No - its not a graphics card, its an integrated graphics chip built into the motherboard.
It relies on the system cpu to do calculations/processing etc, and has no inherent RAM - it "steals" it from main system RAM. Civ IV needs hardware T&L support - a graphics card - so that the work in processing programmes can be shared / offloaded to a second processor in the graphics card.
The misunderstanding - and its a common one - originates from the Sales spin at time of purchase. Sales will emphasis graphics standard A, that ability B, graphics compatibility C, etc etc plus the usual glossy pics. What they will not talk about is the power required by hardware to run certain applications or games - and for true 3D, which Civ IV is, no eye candy tricks and slight of look-a-like hands - you must have the second processor on a graphics card to drive a true 3D game.
It did not matter much in the past - as such - since the mass market didnt get involved with true 3D stuff or applications that used graphics cards to their limit. The release of Civ IV is a major shift for many, as its the first time they have come across these issues - power, heating, 3D standards etc - that raise a whole new world of hardware issues.
Laptops are fine with Civ IV, the only question to answer (in graphics terms) - as with desktops - is - does it have a Graphics card using the AGP or PCI-e internal bus? One slight twist to that are the latest generation of on board graphics starting to appear which do have integral RAM of their own, and a certain amount of independent processing power - the Intel Extreme series of chips including and above the 954 come into that category.
Checkwith the manufacturer if a graphics card can be fitted, and having researched the correct card to get - check re heating issues in the laptop case - need to be particularly careful with a laptop that an inappropriate card does not overheat it
Regards
Zy
