Features - QOTW: Will your next PC employ a discrete graphics card?

[NitrousX]

I will most likely be buying the next 800 series Maxwell's when ever they come to market. Still plugging away with the GTX 570's Sli. If I can get the GTX 880/890's

[Saracen]

It would depend on what the PC was for, AND on the relative price difference.

Frankly, I don't know, because I have no plans right now, and I have no way to know the relative state of built-in v discrete at the time I come to make the choice.

Right now, though, built-in would be a distinct possibility. Due to various decisions (including DRM, but by no means only that) of the gaming industry, I don't buy many, if any, leading edge games, meaning I neither need, nor am prepared to fork out for, high-end discrete graphics.

I would have said Photoshop compatibility/optimisation was a major concern, but with Photoshop going subscription-only, my Photoshop future will either be sticking with current version or finding an alternate product, so even that won't drive my graphics card choice.

In short, I don't know if it'd be built-in or discrete, but built-in is very possible.

[anselhelm]

I'm not even sure when I'll make a new PC at the moment.

I had originally hoped to build a new PC sometime in 2014, but this was based on the hope that AMD would refresh its FX line-up and bring octa-core chips based on the Steamroller architecture. Alas this did not come to pass and probably never will now.

It's not just AMD causing me irritation though. Intel has been pretty-much lacklustre in terms of improvements. Sure, they've done great for increasing speed a bit and reducing power usage, but there's no "wow factor" any more. The same is true for graphics for me.

Right now, given what I need from a PC, my Phenom II X4 940, couple with an unlocked HD 6950 graphics card, is doing everything I need. There's simply no incentive for me to upgrade unless my tech stops working.

I'm hoping that late 2014 leading into 2015 will present a more interesting year for tech. I don't really want to be in a position where I have to delay upgrading beyond that, as that's just depressing beyond all rational thought. It's bad enough as it is right now!


Edit: I think my PC understood me when writing this post and decided to take revenge. My motherboard has started to cause me grief. I spent a chunk of the evening looking at potential replacement AM2+ motherboards, but ultimately, after talking through with the girlfriend and my family, I've decided it'll be better in the long run to upgrade after all. Nothing really fancy, mind you, but an upgrade nonetheless.

I'm going to move from an Phenom II X4 940 to an FX 8320. I won't actually even need the full speed of it so will probably end up undervolting and underclocking a bit to reduce the power usage. It won't be a benchmark king, but neither is my current setup and that's seen me through thick and thin until now. It's not as though I'll need more power any time soon anyway.

[devBunny]

My next machine could well be a 5930K so it'll have to have discrete graphics.

Why discrete graphics? Coding, data presentation etc. don't need super powered 3D, and it's easy to find motherboards with three outputs, with daisy-chaning DisplayPort perhaps a fourth.

But yes, it may be easiest to add a cheap discrete card and use both card and IGP to drive four displays.

The 5930K is one of the next line of workstation chips, Haswell-E. It's a 6-core beastie but comes without integrated graphics.

[Noli]

Hardly ever play 'proper' games these days. Dang, I'm getting old.

However, for my main rig, have to have discrete. Just in case.

[Rad77]

Yes, separate card for me. We're in a strange situation, I grant you, where the IGPs are getting very good, but the gap is still too great, and card technology moves forward too quickly (and it needs to). If I could bring myself to quit games, I'd already be in the integrated camp though, no question.

I'll love it when gfx tech finally hits a regular ceiling. It'll be great to see the form factors of PCs change completely around something that's just a motherboard, drives and cooling, and as long as we don't need a new graphics standard any more often than we need a new CPU then I'm sure it won't be long until that's our reality.

spot on!

[Rad77]

I'm not even sure when I'll make a new PC at the moment.

... but there's no "wow factor" any more. The same is true for graphics for me.

Right now, given what I need from a PC, my Phenom II X4 940, couple with an unlocked HD 6950 graphics card, is doing everything I need. There's simply no incentive for me to upgrade unless my tech stops working.

Same boat here - Current build is a few years old and just doesn't need upgrading. Previously have always been forced into regular upgrades by software (either games or audio recording) demanding more power, but now everything seems to be just treading water.

It's all a bit boring for us self-builders isn't it?

[o00oo00o]

As long as integrated GPU is still outperformed by mid-range discrete GPU, yeah IGP will be insufficient for gaming PC.

[Frankenfurter]

I'm building a PC for animation purposes, so eventually it will have to have a dedicated card. For now though it'll just be using the integrated Haswell i4 graphics, building a whole new PC in one go is too pricey for me. xD