6 min read · Oct 24, 2023
Most modern motherboards don’t have integrated graphics. This is because most people use dedicated graphics cards rather than integrated graphics. However, entry-level and mid-range motherboards usually come with integrated graphics. This is because the target user is unlikely to connect a proprietary card to their computer.
Dedicated graphics cards are popular with most users these days, so manufacturers refrain from installing integrated graphics on motherboards. As a result, most modern motherboards do not have integrated graphics.
The integrated graphics card is required to transfer visual signals from the motherboard’s video output ports to the display. If your PC lacks an integrated graphics card, you will probably need to purchase a dedicated graphics card to connect your monitor display. So, the short answer to this question would be no.
Older motherboard versions included integrated graphics; however, they are no longer available. Modern commercial motherboards do not have an integrated graphics card or an onboard graphics processing chipset.
If you’re on a tight budget or don’t want a gaming or high-performance PC, there’s no reason to invest in an expensive dedicated graphics card. Integrated graphics make a lot more sense in these situations. However, not all CPUs have integrated graphics cards. If your CPU doesn’t have an iGPU, the motherboard’s video output will not work.
One of the most important functions of an integrated graphics card is to power the rear video output located on the motherboard’s rear I/O panel. Without a integrated graphics card his DVI, VGA and HDMI connectors on the motherboard like the one above don’t work.
If you connect a monitor to one of these ports on a PC that does not have a built-in graphics card, nothing will appear on the monitor display. Therefore, a PC without integrated graphics should invest in a dedicated graphics card for video output instead.
The easiest way to tell if your motherboard has integrated graphics is to check where your display cable is connected to your computer.
If it is connected to the built-in VGA, DisplayPort, DVI connector on the motherboard, or HDMI, it means the integrated graphics card is powering the display. However, if the cable is connected to a silver board with display ports, it means that your computer has a dedicated graphics card installed.
Another way to find out if your motherboard has integrated graphics is by navigating to Control Panel > Device Manager on your computer. Now, click the drop-down next to Display Drivers and you’ll see the name of the graphics card that’s powering your display.
If it starts as Intel(R) HD Graphics or AMD Radeon (TM), likely you have an integrated graphics card. You can search for the graphics card’s model on Google to make sure you have the accurate answer.
Lastly, you can also search for your motherboard’s model on Google to find its specification. If you’re unsure about your motherboard’s model, press the Windows + R shortcut on your PC, type msinfo32 on the next screen, and press Enter. Here you’ll be able to see your motherboard’s model (also called the BaseBoard model).
Once you know your motherboard’s model, write the model on Google followed by “spec sheet” and look for details regarding its onboard graphics. This way, you’ll know if your motherboard supports integrated graphics.
It’s a GPU that either the CPU or the motherboard manufacturers placed inside it to allow the pc to show pictures on the monitor without the use of a dedicated graphics card. You can use the onboard graphics in an AMD APU with select AMD graphics cards, but most of the time it’s not feasible as it is a lot more finicky than one graphics card. if your graphics card is incompatible with the APU’s onboard graphics, or if you have intel graphics, then the onboard graphics and dedicated graphics card will not work with each other to give more fps.
Unless you’re an experienced PC builder and want to build something very specific, you should definitely do this. But even in this scenario, getting a processor with an iGPU won’t cut your budget significantly. In other words, no “excuse” unless you have to be frugal due to financial constraints.
Ultimately, it’s your choice, but having an iGPU as a backup in case your dGPU (discrete graphics card) fails and you rarely (if ever) use it is totally worth having.
A GPU, also known as a graphics card, is a specialized electrical device that enhances images, videos, and animations. Unlike integrated graphics units, which share memory with the CPU, GPUs have their own memory sources.
The most common uses for high-end GPUs are gaming, ray tracing, graphics production, and cryptocurrency mining. The dedicated graphics card contains not only the GPU, a powerful computer processor dedicated to video processing, but also his VRAM dedicated to this task. The most important benefit of a dedicated GPU is improved performance.
This increased power makes obvious tasks (such as playing video games) and processes such as photo editing in Photoshop better, smoother and faster. Dedicated GPU cards offer a significant performance boost and often more modern video connectors than motherboards.
Motherboards may have only one VGA and DVI connector, but specialized GPUs may have both and an HDMI connector, or even triple connectors. So, for basic video output, no. Because if your motherboard has an integrated graphics card and video output, you don’t need a separate graphics card.
A dedicated graphics card may only be needed when more graphics processing power is needed for more demanding tasks such as gaming or video editing.
Integrated graphics are usually sufficient for everyday tasks, video playback, productivity, and casual gaming. However, GPU-intensive workloads such as intensive video editing and hardcore gaming are generally ineffective. So, whether integrated graphics is enough depends entirely on your graphics needs.
However, there are significant differences in the performance of some integrated graphics cards. For example, Intel’s base Intel HD 630 graphics are much weaker compared to AMD’s upgraded Ryzen 7 5700G Vega 8 graphics.
Likewise, Apple’s recently released M1 chip, which offers onboard graphics, outperforms all other integrated graphics (and even some top-of-the-line dedicated graphics cards). The M1 chip is also effective in hardcore gaming and video editing.
Both Intel and AMD offer CPU variants with and without integrated graphics cards. Again, to emphasize an important point, if your CPU doesn’t have integrated graphics, your motherboard’s video output will not work.
Intel is a little simpler as most CPUs include an iGPU. Intel’s “F” series processors perform nearly as well as non-”F” series processors. I don’t have an iGPU. The Intel UHD 610, 620, 630, and 750 iGPUs are the new Intel CPUs. Despite its age, the Iris Pro 580 remains the most powerful Intel iGPU. Commonly found in high-end laptops.
On AMD it’s the opposite. Only some CPUs in this category have integrated graphics cards. AMD CPUs with integrated graphics cards are commonly referred to as APUs or Accelerated Processing Units. AMD CPUs with integrated graphics processing units (GPUs) have a “G” suffix in their vocabulary.
AMD Athlon 3000G, AMD Ryzen 3 3200G, AMD Ryzen 7 5600G are examples. AMD’s G-series processors include the popular Vega-series CPUs, but Vega graphics cards outperform comparable Intel iGPUs across all generations.
In a nutshell, high-end motherboards typically lack integrated graphics as users often use dedicated GPUs. However, motherboards sold to average users usually include integrated graphics, so customers don’t need to buy a dedicated GPU to power their computers.
