Ok, a reply later in this topic says that they are the same, now, I got this from wikipedia:

 

 

 

"A GPU can sit on top of a video card, or it can be integrated directly into the motherboard. More than 90% of new desktop and notebook computers have integrated GPUs, which are usually far less powerful than those on a video card"

 

 

 

IT CAN SIT ON TOP OF A VIDEO CARD, meaning it is NOT a video card itself, because someone here said it was, and I was wondering, is it or not a Video Card?

Its because with the newer core 2 duos come newer architecture (core 2 duos have 2 cores, P4s have 1, more cache among other things) and C2D's are much more efficient at number crunching and general computing tasks than Pentium 4s that run at a faster clock rate, use more power and hotter. So the Pentium 4 runs at a faster clock speed but any C2D even the entry level chips will wipe the floor with any Pentium 4.

 

 

 

You GPU should be something like "Intel GMA xxx" as I assume it is integrated.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megahertz_myth

Gighertz themselves are misleading. Eggz put it the best way, the newer ones are more efficient, mainly because the design has improved. Here's an odd analogy:

 

 

 

Think of 2 cars driving have a race down muddy road, one old, one new. The older car has a bigger engine and can go slightly faster but only has 2 wheel drive. The newer one by comparison, has a slightly smaller engine and 4 wheel drive. Which would you put your money on winning first? ;)

 

 

 

As for the gpu, assuming you're on windows, go to run and type 'dxdiag'. Click on the display tab, and that will tell you what graphics card you have.

There's also much more going on as the whole architecture of the machine is better, ignoring the CPU speed, the front side bus, RAM, drive access, DMA etc will be much faster on the new machine. All in all the newer laptop will kick your old ones [wagon] (so to speak).

Ok, I get it, now to the GPU thing. Dracion, are you saying that GPU = Graphics Card? I thought they were different things, I read somewhere that the GPU is attached to the Card in order to make it work better, correct me if I'm wrong

No, GPU just stands for Graphics Processing Unit. Just another way to say video card. Like How a CPU and Processor are the same thing.

updated question

GPU= Graphics processing unit, the processor for the graphics card

 

Graphics/Video Card= The circuit board that contains the GPU/ Video RAM that you slot into your motherboard

 

 

 

Only 2 companies make retail GPU's and they are ATI and Nvidia while many other companies buy said GPU's or have a license to put them on their circuitboards whether their factory standard or the companies own designs accounting for the many different styles of video cards (Sapphire/XFX/Powercolour/EVGA/Asus/Palit/Inno3D etc)

This is the actual GPU.

 

[hide=Actual GPU][/hide]

 

 

 

A video card... [hide=Looks like this][/hide]

 

 

 

The GPU on your motherboard is not visable, as it has a heatsink on it.

 

 

 

Eggzs: There's also a company called S3 Graphics.

Nvidia and ATI were the only ones I could think of from the top of my head, other GPU companies are Intel, Matrox and some defunct companes such as 3DFX

Nvidia and ATI were the only ones I could think of from the top of my head, other GPU companies are Intel, Matrox and some defunct companes such as 3DFX

 

 

 

Yes yes.

 

I just threw it in, as it's a 3rd company that actually produces very good lower-end cards. Matrox are more focused on multi-screen cards (if my memory doesn't fail me).

 

Intel with their Larrabee platform will be intresting... Haven't heard any news about it in a couple of months tho.

a gpu can be a video card or a integrated unit on your motherboard.

 

its like saying does fruit = orange

 

yes orange is fruit, but there are also other fruits (apples, bananas etc).

 

yes a video card is a gpu, but there are also other gpu's, most commonly the ones integrated onto motherboards.

GPU= Graphics processing unit, the processor for the graphics card

 

Graphics/Video Card= The circuit board that contains the GPU/ Video RAM that you slot into your motherboard

 

 

 

or you can kinda put it like this:

 

 

 

a GPU is to a CPU (processor)

 

as a video card is to a motherboard