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    Any good reasons for dual graphics?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by ITemplate, Jan 1, 2009.

  1. ITemplate

    ITemplate Notebook Consultant

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    Hi,

    I'm going for a T400. In my country there seems to be a lot of single-graphics T400 sold. With the Intel GMA adapter. I am only going to use this laptop for Office, Internet and handling my family pictures and videos (editing, not viewing).

    Any good reasons for having the dual adapters for Office, Internet and family media handling? Can you think of any ordinary usage where the ATI adapter comes in handy?

    Oh btw it is the Intel GMA that is the most battery-friendly correct?

    --
     
    ITemplate, Jan 1, 2009
    #1
  2. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

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    No it is not needed in my opinion. The integrated card will offer better battery life.
     
    ZaZ, Jan 1, 2009
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  3. ITemplate

    ITemplate Notebook Consultant

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    Thanks Zaz, thats great...
     
    ITemplate, Jan 1, 2009
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  4. pacmandelight

    pacmandelight Notebook Deity

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    The ATI is better at 3D games than the Intel one. Still, there are faster graphics cards out there. The CPU is more important for video editing (right now) than the graphics card. For your needs, the Intel GMA should be sufficient.
     
    pacmandelight, Jan 1, 2009
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  5. jonlumpkin

    jonlumpkin NBR Transmogrifier

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    The dedicated card (ATI 3470) is primarily intended for gaming purposes. The Intel GMA 4500MHD is a weak gaming card, but is a fantastic card for normal desktop/business applications. It is also good for video playback and will accelerate decoding of video files (including 1080P Blu-Ray content) and is a substantial upgrade over the GMA 3100 in my opinion.
     
    jonlumpkin, Jan 1, 2009
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  6. ITemplate

    ITemplate Notebook Consultant

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    Excellent news all. Sounds like the Intel will deliver more that enough power for me since I wont be gaming at all. Thanks.
     
    ITemplate, Jan 1, 2009
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  7. bill17

    bill17 Notebook Enthusiast

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    If not gaming you will never need dual graphics.
     
    bill17, Jan 4, 2009
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  8. Nyctalus

    Nyctalus Newbie

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    What about Photoshop CS, ArcView and other relatively heavy (large files to redraw) 2D work? No real advantage there either?

    Do the integrated solution offer good and flexible support for dual external displays (of different resolution). What will the maximum resolution be?

    I'm considering a T500 and a docking station.
     
    Nyctalus, Jan 4, 2009
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