Difference between graphics cards?

I'm looking to buy a new iMac (21.5"), and I'm just trying to uderstand the difference between my options for a graphics processor.
The current models (late 2013) offer either the Intel Iris Pro or the NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 1GB memory.
The refurbished late 2012 models offer the NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 512MB memory.
In plain english, real world examples, what are the real differences between these options?
What will a 750 with 1GB do for me that a 650 with 512MB won't?
What's the Iris Pro equivalent to?
I don't do any heavy gaming, video editing or graphic design; I'll mostly be using it for general web surfing, watcihng movies (both streaming and downloaded), and light/medium gaming (the Portal series via Steam, for example). So I know I don't need the biggest, most powerful GPU out there. I just want to better understand my options.

In plain english, real world examples, what are the real differences between these options?
What will a 750 with 1GB do for me that a 650 with 512MB won't?
What's the Iris Pro equivalent to?
I don't do any heavy gaming, video editing or graphic design; I'll mostly be using it for general web surfing, watcihng movies (both streaming and downloaded), and light/medium gaming (the Portal series via Steam, for example). So I know I don't need the biggest, most powerful GPU out there. I just want to better understand my options.
You won't see any difference in performance with the way you will be using your computer so purchase the machine you want.

Similar Messages

Mid-2012 RMBPro 10.9.4: Is it possible to switch between graphic cards? Activity monitor shows the high perf card always active even through no running apps need it.

How does one switch between graphics cards on a RMB Pro that has both a regular and high performance card installed?

There's no control built into OS X to manually switch between them (that I know of). But in your Energy Saver preferences, there is setting called Automatic Graphics Switching that will either keep the discrete GPU on all the time, or automatically switch it off when not in use. Do you already have this preference turned on?
It might keep the high performance graphics card on if it's plugged into AC power, since there is no battery life penalty in that case.

Differences between Java Card 2.1.1 and Java Card 2.2

Hi guys, how are you?
My name is Érica and I’m taking Electric Engineering and I love mobile communication.
I’m reading a PDF about SIM cards for cellular networks and I have a doubt that is “killing” me!
What is the most relevant differences between Java Card 2.1.1 and Java Card 2.2?
Could you please help me?
Best regards.
Thanks in advance.
Érica Borsato de Souza Lima – Rio de Janeiro/Brazil

2.2.x API will be more complete than 2.1.x, just compare the javadocs and specs.

Difference between video cards

Hi Im buying an imac but I cant afford the 2gb ram 256 videoram 24 inches imac so Im buying the 20 inches instead. I notice that the video cards are diferent ( can chosse 256 mb as well) but only with an ATI card not the nVidea card. So if both are 256 mb wahts teh difference?
thanks in advance

Just a thought... ...between:
20" Screen, 250Gb HDD, 2Gb RAM, 256Mb Graphics, and,
24" Screen, 250Gb HDD, 1Gb RAM, 256Mb Graphics,
is only $150 dollars. If you could stretch to that you could upgrade the RAM yourself to 3Gb later.
Remember part of the reason the iMac 24" needs a better graphics card is the need to drive a higher resolution screen; something the 20" doesn't need to be able to do.
Another option would be to go for the 20" and then add a second display and use it in dual-screen mode (especially if you work in graphics or video this could be an option).
Enjoy your purchase!
mrtotes

Difference between graphics

Hey, can someone tell me the difference between AMD Radeon HD 6480G discrete-class graphics and ATI Radeon™ HD 6480G? And how much of a difference is 400 Mhz in a procressor if the one with 400 mHz more is i3 while the lower one with turbo ability to increase to 2500 is AMD? Thank you

In plain english, real world examples, what are the real differences between these options?
What will a 750 with 1GB do for me that a 650 with 512MB won't?
What's the Iris Pro equivalent to?
I don't do any heavy gaming, video editing or graphic design; I'll mostly be using it for general web surfing, watcihng movies (both streaming and downloaded), and light/medium gaming (the Portal series via Steam, for example). So I know I don't need the biggest, most powerful GPU out there. I just want to better understand my options.
You won't see any difference in performance with the way you will be using your computer so purchase the machine you want.

Differences between wireless cards

Speccing out an All-In-One Pavilion to purchase. There are 3 listed wirelss options:---------------------------NetworkingNetwork port for broadband and Internet connectivity included. Internet access is sold separately. HP Wireless 802.11 b/g/n 1x1 M.2 NIC Included in price HP WLAN 802.11 b/g/n 1x1 MCard BT +$5.00 HP Wireless 802.11 b/g/n 1x1 with Bluetooth M.2 NIC +$7.00------------------------Anyone know the differences between them? The third clearly has Bluetooth, the second might (says BT). Is the 2nd one a different form factor? (MCard vs. M.2 - I know what an M.2 slot is, what's an MCard?) Are there different manufacturers for the cards? (Not all drivers are created equal.) If MCard = M.2 and BT = Bluetooth, then what exactlty is the difference between #2 & #3? I tried emailing sales support, but they don't seem to be equipped to answer such a question. Any knowledge appreciated.Thanks.

