***CAN MY NOTEBOOK RUN IT?*** Read before posting ***All X vs Y Graphics Card comparisons here ***Read before posting***

Which would be a better gaming laptop?

MSI-GX640
15.4" WSXGA+ Super Clear Glossy Glare Screen (1680x1050)
Core i5 450M 2.4GHz (I might upgrade it to the i7 if I choose it)
4096MB DDR3 1066MHz
500GB HD 7200RPM
ATi Mobility Radeon HD 5850 (Built-in GDDR5 1024MB)

or

Acer Aspire (AS7741G)
Screen: 17.3 Inches (1600 x 900)
Intel Core i5-430M 2.26 GHz
RAM: 4 GB
640GB HD 5400RPM
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 (512MB video memory)

Specifically want to play all Blizzard's stuff, all Valve's stuff and Civ 5, but I want to be able to run anything on MED to HIGH setting without framerate drops.

 

The MSI slaps the Acer into oblivion in the gaming department. 5850 and 5470 aint even comparable.

 

@iGiac

The MSI is much MUCH better.

 

That's what I was thinking, though some employees at BestBuy told me it wasn't.

So the MSI is a good deal and will work great for all those games and more?

 

Well if you can afford the difference in price, yes the MSI will be a very good deal considering it has a beast GPU and a decent CPU. That setup should last you for years and you'll probably still be playing at newer games at high graphics settings after 2-3 years

 

I can definitely afford the MSI as I'm getting it through a deal with my grandpa's company that allows me to pay over 12 months.

Would it be worth it to upgrade to the best i7 I can get with the MSI? It's 400 dollars extra.

Or should I just wait until I actually need to upgrade?

 

if ur going to pay $400 to upgrade to i7, i rather suggest u get a MSI GX660... it has i7-740qm + ATI 5870+ full HD screen+ blue ray for 1500 something.. way better than GX640.. i'd get 660 now.. nothing beats it.

 

Hi, I have a Toshiba NB205-N210 Netbook and I'm wondering if I'll be able to play Torchlight, Civ3, or Civ4 on it? So far, I've only played some Pop Cap and GameHouse Games on it but need something more than casual. Thanks

CPU: 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N280
GPU: Intel GMA 950
RAM: 2GB Memory
Display (resolution): 1024 x 600-pixel resolution
OS: Windows 7 Pro 32bit

 

Civ3 and Civ4 are out of the question, Torchlight might be possible assuming you can get it to run.

 

i don't think.. GMA 950 is too weak.. i'm sure that torchlight won't work but Civ3 and 4 also shouldn't....

 

Game: GTA IV

Specs:
Intel Core i5-520M Dual Core processor (2.40GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz
512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5450
4GB
1366 x 768
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Specific info with regards to what setting I could play it on would be appreciated, thanks.

 

Low settings most likely, GTAIV is a very demanding game even on my HD4570 :/

 

Well the topic has been up for discussion on the alienware forum but.......what would your thoughts be on my Rig (see Sig) running FF 14, my main concern is the CPU

 

it would be low.. GTA IV is a console game which is very badly ported to PC.. u need a 5650 to play it on decent settings with a 1366X768 screen..

ur laptop should burn it most likely.. don't worry.

 

Hello!! I've been trying to find the best possible gaming laptop for $750 or less, and these are the two it's come down to(unless someone generously knows of a better deal and shares it). ;D
The question is, CAN IT RUN??

1.
CPU: Intel C2D 2.53 Ghz
GPU: nVidia GTX 260m
RAM: 6gb DDR2
Display (Resolution): 1440 x 900 Max Res.

2.
CPU: Intel Core i5 450m 2.4 Ghz
GPU: Ati Radeon HD 5650
RAM: 4gb DDR3
Display (Resolution): 1600 x 900 Max Res.

Both are $750, and I couldn't really find any better deals for the price, since it's budget, so what do you guys think? Could either run PCSX2 and/or Dolphin at fluent speeds? Hit me with the news!! (Please)
Oh, and thanks in advance citizens!! =D

 

I'd get 1.. much better GPU but CPU is slightly weaker.. in end , u need a better GPU so go for 1.

 

Hey Sean, thanks for replying. I kinda figured it would be better with the class 1 gfx card. But would it be able to run either emulator at smooth fps? I've heard from a few different places that they both depend on the CPU over the GPU. Do you think the GTX 260m would pick up the slack for the C2D?

 

it should.. this is an asus most likely so if u need more CPU power , u can easily overclock it.. GTX260M is way more powerful than 5650.. that's why i recommended it.. 5650 is mid range graphics card while GTX260M is a high end gaming graphics card.

 

Hmm, but overclocking on laptops usually burn them up don't they?
Could you give me a little 101 on OCing them?
Sorry, I'm sort of new at workarounds and high details with PC's, but I want to learn this stuff.
Could you give me a little 101 on OCing them?

