Intel HD Graphics 4000 vs AMD Mobility 5470

[geokilla]

Simply put, which is better? I'm craving a new laptop right now and Best Buy has plenty of Ultrabook deals. There's nothing wrong with my Acer 3820TG mind you and I still love it very much, except when I'm at school, half the time,WiFi does not work because the Qualcomm Atheros R5B97 chip sucks!

I'm looking to play Diablo 3, League of Legends, and any other low powered games on the laptop. I got my trust desktop for the major titles that I would never think of playing at school or on the go.

Notebookcheck has the 5470 put as a Class 4 GPU while the Intel HD Graphics 4000 is a Class 3, which theoretically means it's faster.

[SKYMTL]

The HD 5470M is marginally faster than the Intel HD 4000 but you will get substantially better battery life with the single-chip Intel solution.

On the flip side, AMD's mobile GPU drivers are miles ahead of Intel's so you can expect better game compatibility.

[Daedalus2002]

Why not just replace the wifi card on the old laptop if that's the only thing wrong with it? (Unless of course you're just looking for an excuse to get new toys )

I did it with my 3830TG - took 5 mins and a screwdriver!

[sswilson]

Originally Posted by SKYMTL

The HD 5470M is marginally faster than the Intel HD 4000 but you will get substantially better battery life with the single-chip Intel solution.

On the flip side, AMD's mobile GPU drivers are miles ahead of Intel's so you can expect better game compatibility.

I'm not a big fan of AMD's mobility drivers.... my 6500M series laptop does not work well with new drivers when it comes to switching between low power and high power GFX. I've pretty much had to stick with the drivers that shipped with it.

[Bond007]

They should be very close to the same. The 5470 will consume more power, but have better drivers. The 4000 will use less power, but has slower driver updates. I would go for the integrated given the 5470 is getting close to EOL.

[geokilla]

Originally Posted by Daedalus2002

Why not just replace the wifi card on the old laptop if that's the only thing wrong with it? (Unless of course you're just looking for an excuse to get new toys )

I did it with my 3830TG - took 5 mins and a screwdriver!

Where did you buy a new WiFi card? And which one did you buy? I'd much rather replace a WiFi card then buy a new laptop. I already have more computers than people in the house... Plus I love how I can get a good 5h minimum when taking notes and surfing the Internet. My laptop is 2 years old around and if I can make it to 7 years like my Acer Aspire 5601...

Originally Posted by sswilson

I'm not a big fan of AMD's mobility drivers.... my 6500M series laptop does not work well with new drivers when it comes to switching between low power and high power GFX. I've pretty much had to stick with the drivers that shipped with it.

Originally Posted by Bond007

They should be very close to the same. The 5470 will consume more power, but have better drivers. The 4000 will use less power, but has slower driver updates. I would go for the integrated given the 5470 is getting close to EOL.

I modded the BIOS for my 3820TG so I can use the latest drivers without having to worrying about not being able to use new drivers, as I can switch and disable/enable the 5470 in the BIOS. Having said that, the 5470 is EOL and there's no more new Catalyst drivers available. Well last I checked anyways.

[sswilson]

Originally Posted by geokilla

Where did you buy a new WiFi card? And which one did you buy? I'd much rather replace a WiFi card then buy a new laptop. I already have more computers than people in the house... Plus I love how I can get a good 5h minimum when taking notes and surfing the Internet. My laptop is 2 years old around and if I can make it to 7 years like my Acer Aspire 5601...




I modded the BIOS for my 3820TG so I can use the latest drivers without having to worrying about not being able to use new drivers, as I can switch and disable/enable the 5470 in the BIOS. Having said that, the 5470 is EOL and there's no more new Catalyst drivers available. Well last I checked anyways.

Like this? TP-Link TL-WN861N Wireless MINI-PCI Network Adapter 802.11B/G/N MIMO 2T2R ?

searching for "mini PCI wireless" should get you a few hits. :)

[geokilla]

I think what I need is a mini PCI-E right? Intel Network ADVANCED-N 6235 11A/G /N 2.4/5GHZ Dual Band Bluetooth WiFi Card Mini PCIe Half High or Canada Computers | Wireless Mini Card Adapters

Review Acer Aspire 3820TG Subnotebook (i5/HD5650) - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

An access opening at the bottom offers the option of upgrading hardware: hard drive, RAM, WLAN module (mini PCIe Half Size). A Mini PCI slot appears to be free but there's no port to the mainboard soldered on.

[sswilson]

Heh... good catch, I missed that even though I was looking at a different intel card that is also PCIe. :)

Did you have a look at the current card just to be sure?

[Soullessone21]

Geo I think I have a few of those wireless cards in a box PM me I will send you a few :)