Sempron 3500+ with dedicated video card VS. Core Duo with integrated video

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kag

kag

Golden Member
May 21, 2001
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I was asked me to find a new laptop with a given budget. This laptop is gonna be used for school but also for some light gaming. I can't decide whether I should pick a Sempron 3500+ with a ATI Radeon Xpress1150 256MB video card, or stick with a Core Duo T2050 with the Intel GMA 950 integrated video card. Both would have at least 1GB of system memory.

What's your opinion?
 
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cmrmrc

Senior member
Jun 27, 2005
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First of all, the ATI RADEON XPRESS 1150 is an integrated video...

Second of all, don't game on the intel GMA 950 unless its some really old games...

I guess you could go with the Sempron if gaming matters more than everyday use because the Core Duo would be best for everyday computing with two cores.
 
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CurseTheSky

Diamond Member
Oct 21, 2006
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Ouch, tough choice.

For LIGHT gaming, the Core Duo might be the better choice. It shouldn't have too much trouble with things like Warcraft III, C&C Generals, etc. Anything like Doom 3, Half-Life 2, or possibly World of Warcraft may choke, though.

The Core Duo will certainly be a benefit for general tasks, including school work. I guess it depends on the hard drive (both capacity and speed), and the memory (again, capacity and speed). If the Core Duo comes with more of either, definately pick that. I'd rather run a laptop with a crappy video card and 512 (or 1024) MB of RAM, than a decent video card and only 256 MB.
 
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Chickan

Senior member
Feb 10, 2006
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go dedicated video if you can, but try to find a non-sempron based system. What budget do you have in mind?
 
Zap

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
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Originally posted by: Chickan
What budget do you have in mind?
Click to expand...

That's what I want to know.

This past June I got an Acer notebook for my wife for about $1113 shipped price from Newegg that had a Core Duo, 120GB HDD, DVDRW, 15.4" widescreen, 1GB RAM and a Radeon Mobility x1600 with 128MB dedicated. Not only does it run WoW (what she plays) but it can run WoW at the screen's native resolution with most things turned up, IIRC.

Well, if you were told that your budget is $500, then good luck.
 
Zap

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
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That won't get you much for graphics, maybe an older GPU on some leftover model. I've seen Radeon Mobilty X600 and Geforce Go 6600 for barely under $1000 US. Seems like anything halfway decent requires at least $1000.

Around $900 can get you a Dell with a Radeon x1300 or x1400. It is a discreet GPU, but uses system RAM (Hypermemory).
 
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Stumps

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2001
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Sempron 3500+ with a ATI Radeon Xpress1150 256MB video card,
Click to expand...

My GF just replaced her old IBM R40E with an Acer Aspirer 3100 series with these specs, it's actually pretty good, it gets around 5500+ in 3Dmark01 and around 1500+ in 3Dmark03..it runs games like NFS:Underground, NFS:U2, RTCW, UT2003 and a few other slightly older games with no problems at all at 1024x768.

I haven't tried it with doom3 or Quake4 yet by I suspect it might be playable at the lowest settings....after all I have seen P4 and AXP desktops with old ATI 9000's and 9200's running those games fine at low settings.
 
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A554SS1N

Senior member
May 17, 2005
804
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Go with core 2 duo, and then stick in a graphics card when you can afford it - handy to have a fast processor that will last for ages, and other things can be more easily added to your system in the future.
 
Zap

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
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The OP was shopping for a notebook. Last I heard, tough to add a video card.
 
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Cooler

Diamond Member
Mar 31, 2005
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Originally posted by: kag
I was asked me to find a new laptop with a given budget. This laptop is gonna be used for school but also for some light gaming. I can't decide whether I should pick a Sempron 3500+ with a ATI Radeon Xpress1150 256MB video card, or stick with a Core Duo T2050 with the Intel GMA 950 integrated video card. Both would have at least 1GB of system memory.

What's your opinion?
Click to expand...

I would not try to get a laptop for any major gamming for anything less then 900-$1100. I would ask your friend to wait for more cash.
 
n7

n7

Elite Member
Jan 4, 2004
21,281
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Why would he want a heavier bulkier 15.4" that has the exact same WXGA resolution as the 14"?

Generally speaking, unless you have trouble reading smaller font (which can be adjusted anyway) & or for some reason you need a physically larger screen, the 14" notebooks are a better option IMHO, since you get the same resolution as the 15.4"s, & roughly a pound less weight.

When you find a better bang for buck dual core w/ decent integrated video laptop in Canada, let me know ;)
 
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swtethan

Diamond Member
Aug 5, 2005
9,071
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Originally posted by: Cooler
Originally posted by: kag
I was asked me to find a new laptop with a given budget. This laptop is gonna be used for school but also for some light gaming. I can't decide whether I should pick a Sempron 3500+ with a ATI Radeon Xpress1150 256MB video card, or stick with a Core Duo T2050 with the Intel GMA 950 integrated video card. Both would have at least 1GB of system memory.

What's your opinion?
Click to expand...

I would not try to get a laptop for any major gamming for anything less then 900-$1100. I would ask your friend to wait for more cash.
Click to expand...


http://store.agearnotebooks.com/compalhel80.html


Same laptop as the Voodoo Envy I:534 and Hypersonic Aviator MV6




 
kag

kag

Golden Member
May 21, 2001
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I forgot to mention that indeed I would like a 15.4" screen.
Should I assume that pretty much all shared video offer the same performance, or is a particular model more performing?
 
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