Is a graphics card worthwhile?

[b14desman]

Is it worthwhile adding a graphics card to a new build when the pc will only be used for watching video's and tv? (That is, it's not used for gaming)

Thanks
B14desman

 

[RichPLS]

Yes you need a graphics card, or else you better have onboard graphics. :roll: Basically any card will do for TV, non-HDTV that is...

 

[mesarectifier]

It's a good idea to have a dedicated graphics card if you're just going to be web browsing, watching videos/DVDs/TV etc...

It doesn't take a massive amount of RAM or CPU power to do any of those things, so I'm guessing you're going to just spend the bare minimum - I.E. something like a Celeron, and perhaps a limited amount of RAM.

My point is, for a system like that you're likely to only have a small amount of RAM, and an onboard solution will be eating into it.

 

[pcwhiz]

Integrated graphics generally do not affect the computers general performance too much. If your just doing basic tasks then a graphics card is really a waste of money.

 

[prozac26]

Integrated graphics generally do not affect the computers general performance too much. If your just doing basic tasks then a graphics card is really a waste of money.

Most onboard chips are so crap, they won't play movies at a decent quality. Having a cheap card, is better. Also, onboard graphics use system memory, so they do affect performance.

 

[b14desman]

Thanks for the replies.
Think I'll use on board graphics to start with and add a graphics card at a later stage.
cheers
b14desman