looking at a sony VGN-FZ190 - 8400m graphics question

I'm looking at a Sony VGN-FZ190 with:

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7300 / 2.0 GHz,
2 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-667, 1 GBx2)
15.4" WXGA (HC) W/CMR
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GT
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

Is it realistic to expect it to play Lord of the Rings Online, BF2142, Company of Heroes, Medieval 2: Total War on high settings and Oblivion on medium/low settings?

Thanks!

 

I'm moving this to the gaming forum, I think people here will be most helpful!

 

Well I searched a little bit and found out that the 8400m gets around 1900 in 3dmark06.. and a 7600 at 350/350 gets 1600..

What this would mean is that it is as or more powerful than a current gen mid-range card, so you would easily be able to play all those games. But it still is a mid-range card, so I wouldn't expect it to be able to play all those games at high settings. And if it really doesn't get 1900.. it should be atleast as powerful as a 7600 because usually a next gen lower end card is comparable to this gen's mid-card.

I have a 7600 and I can play Medieval 2:Total War at 1024x768 at medium settings, low shadow, Company of Heroes at 1024x768 with medium settings... so I would assume the 8400 should be able to play all those games you want it to at reasonable settings, not high. As for Oblivion.. I don't really know what to say probably medium/low settings.

 

That depends on what 8400M you're getting. There are three flavors: G, GS, and GT. The "G" is the worst, while the "GT" is the best. I see that your VAIO would come with an 8400M GT, which would make it the best 8400M.

However, the 3DMark06 1,600 for the Go 7600 is extremely low - those core/memory clocks look extremely low, like from a Compal machine. A Go 7600 should be up in the 2,000 range.

 

if i picked up this computer would i later be able to upgrade to a 8600m gt? if so, would it be easy or too costly?

 

No, you cannot upgrade the video card in the majority of laptops. Sony VAIOs are a definite no. It's impossible because the video card is integrated into the motherboard. There's no separate "video card" that you can just remove without removing the entire motherboard. Only certain laptops that have MXM graphics cards support upgradable graphics.