When onboard video, there is no GPU, the CPU serves as the GPU and the system memory is shared, a portion is set aside for the video's exclusive use. There is some power reduction because the CPU is not working as hard, but not enough offset a dedicated GPU. BTW, modern GPU's are more powerful than CPU's of just a few years ago.Thanks. That's something I've always wondered about.Onboard still has a graphics controller, somethimes integrated into the chipset (chipsets used to be "sets of chips", i.e. more than one), it's just not doing the heavy processsing. HENCE, the continuing confusion and interchangeability of terms: graphics controller, graphics processor (or graphics processing unit), graphics memory, video controller, video memory, shared memory. As cpu's and memory and chipsets have become faster and cheaper and way more plentiful, onboard memory is not so bad. For the same reasons, separate video cards will always be better. Just Google "Moore's Law".It would seem that you were right all along, computer_commando... I do need a graphics card.

Although setting my memory speed to match my bus speed helped with hulu videos, I realized I was having the same problems with some other video websites, in which this solution doesn't help. I disabled the Aero interface (set it to "Classical") and the problem went AWAY. I can only conclude that the onboard graphics system cannot handle the Aero interface AND full screen videos at the same TIME...

So I either need to leave Aero disabled, or get a graphics card. MAY as well get a card, there ARE some video games I'd like to try and the onboard graphics just doesn't seem to cut it..


EDIT: I suppose it's possible that using ram of equal capacity, enabling dual channel mode may help...........my ram is currently running in single channel mode because the ram sticks are not equal in size.. You need to find a low power card like this, so you don't have to replace the psu:
http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=512-P3-N856-LR&family=GeForce 9 Series Family