New to computer hardware, looking togame

Hey everyone, with Battlefield 4 announced, I've been talking to my friends about swapping over to PC. I'd love to get all the features that the console gamers won't- which I'm sure will happen, looking back at BF3. I'm posting because I'd love it if someone would help me out with what i might need to upgrade to make sure I can enjoy PC gaming. I've got a stock asus G53SW https://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/G53SW/#specifications Specs here (I got the i7 model).
I skimmed through a few forums (this one included) trying to figure where my gear ranks in the spectrum, and the only thing that really worries me is the GPU. Anyone in the know willing to throw out what I might need to get for a fall 2013 release game?
and furthermore, where would I get a new GPU? I looked online, and there were a few used chips that I could buy, but they'd all been pulled out of an older system. Can I buy them new?
I'm also a little concerned with the i7 (2630QM) but I feel like that's something I'll have to deal with when the game actually gets released.
Anything else I missed? I'm really, really new to all this, so any and all help will be appreciated . Thanks!
~Lio

 

welcome to the forum

sorry but not going to click on the link as weve had lots of perfectly looking posts ask similar questions and the links turn out to be viruses.

now if like you said you have the G53SW which i know nothing about is this the spec you have http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/asus-g53sw.aspx#specs which has a GTX460

you can compare your graphics card in this list which will show where abouts your card stands in strength against the big boys Mobile Graphics Cards - Benchmark List - NotebookCheck.net Tech (your at number 83)

as i dont know your model i cant advise whats best to update to so hopefully someone else can.

 

That's the model, yes. manufacturer's site says it has the GTX460 in it. What really matters to me, though, is whether or not it should be able to play current games. I've got a ton of my dad's games from the 90's, but those are breakfast for this thing- I'm pretty sure I could play those on the ten year old box sitting in the basement.
I forgot to add, the screen res on this particular laptop is 1920x1080. Does the graphics card have to work any harder if I use an HDMI cable to play on a TV? I'm coming from console gaming, so If i can get a keyboard and a mouse and then play it on the TV, that'd be sweet. Thanks again!
~Lio

 

BF3 was nothing special on the PC, don't get that mixed up. It was only balanced for the consoles with map sizes, player counts and amount of vehicles etc, as well as needing to use a browser to find matches OR EVEN LAUNCH SINGLE PLAYER for the game. Graphics were just about the only decent thing about that game, and it was terribly unoptimized too.

Either way, on to your point. A GTX 460M is quite weak compared to current hardware. It's more akin to a GTX 280 desktop card with directX 11 capabilities. It will run new games, sure, but don't expect to max everything out at 1080p and get 60fps in every game, for example. Your CPU should be pretty okay though. It will run games easily for a long time coming (my i7-950 still eats every single CPU-hungry game on the market for breakfast, and your CPU should be better than mine), but if you're getting into doing livestreaming or recording games using CPU-intensive programs, you may see it starting to actually work. If you wish to change your video card AND you can fit a kepler card in there (for example, a GTX 670MX or 675MX, as I won't presume it can handle a 680M off the bat) then you would be set for a far longer time. If you CANNOT get one of those Kepler cards, I suggest at least a GTX 580M or so. If you can only stay in the 460M or 560M class of cards for your laptop, it might be better to sell off that machine entirely and get a brand new, more current one as a replacement, but ONLY if you feel you would be playing enough PC games to justify such a cost.

As for adding a second screen, YES it will slightly tax your video card more. In general I get 10 degrees extra when I add a second monitor to my basic GPU operating temp (nothing to the maximum temps though, don't worry), and games run a little worse than they did with just my laptop screen active. It isn't a HUGE change though (maybe 5-10fps max), and you can easily use your second screen as a primary and shut off your laptop display until it's unplugged if you want, but I don't suggest using a TV like that for the PC games. A PC monitor would be better (even if you want to use it like a TV) for the response times and the ability to ACTUALLY FIT EVERYTHING ON-SCREEN *glares at all those TVs I've used that can't fit everything and cut off parts of my picture all the time* but yes, it is indeed possible to use that as your primary gaming setup.

 

CPU will be perfectly fine. The GPU however is aged but should manage BF4 at 1080p low or medium 720p.

 

Thank you both so much for your help. D2 Ultima, I'll keep your tips in mind, but for now, so long as it can run BF4, If i need to upgrade, i'm moving to a desktop XD not gonna mess around with the confines of a laptop so long as i've got one for interwebs and a little word processing. You guys definitely answered my questions, though i'll need to look into what a kepler card is. I appreciate all the hints, and if i come up with any other questions, I'll know where to turn. Thanks again!

 

Fermi = GTX 460M, 480M, 470M, 560M, 570M, 485M, 670M, 580M, 675M cards. (only counting the gaming-class ones; the ones like the GT540M and such are not really classed for gaming).

Kepler = GT 650M, GTX 660M (650M with better memory if I remember correctly), 670MX, 675MX and 680M. There exists a 680MX but it can't be installed in these notebooks if I remember right.

The names I listed are the architecture names the cards are built on, named from nVidia. I also listed them from weakest to strongest in terms of power (though I am unsure about the 470M vs the 560M; the 470M might be a little stronger).
In general, you're looking for a 670MX or above (kepler), or the 670M or above (fermi) for your machine.
As for your 460M, if BF4 is as unoptimized as BF3 was, you might get low or a combination of medium/low at 1080p with BF4. If it is optimized greatly, then you could probably run it as well as you could run BF3 with that card, which is highish settings at 1080p (judging from a friend I know who has a 560M and his performance in the game). So it's under a "we'll have to wait and see" type of experience now.

In my expert advice, however, do NOT expect any PC game for the next couple of years to be optimized. If you find one, count yourself lucky. Bioshock Infinite and Black Ops 2 surprised the hell out of us, but as a general rule developers have had a habit of just making it "runnable" and expecting PC users to have HUGE amounts of excess power with our "super powerful enthusiast systems" to throw at the games so that PC users could have good frames.