Graphics Card, Difference between Dedicated and not, help.

[benjy1416]

I am going off to school and recently sold my iMac to pay for a new macbook Pro. I cannot decide which to buy and need help.

I could probably buy the 15 inch, but I would not have any money to buy other things, such as a backpack, etc. The problem I am having to decide is wether the dedicated graphics card would cause that much of a difference, and if not then I would most likely buy the upper model 13 inch. I do want to play The Sims 3, on it, but if it is not life or death, I could live without. I use Photoshop, but nothing TOO heavy, and do encode video every now and then.

Does anyone have benchmarks of the two graphics cards? And is it a big enough difference to buy the model or not. Thanks for the help.

PS. (Would it be wise to pay for the touch, rebate it, then sell on Ebay? Or would it be to much of a hassle?)

 

[KingYaba]

If you're the type who likes to play video games then you'll want a dedicated graphic card.

 

[Eidorian]

I'd go for the 9600M GT.

Take a look at the refurbished models.

The 9600M GT is two to three times faster than the integrated 9400M G.

 

[Demosthenes X]

The dedicated graphics will make no difference in video editing, and very little difference in Photoshop. It will make a difference in playing The Sims, so it's up to you to decide whether that extra playability is worth the $800 upgrade from the 13" to the 15"/dedicated.

Don't waste your time on the high-end 13". The HDD and RAM can be upgraded by yourself for much cheaper, and the extra processing power is hardly significant.

That $800 you saved could buy an XBOX360 and PS3 and deliver far more gaming enjoyment than opting for the higher-end 15".

 

[Eidorian]

It's tough when you can get a refurbished 9600M GT model for dirt cheap and still have plenty of money left over for a Windows desktop.