 

Hey I'm thinking of buying a new laptop. My max budget is £500 and this 1 is £499. My partner isnt othered what laptop it is but I want one to do abit of gaming on as I can't always play my 360 when i want to game.
Ill mainly be wanting to play games that are on Windows Live since most other games that i like on PC i have on 360.
Games thats id like to play are Resident Evil 5, DIRT 2, GTA 4, Bioshock 2, Batman AA, Street Fighter 4, Halo 2 etc. Also wouldt mind playing Crysis if possible cause I'm getting Crysis 2 on 360 but never played the first one.
I'll also be picking up a few older PRGS but its the GFWL and Crysis im bothered about.

CPU: AMD Turion X2 Ultra Dual Core (2.5 GHz, 3600 MHz Bu, 1MB Cache)
GPU: ATI radeon HD 5470 512 MB
RAM: 3 GB
Display (resolution): cant find out but im assuming 1368x768 maybe cause a lower end model has that resolution. someone may be able to tell me its a HP DV6-3015

 

there is a guide to do it on asus forum.. don't worry.. u just increase clocks slowly and allow temps to be under 85C in load... its easy

it will be heard... the CPU and GPU are quite weak so its going to be low-med settings at 1366X768.

 

Hey everyone, I have a general question since I'm not sure what kind of laptop to buy yet, and I'm not really familiar with graphics cards. Can any of the laptops currently in big stores like Future Shop or Best Buy under $1000, with graphic cards like ATI Radeon HD 4250, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4200, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, Intel GMA 3150, and Intel HD Graphics, run relatively new games like Assassin's Creed, Resident Evil 5, GTA IV, Mafia 2, etc? I'm fine with low to medium settings and don't care much about extras like shadows/particles (can turn them off), as long as there's no significant lag. I mainly use the laptop for casual design/music composing (so need good sound specs) and schoolwork, and do some light gaming on the weekends.
Thanks!

 

you wont be able to run those games with any of those IGP cards without significant lag even on all low settings because they are not for gaming. With that price range you can find a laptop with a good dedicated card

 

What kind of dedicated card should I look for? Preferably if it's sold in Future Shop or Best Buy since I live really close to one.

 

You should look for a laptop with a HD5650 or a HD4650. They are very good dedicated cards that should handle those games at medium to high settings

 

i'm not really bothered about low med or high settings, im not much of a pc gamer i just want to play while my partner is watching tv or if im away and got time to kill etc.

i just want a good framerate. i dont care if i have to have it on low settings. would this computer be able to play games like Resi 5, Quantum Of Solace, DIRT 2, Halo 2 etc without much lag?
or if anyone lives in UK, anyone know anything better for £500 or less.

 

I'd like to be able to play Batman: AA, Assassin's Creed, POP 2008, The Last Remnant, and emulate games on PCSX2 and Dolphin at great, smooth framerates.

Would a:

Asus G60VX
i5 2.53 Ghz @ Turbo
nVidia GTS 360m
4gb DDR3 RAM

or a:

Asus G71GX
Intel C2D 2.53 Ghz
nVidia GTX 260m
6gb DDR2

Do better or be able to play those games at good settings with smooth framerates? Sean said to OC the GTX but I don't know about the GTS.
It's pretty much a trade off between lowering GFX capo's and upgrading processors.
What do you guys think?

 

i dont know too much about computers but judging by the requirements of those games i think you should have no problem playing the games although i cant be certain.

you can go on Can You Run It? and check the requirements for the game, it judges whether the system you're using can run the game but it does show the requirements needed so you can kinda compare. its abit hard when you arent using the actual laptop but gives you a good idea of what processors, gpus etc you need. but all the different numbers and systems confuse me lol. hence why im here cause i need help from people who know what they are on about.

hope ive helped a little bit. checked out both computers you posted. in the uk they are over £1000 id love to own one of them but im pushing it spending £500. one day i might own one cause they are nice laptops

 

Do you mean the ATI Radeon series? Will those be below the $1000 price range?
I can deal with low-med settings actually, since I'm not into gaming that much, but I'd really like to try RE5 and Assassin's Creed since I don't own any gaming consoles, so a slightly lower range card would work as well if it's not as expensive. Thanks.

 

you can play any of these games.. i suggest u get Asus G60JX Best buy model with i5 processor , 4GB RAM+ GTS360M.. should be perfect for your needs..

I didn't mean that.. the GTX260M beats the GTX360M anyday.. u don't have to OC it.. its the CPU.. which can be done easily but u really don't have to do that too... like i have said earlier , G71 will be better..

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-840QM (1.86-3.2Ghz, 8M/8 threads)
GPU: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 - 1GB
RAM: 8GB, DDR3, 1333MHz 2 Dimm
Display (resolution): 1920x1080 Native

What settings would my notebook be able to play Final Fantasy XIV on?
Thanks in advance.

