**Can My Notebook Run It?** - Ask about your notebooks here

Microsoft Virtual Machine is the first thing that comes to mind, other member more familiar with the program can give better operating tips than I can.

 

Someone told me that dual booting would work? It essentially just means having an XP OS to play off of. I think it might work, but will take me some time since I'm not very computer educated.

 

you can use a virtual machine called Vmare.. on it DirectX works now and u can play games.. but do u have 4GB RAM at least for ur VM to work? Also a 64 bit Windows is necessary i think for Virtual Machines.

 

Dual-booting in your case isn't too helpful since the XP platform itself isn't the most efficient platform for running legacy games before XP. It's doable but you need lots of HDD space to accommodate a 2nd OS in your system.

I don't recall Virtual Machine requiring an x64 system in the 1st place.

 

I Agree...They dont require x64... :\

 

Thinking of buying a Laptop for general use but also want to run two games specifically.

Sony VAIO EB1 Z0E/B

Processor: Intel Core i5 430M Processor 2.26GHz
Memory: 4GB
HD Capacity: 500GB
Display: 15.5"
Graphics Card: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 512MB
Optical Drive: Blu-ray BD-ROM Combo
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

Games: Football Manager 10, Dawn of War 2 & Dawn of War: Chaos Rising.

Thanks for your help

 

They should run on low-med settings on native res... as long as it is 1366X768... 5470 is really not for gaming.. more for watching HD videos etc.

 

Cheers for that very helpful advice, (im a computer Noob)

Finally ive got two more choice's of Laptop that I may purchase, just wondering if you could give me some advice on whats the best value for what I need;

Sony VAIO F11 M1E/H /

Processor: Intel Core i5 520M Processor 2.4 - 2.93GHz
Memory: 4GB
HD Capacity: 500GB
Display: 16.4"
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M GPU
Optical Drive: Blu-ray BD-ROM
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

The Laptop above is: £880,00

or....

Sony VAIO F11 S1E/B /

Processor: Intel Core i7 720QM Processor 1.6 - 2.8GHz
Memory: 6GB
HD Capacity: 500GB
Display: 16.4"
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M GPU
Optical Drive: Blu-ray BD-ROM
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

This Laptop is £1119.00

Again running Football Manager 10, Dawn of War2 and Dawn of War2: Chaos Rising. Obviously the second choice is better than the first, but you pay the extra for it, what I was wondering what was the best in terms of value and what I need the laptop for, other than the games listed above I only plan to use basic applications like Office, Web Browsing and Itunes.

Thanks again and look forward to your reply.

 

You should be fine with the i5. It has a higher clock for games that aren't threaded, and in that setup the GPU is the bottleneck anyway. It should do most games @ medium with 30+fps at 720p.

 

cheers for that really helpful, just to clarify for the games ive requested above (im not a serious PC gamer) what will the sony F11 play them on, medium settings ??? and with the second choice of Laptop F11 S1E what will that play most games on.

Cheers again this advice is very helpful

 

hi everyone im kinda new on all this gaming laptop scene and i want to know if this can run left 4 dead 1 and 2, resident evil 4 and 5 and splinter cell conviction.

r580

Intel® Core™ i5-430M processor
Features a 1066MHz system bus and 2.26GHz processor speed with Turbo Boost up to 2.53GHz.

4GB DDR3 memory

NVIDIA GeForce GT 310M graphics
Feature up to 512MB GDDR3 video memory

display 1366 x 768

for the full specs: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung...1218166152252&skuId=9748386&st=r580&cp=1&lp=1

thanks for the help.

 

If ur willing to pay more , why not buy an MSI GX640? U can buy it from an online reseller and it will cost about 1k to ship here... it would have way more performance than the Vaio at 1k... it would have a core i5 , 4GB RAM , ATI 5850 , which is a high end gamer card and would blow GT330M... which isn't bad but average... u'd also get 2-3 hours battery life and a 1680X1050 screen... its 15 inch but u won't get much more power in this size unless u pay more... this is way more powerful than the F series..

it should play the game but it will be at native res with low details... u might want to get another version with a GT330M at least.

