The way it does this is through excessive heat and stress on the joints and brain (see also: osteoporosis), and this can effectively kill Grandma or permanently impair her functionality. It can sometimes happen almost instantly, sometimes after days, sometimes after many months. Overclocking Grandma is not risk-free, and damage to the joints and brain happens more often than you think.

  • Overclocking instantly voids the warranty on your Grandma, as does any physical modification to her person. Yes, it can be difficult to prove that you've overclocked Granny, but if any damage is done to her knees, eyes, or brain due to overclocking then the place where you found Grandma or her next of kin may discover this and deny you a warranty repair/replacement.
  • I take no responsibility for any damage you do to your Grandma if you choose to overclock her. Sorry, but all I can do is try to provide accurate information. What you choose to do with your Grandma is your responsibility.
 
Grandmas don't need 3D accelerators (at least for XP) but they need 2D/GDI+ acceleration so that Windows in general isn't slow. Any card should have that these days. For Vista, they need a cheap WGF2.0 card fast enough to do all the effects.
 
Google Earth is a cool general-interest application, and I"d like everyone to be able to run that smoothly. How low can you go in 3D graphics capability to do this? Pretty low probably, but there is a limit, and the older stuff will have lost driver and software support.

Some of the built-ins are at least historically not only bad in speed, but also in resolution / quality. Modern LCD's are essentially fixed resolution, and they're likely to be 1280x1024, and do put some stress in quality. But I haven't played with a lot of integrated video options just because of how bad they've been historically. Perhaps they're much better now; they need to be. On the plus side, LCD's will avoid the problem with low refresh rates and flicker that (poor) integrated video also tend to have.

Finally, with the availablity of relatively high quality NVidia 6100 or 6150 integrated video at marginal cost on decent motherboards, I think that there's no reason to further tolerate the older poor quality video.
 
You guys are a little slow on the uptake. Granny needs DX10, and 240+dpi monitor and Vista. She needs it NOW!

Why? Because the current display technology sucks. Until you have seen Vista's font render engine in Aero Glass running on a high-res monitor, you will not understand. Until you have seen truly scaling fonts allowing full two-page redisplay in PRINT QUALITY on a monitor, you will not understand. Having seen it at WinHEC, it is freaking amazing. For the first time, you will not be tempted to print documents to read them.

You cannot see the ghosts of aliasing. You see test as you have on a office class laser printer. Granny's failing eyesight needs that.

😛
 
When I provide a solution to a client, I always ask what they have budgeted, and what they plan to use it for. After that some pointed questions to best suit their needs.

I think it is pompous to dictate to anyone else, even if you are doing the labor pro bono, what they can, or cannot have. If granny has the bank, and she prefers I build her something that will smoke her friend Martha's Dell or Compaq, then that is what she gets.

The point is, you simply don't know what they want, you just think you know what they need. Unless it is your money, it isn't your decision, so stop trying to be the tech czar and dictate to them. Ask them some pointed questions, and actually listen to the answers.
 
Modern integrated graphics and 256MB is plenty for most things other than gaming. Should still be enough even with Aero.

My Dad's old P4, 256MB, and a GeForce2 can play CS 1.5, UT2K3 and BF1942 without hassle.

RoD
 
Originally posted by: DerekWilson
In response to this comment by BLuDeCKSTARK on the recent 6800 GS article:

...


Yes, I have heard that Vista is gonna smoke the cheap cards, so maybe now is the time to increase the minimum power standard,
Click to expand...

hello, nope u've heard wrong, Vista will scale to accomodate all cards. the fancy 3d desktop will be optional 4 those who want it.
 
Originally posted by: Madwand1
Google Earth is a cool general-interest application, and I"d like everyone to be able to run that smoothly. How low can you go in 3D graphics capability to do this? Pretty low probably, but there is a limit, and the older stuff will have lost driver and software support.

Some of the built-ins are at least historically not only bad in speed, but also in resolution / quality. Modern LCD's are essentially fixed resolution, and they're likely to be 1280x1024, and do put some stress in quality. But I haven't played with a lot of integrated video options just because of how bad they've been historically. Perhaps they're much better now; they need to be. On the plus side, LCD's will avoid the problem with low refresh rates and flicker that (poor) integrated video also tend to have.

Finally, with the availablity of relatively high quality NVidia 6100 or 6150 integrated video at marginal cost on decent motherboards, I think that there's no reason to further tolerate the older poor quality video.
Click to expand...


Google Earth runs pretty decently on the laptops at my job, which are Pentium-M machines with the Intel GMA 900 graphics. Trick is, though, that you have to switch the Google Earth over to Direct X in the options for better performance with the onboard graphics.
 
Originally posted by: batmanuel
Originally posted by: Madwand1
Google Earth is a cool general-interest application, and I"d like everyone to be able to run that smoothly. How low can you go in 3D graphics capability to do this? Pretty low probably, but there is a limit, and the older stuff will have lost driver and software support.

Some of the built-ins are at least historically not only bad in speed, but also in resolution / quality. Modern LCD's are essentially fixed resolution, and they're likely to be 1280x1024, and do put some stress in quality. But I haven't played with a lot of integrated video options just because of how bad they've been historically. Perhaps they're much better now; they need to be. On the plus side, LCD's will avoid the problem with low refresh rates and flicker that (poor) integrated video also tend to have.

Finally, with the availablity of relatively high quality NVidia 6100 or 6150 integrated video at marginal cost on decent motherboards, I think that there's no reason to further tolerate the older poor quality video.
Click to expand...


Google Earth runs pretty decently on the laptops at my job, which are Pentium-M machines with the Intel GMA 900 graphics. Trick is, though, that you have to switch the Google Earth over to Direct X in the options for better performance with the onboard graphics.
Click to expand...
As long as Grandma is not a Roaming User... Google Earth is the bane of Roaming Users. Installs in the user account, saves LOTS of data to it, corrupts the dl/ul of the acct to the server. BAD Google, BAD.

 
No matter if it's for Granny or a young school teacher. It all depends on the need. I built one for a teacher using a Shuttle AN35N and used a RADEON 7000. I think it was around $35 or so and it works as good a my RADEON 9800 for reports, grades, reports, surfing, etc.

I know a grandmother who was completely happy for years with her P-III 450 and a 16 meg card. She would still be using it if she hadn't gone mobile and bought a laptop about 5 months ago.
 
I have a granny running on a P2-300 with some old TNT2 card. Unless you're using 3d for anything, or doing some video watching, even that's more than enough.
 
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