Excellent info, thank you. One follow-up question. If I choose the MCard option, the M.2 connector should then be free.Does the Pavilion 23SE Touch All-In-One have sufficient room to install an M.2 SSD for a boot drive? (The BIOS would also likely need to support it.) I realize that there is a 1TB/8GB hybrid option which appears to be newly avaialble, but I don't really like those. I checked the maintenance manual a week ago or so but it only covers the hard drive, optical drive and RAM, I think. No mention (or diagram) of the PCI-E or M.2 connectors.Thanks.

T410 - Switch between graphics cards

Hi,
i just bought the T 410 (2522-3FG).
Despite the fact that it was advertised there is no option whatsoever to switch between the Nvidia discrete graphics card and the gpu of the i7-processor.
Yes, i have installed the powermanager (version 3.12) but the option is missing.
Furthermore i read in various forums that the information that this laptop comes with the ability to switch between discrete and integrated graphics is a hoax.
So my question is: will there ever be the option to switch between the different graphics cards? Will it somehow be implemented by software updates or will it never work?
Best regards from Germany,
earth2

I'm not sure you're missing much. The battery run-time loss since I "switched" my T400 to Win 7 has been very frustrating. So far there hasn't been any hint that Lenovo is doing anything about it.
Without some tap-dancing with power manager after each reboot, the switchable option is using more power than either discrete or integrated alone. Sometimes it cuts run-time in half. Even after the tap-dance it still uses more juice than it used to. This stuff used to work.
Enought about me - how do you like your machine otherwise? I'm quite pleased with the T400 post-Vista, and holding onto the hope that the graphics driver will eventually be fixed.
Z.
The large print: please read the Community Participation Rules before posting. Include as much information as possible: model, machine type, operating system, and a descriptive subject line. Do not include personal information: serial number, telephone number, email address, etc. The fine print: I do not work for, nor do I speak for Lenovo. Unsolicited private messages will be ignored. ... GeezBlog
English Community Deutsche Community Comunidad en Español Русскоязычное Сообщество

Cannot change between graphics cards

Hello,
I have a problem switching between two graphics cards.
I have used the energy saver option to switch from 9400M to 9600 GT, but now it does not allow me to change it back.
Every time I try, it says it needs to logout, then it logs out but comes back again with 9600 GT.
I have a early 2010 macbook pro and I couldn't find anything over the internet to fix this.
Even the gfxcardstatus program couldn't help.
Thanks.

Changing graphics cards should not cause a system crash. I'd recommend a call to AppleCare. There's a Contact Us link at the bottom right of this page.

Quick question: what is the difference between graphic and movie clips?

What is the difference between the two symbols: graphic and movie clips? They both contain frames..?

movie clips can have
instance names : so they can be controlled via actionscript
filters applied : drop shadow, glow, blur, color adjust etc
blend modes applied : difference, screen, lighten, darken, etc.
3d transformations
graphics:
none of the above
the only real practical reason to use a graphic is the reason jdehaan stated. a graphics internal animation can be scrubbed via the main timeline. graphics will only advance when the main timeline advances. when the main timeline stops.. graphics stops.
movieclips on the otherhand are said to run independent of the main timeline. so you can have a MAIN timeline with one frame only and the movieclip's interior animation will run constantly.
also via the properties panel you can tell a graphic to stay stuck on a certain frame or loop a set number of times.
always use movieclips unless you have a reason not too. as kglad said it will save you and others a lot of hurt in the future.

Difference between app card and itunes card

Hello
I've looked at Apple Support but can't find an answer. If it matters, I'm in Canada.
What is the difference between an iTunes Gift Card and an App Store Gift Card?
Thanks for the help

As far as I've ever seen, the only difference is the picture and printing on the card itself. ITunes, App, or iBooks cards all work in any of the stores.

Change between graphic cards - mac crashes

Hi Apple community,
since now two weeks I have a new MacBook Pro. It is my first mac and it is very amazing.
However since the first day I have a problem for which I do not find an answer yet.
As every new MacBook Pro - my MBP do have two graphic cards. In the system preferneces there is the option to switch between them (better battery life or higher performance). When I try to change between these two options I get the - you have to log out - text. Till here everything is fine.
Now when the system logs off and in again my MacOs crashes and and I do have to press the on/off switch menu for few second, reboot my system and even then the system can get bck to normal mode, I have to press the on/off switch once again and only then I can run my Mac again.
Is this normal and if not.... how can this problem be solved
Thanks for your help
Kmop
Message was edited by: Kmop
Message was edited by: Kmop

Changing graphics cards should not cause a system crash. I'd recommend a call to AppleCare. There's a Contact Us link at the bottom right of this page.

