gaming on GMA950 netbook

dude, punctuation was invented for a reason!

but yea, let keep this on topic, its a notebook forum

 

Ok, you seem to be a little hard headed.... So, i'll explain this again to you he will find a way to play his games. so, you either make him understand the importance of school, or your attempts to lock him down are futile.

Now, back to the topic of the 950 and gaming It's garbage as far as new GPU intensive games go, and he will be able to play older games uncomfortably. (unless these are arcade style games he loves)

Surely, a netbook would cripple his gaming experience enough to get him not to play games on his laptop.

P.S. you have gotten your answers the best one seems to be the one you don't like.... which is using reason, and trying to get him to understand importance of school. It seems to me that this kid doesn't want to be there in the first place... So, thats the real issue here not the laptop.

How was my punctuation this time?

 

i'm not bothered about him understanding importance of school etc. its not my son lol, and i have no intention of overstepping boundaries and telling his dad what he should do to "change" his son.

im just helping him find out more about the gaming side of the netbook he's considering buying.

nice to see punctuation.

 

well, he can play arcade games on a GMA950 nothing else really.( the 950 wasn't designed to play games.) So, a netbook is the best bet for his father, but the issue is deeper than that.... you should explain that to his father.

 

i think his dad knows. its just he probably cant bring himself to do anything drastic.

when he sent him to uni even though he barely passed his high school, he said if he failed his first year he'd have to drop out and find a job etc, but now he's failed his first year he's still giving him another chance.

i think the kid knows the parents arnt gonna get tough with him so he takes mean advantage of them.

he had a inspiron 1420 with the X3100, i think he overclocked the heck out of it, and its motherboard died twice (first time was under warranty).

somewhat worried he'd do the same with the 950.

 

Then it's pointless, get him any netbook if he O.C. it and fries the MB then tell his parents not to fix it and let him deal with the repercussions....like I said he needs to taste RL. If I was you I would tell his father this... No matter what you do if he is not into school he will not try to excel in school.

 

Well he can play older games on a GMA950, but nothing new. I managed to run Warcraft 3, Diablo 2, The Sims 1 and 2 on a Celeron M with a GMA950 so it's probably feasible with a netbook.

I also agree that perhaps you and his father should have a talk. IUt's not overstepping boundaries since you're not making him change his son, you're simply giving your concern. I suggest to tell his father to not give him everything on a silver plater.

 

That is the best solution by far... The kid seems like a spoiled brat, and there is only one solution for that... to stop spoiling him. I mean if he was my kid I would have let him feel what it's like without all me and my wifes support its tough, but it is what it is. That's why I try not to spoil my son so he doesn't turn into your friends son or the many other little unappreciative ***** that run there parents.

No offense to your friend.

 

i agree. can you believe that he actually texted his mum yesterday saying that if they dont buy him a netbook or notebook by the end of the month he's gonna get a job and get one himself?

its like he thinks he can threathen his parents with dropping out. if i was his dad i'd say go ahead lol.

anyway, i cant really say anything to his dad. he seems to think by getting him a netbook instead of a notebook he's already being tough on him :|

 

ok problem solved. just took a close look at the pictures of the Wind, and the hard drive is not replaceable/removable without voiding warranty (needs pretty much full disassembly) and damaging the tamper evident stickers.

as such, i will just apply bios and windows passwords, and lock everything down tight that way.

thanks for the help/suggestions.

 

Well there's a line that needs to be drawn. It's the kid's life after all. I would also let him drop out if he wanted. One of 2 things will happen:
- he'll find out how tough it is and want to go back to school
- he'll stay at a job which doesn't require a higher education since he's content with it

In either case, it's the kid's life at the end of the day and as a parent, you can only advise him to go so far. Forcing him into a lifestyle he refuses to take won't work IMO. Either you convince him of the importance of school, or you let him be.

I speak from personal experience since I recently dropped out of school(I cancelled my classes last September) and I'm working to gain money. However, I can only look forward to next August when I get to start school again(in another program though) and get back into the routine and lifestyle which I enjoy.

This is the kind of attitude the kid would "at best" have i.e. wanting to go back to school like I do. Mind you, my case is different since I had every intention of going back when I dropped out; I was simply taking a break to change programs since I can't change right away.

Anyhow, this is a bit off-topic and we're not here to tell your friend how to raise his children.

A netbook would be a good solution I agree, just make sure his dad has a talk with him before giving him the netbook.

 

Glad it is solved and I hope his father does talk to him ultimately Forever_Melody put it perfectly.

 

also make sure his netbook doesn't have an expresscard slot/mini-pcie slot hahaha, buy him a usb wireless stick instead of mini-pcie wifi

 

As some people already said, it's IMPOSSIBLE to stop someone from gaming.

Someone said locking down the BIOS. Correct me if i'm wrong, but doesn't simply holding down the power button with the battery and AC disconnected reset the BIOS?

And as for the tiny screen: I've never played a MMO, but I imagine that they're pretty tough to play on a tiny screen. But even that's not foolproof: external display.

And if everything else fails, there's always the option of net cafe's(and I assume most of them have such a popular game like WOW).

OFF topic: I'm not familiar with the situation in the US(i assume the OP is from there), but do parents really kick out children? I think that's barbaric to say the least, he's your child(as a parent), no matter how he is.

I think a parent should support (not necessarily financially). Always. Being a parent is a life-long commitment, and the way the child turns out is just the result of the parent's and society's actions.

Again, sorry for going off-topic.

 

Don't get him a computer. Simple. If he is at university there will be computers at uni that he can use for work purposes including 24 hour computer labs.

Let him get a job. Might be good for him

 

I say get the netbook. He needs a computer, and it's more than capable for doing school projects on it. And while it can game, it's limited to stuff five years old or older. Yes the kid needs to be motivated to do it on his own, but this is a simple thing to try. He may just need that hardened guidance. Just make it clear what you're doing.

Maybe reward him with a new laptop if he does well one year, but will take it away if his grades start to fail again.