Your guide to choosing the right graphics card for your laptop

Since the central processing unit is the brain and manager of everything in the computer, responsible for handling commands, completing tasks, and enhancing performance levels with games and business programs, the graphics processor (graphics card) is considered one of the components of this brain, responsible for displaying images, videos, and animations on the display screen, as well as performing intensive and highly complex mathematical calculations, allowing the central processing unit to focus on completing other tasks and commands.

While the central processing unit has few processing cores, and with each additional core, its price increases significantly, the graphics processing unit (GPU) or the graphics card usually contains hundreds or often thousands of cores, designed to adapt and handle all tasks assigned to it in the best possible way. Now comes the most important question, how do you choose the appropriate graphics processor for laptops?

First, remember that the graphics processor in a laptop is not a user-changeable option. Once you purchase a laptop, you will not be able to change the graphics processor afterwards. Therefore, you need to know the type of graphics processor in the laptop before purchasing it, and make sure that this graphics processor is suitable for all your tasks and meets all your needs.

What is the difference between integrated and discrete graphics processors

Graphics processors come in two forms, integrated and discrete graphics processors. The integrated graphics processors are part of the central processing unit chip and are known as iGPU. They share the system’s random access memory with the central processor. On the other hand, discrete graphics processors come in the form of a separate electronic card like the one shown in the above image, containing video RAM chips on its back, known as VRAM (the set of black chips in the above example), allowing separate video RAM chips to function without affecting the random access memory (RAM).

You may be interested: Important information to know before buying an NVIDIA or AMD graphics card

Discrete graphics processors excel in handling complex graphics, outperforming integrated graphics processors every time thanks to their dedicated video RAM that enables running modern games and processing high-definition images better, interacting more effectively with a variety of professional software and applications such as video editing programs, rendering, and 3D modeling. For this reason, if you plan on running some modern game titles and enjoying fast performance and quality graphics, you should never compromise on a laptop equipped with a discrete graphics card from AMD or NVIDIA.

Which graphics processor category is suitable for you

If you are looking to purchase a new laptop and do not have much background knowledge about this vast and ever-changing world, you will notice that there are many names and numbers for graphics processors. These names indicate the category they belong to and the type of tasks and uses they are intended for. While the numbers indicate the generation to which the graphics processors belong and also indicate their power level.

For example, the Quadro graphics processor series is specialized for professional laptops and mobile workstation platforms, while the GeForce processors target laptops aimed at gamers and enthusiasts. However, you will notice that AMD does not use specific terms to name its graphics processors, but instead uses numbers for its Radeon processor series, where higher numbers indicate graphics processors intended for more complex uses. Examples of Radeon processor series include R9 and R7, designed for high-performance gaming and business computers, followed by the R5 and R3 series targeting the average and economic sectors.

Also read: Top 5 Computer Games to Help You Relax

…and each new generation of graphics processors released by AMD or NVIDIA comes with a higher numerical sequence. For example, the RTX 2000 series cards are the latest and most powerful compared to the GTX 1000 series cards, and the same goes for AMD, where the RX 500 series cards are newer and more powerful than the RX 400 series cards.

However, it is important to note that within each generation, there are graphics processors targeted for the high-end segment and those targeted for the budget segment. It is very rare for the new generation’s budget class cards to outperform the high-end cards from the previous generation. For example, an RTX 2060 will not outperform a GTX 1080 even though the RTX 2060 is from a newer generation.

When it comes to integrated graphics processors from Intel, they do not follow the same methodology in naming new generations. For example, the company adopts a single name for all the graphics processors it produces recently, mostly coming under the name UHD 630 Graphics, and the only variable in them is the frequency speed. There are some exceptions you may encounter when buying a laptop, for example, if you are waiting for the eleventh-generation processor family, you will notice that the company used a new name, Xe Graphics, to indicate better graphics performance for gaming and business applications.

How to choose the best graphics processor 

Just like when buying external or discrete graphics cards, you need to ensure all the technical specifications of the graphics processor you have decided to purchase for the laptop:

Also read: Everything you need to know about the game Among Us and why it is popular

Memory Bandwidth: Indicates the memory bandwidth value of the video memory, the amount of data the graphics processor can store or retrieve from the video memory in a specific period of time, measured in GB/s. The higher the memory bandwidth value, the faster the graphics processor can display images, considering that both the frequency speed and the bandwidth also have a tangible impact on the performance level.

Base Core Clock Speed: It indicates the minimum core clock speed of the graphics processor in processing images and videos, measured in megahertz.