Difference in graphic cards for Imovie HD edit

Hi.
I plan to get a new Imac for imovie HD editing, upgrading a 2 ghz imac that is very short in memory, HD, and speed. I don't play games or do any 3d renderings.
What i would like to know is which process of the Imovie or Iphoto software would be benefited with better graphic cards.
For example for time consuming process like exporting a movie or doing a clip stabilization is it faster to have better graphics (4850 vs nvidia 130 vs nvidia 120) or faster processors (3.06 vs 2.93).
Thanks for any help you can give.

You will be much happier with 4850 especially when it comes to video like in iMovie or FinalCut. This is both immediatly and in the long run. 4850 will allow for a snappier GUI, much better performance under snow leopard, great video and image quality. (just do a search for which gpu platform video or photo creatives prefer on the mac. Ati usually wins out and Nvidia usually wins for 3d work IMHO.) Both 4850 and gt130 are great options though.
In the past ATI has had better drivers for the Core image and video functions in the mac. Recently, however, the 8800gt from Nvidia has seen significant improvement so the gt130 may not be a bad choice either.
http://www.barefeats.com/harper16.html (example of past)
http://www.barefeats.com/nehal06.html (example of present)
As I'm sure you already know, http://www.apple.com/imac/features.html#performance has some nice charts demonstrating the massive gains in the GPU with each upgrade (gt 120, gt 130, 4850). I just want to point out that the gains in ~100MHz CPU will pale in comparison to a GPU change.
The future is with using the GPU as a co-processor. Apple will do it. PCs are already doing it!!
http://ati.amd.com/technology/avivo/technology.html ("The ATI only Video Converter transcodes up to 17 times faster than with the CPU alone, one hour of video can be converted to a portable player format in about 12 minutes.")
http://www.badaboomit.com/ (for Nvidia only. 20x faster. Though I have seen firsthand results showing ati avt using the 48xx series trouncing other cards using badaboomit...for now)
Also, you can always get something like the turbo.264 HD. It has some quirks. I have never used it. I just use it to show that the CPU is greatly complimented by dedicated hardware such as this device or your GPU.
Suffice it to say, the GPU will be THE best option for you in my opinion.
good luck
Message was edited by: shrouded
Message was edited by: shrouded

How can i swicth between graphics cards

i have updated to the latest BIOS version- form the menu of nvidia graphic card i cannot select the video player on which graphic card to run- the graphic cards doesn t switch when i watch a movie or work in excel.- if i disable the on board grafic card the laptop runs like it has no graphic card installed- from time to time i have horizontal lines that goes form bottom to the top of the screen- graphic card is Nvidia GT 820M 1 GB. Can anyone help me with these problems?

Hi, Please try (a) Right click a blank space on desktop,(b) Open NVIDIA Control Panel You can select from the following menu: Regards.

What's the difference between graphics processor with 256MB and 512MB

I'm doubting between buying the more expensive or the cheaper Macbook Pro model.
Does someone knows the limitations I will have with the 256MB model? It is worthy to pay u$500 for the 512MB model?
Is there any other big difference (besides the RAM size) between the 2 models that could make me decide for one or the other?
thanks a lot for your help!

Andresb... the $500 gets you more than just 256MB texture memory. You'll also get a slightly faster CPU with more cache, double the installed memory, and an 80gb larger hard drive.
But sticking to your question, what does the extra video memory do? It's used by graphics intensive applications for rendering and textures, etc. I don't know of any programs that will not run if you have less than 512MB, they just won't run quite as fast.
While you can add more memory or replace the hard drive with a bigger one at a later date, you can not increase the CPU speed, add more CPU cache, or upgrade the video memory on the machine. For a lot of people, that won't be a big deal - the question really is how much of a power user do you really think you are?
Good luck with your decision!

Switching between graphics cards

I have a unibody Macbook Pro with the 256MB GeForce 9600M GT and the 9400, I heard somewhere that in order to switch between the two cards, I would need to manually change the setting, and then log out/in.
Can anyone explain this further to me or point me in the right direction?
Thank You.

I'm wondering about this as well. I bought my MBP Dec 2009. I just happen to be reading the specification pages at Apple.com (http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/performance.html) and read
"MacBook Pro transfers the workload between the powerful discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics processor and integrated Intel HD Graphics so seamlessly, you won’t even notice."
I've been doing as posted here...going to preferences, changing the setting and logging out... Is this a newer spec for the latest MBP's?
Thanks

Difference between graphics cards?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for