Integrated vs discrete graphics windows 7

In laptops, switchable graphics are a special coordination of the discrete and integrated graphics systems and the mainboard they are connected to. Each of these components must be designed with this capability in mind, and this development was driven by the need for balancing performance and power. This need isn't so great in desktop systems, where battery life is not a consideration at all, and where you'd have to get buy-in to the systems and protocols from myriad hardware vendors in order for the function to even begin to be reality.

So, the answer is most likely no. If you do a lot of resource intensive work like high-end gaming or professional graphic designing, then a dedicated card is definitely the way to go. This can be countered to some extent by ensuring you get a laptop with single or dual fans and plenty of vents.

There are also special cooling stands available if you want to keep temperatures down even more. Switchable cards are also available, which offer the GPU as both an integrated and dedicated card. Performance will increase and battery life will decrease accordingly.

Best home computers Desktop PCs and Macs. Best screen capture software Best disk defragmenter tools Best laptops MacBooks, Windows laptops, ultrabooks, and 2-in-1s. However, dedicated graphics cards do have their drawbacks. Without a compatible design or a good fan, this kind of graphics card can get warm quickly. One other drawback of choosing a discreet graphics card is the higher price, sometimes hundreds of dollars more than an integrated graphics card might cost.

If a dedicated graphics card is what you need, we recommend getting a PC with multiple fans and plenty of vents. You can also invest in a cooling stand to provide extra protection from heat. Depending on the size of the task, your graphics card will usually consume between one and five percent of the available memory for graphics processing in gaming or multitasking. Integrated cards are more affordable than their dedicated counterparts.

If you use your PC for everyday graphics processing, video editing, and word processing, an integrated GPU is certainly up to the task.