Community Newsletter: Q&A forum: PC video memory confusion: Dedicated, shared, discrete, oh my!

Basically here are their key differences:

Shared Memory: This means that your system doesn't have a video card; rather, the CPU and your RAM are used to process the video. Obviously the advantage of this is the lower PC cost, since you did not bought a card. On the flip side, this means more work for a processor and more importantly, the video processing "shares" or uses some of your available RAM. So let's say you have 2GB of RAM installed and "Shared Video Memory" is set to 512MB, that means you have roughly 1.5GB left your your use.

Low amount of RAM available for your use always means lesser over-all performance.

Dedicated/Discreet: That is when your system has a video card installed, and your gains from this are the opposite of having shared video memory.

In short, if you want to do photo/video editing and gaming at a decent degree, you definitely need to invest at a video card.

The one you have to think about is how much you are willing to invest at a video card. On casual music/DVD, browsing and streaming, and even simple photo editing, you could get away with some of the cheapest video cards. But you can't expect to do gaming on them, even if you're not hardcore.

Do not buy a video card no lesser than a 8600GTS. You could check out the video cards priced at around $135 - $150. They are not as expensive as other cards but quite the performer.

Also note that certain video cards needs power direct from your power supply.

Hope I helped.

One of the confusing things on some brands is that they do have a graphics card but it takes all or part of it's memory from the ram.
"NVIDIA GeForce with up to 559MB video RAM"
it's the *up to* thats the clue in this example.

You probably meant to post your response to Joan here:

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10149_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=288637&messageID=2734656

Please repost.

Thanks!
-Lee

FYI,

XP supports up to 3 gig of memory only.

Thanks!
I just happen to read all of your replies and you were all my teachers tonight!

Thanks!
Your detailed info with ( ) was very helpful!!

Hi Sheldon,
Shopping for a new pc is a dauting task these days with so many different configurations and component combinations. From your intended use of your new system, you should look for a PCI-e video card with as much on card memory as you can afford to allow in the system. Many video cards have 128Mb, 256Mb, 512Mb, 640Mb and more installed On the video card. Discrete memory refers to the memory built into the video card itself. Shared memory (as implied), utilizes some of the memory installed on the system board, drawing upon more or less as the task requires. Even for casual gamming, its not a waste of money to go with a bit better card with more ram. This will allow the system's processor to work on other processes more efficiently, delivering an overall faster performing pc.
You can find a detailed article here

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,125762-page,3-c,graphicsboards/article.html

As with most commercially built desktops, you may have some leeway when ordering the system build from a big name manufacturer. Except for the "very high end" video cards (only for avid gamers), upgrading from the basic model should be fairly cheap when dealing with the likes of HP, Dell etc. Look at a 256 or 512Mb card. This should deliver the performance you need.
Remember that the video card must work in conjunction with the CPU and mainboard chipset. You can find great deals including quad core systems with middle to higher end PCI-E video cards that will give you some future proofing (or at least a few more years of useful computing).
Good luck

Sheldon: As part of this answer, see my answer to Joans question from last week!

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10149_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=288637&messageID=2735071#2735071

Dedicated video memory (also called discreet video memory) is memory that is on the video card (or the equivalent circuitry on the motherboard), and that is separate and distinct (e.g. using different memory chips) from the system memory.

Shared memory is when a portion of the system memory is stolen from the system memory for use by the video chip as video memory. This memory is no longer available as system memory. So, for example [an extreme example], if you have 512 meg of system memory (e.g. one 512 meg memory module) and a video system with 128 meg of shared video memory, your available system memory would drop to 384 megabytes (which is below the 512MB minimum threshold for running Vista). Note that in modern systems, the use of Shared video memory can be changed dynamically while the system is running, so that at one moment it might only be using 32 megabytes, and a bit later, when you are doing something that demands more memory, it might dynamically increase to 128MB.

Share memory is definitely inferior to dedicated system memory, other things being equal. But, that said, modern systems have gotten so good that shared memory chipset video is good enough for MOST (not all) users. Also note that many modern video systems use a combination of some dedicated memory and also have the ability to use shared memory to further increase video memory only when needed.

