Posted 01/08/2009 at 12:59:10pm

Actually, from HP, they have another laptop that for about $100 more, you can get a Radeon 4650. But that option didn't exist a few months ago when I bought my laptop, and anyway, when you're talking a $500 laptop, $100 extra isn't inconsiderable. Were I to buy the laptop today, I'd go with the 4650 for $600, but the 8200M-G for $500 isn't something to scoff at, IMHO.

I get about 6000 marks in 3DMark 2001 SE, so that's about half what I got with my Radeon 9500 Pro a few years ago on the desktop, but again, for a $500 laptop, this is nothing to scoff at!

Posted 01/08/2009 at 12:54:24pm

Integrated graphics are nothing remarkable for the desktop, since a cheap graphics card can easily had for an extra $50, so you don't really save any money.

But good integrated graphics are a boon for the laptop. I bought an HP CQ-50Z laptop with an integrated Geforce 8200M-G, for $500 (low budget!). I had planned on using it only for office productivity, but someone bought me Fallout 3 for my birthday, so...let's give it a spin!

With all graphics turned all the way down, except with LOD turned on High, I get just barely playable framerates, in the 15 to 30 fps range. Not enough for a real FPS, but enough for an RPG or RTS. Not bad for a $500 laptop! Remember that I'm talking a brand-new DX10 title.