 

by comparing your specs to the games system requirements i'd say your computer would easily play this at high settings although i'm no computer wiz just going off what the specs say.
the specs for the game are:

Operating System
Windows® XP SP3
Windows® Vista(32-bit / 64-bit)SP2
Windows® 7(32-bit / 64-bit
CPU
Intel® Core 2TM Duo (2.0 GHz)
AMD AthlonTM X2 (2.0 GHz)
RAM
Windows® XP: 1.5 GB or higher
Windows® Vista / Windows® 7: 2 GB or higher
HDD/SSD Space
Installing: 15 GB or more
Downloading: Space on the hard drive where My Documents is located should be 6GB or more
Graphics Card
512MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 9600 series or higher
512MB ATI RadeonTM HD 2900 Series or higher
Sound Card
DirectSound® compatible sound card (DirectX® 9.0 or higher)
Internet Connection
Broadband Internet connection or higher
Screen Resolution
1280 x 720 or higher; 32-bit

hope i helped

 

There's plenty of mid-range laptops with a 5650 that you can find for just under the $1000 mark. You really don't want anything slower than a 4650 (ATI) or a 335M (Nvidia) if you want to do any sort of gaming.

 

There are plenty within your price range. The one in my sig can be configured for $955, for example. There's also:

Amazon.com: HP Pavilion dv6-3050us 15.6-Inch Laptop: Electronics

And the Acer Aspire 4820tg, just to name a few.

 

just seen you got a DV6, have you had any problems of overheating or it getting really hot on your lap etc? been reading things on the HP DV series and people saying it overheated and broke the wireless in it or fried the graphics card etc. any experience of this?

also alot of th DV series has been getting bad reviews from review sites. does this just apply to certain models or is it where for every person who says its good you see 3 that hate it etc?

 

Will my Rev A unibody Macbook Pro with 2.4GHz C2D and 256MB 9600M GT be able to run Mafia 2? Low or medium settings would be fine.

 

You could try, but according to the System Requirements for the game you need:

Minimum System Requirements
OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo @ 3.0 GHz / AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+
Memory: 1.5 Gb
Video Memory: 512 Mb
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8600 / ATI Radeon HD 2600


You're C2D is under 3.0 GHz, and video RAM is only 50% of what they require. At least your 9600M (laptop version) is similar in speed to the 8600 (desktop version). You also didn't say how much regular RAM you had.

This doesn't mean it won't run at all, but it probably won't be enjoyable, even at the lowest settings, sorry...

The recommended requirements are even higher:

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad @ 2.5 Ghz / AMD Phenom X4 @ 2.5 Ghz
Memory: 2 Gb
Video Memory: 1 Gb
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 9800 GTX / ATI Radeon HD 3870

 

I think the newer models are vastly improved over the older ones. The left palm rest (where the 5650 is) gets warm and so does the bottom, but unless
I'm gaming it's tolerable on my lap, even though the palm rest makes my left hand sweat a bit if I sit it there for a while. It hasn't even come remotely close to overheating for me. Some people here with this model have had CPU temps in the 90Cs, but I haven't seen anyone say that there's actually overheated. Also, the fried graphics cards were an NVIDIA problem that affected several laptop manufacturers from what I heard.

 

thats good to hear. the model im looking at buying is dv6-3015 and it has a 5470 graphics card in it. hopefully ill be fine with mine.

 

That should heat up even less. (Though, gaming performance will be poor.)

 

My DV7 with a 4650 generally idles at around 48C- 50C and have not seen it exceed 70C while gaming granted it's a model from late last year. I would imagine the 5650 would be similar in a DV6.

 

Anyone know if my sig rig can run FF XIV at all?

 

it will be med settings at full HD res.. 5730 is too weak.. try finding a laptop with 5870.. like Asus G73JH , Sager NP8690 , 8760 or MSI GX660R..

might do so at 1366X768 on low-med settings.

 

Thanks for the fast reply sean473. This is one of the main reasons I frequent this site, people actually help.

 

hey there, since I purchasing a new laptop Toshiba Satellite L655-15X, I just wanted to know if the Core i3-350M would be a bottle nick for the Mobility Radeon HD 5730,when running any game?
if not, what is the weakest cpu that can be sort of parallel with this gpu?

 

I'd go with at least an i5 to compliment the 5730. Even the 420m would do, but the i3's aren't quite enough.

 

but doesn't it have an integrated gpu on the i3, i mean does that help?

and is the i3-350 really going to be a bottle nick for any game and not the i5? because the diff in 3dmark vantage score is around 500

been reading a lot about it but still confused, check here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/273909-28-core-t6600-330m-350m-430m

 

The integrated GPU won't make a difference in games since it wouldn't be used while gaming anyways.

Go for the i5 if you can, you'll benefit from the features that it offers vs the i3 like the turboboost feature.

 

thank you so much for your reply guys

 

My system is a netbook with Intel Atom n450 and GMA 3150. Will it be able to run most 2D games? In particular I'm looking to play Altitude on it.