Dedicated GPU on Macbook Pro

[tdurden12]

I am buying a laptop for grad school. Should I get a macbook pro with a dedicated GPU? I will be using MS Office, surfing the web, watching hulu, handbrake, latex, maybe Matlab occasionally? Does a dedicated GPU help any of these applications? From reading the internet, it seems like a dedicated GPU is only useful for games and maybe adobe cs5. I have a ps3, so I won't be gaming on my laptop.
Thanks for your time.

 

[Blondie :)]

you shouldn't need any dedicated GPU. If you get one of the new MacBook Pro's that are out now, the Intel HD 3000 will meet your needs.

 

[dusk007]

True definitely no dedicated GPU necessary.

 

[Dark Void]

intel3000 will handle all of that fine, no need for a ded gpu.

 

[The Mad Mule]

I'm just here to agree with everybody.

 

[dagamer34]

Question is a moot point really because you said you'd be using handbrake. If you really are going to use Handbrake a lot (and don't like waiting), you'll be more inclined to get a 15" MacBook Pro with a quad-core CPU which comes with a dedicated GPU anyway. Video encoding is one of the few cases where CPU core count and performance is an almost linear relationship.

 

[tdurden12]

Ok, thanks for your responses