 

thanks but what game are you talking about exactly? or all of them run in low details?

edit:

i came across with this one: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pa...Id=9700814&st=hp pavilion &contract_desc=null

HP - Pavilion Laptop with AMD Turion™ II Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor - Espresso Black
Model: dv7-3165dx

AMD Turion™ II Ultra dual-core mobile processor M620*
Features 2 processing cores, 2MB L2 cache and 2.5GHz processor speed per core.

4GB DDR2 DIMM memory

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4200 graphics
Features up to 2046MB total graphics memory for lush images. HDMI output for connecting to an HDTV. Altec Lansing audio with SRS Premium Sound.


Display 1600 x 900

will this run (i will also like to know at what settings the r580 could run this games)

resident evil 5
resident evil 4
left 4 dead
left 4 dead 2
devil may cry 4
splinter cell conviction

thanks for your time guys

 

Hi all,

I'm wondering if my laptop in my sig can run COD1 and MOH:AA well/decent? They're old games so I would assume yes.

 

The 4200 will be your bottleneck here - its basically an integrated card. Resident Evil 4+5 will probably run at low settings at a lower resolution (1024x768 or 1280x720). L4D and L4D 2 are a bit more forgiving. Low/Med. settings at 720p will probably get you decent framerates. Splinter Cell Conviction isn't out yet, but I'm guessing performance will be similar to Res E 5?

The story is similar for the r580. The 310m is basically an integrated graphics solution (I think it's on-par with the performance of the ion 2? Could be wrong here).

If you want to play games on your laptop, you will want to consider getting one with at least a GT230/330m or an ATI HD 4650/4670. OR It may be cheaper to buy a netbook for portability and build your own desktop for gaming (ATI 5770s are a pretty good deal these days).

But I digress. You should be able to play most games at lower resolutions (1024x768 or maybe 1280x720) at medium/low settings.

 

i guess ill go with a r580 and try to upgrade the card to 330M but since you say it should run at low settings then its all good, i just care that they run at a decent fps (25-30) so if the r580 with 310M can do that, then ill go for it. thanks

 

ofc they should run at max settings since they are very old games and classics

 

the 4200 will be worse than a GT310M and u cannot upgrade a laptop GPU so u need to look at other options... and really G310M won't run on decent settings... might even have trouble running at 1366X768.

 

will a r780 with geforce GT 330M be good? or can u recomend me a gaming laptop? if its not much to ask ofcourse.

 

check the gaming link in my signiture for some gameplay footage on the gt330m. It's a card that sits at the lower end of the midrange gpus, but its capable enough for casual gaming. On the F11 it overclocks like hell and installing 197.xx drivers on it boosts performance in newer titles as well (with overclocking and everything there's about a 30% increase in fps across the board for all games. That's usually about 10-15fps).

If you want a serious gaming laptop, you'll definitely want to look into the Asus G73 (JH? idk the one with the mobility 5870 in it). I've heard great things about the performance on that beast.

 

Hey all, I was wondering how well this:

Asus G60VX-RBBX05 16" P7450 1GB GTX 260M WIN 7 REFURBISHED
Operating System - Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
Processor - Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P7450 (2.13GHz)
System Memory (RAM) - 4 GB
Hard Drive - 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive

Would run Just Cause 2/Modern Warfare 2 Online.

 

what about this one:

Sony - VAIO Laptop with Intel® Core™ i5 Processor - Icy White
Model: VPCCW26FX/W

Intel® Core™ i5-520M processor
Features a 3MB L3 cache and 2.4GHz processor speed with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz).

4GB DDR3 memory

NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M GPU
With 512MB dedicated video memory and 2263MB total available memory for lush images. HDMI output for connection to an HDTV. Intel® High Definition Audio support.

display 1600 x 900

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+...59867219&skuId=9723879&st=VPCCW26FG&cp=1&lp=1

if this can run left 4 dead 1 and 2 at mid settings ill get it.

 

Yes - it will run L4D 1+2 med/high at 1600x900, no worries.

