Are all integrated graphic cards big NO-NO?

[Mats_Knutsson]

pc...

[Rob]

AFAIK, the integrated graphic card (GC) shares RAM and main bus with the system. Effectively your GC decreases free physical (fast) memory that could be used by applications or system otherwise (not enough free physical memory results in memory paging oh a hard drive done by MMU-memory management unit = speed problems). Secondly GC is using same access (bus) to graphics data as other application/os do to their data = busy bus (bottleneck effect) and speed problems.

[Mats_Knutsson]

Rob wrote:
AFAIK, the integrated graphic card (GC) shares RAM and main bus with the system. Effectively your GC decreases free physical (fast) memory that could be used by applications or system otherwise (not enough free physical memory results in memory paging oh a hard drive done by MMU-memory management unit = speed problems). Secondly GC is using same access (bus) to graphics data as other application/os do to their data = busy bus (bottleneck effect) and speed problems.

Thanks Rob!
Suspicion confirmed!
Best regards,
Mats

[Thomas Holm]

This means in practice that in Archicad, if you've got at least 2GB of RAM, the only really noticable problem you'll have is slower performance when you navigate the 3D window in Open GL.

[Dwight]

Which is the kiss of death to fun with OpenGL since it can absorb all the video ram you can throw at it.

Is it cheaper to buy your ram for the slot or on the card?

[henrypootel]

Also, aside from the whole RAM and speed issues, integrated graphics cards just don't work particularly well. I tried ArchiCAD 11 on a new Lenovo desktop with an Intel integrated graphics card. It worked fine in 3D until you put any windows in the model, and then it just showed a nice peaceful white screen all the time. Kind of soothing, but not very helpful.

[Thomas Holm]

henrypootel wrote:
Kind of soothing, but not very helpful.

I've heard it works better in the MacMini and MacBook though.

[henrypootel]

ah yes, i have heard of it working on the little white macbook(so cute), but if anyone even mentions the Macmini to me with regards to ArchiCAD, i usually start shrieking like a girl. So i'm not sure what anybody may have said after that.

[Thomas Holm]

henrypootel wrote:
i usually start shrieking like a girl

I can't hear you
Suitable or not, it depends on your work needs. The Mini is under the shell essentially the same machine as the previous MacBook generation (replaced four weeks ago), just with a socketed processor. I can't see why you'd scream for one but not the other?

[Anonymous]

With the Intel GMA 950 card in the Mackbook there are support limitations for instance it will only support my favourite screen resolution of 1280 x 1024 on my 20" Mitsubishi CRT monitor at 60Hz (required frequency 75Hz) which gives an unsharp screen and which I find impossible to work with. The new GMA 3100 in the latest Macbooks may have improved on this and with their ability to handle 4Gb ram allocating up to 144Mb to graphics may also help. Apple are recommending the latest MacBooks for working with Aperture which I suppose shows some faith in the graphics chip.