About Integrated Graphics Cards...

Thupli

Looking at an All in one computer for my kids.  I'm wondering exactly what I can expect out of a Dell Optiplex 5250 All in One [but am considering any other computer equal to these specs].

Specs:
i7, 7th gen core
Win 10 Pro
32gb Ram
256bg SSD
Intel Integrated HD Graphics

Specifically, how does that integrated graphics card compare to seperate cards??  I am not familiar enough with them to know what it would be equivalent too.  Could this computer run Guild Wars 2, for instance?

Anyhow, any advice would be appreciated... would love Quizzical to chime in, heh!

SirAgravaine

https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/

I would start here for video card comparisons. Find your integrated graphics card on one of the lists, if it is a relatively new Intel Integrated card it is probably on the "High to Mid Range" list. If you are wanting to see actual gameplay benchmarks, you would want to do an individual search based on the specific model, and look at one of the comprehensive review sites like Tom's Hardware.

What is your budget? There are several all-in-one options out there with dedicated graphics. Origin is one brand off of the top of my head. Apple and Microsoft are another solid example, but they are a bit pricier-for-performance.

It looks like the Dell is about $1000 MSRP. It has an Intel i5-7500 processor which means an Intel® HD Graphics 630 integrated GPU. 

Apple iMac  is $1299 and has a Radeon Pro 555.

Comparing the two the Radeon scores about 2,000 more on the PassMark benchmark. You would have to do your own searching to see how they compare in games. Also...it is Apple. 

Microsoft Surface is about $3,000 and has a dedicated NVIDIA 965M GPU. 

Dell has a $1700 All-in-one with a dedicated R7 M465X, which is a mobile GPU, and scores about the same as the Radeon Pro 555 in the iMac on the PassMark test.

MrMelGibson

Thupli said:

Looking at an All in one computer for my kids.  I'm wondering exactly what I can expect out of a Dell Optiplex 5250 All in One [but am considering any other computer equal to these specs].

Specs:
i7, 7th gen core
Win 10 Pro
32gb Ram
256bg SSD
Intel Integrated HD Graphics

Specifically, how does that integrated graphics card compare to seperate cards??  I am not familiar enough with them to know what it would be equivalent too.  Could this computer run Guild Wars 2, for instance?

Anyhow, any advice would be appreciated... would love Quizzical to chime in, heh!

If your kids plan to game on this PC, you really should consider a gpu and not go the integrated card way.  It will always be the bottle neck.  

Loke666

It will run GW2 but at low settings and that isn't exactly pretty. Also if enough people get on the screen at the same time you will get the slideshow effect (like from certain DEs like the frozen Maw and the shatterer).

Intergrated GFX cards are terrible, you get what you pay for. Also, having a modern computer with just 256 Gb HD is not a great idea, windows and the temp files it uses isn't exactly small and MMOs aren't exactly small games.

There are plenty of affordable comnputers out there. Aim for something with at least 512 Gig HD and a Nvidia 1050 (or similar performing AMD card). Having a SSD is great but if it is that small you either need to add an extra drive or constantly clearing stuff from it, I rather have a 1 Tb mechanical drive then a small SSD.

Also, Dells computer boxes are famous for special solutions which is fine unless you want to change a component. Then they are a pain. They make nice screens though.

Kajidourden

They're ass, never ever ever ever buy them unless you plan on just playing solitaire....and then you're gold!

Vrika

Integrated graphic cards are for office work: They're a cheap solution to people who don't want to play games.

For a kids gaming PC you'll want
 -Discrete graphic card, as good as you can afford
 -The processor doesn't need to be most powerful one. If you want to get by cheaper look for I5 or Ryzen 5 processors rather than I7 or Ryzen 7 which are the top models
 -You don't need to have 32 GB of RAM. 16 GB would be optimal amount of RAM to have
 -If you've got more than 1 child using the computer then you need to have more than 256 GB of hard disk space. If everyone can't fit his favourite game to the hard disk you're in for a quarrel
 -You don't need to have Windows 10 Pro (pro = professional). For a children's home computer Windows 10 Home has all the features you need and it's a bit cheaper



If you want to get cheap and ready-made gaming computer you should buy something like this
  https://www.amazon.com/CYBERPOWERPC-GXIVR8020A4-Desktop-i5-7400-7200RPM/dp/B0747W15QL
Monitor is not included and has to be bought separately unless you've got some old monitor you can use.