Here is a video of the gt330m playing L4D all settings high at 1920x1080. The video author says it gets 35-40fps without fraps @ 1920x1080: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnRjBt9mGRo&playnext_from=TL&videos=SA7QnO51irE

 

I´m between 2 computers with the following graphic cards ATI 5650 and Intel GMA HM55.
Which graphic card is better ATI 5650 or Intel GMA HM55???

Which would play better Just Cause 2?

Thanks

 

Anyway, the Intel chipset is integrated graphics and totally unsuitable for gaming. If you want to play games, the 5650 is the only choice.

 

5650 by a HUGE margin
never heard of the game though

 

5650>>>>>>>>>>>>>Intel HD GMA

That is all.

 

If you meant Just Cause 2? That game is tough on Notebooks.

This is when I was playing Just Cause 2 overclocked 800/1100

 

yikes that game would be unplayable in intel IGP then.

 

Like the majority of modern games...

 

true enough

 

Like everyone else said get the notebook with a HD5650

Dont ever get a Notebook with a Intel IGP if you want to play modern games

HD5650>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INTELHDGMA

 

I can recommend u something only if u tell me ur budget.. what is it around? GT330M is quite average and u can get better if u can give me a budget. But it will play L4D2 at med settings... but other games might be a problem. So if u can give a budget.

The 5650 can play Just cause 2... my old laptop runs it quite well... the GMA HM55 is crap..

 

about 1000 dollars. but ill prefer to be cheaper than that if posible.

i came across this, it doesnt have a DVD drive but i think i can get a external usb one right?

Alienware - Laptop with Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor - Cosmic Black
Model: AM11X-2719CSB

Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor SU7300
Features 2 processing cores, 800MHz system bus, 3MB cache and 1.3GHz processor speed per core.
The Intel® Core™2 Duo processor
Features great 2-way processing performance for your mobile needs.
2 high-performance processing cores
To run multiple demanding applications simultaneously without hesitation.
4GB DDR3 SDRAM
For multitasking power, expandable to 8GB.
Note: Optical drive not included
Compatible with optional external recordable CD/DVD drives (not included).
11.6" LCD high-definition widescreen display
With 1366 x 768 resolution showcases movies and games in stunning clarity.
NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M graphics
Features 1GB GDDR3 memory for lush images. HDMI output for connection to an HDTV. Two built-in front speakers with high-definition 5.1 Surround Sound support.

im guessing 335M is better than 330M right?

 

the GT335M is better but ur CPU to put it nicely is crap for gaming.. certainly not an option IMO.. if ur willing to stretch to about $1100-1200 , there's MSI GX640.. 15 inch 1680X1050 , core i5 , 4GB RAM , ATI Mobility Raedon 5850 with 1GB GDDR5... bascially this laptop can play all games on max settings and should last very long... the cheaper option would be a refurbished Asus G51VX with core 2 duo P8700 , 4GB RAM , NVDIA GTX260M which is also better than GT330M but u get quite a hot laptop.. its about $800...i would see if u can stretch a bit and get the MSI as it is a great deal.

 

to be honest i dont care for max settings, if the game is playable (30 fps atleast) on medium settings its good for me, i really like the battery life and size of the m11x so i think ill go for it. thanks

 

Hi everyone,

I'd like some opinions on whether my laptop would be able to play the Mac version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare with all settings maxed at native resolution. If not, what resolution with maxed settings would likely achieve acceptable frame rates (I assume 30+)?

And a similar question on the same game, but with the Windows version to be run in Bootcamp: would I able to play it with all settings maxed at native resolution?--and if not, what resolution with maxed settings would likely achieve acceptable frame rates?

A caveat: I believe the MBP's 330M is underclocked by Apple, much like the one on the Sony Z. And I've read that the Mac version manages less fps than the Windows version on the same hardware.

Thanks for any input.

