How are the new internal graphics cards for gaming?

[SW1]

Hello,
I'm considering buying an all in one computer for home use. I don't play that many games but sometimes I need to do Cad modeling for work. I use Rhino, whats good for gaming is usually good for Rhino. Best Buy is selling a refurbished 24" all in one for $650 with a 2.93 Intel i3. Not sure how far the integrated cards have come in the last few years. Any help is much appreciated!

 

[iam2thecrowe]

they are fine........if you play games that are 10 years old. All-in-one computers overheat easily under load and are expensive to repair as there are no generic parts available. They are a complete waste of time and money IMO. If you really want one, make sure you get the extended warranty.

 

[Timop]

The only "respectable" IGPs are Llano, go to the homepage and read all about it.
For what its worth, in a month or two, some pretty nice AIOs with decent gaming performance and mediocre CPU speeds should come out.

But other than that, You would rather build a small PC and mount it using a VESA stand at the back of the monitor.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

^ i have seen some dell setups like that, a small form factor pc attached to a monitor. Still better to just make a proper mid tower pc or even a full ATX low profile.

 

[mdd1963]

I'd avoid the all-in=ones, if at all possible; $650 will get you a respectable complete system with 22/23" monitor these days....

 

[dark_lord69]

"Not sure how far the integrated cards have come in the last few years."
Answer: They still suck!
Buy a dedicated video card, 5770 or better
Personally I have a 4870 which has about the same performance as a 5770.

 

[jaguarskx]

Integrated graphics performance is improving, but it is no where near discreet video cards.

Intel's current Sandy Bridge Core i5-2500k and i7-2600k CPUs have the Intel HD 3000 graphics core. It is more powerful than previous Intel integrated graphics, but only a little more powerful than the Radeon HD 5450.

AMD's upcoming Llano CPUs (socket FM1) for laptops will have a more powerful graphics core; Radeon HD 6550D. It's performance is a bit better than the Radeon HD 6450. It's like this:

Radeon HD 5570 > Radeon HD 6550D > Intel HD 3000 > Radeon HD 5450

Compared to a nVidia card, it is about as powerful as the GT 220.

At least one manufacturer (Asrock) will be releasing a desktop motherboard which will use the Llano CPU.

Here's a preview of the Llano CPU:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4448/amd-llano-desktop-performance-preview

 

[SW1]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the advice!!

 

[SW1]

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