VPCEB390X 1920x1080, 5650 and games

I was all set to order the VPCEB390X i5 460M with the 1920x1080 screen, ATI Radeon 5650 video card, 4GB, 7200rpm 320GB HD. But in researching, I learned that the 5650 may be inadequate for games at 1920x1080 resolution.

I mostly play World of Warcraft, with occasional Lord of the Rings Online, and a little Star Trek Online.

I could drop down to 1366x768, but for a 15.5" screen that is a pretty depressing resolution. I am currently using a 1440x900 screen laptop, and a 1920x1080 desktop.

Is it correct that the 5650 is not adequate for 1920x1080 and games? Other than games, I use my computer mainly for music, email, browsing, and word processing.

Am I better off with the 1366x768? Thanks

 

I think it should be able to run those games you said at decent framerates if not horrible ones. Firstly, those games aren't really graphics intensive and the 5650 (according to this list Mobile Graphics Cards - Benchmark List - Notebookcheck.net Tech) is better than the Nvidia 425M in the F series and the Nvidia 330M in the Z series that i got. If i can play Battlefield: Bad Company 2, on med settings w/ a 330M (albeit on a 1600x900 screen, but i do occasionally output to a 1080p screen) i'm sure you wont have any trouble w/ those games. In any case, you could always get the 1080p screen because it gives you MUCH more workspace, and if the graphics card cant keep up, then change the resolution in-game so that you aren't constantly stuck with a bad resolution.

 

Go for the 1920x1080 screen! 1366x768 on 15.5" is bad whenever you're NOT gaming. The games you've listed will run fine anyway.

Exactly!

 

Go for the 1080p screen. I've got a Sony F Series with an nVidia GT330M and I can play Mass Effect 2 at 1080p on mostly high detail at around 25 to 32fps (no aa/af).

You got a better graphics card so should be able to do substantially better than that.