Matrix Games Forums

To those of you in the know...(and please forgive the simplicity of the question..)

What is the difference between an onboard graphics controller versus a separate "video card"? (or are they the same thing?)

Thanks for the help

They will function the same way, but you lose flexibility. The on-board video usually comes with lower cost computers. It uses your regular system RAM instead of it's own on-card ram, reducing the RAM available for programs.

Also, if a problem develops with a separate card, you can replace the card. If it's on board, you might have to replace the mother board. So you save some $$ up front, but run some risk later on.

The onboard video card is usually built into the motherboard, whereas the add-in video card snaps into slot on the motherboard.

If your onboard video card is not up to scratch, you can always disable it via the computer's BIOS, and then install a better add-in video card.

One additional Gotcha!

Some of these embedded video controllers can not be disabled. This being the case, you can not upgrade to a new better/faster video card without tossing your motherboard into the garbage pail with it. This usually also means you now need new ram for the new motherboard and also a new cpu and also a new power supply which happens to require a different case style now, coupled with new heat sinks and fans due to the newer cpu running hotter then the old cpu coupled with ...

When asking this kind of question, specific brand information is very helpful in providing accurate details in reply.

Computer upgrading is generally only for folks who know exactly what they want down to the chipset used on the motherboard. If CAS doesn't mean anything to you, then you should probably buy a pakaged system from someone else complete, and replace the entire system every couple of years. It ends up being cheaper in the long run and you don't end up with a house full of enough parts to make another 10 complete computers

In some cases, knowledge is a dangerous thing. If you want to spend far more then you planned, start learning about what makes computers run faster. You'll be forever sorry that you can no longer walk in the store to buy the $699 special and save up to buy the $800 video card, just because you KNOW it's faster!

Thanks again for the replies, but the question, as they say, is moot.... I don't have an AGP on the motherboard to install a card anyway...and with UV requiring an 8Mb Video Graphics Card, it appears I have purchased a product my computer cannot be expected to handle.

I have a 4 MB onboard video card and UV works fine...

Don't really know why UV needs a higher end video card to run... it's not really graphics intensive. If direct x8 runs on your system, along with games like AOE, I don't see any reasons why UV won't run either.

AC, surely you have a free PCI slot on the motherboard. There are still some pretty good cards that you can buy that work on a PCI bus. Like these, that I just pulled from newegg.com:

http://www.newegg.com/app/manufactory.a ... =48&DEPA=1

On this page, on the left hand side...do a search based on "slot type"=PCI, and it will find a whole bunch of nifty PCI video cards will work just fine in your system.

Enjoy!

Some of these embedded video controllers can not be disabled. This being the case, you can not upgrade to a new better/faster video card without tossing your motherboard into the garbage pail with it.

This is not accurate. All the motherboards with intergrated video that I have seen will still allow you to add a second video card. While it's true that the video can not be disabled, when adding a pci video card, windows will just run in a dual video card mode. This means you could run duel monitor with one monitor hooked up to each video controller.

Also, when two video cards are installed, the PCI video card will always take over as the "main" video card. That's just how agp is. Depending on the OS, the card, and its drivers.. sometimes you have to add the pci card but keep the monitor on the intergrated, boot into windows, install the driver for the pci video card, then power off, switch the monitor to the new pci video card and then power the system on. It should work after that.

This is not accurate. All the motherboards with intergrated video that I have seen will still allow you to add a second video card. While it's true that the video can not be disabled, when adding a pci video card, windows will just run in a dual video card mode. This means you could run duel monitor with one monitor hooked up to each video controller.

Not to debate this point with you, but many lower end motherboards that have integrated video do NOT work properly with the onboard video disabled.

Just because you can add a secondary video card doesn't mean it will work with with directX graphics applications that only use the primary video card (which tends to be the onboard video that you have attempted to disable).

Newer systems have the ability to set which video device is primary (either AGP or PCI) through BIOS settings, which gives you the ability to fix this situation. Without this option, you may be stuck with a nice video card that only works with non-directX stuff.

Just because you have not seen them: Gateway, Dell, IBM, Compaq, Digital, HP and hundreds of no name boards like ASUS/MSI/etc all shipped with this kind of problem coupled with other serious issues like the AGP slot not providing enough power to run todays modern 64 Meg+ AGP only cards or other issues with systems that predate the AGP 2x standard (AGP 2.0 vs AGP 2x) that did not work properly with the newer cards without having the AGP hardcoded to 1x to allow the system to boot.

To presume just because you have not seen one (of the hundreds of thousands of motherboards produced in the last 3 years) is rather funny because I have owned two in the same time period and upgraded many machines for other folks who had this exact problem where they bought a video card to upgrade their machine and then found out that it couldn't be used.

Again, many thanks to all of those who replied, as well as those who took the time to read the post. I do appreciate the hand holding for someone whose concept of computers is relegated to "power on" (although I *do* know where the "any" key is )

I have a feeling my comp. may be due for service, as I loaded and ran Civilization III (a product advertised to require the same 8Mb Video card req't as UV) and it ran just fine. So I am concluding the graphics are not the problem...(?) UV loads and runs fine for me about forty to fifty percent of the time, - I guess that's better than nothing

If anyone else would like to offer suggestions, doing so via PM or email (in my profile) is just fine, so as not to tie up thread space

Thanks again

Regards,
Phil K