Whats the minimalest video card I should look for if I only want to play 2 games?

Hi,

So I'm looking for to get a laptop soon, but it's not really for gaming. However, I do wish to play 2 games and depending on what I need for these 2 games I will be getting a laptop that will be able to play them.

So my question is, in order to play Left 4 Dead 2 and Starcraft 2 on a smooth fps with medium settings (nothing max), what is the cheapest video card that will accomplish in what I'm looking for?

Thanks!

 

Geforce GT230/240

 

HD4570

10 characters.

 

honestly i think startcraft 2 is going to be more cpu dependent then graphics. the units are so small I dont think super graphics card are gonna matter. I could be dreadfully wrong of course. its not out yet to really know. i would think any graphics card that could score at least 4-6k in 3dmark 06 would be fine. but its just a guess.

 

I think it would be safe to say that a PC that will run Left 4 Dead 2 will run Starcraft 2. So I think minimum HD 4570 and GT 130m/230m/240m are spot on. CPU probably at least a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo for a good experience.

 

When I purchased a laptop to play only 2 games, I really ended up wanting to play 60.

 

Damn straight. I only wanted a laptop that could play Crysis on low. Now I want a Clevo W870CU. If you have the money, just get a gaming laptop.

 

"Only 2 games" doesn't make a difference. I could want a computer to "only play one game", but if that game is Crysis, I won't make a difference whether I'm playing just Crysis or Crysis and 100 other games.

 

Thanks for the input guys. I'll look into those cards.
I really dont have time to play many games, (i actually HAD a top of the line gaming computer but sold it before the value drops because i rarely had time to play with it). But i figure if for some reason I do decide to play more games I can always run games equal or less demanding than left for dead 2.
Any more input is always appreciated.

 

Blizzard typically make games with low requirements so that everyone can enjoy them. I seriously doubt SC2 will change this.
Left for Dead 2 isn't very demanding either. A 9600M GT will probably run both of these games on medium, maybe some settings on high.

 

Same as you few.. I had a Macbook and used Crossover games to play some steam games..HL2, TF2..then wanted to play L4D, so installed Bootcamp.. then from there I got crysis, and my steam collection started growing..and then I sold my Macbook for something more powerful for games yet useful for video and other things.. now I want a pure gaming laptop from here but don't want to give up my screen and other niceness of the SXPS.. so yeah get something with futureproofing video card.. 260m or a 4670 would be good.

 

Playing L4D2 smoothly at 720p on G105m and CULV here. I think both games can do with minimal graphics but would benefit more from good CPU (I hear that Source is CPU intensive engine and Starcraft as a RTS game would probably be more CPU based too).

Blizzard tend to be fairly good with making polished low-spec games and Source engine isn't too demanding. So for casual gaming on Medium I'd recommend a reasonable C2D + anything on par with or more powerful than G105m - i.e. 4570 + c2d.

From my experience (pretty low specs - su7300 / g105m) Source games aren't that demanding, if you want to be prepared for any other non-source based FPS' then you might want something more powerful (it's really at it's limit playing Dragon Age Origins at 1024x768 smoothly).

Remember, if you're buying a laptop and intend to use it for ~2-3 years, then there's a very good chance you'll be interested in something more demanding (spec-wise) than L4D2 / SC2 (even though Diablo 3 should be easy to accomodate too)

 

These posts should really be combined. I think we had one almost just like this last week. It was something like.. "What notebook should I buy to play XXXXX?". Same answer as before. Almost all dedicated vid cards will play new games. Just depends on what rez and features you want enabled.
Create a budget, buy the most you can with that budget.
Rinse-Lather-Rinse-Dry-repeat...

Happy Holidays,

StevenX

 

I have a 9600m gt ddr2 and It runs l4d2 maxed settings (no anti-ailaising though, but it does have a bit o antstropy*) at 1280x 800 easy 40fps avg (Aus version is 60fps easy Lol, no gore makes jack a dull game).
as for SC2 the Asus notebooks that were used to demo it at bllizzcons and several expo's had a 9800m gt in them, though this was for quite a high resolution with max settings, anti-alising and vsync at 60 fps. a 4570 should be minimum however I believe that the 9500m gs should be minimum for both those games to be played happily at medium settings.


*however it is spelt

 

You shouldn't ever buy the minimum. What's your budget?

 

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