Essential Guide to Integrated, Core, and Dedicated Graphics Cards
Performance, Pricing, and Selection
When buying a computer, we often hear terms like integrated graphics, core graphics, and dedicated graphics, but many people have little understanding of their specific meanings and performance. So, what do integrated graphics, core graphics, and dedicated graphics really mean? What are the differences between them? Which type of graphics card has the best performance? This article will clarify these questions for you, helping you better understand and choose the graphics card that suits you.
1. Performance
Integrated Graphics:Performance is relatively weak. Early integrated graphics were chips and related circuits integrated into the motherboard, later developed to be integrated into the CPU , but due to the lack of dedicated video memory, it needs to occupy system memory, which limits its graphics processing capability to some extent. Generally, it can only meet basic needs such as daily office work, web browsing, and simple video playback, while struggling with tasks that require high graphics processing like large games and professional graphic design. For example, when playing some large 3D games, integrated graphics may experience lag and choppy visuals.
Core Graphics:Performance is significantly improved compared to traditional integrated graphics. It is the graphics processing core integrated inside the CPU . Core graphics rely on the strong computing power of the CPU and the intelligent energy efficiency adjustment design to achieve better graphics processing performance and smooth application experience at lower power consumption. It can meet the needs of general online gaming and HD video playback, and some high-end core graphics can even approach entry-level dedicated graphics performance.
Dedicated Graphics:Performance is the strongest, with its own display chip and video memory, not relying on system memory. It has powerful image processing capabilities, graphics rendering capabilities, and parallel computing capabilities, able to smoothly run large 3D games, professional graphic design software, video editing software, and other applications that require high graphics processing performance. For example, when running large 3D games, dedicated graphics can provide high frame rates and high-quality gaming experiences, and can quickly process complex graphics and images in professional graphic design.
2. Differences
Integrated Graphics were originally integrated into the motherboard, but now mostly integrated into the CPU , becoming part of the CPU and sharing resources like memory controllers.
Core Graphics are integrated into the CPU as the graphics processing core, closely combined with the CPU for data transmission and interaction via the internal bus of the CPU .
Dedicated Graphics is a card independent of the motherboard, connected to the motherboard via slots like PCI-E , with its own circuits, chips, memory, and other components.
In laptops, dedicated graphics are an ideal type of graphics card because they can operate independently, have stronger processing power, and can meet the needs of high-performance applications like gaming and graphics rendering. At the same time, dedicated graphics also have better heat dissipation, effectively avoiding overheating issues.
3. Pricing
Integrated Graphics: Since they are integrated into the motherboard or CPU , their cost is relatively low, so computers with integrated graphics are usually more affordable. For example, some entry-level office computers and lightweight laptops are priced between 2000 and 4000 yuan.
Core Graphics: As part of the CPU , their price is reflected in the overall pricing of the CPU . Generally, CPUs with better core graphics performance are slightly more expensive than ordinary CPUs , but still cheaper than dedicated graphics. For example, the core graphics integrated into Intel Core i5 or i7 series CPUs are priced between 1000 and 3000 yuan.
Dedicated Graphics: The price range is very wide, from hundreds to tens of thousands of yuan. Entry-level dedicated graphics are usually priced around hundreds to a thousand yuan, suitable for daily office work and less complex graphics tasks; mid-range graphics are priced around two thousand to four thousand yuan, meeting general gaming and multimedia processing needs; high-end graphics can cost over five thousand yuan, even reaching tens of thousands, suitable for professional graphic design, 3D rendering, AI computing, and high-performance gaming needs.
4. Selection Recommendations
For everyday office and light entertainment users: If you only do daily office tasks like word processing, spreadsheet creation, web browsing, and watching online videos, integrated or core graphics can fully meet your needs. These users can choose lightweight laptops or office desktops with integrated or core graphics, which can meet usage needs while reducing costs.
For online gamers: For users who enjoy online games, it is recommended to choose a strong core graphics or mid-range dedicated graphics. If you have certain requirements for game graphics quality and smoothness, you can choose a better performance dedicated graphics for a better gaming experience.
For professional graphic design and video editing users: For users engaged in professional graphic design, 3D modeling, video editing, etc., dedicated graphics are essential. These jobs require a lot of graphics processing and computing power, and only dedicated graphics can meet their performance requirements. When choosing dedicated graphics, you also need to select the appropriate graphics card model based on specific work needs, such as NVIDIA’s Quadro series or AMD’s Radeon Pro series professional graphics cards.