Boost Clock Speed: Indicates the maximum clock speed that the graphics processor can reach, usually reached under heavy pressure conditions such as rendering operations and game launching. However, they are self-regulating technologies, meaning the graphics processor may abandon them, even during heavy pressure situations due to increased power consumption rates or high temperatures.

VRAM Frequency: It is the video memory frequency speed in sending and receiving data from and to the graphics processor, whether the graphics processor is integrated or discrete.

CUDA Cores: These are the main processing units, the specific term used by NVIDIA for the number of processing cores or threads responsible for processing and performing tasks, the higher the number of CUDA cores in the graphics processor chip, the faster it can complete tasks and process graphics in a timely manner.

Stream Processors: Similar to CUDA cores but the term used for AMD graphics processors responsible for completing complex tasks and required calculations for displaying graphics. The higher the number of stream processors, the stronger the graphics processing unit’s performance.

Which family should you choose from

NVIDIA Geforce Family: For laptops containing GeForce GTX and GeForce RTX processors, they are aimed at gaming. If you plan to run modern games on high-quality graphics settings, make sure the laptop is equipped with one of the mid-range or high-end processors, such as the RTX 2060, RTX 2070, or RTX 2080. You can also rely on previous-generation cards based on the Pascal 14nm architecture, such as the GTX 1080 and GTX 1070.

If you want to balance the equation between price and performance, it is possible to purchase laptops with medium and budget-class processors, such as GTX 1660, GTX 1650, RTX 2050, GTX 1050, and GTX 1050 Ti.

Unfortunately, gaming laptops are characterized by features that some users may not prefer, such as large size, thick design, high temperatures, and noisy fans. Therefore, you may consider laptops incorporating Max-Q technology, which focuses on enhancing energy efficiency and working at lower temperatures but at the cost of sacrificing some performance level, which can result in a loss of performance up to 20% in some cases. You can learn more about the performance difference between laptops and desktops from gaming performance comparison.

AMD Radeon RX Family: Recently, AMD has been able to develop excellent graphics solutions for running modern games with high quality. The latest generation of the company’s graphics solutions is the RX 500 series, known for high energy efficiency and better temperature management than its predecessors.

Read more: Renew your games with the latest Android and iPhone games weekly | 2020/10/31

 

There are also high-performance graphics processor categories aimed at working with professional software, running 4K and 2K screens in some gaming laptops. While these may be rare due to user preference for NVIDIA solutions, thanks to modern technologies and higher energy efficiency, if you find laptops with Vega 10 or Vega 8 processors, do not hesitate to purchase them.

Intel UHD and Intel Xe Graphics Family: These are graphics processors integrated into the heart of Intel’s central processors. While they can support 4K display resolution, it is challenging to adapt to them when running games, as they are primarily designed for light loads such as browsing, running routine applications, watching high-quality videos, and basic tasks.

However, you may be surprised by their ability to run some modern game titles that do not require intensive graphics or contain light graphics. Despite that, they are not recommended for gaming because they are not designed for this purpose, and they do not receive appropriate software support to be compatible with modern games.

Choosing the right graphics processor for you specifically 

If you are planning to buy a laptop capable of running modern games or are fully prepared to handle professional business applications, this list of the latest generation of NVIDIA and AMD processors that can be relied upon to achieve high performance. This category of graphics processors is aimed at the high-end segment, and you should not compromise on one of them:

RTX 2080 Super / RTX 2080 / RTX 2070 Super / RTX 2070 / RTX 2060 / RTX 2080 Max-Q / RTX 2070 Max-Q / RTX 2060 Max-Q / GTX 1080 / GTX 1070 / GTX 1080 Max-Q / GTX 1070 Max-Q / GTX 980 / GTX 980m / Radeon Vega 10 / Radeon Vega 8 / RX 580 / RX 570 / R9 m485X

However, if you want to run games on medium graphics settings and quality, these are the suitable graphics processors for that:

GTX 1660 Ti / GTX 1650 / GTX 1060 / GTX 1050 Ti / GTX 1050 / GTX 1060 Max-Q / GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q / GTX 1050 Max-Q / GTX 970m / GTX 965m / GTX 960m / GTX 950 / RX 560 / RX 550 / R9 m470X / R9 m470

If graphic quality is not essential for you, and all you want is to run modern games with a laptop that balances good performance and a suitable price, then these are the graphics processor categories found in laptops aimed at the economic sector:

GTX 950m / GTX 880m / GTX 870m / GTX 945m / GTX 940m / GTX 930m / GTX 920m / R9 m375 / RX 540 / Radeon 530 / R7 m465