How bad it is (really) to use only an integrated graphics card for experiments?

Hi,

I’d like to get a solid opinion on this matter. I’ve seen in a few places in the psychopy documentation a warning against using integrated graphics card. I would like to know know big of a problem it really is?
I usually run psychopy on an i7 8gen or i9 computer with at least 16 and 32 Gigs of RAM respectively. My machine comes with an Intel® UHD Graphics 630.

Most of my experiments consist of presenting images or video stimuli, running eye tracking and interfacing with psychophysiology recording (e.g. Biopac MP160) synced using blackboxtoolkit or parallel ports), and I routinely use 2 or 3 displays.

I appreciate any comments on this,

thanks!
Helio

Hi, the only answer to this is that you will need to test the performance of your particular set-up. Your computer itself is less likely to be a bottleneck there than its graphics card, particularly if you are using 2 or 3 displays.

The recent preprint posted here:

https://psyarxiv.com/d6nu5/

will show that there can be a lot of variability across operating systems and other factors, even when using good equipment. So it is crucial to test performance on your own system, rather than rely on general recommendations.

1 Like

thanks @Michael,

will have a read.

Cheers