ATI Express 200M. Decent?

[myphrill]

I've just bought me a new laptop, at an amazing price I think, but how decent of a graphics card has it got? and have I made the right choice instead of going with an Intel 945 / 950 graphics solution?

I'm not intending to play games like FEAR, but I use Photoshop and Maya as well as less demanding games like Simcity 4 and Dawn of War.

I've bought the laptop as a desktop replacement, as my pc was...Athlon 64 3000+, 1.5GB DDR266, 120GB HDD, GeForce 6600GT with 19" widescreen.


Packard Bell MV45-008
Intel Centrino Duo with Core 2 Duo T5200 @ 1.60GHz
1024MB DDR2-533MHz
80GB HDD, 5400rpm
ATI Express X200M
15.4inch WXGA Gloss screen
2.9Kg
£389 inc P&P (from currys.co.uk if you're interested)

 

[Multiplectic]

You'll miss the 6600GT's power... That integrated Xpress 200 doesn't even come close to it.

On the other hand, if you don't play games, it doesn't matter.

Nice CPU in that laptop. Enough RAM, and the HDD seems a little small, IMO.

 

[jaywalker256]

I have a geforce go 6150 in my laptop, and from reviews its just a tad bit better than the 200m (i havent used the 200m) but i can play games like WoW and CSS with medium settings decently. and if you're not worried about games im sure it will do fine in anything else.

 

[myphrill]

I admit I'll miss the 6600GTs power, but losing that means I get a laptop with a Core Duo within my price bracket (which i think kicks the 3000's ass). Most games I play ask for only up to 1.0GHz to 2.4GHz with 64MB Graphics minimum. Except F.E.A.R., bloody system hog that is.

Would the X200M compare well to my old graphics card? the GeForce 5600XT?

BTW - My loss is my g/f's gain, she gets my 6600GT for her desktop =)

I'm not the gamer I once was, I guess the most demanding graphic game my laptop will face will be Dawn of War, but that can be lowered to some pretty basic graphics which still look alright.

BTW - I've never used more than 60GB of my 120GB, so hard drive space wasn't a priority as I shopped for a laptop lol.

 

[Multiplectic]

The Xpress 200 would perform as an FX5200, give or take (according to this)

 

[myphrill]

According to that chart, it lines up to the GF 6100 =) No offence but I hope you're wrong about it being like a 5200 lol.

 

[cleeve]

It lines up roughly to the crappy 64-bit 5200.

A 128-bit 5200 should beat it soundly.

Still, I'd take a 200M over intel integrated anyday...

 

[piratepast40]

I have to agree with Cleeve. My Compaq R4000 has a 3200 and the X200. My desktop had a 3400+ and a 5200/128 and the graphics were superior on the desktop (both at 1 Mb RAM). But that's not to say that it's terrible either. The comparison isn't exactly apples to apples but it's close.

Since you're using it as a DTR, you can allways look into the external graphics boxes that are coming out. Two advantages of the external cards are that they've got their own power supply and you're not building up heat inside your laptop. Might consider that as an upgrade down the road.

As a side issue, I bought the extended warranty for my laptop that includes coverage for droppage, spillage, and etcererage. I'm on my second return for problems that they could have easily denied were it not for the extended warranty. Not sure how Packard Bell works but for HP/Compaq, I was able to buy the extended warranty a year after I bought the laptop and it's definately paid off for me.

 

[Multiplectic]

According to that chart, it lines up to the GF 6100 =) No offence but I hope you're wrong about it being like a 5200 lol.

We are both right.

I forgot to mention I was talking about the 64-bit 5200.

 

[myphrill]

Well its arrived, and the box says it has a Intel GMA 945! I'm slightly annoyed, even though it did play Dawn of War fine on maximum settings. I've emailed currys.co.uk and am waiting for a reply. I woulda been more peeved off if it couldnt handle DoW.

Edit -

Seems its a 950 not a 945, and it's actually very impressive. It runs NFS Most Wanted flawlessly on lowest settings and remains smooth with some settings turned up. The game looks great and runs well. DoW/ DoW Dark Crusade runs fine on highest settings at 1280x800.

I was gonna moan at the shop for advertising it with an ATI Express X200M, but now I'm not at all bothered but indeed it shouldn't of been advertised with an ATI card.

Anyone getting a laptop need not tip toe around the Intel GMA's as they are suprisingly powerful. It may though depend on your main processor. My T5200 Duo may be why it works well, these graphics cards might not be enough to run certain games coupled with a Celeron.