im buying a dell inspirion 531, and the graphics options are Integrated nVidia GeForce 6150 LE graphics AND 256mb nVidia GeForce 8600GT graphics card. I would have picked the deticated graphics but that costs £99.88 extra.
Should i pick the dedicated graphics or pick the integrated graphics and pick up a decent graphics card on ebay for £35 ?
2007-09-23 03:29:58 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Add-ons
Dell make most of their profit on these upgrades.
An 8600GT can be had from http://www.scan.co.uk/ for as little as £65.67 - 256MB MSI 8600GT, PCI-E (x16), Mem 1400 MHz, GDDR3, GPU 540 MHz, 2x Dual Link DVI-I/HDTV Silent and for £19.26 they have the 256MB Gigabyte 8600GTS Silent Pipe III, PCI-E (x16), GDDR3, D-Sub Dual Link DVI-I, HDTV, HDCP.
Don't get the graphics card from Dell.
Do make sure that you get the 531 and not the 531S - the slimline cases are a nightmare to upgrade.
Don't expect to get any gaming satisfaction from the onboard graphics.
Do consider the 8600GTS - a very very nice card...
2007-09-23 05:51:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
hi matt
you should go for the dedicated graphics solution,the nVidia GeForce 8600GT graphics card is a great card,ook its not the top of the 8 series range(thats the 8800gtx) however its got some amazing specs such as pixel and shader model 4.0 and direct x 10 compatibility
do not buy a card from e-bay(or anywhere else) as if you open the case you will viod the warranty and lose any repair and parts agreement,let dell install the card and at least you wont viod any warranty
the 8600gt is easily good enough for any of the latest games,and combined with a dual core processor(AMD® Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 3800+ )you should get acceptable frame rates
although the Integrated nVidia GeForce 6150 LE graphics are pretty good as intergrated graphics solutions go,but there just not up to the job of pixel pushing the latest games
the £99-88 extra cost for the 8600gt is pretty good,this will make your new p.c a future proof gaming machine
any problems let me know
good luck matt !
2007-09-23 07:08:38 · answer #2 · answered by brianthesnail123 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The 8600GT is a damn sight better than the onboard option. Integrated graphics also take advantage of you system memory, where as the card will have its own dedicated memory. The 6150LE is pretty much pants, Go for the integrated graphics and try and get something like a 6600GT or better.....
Hope this helps.
2007-09-23 04:35:25 · answer #3 · answered by David P 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes! Do it but check with Dell and make sure there will be a free PCI-E Slot for it, there should be though as the dedicated card is an option, but best to make sure matey! Only thing is slight risk of installing graphics card yourself- but I'm sure you know what your doing. I would go eBay route and have in past for all sorts of IT bits. GOOD LUCK!
2007-09-23 03:56:49 · answer #4 · answered by denialA29 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
One hundred quid for an 8600GT is actually quite a bargain.
2007-09-23 05:24:22 · answer #5 · answered by Kasey C 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