CNET's desktop buying guideGrade system graphics
When deciding on the graphics subsystem, you'll come to a fork in the
road. One path leads to integrated graphics, which share a system's main memory
and are sufficient for basic computing tasks such as working on e-mail, browsing
the Web, and giving the occasional photo slide show. If your graphics needs go
beyond the basics, however, you'll be best served by choosing a dedicated PCI-e
graphics card that has its own allotment of graphics memory. Graphics cards
based on ATI or Nvidia technology can cost anywhere from
S$100 (US$73.63) to S$900 (US$662.63) depending on the features and the amount of memory. Options: Integrated graphics | Discrete graphics | Multimedia cards   Integrated graphics
Integrated
graphics will suffice for basic computing tasks. If you aren't a gamer or a
creative professional and you are looking for a computer for e-mailing friends
and family, surfing the Web, and creating the occasional Word doc, you need not
pony up for a dedicated graphics card. Below are some of the more popular types
of integrated graphics.
 Discrete graphics
For
the consumer graphics market, only two companies remain: ATI and Nvidia, though the former has been snapped up by processor maker AMD. Each
company has offerings for every segment of the graphics market. Here are the
latest releases from each.
Multimedia cards
Some
graphics cards, such as those in ATI's Radeon All-in-Wonder line or Nvidia's
Personal Cinema series, offer up additional functionality, including the ability
to input TV, capture video, and connect multiple displays.
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