MacBook Pro 15.4"
CPU: 2.66GHz Intel i7
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M, 512MB GDDR3
RAM: 4GB DDR3 SDRAM
Display: 1680x1050 native res

 

Hey, I would like to know how well I could run Dragon age: Origins please.
CPU: AMD M320 2.1ghz
GPU: Mobility 4650 1gb ddr3
RAM:3gb ddr2
Display: 1366x768

Also, is my CPU seriously holding back my GPU? Not the best laptop out there but I think it was a good price . Cheers

 

You might not be able to turn on AA at that resolution, but you can probably max the other settings. If you want AA, turning down the resolution to 1280x720 or 1366x768 should do the trick. I'm guessing you'll be getting at least 30 fps. Most of the time it should hover in the 40 fps range. MW1/2 are pretty well-optimized so they should run well.

The Vaio F has the 330M in it as well. If you want, there is a link in my sig to various gaming vids with that card (although take them with a grain of salt because 1) If as you say, the 330M in the mbp is underclocked, the performance may suffer by a bit and 2) The vids are recorded with fraps, which reduces the number of fps by ~5-10fps when recording).

 

Could you clarify if you think that would be the case under Bootcamp or while using the Mac version natively?

Oh nice! Thank you for pointing that out, mangosango.

 

For sure - I those estimates were for bootcamp, you shouldn't be getting less than 30fps for either the mac version or for the bootcamp version. I mbp 13" can play MW1, and the gt 320m is a lot worse than the 330m. A good friend has the last gen macbook pro (with the 9600m gt) with bootcamp (windows vista), at native res (1440x900) with the settings cranked up (except for AA, which is off) the game runs at 30+ fps. The gt330m is definitely a step up from the 9600m gt, so the game should be more than playable (without AA) at 1680x1050. If not, you can always turn the resolution down and crank up the AA .

 

Considering what you've said, I think I may be leaning towards the Mac version again, since I don't know when I'll be getting a copy of Windows 7 and my $399 HP laptop didn't come with a separate Windows 7 disc. Thanks a lot for the great perspective, mangosango.

 

i would look at other options.. the macbook isn't for gaming.. u might want to consider a Hp Envy 15 which IMO is a way better and cheaper deal than the macbook.. its also just as thin... and it could easily game at high settings with a ATI 5830..

full specs
Intel Core i5/ i7
Max 8GB for i5 and 16GB for i7
USB3.0 for i7
ATI 5830 , which thrashes GT330M
15.6 inch full HD screen

Should come cheaper than macbook.

 

I had considered the HP Envy prior to the latest MBP updates (and also the Sony Z), but ultimately I found too many issues with it I didn't like, and most of all, as much as I like Windows 7, I found I liked OSX a bit more.

In fact, I almost never do any gaming on my computers. I'm only suddenly interested since I'll have a laptop that'll be powerful enough to run a several year old game fully maxed, which isn't saying much I know. So I ordered the MBP as it best suits my needs and preferences, but as a minor, secondary benefit, it can play a game I've been interested in for some time.

Thanks nonetheless, sean.

 

I've been eyeballing the X3 games recently and have heard that they are poorly optimized. How (or can) my rig potentially run the game?

p7450
Nvidia 230m
4 gigs Ram
1366x768 res native

Edit: The 3dmark06 score is about 5700 if that helps a bit. Thanks.

 

Can an i5 with an integrated graphics card (5700MHD), play Starcraft 2?

 

Can anyone help on this, please?

 

*Intel i5 (2.26GHz, 3MB L2 Cache, Boost up to 2.53GHz)
*1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 320M - for i3, i5, and i7 processors
*4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
# 17.3" (1600 x 900)

Plan on running:

World of Warcraft (I like to play on medium-high settings)
Maybe Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Sims (latest one, 4 is it?)
Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne
Battlefield (the original 1942 games)
Diablo 2 (and 3 when it's released)

Also plan on watching Blu-rays and running some Adobe programs

 

Yes to all, lay off the settings on World of Warcraft if performance suffers.

 

I doubt you can, even if you could manage to run it, you will have to play it at low resolution with very low settings.

The AMD Athlon M320 is a entry level dual core CPU and dragon age: origins taxes very hard on the CPU, if you could upgrade to a better dual core CPU, you will have much better FPS in DAO.