Another comment, note that in todays world, the absolute MINIMUM video system that you should consider is one that has (or can have, given that shared memory can be dynamic) AT LEAST 128 Megabytes of video memory. Note that this might be a combination of some dedicated video memory plus some shared video memory.

If you are going to be running Vista, keep in mind that Aero (the new Vista user interface) has a MINIMUM video memory requirement of 128MB, and that Vista itself has a minimum SYSTEM memory requirement of 512MB (although its crazy to run Vista with less than one gigabyte, and bumping up to two gigabytes is almost always a wise thing to do).

Your requirements dont really suggest the need for a high-end video solution (again, see my comments to Joan in last weeks question), although I might want to investigate exactly what games you do play and it might change my response ... all that I have to go by for now is casual gaming and nothing hard core. All of the other stuff you mentioned is actually 2-D video, so any video solution will suffice, and because of Vista and the Aero interface, all of the video systems being offered in new computers are powerful enough to meet the needs of pretty much any casual user who is not doing serious 3D gaming or using CAD or simulation software.

[Summary of what I told Joan last week: 3D video is when the video card CREATES the image to be displayed, as happens in games and CAD software. 2D video is where all of the pixels in the displayed image are simply supplied to the card. Both digital photography and digital video are 2D ... the JPEG or TIFF or MPEG or AVI or {whatever} file actually contains the pixels to be displayed, at most (for example in DVD MPEG playback) they only have to be decoded (which is trivial for todays products), but they dont have to be CREATED by the video card. In contrast, in games and CAD software, there is a mathematical model of some 3D world or objects (with textures and lighting), but the video card itself has to take that mathematical description and use it to actually create the pixels that you see on your monitor. This is complex and demanding, and its what really separates the men from the boys, if you will. But in fact, people have a lot of misconceptions about this and when its required. The fact is that, except for serious gaming and 3D software, very few applications use 3D video graphics, and in particular, digital photography and digital video dont use them, generally (one notable exception being fancy screen transitions in digital video editing).]

Hope this helps,
Barry Watzman

Sheldon, I have been in your shoes before, and admittedly confused by the options. Dedicated 128MB video memory would mean the PC has a graphics card with it own onboard memory and will not be sacrificing computer speed to handle light to medium graphics (2D pictures simple games and such). 128MB shared memory means that processing graphics information is using only system memory (shared memory between computing info and processing graphics), this is not what you would want if you are going to be messing with multimedia. In my opinion you would be well served by a PC with a decent 256MB - 512MB PCI express video card, it doesn't have to be top end if your not a hardcore gamer, or dealing with video editing.Hopefully this information will help you to purchase a PC that will meet your needs and give you a little breathing room. Also at minimum if using Windows XP at least 1GB of RAM, If Windows Vista at least 2GB. This is my first post so please be nice to me.

When shopping for a video card, it's easy to be confused with the memory specifications in either the card or the motherboard. Here is a guide, in a nutshell.

Shared memory - The video chipset on the motherboard uses some of the system RAM for the video memory. Since you will likely have 1Gb of RAM (2Gb is strongly recommended), you will hardly notice that your programs have slightly less than 1Gb of system ram. Performance wise, this can hurt, especially if you are into 3D games. This configuration is common on motherboards with integrated video cards. If your motherboard has the built-in video chips, you may likely be able to turn off the video feature and plug in a video card with...

Dedicated memory. This is the case when the video card has its own RAM memory on the card itself. Your system RAM on the motherboard is not used for video, and since the video card may read and write to its own memory, it doesn't effect the programs reading and writing to the system RAM.

Dedicated memory is better, but if all you plan to do is eMail and web browsing, you won't notice the difference. If you plan to use gaming or high-end graphic programs, then go for the video card with its own memory.

Hi Sheldon: My name is Jeff, I write a monthly newsletter for a sportsman club, when it came time for me to upgrade I went with the Dual Core. This is possibly the best option available for people like you and I. I have 2gb in my laptop and 3gb on my desktop. Both of these are Dual core's and I have no complaints, they both run great I wouldn't change them for anything. I've had 11 (eleven) windows open at the same time, the first one was just as fast as the last one. My network responds very well to dual core's to, I have 4 computers on my network and the dual core's run great by the way they are the fastest.

