D630 integrated graphic card save how much on battery?

I am about to buy a D630.

My only decision left now is should I get the integrated graphic(x3100) or the graphic card?

So how much of a battery life to you save? Another 20 minutes more?

I know the fan will kick in more and is the fan noisy on the D630?

 

I think the more important question is do you want to game with your laptop or not? If you do any kind of modern gaming then integrated cards just don't cut it and you should decide based on that. Integrated cards are designed to help with battery life so if you don't game then it would be a safe bet.

 

I thought dedicated graphics cards are recommend for Vista?

 

Not really, only if you want to game on Vista. Integrated graphic cards are perfect for Aero.

 

I will not be playing games on it.

How much longer of a battery life do you get on the integrated graphic?

Thanks.

 

If you are not going to be playing games on it then I would suggest going with the intergrated solution. Your battery savings typically will be at least 20-30+ minutes depending on usage.

 

For only 20-30+ minutes, I prefer the discrete video card option.

 

for a 9 cell, I'd wager the battery life difference to be more around 45 minutes.

 

That would be 20-30 minutes minimum. For example if you just left the computer idling. However, most of us actually use our laptops and the difference would probably be closer to what Sirius indicated at 45 minutes.

 

Other then video games, does the dedicated video card offer any other advantages?

 

What is Aero?

I see the minutes are not much even if you are doing typical use.

Dont forget the fan doesnt come as much which is another thing I factor in.

 

runs at lower temps, save battery life, that's the only advantage.

Chong, why would you even consider discrete graphics over integrated if you're not even planning to game? Discrete doesn't help play movies any better of Vista perform any better.

It seems you should be choosing discrete.

 

Aero is the new Vista feature that allows you to scroll through your programs just like alt+tab. I do not see why it is so special.

 

Aero is new fancey graphical user interface that Vista uses. As a home user, Aero is the only upgrade that is noticable from XP.

45 minutes doesn't seem much on paper, especially when you are talking about battery life that is upwards to 5 hours. However, on the T61 the difference is between a sub 2 hour notebook and one that has an "acceptable" battery life.

 

OK, I do not plan to run any video games. So you recommend an integrated video card.

 

Ok, sorry, I should clarify, integrated graphics is the best choice in every situation unless you use programs that require a discrete graphics or unless you game.

 

Also with discrete graphic it helps with your resale value, but you pay more too.

My past experience with an integraphic graphic is that the screen seems to scan slow when the hard drive is running. This is on a celeron processor many yrs ago.

 

it increases resale value, where did you get that idea chong?

after a year or two, you can't sell your used notebook for more than 300-400 anyway.

if you dont plan to run video editing software, or play games integrated is fine.

 

Lap warmer for winter.

 

Lenovo did a test comparing discrete graphics vs onboard.



Source: http://www.lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/?p=40

The moral of the story is: If you don't game on your laptop, onboard graphics is far superior in every way.

 

Some of the new Vista aero features seem pretty graphics intensive.

I may go for the middle ground and get the 128 dedicated card. Does the 128 save battery compared w/ the 256?

 

Whoa!!! I knew integrated graphics would improve battery life, but I had no idea the difference was that much!

Even with that weak graphics card, the battery only lasts about 59% as long as it does with integrated graphics, according to that test.

 

That is quite insane... somethings up imo

I ahve read often that a integrated vs dedicated (depends on the power of the dedicated card) generally gives between 30min to 1 hour of extra battery life. Now this varies from notebook to notebook and from battery sizes.
On my Aspire 9300 with a go6150 (normal size battery... 17' i think its 8 cell) I got about 3h30 min. My friend who has a go7400 had on average 2h45min of life. Both notebooks have same build except for the GPU, and we were just surfing the web and chatting.

 

No, the graphics card, assuming they're still running the same clock speeds, will eat up just as much battery.

Aero isn't that 3d intensive with modern GPU. I don't know why people think they need a dedicated GPU for Aero. The most 3d intensive thing on Vista is probably 3D flip, which the GMA 950 handles just fine. Honestly, how many people are going to actually use 3D flip? It's more eyecandy than being useful. I still prefer Alt-Tab over 3D flip.

 

Aero and 3D flip? Where can I talk a look at this?

 

Aero is just the Vista theme.

3D flip video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1af_4X9qFkQ

 

Surprised no one mentioned the downclocking that can be done thru Notebook Hardware Control and/or nVidia's own PowerMizer utility.

I have a D620 with the 110m card; when on battery with setting set to conserve power, I can get just under 5 hours on the 9 cell. I just ordered the D630 with the 135m and its due to ship mid July. Looking forward to even better life than I get with the D620.

FWIW.

 

Can I find x3100 vs other video chipset peformance?

Like a winstone test?

 

holy crap a 3 hours difference on the lenovo?
Well I got the dedicated video, I think it will be worth it being able to play San Andreas and all

 

Ok, another question: Does having dedicated graphics help at all with programs like Photoshop, Premiere, and Illustrator? I'm guessing that it might because these are graphics intensive programs and having a dedicated GPU is better than relying on the computer's CPU. Wonder what kind of performance advantage it'll have.

 

Photoshop and Illustrator: No. Dedicated graphics does nothing for still image editing.

Premiere: I'm not really sure whether the video card would help with video editing. I've heard it can help but I'm not really sure why.

 

Hmm downclocking sounds interesting! Does it then consume much less battery power than on full power? Is the consumption comparable to the integrated? Cuz like 1 hour less on the 9 cell is pretty much, but if downclocking would reduce its power (and hopefully its hunger) to one like the integrated i'd be happy to get the dedicated...

can the 135quadro even be downclocked easily? Can it be done automatically at system start?

 

Downclocking isn't nearly as effective as undervolting, which as far as I know, can't be done easily on the mobile cards. You won't save too much power by just downclocking - voltage is where the power savings are.

Again, if you're not gaming or doing 3D rendering, there's no reason to go for dedicated. Aero will run just as well with a X3100 as it will with a discrete solution.

 

I couldn'T care less 'bout aero and 3dflip and whatnot.
Vista is the biggest bullcrap i've ever seen. So many issues...

anyways, I wouldn't mind having a dedicated gfx to play a game once in a while but it isn't so vitally important.

Say the d630 with the x3100 integrated has 6h of battery life on a 9 cell, I'd trade like half an hour for the dedicated. But if it's more I'd stick to the integrated.

Any thoughts?

 

I'm pretty sure the Quadro cards have PureVideo, which means they can assist in decoding videos (Mpeg-2, H.264, etc.), lowering your cpu usage.