I didn't do much Googling so someone might be able to find you a better suggestion. Also if you're ready to buy components and build your own then you can get the computer cheaper.


EDIT: Amazon's price for the computer I linked just went up nearly $100. I'm not so sure if I'd recommend it at its current price /EDIT

Po_gg

Vrika said:

-The processor doesn't need to be most powerful one. If you want to get by cheaper look for I5 or Ryzen 5 processors rather than I7 or Ryzen 7 which are the top models
 -You don't need to have 32 GB of RAM. 16 GB would be optimal amount of RAM to have
 -If you've got more than 1 child using the computer then you need to have more than 256 GB of hard disk space. If everyone can't fit his favourite game to the hard disk you're in for a quarrel
 -You don't need to have Windows 10 Pro (pro = professional). For a children's home computer Windows 10 Home has all the features you need and it's a bit cheaper

Pro might be useful, depending OPs home network and needs, the i7 is better in Optiflex (don't forget these are low profile processors) and 32Gb really is an overshoot, but you can see it as making it future-proof


Jokes aside, pretty much what all the others said. That piece is clearly an office / desktop solution from Dell, and I'd add that with the All in One build you won't just easily replace anything in it, even with the smallest issues you will need to call your retailer.

However, to the original question, iGPU is great for everything - besides heavy gaming. Don't get me wrong, it is not as a strict limit the posts in the thread paint it   Older games, browser games, Minecraft, Hearthstone, etc. you can play on an iGPU just fine even for longer periods.
More demanding games you can play as well, if you really have to, for example while you wait for your replacement gfx card. For a few days. With compromises, like set everything near to minimum.
You asked for GW2 as an example, here it is on a little bit slower chip (your selection has HD 630 but it will be pretty much the same) https://youtu.be/2GXkKR68Zhk

k4te

Don't ever buy an all-in-one PC for your kids, especially for gaming. It's true that it will run some games in low to mid settings, but that capability will quickly diminish since video games get more and more taxing on the graphics card in short intervals of time. 

I'd say with the $1000, just get a PC built. Ask a friend to help you or go to a reputable shop for it, you'd also be getting more out that budge doing it this way, since pre-built "branded" PCs are sold with a premium price.

centkin

Actually for a kid's PC consider used. 

Slapshot1188

k4te said:

Don't ever buy an all-in-one PC for your kids, especially for gaming. It's true that it will run some games in low to mid settings, but that capability will quickly diminish since video games get more and more taxing on the graphics card in short intervals of time. 

I'd say with the $1000, just get a PC built. Ask a friend to help you or go to a reputable shop for it, you'd also be getting more out that budge doing it this way, since pre-built "branded" PCs are sold with a premium price.

For $1221 shipped (including tax) I was able to get a Dell XPS for my son this year:
i7 7700k
Nvidia 1070 8GB
16 GB RAM (2x8)
256GB M.2 PCIe x4 SSD
2TB 7200 rpm Hard Drive
needed all the extra components like a tower and windows etc...

I couldn't come close to the same price on PCpartpicker so I just ordered it.

Slapshot1188

SedrynTyros said:

Slapshot1188 said:

k4te said:

Don't ever buy an all-in-one PC for your kids, especially for gaming. It's true that it will run some games in low to mid settings, but that capability will quickly diminish since video games get more and more taxing on the graphics card in short intervals of time. 

I'd say with the $1000, just get a PC built. Ask a friend to help you or go to a reputable shop for it, you'd also be getting more out that budge doing it this way, since pre-built "branded" PCs are sold with a premium price.

For $1221 shipped (including tax) I was able to get a Dell XPS for my son this year:
i7 7700k
Nvidia 1070 8GB
16 GB RAM (2x8)
256GB M.2 PCIe x4 SSD
2TB 7200 rpm Hard Drive
needed all the extra components like a tower and windows etc...

