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Buying a new PC, will I regret the integrated graphics card later?
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Dear CNET members,
Happy Friday! Let me ask you this: have you ever bought something like a TV or hard drive, only to realize a few months down the line that you regret the purchase, wishing you had bought larger or better? This "buyer's remorse" has happened to me more than a few times. Jose, however, is trying to prevent this from happening; he's doing a little homework so he doesn't regret buying a PC without enough video memory.
This week's topic is all about the confusion over video memory when shopping for a new computer. As Jose found out, there are terms such as "integrated graphics card" and "shared memory" that can be quite daunting, especially if you aren't familiar with them. But never fear; our members are here to help out! And hopefully after reading through this week's answers, you'll have a very good idea of not only what these terms all mean, but also what type of video memory in a system is best for your needs now and possibly in the future.
So to get the ball rolling on this topic, in the Q&A section I have selected a few featured member answers. Most members shared the same explanation among all the different types of video memory--some a little more in detail and some as simple as it gets. All in all, they will be very helpful to those who find themselves in this predicament. Thank you all for you great advice and recommendations! Have a terrific summer, folks!
Cheers!
- Lee
Got suggestions? Send me an e-mail: messageboards@cnet.com
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Lee Koo
CNET Community manager
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Last week's question
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Buying a new PC, will I regret the integrated graphics card later?
 It's been a long time since I've bought a new PC and I'm
ready to take the plunge for a new one. However, my concern
is that the HP Windows 7 system from Costco that I have in
mind has an integrated video card with 256MB shared memory,
but I'm not too sure what that exactly means. Are there ones
that are not integrated? It seems like 256MB size for a
graphic card is pretty hefty, but will it be enough to handle
some of the newer games, especially the ones that are more
graphic intensive. I'm not an avid gamer, but I would like to
have the option to play those games when the opportunity
arises. If I find that the graphic card isn't up to snuff,
can I upgrade or add more memory to the 256MB graphic card?
Or would I be stuck having this system that will never play
those graphic intensive games. I would go for a more
expensive system, but I'm currently on a very limited budget
and that HP system seems like the way to go, but I don't want
to regret buying it. Please help, any advice is appreciated.
-- Submitted by:
Jose R. of Texas
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