Video Card and Online Streaming

[spilot]

[FAO: Maziar (this is not the same thread as in the laptop forum...I am asking an entirely different question (about a different computer as well)...I have edited this post to do away with some redundancies....]

While searching this forum for similar topics, I came across a statement that Intel HD is about twice as better as GMA (I'm assuming it's the same as UMA). How does Intel HD compare to UMA (which is what my new Asus k52f laptop has). Will it make a difference on streaming online videos from Netfilx or ESPN3, for example....is it even related to that, or does it have more to do with gaming?

I did try to watch the same game (on espn3) with my PC (which has a Radeon 3200 video) and my laptop, and the image was better on the PC (I used the same internet connection for both of them).

Once again, I'm not a gamer but I do want to be able to watch 1080 etc...and just curious if I should stick with a laptop with UMA graphics (P6200 3GB DDR3) or should I get one with Intel HD (P6100 4GB DDR3) instead.

In sum, does a video card make a difference on the performance of online streaming etc at all?

Thank you.

 

[borisof007]

I think that the difference in your integrated graphics could result in a better image quality, but that's not necessarily related to the online streaming activity, rather that it's just giving a better image overall.

A dedicated video card will always give a better image quality, regardless of activity.

 

[spilot]

thank you very much.