You are so lucky that I have just verify the stew you are in!
I have just bought a notebook for nearly 3 months .And I deeply experienced the role of each part of the pc.
the video memory and the bandwidth both determine the capability of a graphic adapter.
the memory can determine how complicated games your ps can be capable of.
but the bandwidth can determine how fast you can surf the game.
so if you are not a game addiction on the big 3D games like crysis or NFS(need for speed) which will be a big challenge to your graphic adapter or even the whole pc,my suggestions is dubious that the 128M will fit you.
but if you want to play HDTV usually, you may considering on a 256 or more high ones.
the discrimination of the shared or discrete ones will also display when running the games.
so that all depends on your custom and need of the pc.
but there is one regulation that more software and movies are become the defiance of the random memory,video mamory and the cpu.
so be discreet on your discrete graphic adapter.
good luck!

What you want is a separate dedicated video .. especially in a desktop (sometimes in laptops you're limited)

Also in desktops you can always buy the one thats' on the Board so to speak and buy a separate card..

The best cards out there if you are playing games in the normal pricing ranges are the Nvidia and ATI 256 cards. It really depends on the system because there are some systems like the Apple MacBook Pro's where I don't think they are seperate cards per se but they are still nice pieces of hardware.

All that 'shared' , dedicated and discreet is just a means of saying where the card is .. Shared and dedicated I would guess are on the circuit board(usually not the best) .. discreet you would hope it's seperate card..

The idea of a seperate card is it actually has it's own "processor" of sorts to process complex graphics thereby releasing the load your main processor incurs at any given moment ...

When they are "shared" the system is normally slower.

Hope this helps.. but don't forget you can buy the shared now .. and as you get into the other stuff at least on a PC desktop add the better card... But me personally I try to buy the best available without getting crazy.. so I'd go for 256 on seperate channel ( it can still be on the board) preferable ATI or Nvidia ..

Hope this helps.

Hi, i see you're kinda stuck here. Well, lets start with dedicated memory. Normally, deicaded memory means that there's a video card in the pc with it's own memory that's not shared by the PC. It will run faster since it's not using the RAM in your PC. Shared memory, normally, means there is a integrated graphics in your pc. The graphics card is built into the mother board and shares the memory with your motherboard. Normally, integrated graphics are just for e-mailing and basic computing, not a lot of gaming either. Discrete memory is about the same as dedicated memory.

Now for a PC. I'd personally go with a computer with atleast 1GB of RAM, 2gb's would be nice. Possibly an AMD processor if possible, they have dual or tri cores out which will make your Pc faster. The best way to go is to get a graphics card if the PC doesn't come with one. There's many sites to get cards like www.newegg.com or at a local store. I hope this helps

Matthew

Ah yes the old video memory game (scam). OEMs tend to use lables like 256MB Intagraded, or discreat to mask the fact that you are getting a very poor graphics card. Intagraded means just that. The video chip is embedded on the motherboard, and it steals 256MB of RAM from your total system RAM. So if you buy a system with 2GB of memory, you only can use 1.75GB of that because the last quarter is being used for the graphics. This is fine for the normal email machine, but not for what you want. Discreat memory usually refers to a RAM stealing graphics card. What this means is that the card usually has about 128MB of RAM on it (most likely a GeForce 8400GS) and then steals 128MB of the system RAM. This is slightly better, but again the fact that its caching your system RAM for graphics isn't great. The 128MB of dedicated RAM is the best. It means that the graphics card has 128MB of RAM on it, and doesn't steal any of the system RAM. These are the best of all the cards, and any decent graphics card is going to have this.

When your buying, try to look past how much memory the GPU has, because its such a small factor in a good GPU. Ask the sales person what card specifically does the machine have. What type of graphics expansion slot does the PC have? Having a machine with a PCI-Express expansion slot is what you want. This way if your intrests change, and you want to start doing some hardcore gaming (maybe) you have the ability to upgrade to a high end GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

Cheers
Cameron