I couldn't come close to the same price on PCpartpicker so I just ordered it.

That's a decent setup for sure.

Yeah.. main drawback is that it will come with a PS that's probably just above the requirements but for the price I couldn't pass it by.  I wanted to build it with him like I did his brothers but the damn GPU alone was over $400 a month or so ago when I bought it.

Loke666

Slapshot1188 said:

For $1221 shipped (including tax) I was able to get a Dell XPS for my son this year:
i7 7700k
Nvidia 1070 8GB
16 GB RAM (2x8)
256GB M.2 PCIe x4 SSD
2TB 7200 rpm Hard Drive
needed all the extra components like a tower and windows etc...

I couldn't come close to the same price on PCpartpicker so I just ordered it.

While you still could get it cheaper as lose parts it is not a bad set up for the price. I have a feeling that OP want something a bit cheaper though, that is an actual gaming computer.

When buying for the kids the graphics card is far more important then anything else, It is better to have a crap CPU and a good graphics card then the other way around.

As for ram, 8 gig is enough. Few games support more anyways.

A SSD is nice to have  but it is better to have a small 128 gig and a mechinal drive then 256 gig. The best is of course to have a 512+ gig SSD but that is more expensive then a 3 Tb mechanical drive which is more useful unless the kids only play a couple of games. 

And as someone above said, Windows home is good enough for gaming and surfing.

Saving money on the graphics card is the worst thing you can do in this case, it is by far the most important component here.

Signex

Looking at the price of this PC/AiO, you can do better buying a self built PC. Best to ask someone who could do it for you, shops ask money for it so that money is best spend on the PC itself.
Monitor shouldn't be a problem either, 1080p screens are cheap nowadays.
Same goes for mouse and keyboard, there are cheap gaming sets like Cooler Master Devastator II combo(They're quiet good, i had the older version and comes with backlit keys.)

EDIT: I assume this is the PC you're looking at: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Optiplex-i7-7700-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B076HGFB3T/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1513531481&sr=8-8&keywords=dell+optiplex+5250

So around 1k is your budget i guess, and that's actually a pretty good budget for a gaming PC.

These combined should be within your budget:
PC with keyboard+mouse: https://www.amazon.com/CYBERPOWERPC-Xtreme-GXIVR8060A4-Desktop-i5-7400/dp/B074VKW196/ref=lp_8588813011_1_7?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1513531604&sr=1-7

And your kids would love the lights.

Monitor: https://www.amazon.com/Sceptre-E248W-1920R-Ultra-Monitor-Metallic/dp/B01HIA63AU/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1513531709&sr=1-1&keywords=monitor&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin:3547806011

Slapshot1188

Loke666 said:

Slapshot1188 said:

For $1221 shipped (including tax) I was able to get a Dell XPS for my son this year:
i7 7700k
Nvidia 1070 8GB
16 GB RAM (2x8)
256GB M.2 PCIe x4 SSD
2TB 7200 rpm Hard Drive
needed all the extra components like a tower and windows etc...

I couldn't come close to the same price on PCpartpicker so I just ordered it.

While you still could get it cheaper as lose parts it is not a bad set up for the price. I have a feeling that OP want something a bit cheaper though, that is an actual gaming computer.

ponent here.

I dunno... I just tried PCPartpicker again and selected the absolute cheapest components for every option and it's $1271 excluding tax but including mail in rebates etc...  and some of those parts are incompatible so I'd have to get something above the cheapest.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3nkqKZ

I think the issue is the cost of the graphics cards due to bitminers driving up the cost (big companies like Dell have the prices locked in).


As for the RAM.  I saw a big improvement on my system (not the one above) when I went to 16GB from 8GB.    I think it's worth the extra $80 to double the memory but YMMV.  Games like Star Citizen were unplayable before but are OK now.

Vrika

Signex said:

Monitor: https://www.amazon.com/Sceptre-E248W-1920R-Ultra-Monitor-Metallic/dp/B01HIA63AU/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1513531709&sr=1-1&keywords=monitor&refinements=p_n_size_browse-bin:3547806011

For monitor I'd try to get 27 inch if there's enough space for it, something like this:
  https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824011127