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Thread ID: 34445	2003-06-13 05:54:00	Onboard Graphics (on M/B)	fergie (424)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
152287	2003-06-13 05:54:00	Hi ya Could some one please give me some breif details on onboard Graphics on motherboards. The motherboard i'm looking at has a Integrated NVIDIA GeForce2 graphics core. Few Q's. 1. Does it use the PC's RAM for memory?? 2. If so, how much can it use? 3. Whats onbaord like? is it just like having a AGP GF2? sweet	fergie (424)
152288	2003-06-13 06:06:00	Answers: 1. Onboard graphics chips use the main system memory. For example, if you have 512MB of RAM in your PC, the graphics card could be using 64MB, leaving your operating system and applications you run with only 448MB of RAM. 2. You set how much memory it uses in the BIOS. A comfortable setting is 64MB to 128MB, but this depends really on how much memory you have available. Also watch for the 'AGP aperture' setting in BIOS. I am told that you should ideally set this to half of your system RAM (or thereabouts), and if you come across trouble with this, put it back to the original setting. 3. Onboard graphics are reasonable, but not very good for gaming. If you only use your computer for internet and office tasks, it should be fine, but graphics intensive processes, such as the majority of games these days (and perhaps image editing programs) really require a separate graphics card. I don't know how onboard compares to AGP (it most certainly isn't as good, though), but I know that (approximately), a 128MB PCI graphics card is as good as a 64MB AGP graphics card.	agent (30)
152289	2003-06-13 06:20:00	ok, cool, thanks for clearing that up. also - one more quik Q - does a micro ATX m/b fit in a ATX case?	fergie (424)
152290	2003-06-13 06:33:00	It most certainly should - but you'd need a new plate for the back of your case, where you plug in your speakers, graphics cable (if you currently have onboard graphics), mouse, keyboard, etc. This is because the Micro ATX mobo is shorter than a standard ATX mobo, I believe, and will place ports lower done. That said though, a case can cost only $100 (or less, depends on what you want out of it - style, functionality, front USB ports, or just a standard beige box), and you should be able to sell your old case if need be (or trade it in).	agent (30)
152291	2003-06-13 10:09:00	Hi fergie If your thinking about a board with omboard gfx then the nVidia nForce chipset is the best around. Won't give you top notch gfx but is pretty good all the same and will tide you over until you get a card (if you want to play games, etc) so make sure your new board has an AGP slot as well if thats the way you want to go. BTW the nForce chip is AGP bus. What model of board were you looking at? Cheers Murray P	Muzzer (238)
152292	2003-06-13 10:32:00	Hi. I'm looking at a "Asus A7N266-VM" www.asus.com It has a NVIDIA nForce 220-D chipset. All i really want it for is internet, basic pc needs, and a little gaming (The Sims, Some RTS games, and some light FPS games) it'll be matched up with a duron 1ghz, with 256mb DDR ram. with that amount of ram, and my needs, how much memory would you recommend giving the GF2? 64mb? Sweet	fergie (424)
152293	2003-06-13 11:09:00	The A7266-VM only runs to 32MB of video memory or at least mine does. Good little board tho. Use mine mainly for office apps, photo editing, and the very occasional game. I didn't think I would last very long with anboard gfx but I'm more than satisfied for what I'm doing. The chipset has had very good reviews that I can endorse. Not a top of the liner but a very capable board and cost effective all the same. There is one up the food chain I believe that does 64MB of video if you want to go up a notch. If you want a gaming machine tho as agent says go for asystem with a card. Asus is still a good quality choice for boards. Cheers Murray P	Muzzer (238)
152294	2003-06-13 11:14:00	Just a note on the micro atx form factor. Its fiddley to work on inside the case because everything is positioned that much more tightly. I find I can still work on mine if the case is at least a mid tower, then the power supply diesn't obstruct the ram and cpu area like it does on a micro case. Bit more airflow in there as well. Cheers Murray P	Muzzer (238)
152295	2003-06-13 20:57:00	ok, thanks for that. That sounds just what i'm after. Cheers	fergie (424)
152296	2003-06-13 21:10:00	Hope you dont mind, I just wanna run a few things by you... OnBoard RAM and Shared RAM... Watch out for the difference!! Shared RAM it'll share your RAM, not only decreasing the amount for use by your OS/Apps, but its also way slower than if you get OnBoard or an actual graphics card! If you can, avoid shared RAM for anything but web surfing. My family's Gateway PC has 64MB Shared Memroy, and sturggles on running the Sims at the lowest 800x600 res. Sad thing is, my laptop with a two meg NeoMaigic Graphic Card gave better results in Unreal Tournament at 640x480 that the Gatewau did.. basically, I could get a MAX of 2 fps. No doubt technolofy will have increased in abilities since the SiS chpiset I bought, but none-the-less, if you can, avoid it. OnBoard is where there is a graphics card, but it is onboard.. built into th motherboard, and geneerally you cannot change the amount of Memroy it has with a simple BIOS setting. Its a fixed size, and these generally offer much better pergormance. Still, they are not comparible with an actual graphics card, but for most games like Sims and Zoo Tycoon etc. OnBoard should suggice :-) Hope this helps Cheers Chill. BTW - Can anybody let me know a little more how much technology has increased with Shared Graphics?	Chilling_Silently (228)
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