How effective is shared video memory? I saw a HP 2.4 Pent4, 512 DDR ram, with up to 64 mgs of ram used as video memory. Would that give good results or must you have a separate video card? Will HPs take a video card? Thanks...Roger

If your system has 512MB of memory, take 64MB away for the video. It is a poor arrangement and used on low cost systems. Whether this particular system will allow you to disable the on-board graphics system can only be answered by them. If the MOBO has slots for cards, either AGP or PCI, it can take cards. If it doesn't have a Compliant Ver. 2.0 AGP slot, then you are going to be stuck with a limited number of PCI slot cards.I would steer away from any on-board graphics card systems with shared memory. Try and steer away from any system that has any on-board sound, graphics, and network interface cards, and modems.A system that is fully capable of adding discrete components gives you the best alternatives throughout your computer's life cycle.

I absolutely agree with the suggestion to steer clear of systems using hard-wired sound and/or video on the mobo, unless they can be disabled and 3rd party cards plugged in. I can understand in a highly competitive industry such as computers where prices erode so quickly that manufacturers are always searching for ways to trim expenses. However, when they trim them such that their customers suffer performance issues that is the wrong place to trim. We are already in a situation where current new systems may run some program properly but not others. And I don't mean "frame rates". I mean bad or missing sound and/or video. That is not acceptable. The only way to get that message out to the manufacturers is to refuse to purchase such systems.Regards,Dewey

Ok...thanks...Roger