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Laptop and PC Gaming
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Author:  cicely [ Mon Jul 05, 2010 6:01 PM ]
Post subject:  Laptop and PC Gaming
So I am looking at purchasing a laptop. My current computer is a p4 2.8 and has a nvidia Geforce 7800 video card in it. All my current games I have played on this (EQ, Civ 4, Titan Quest, Baldurs Gate) work fine with this set up.

I am looking to purchase one at Best Buy due to their financing offers when paying with their credit card (which I already have). And currently they have about 25 different ones on clearance, all at varying prices.

One thing I have noticed, however, is that very few have a graphics card such as a nvidia or radeon. Majority of them have an integrated HD accelerator graphics card from Intel. The thing is, I am looking at some i3 and i5 core processors... and they also don't have a nvidia/radeon graphics card. Just this Intel HD accelerator integrated card.

So my question is- does "Intel HD accelerator integrated video card" mean that it can play Civ 4, for example? Does an i3 or i5 processor (or even a dual core processor) mean that the processor is good enough (since it is far better than a p4 2.8) that it can handle a Civ 4? Or if I want to play Civ 4, do I absolutely have to have a nvidia or radeon graphics card in the laptop?

BTW for those curious, Civ 4 requires 64 meg video card (either Geforce 2/Radeon 7500 or better) and recommends 128 meg video card. The thing is, I don't know if Intel HD accelerator qualifies as better, nor can I find out how many megs the card is.

Any advice/answers pertaining to topic is appreciated. Thanks.
Author:  Vanamar [ Mon Jul 05, 2010 7:39 PM ]
Post subject:  Re: Laptop and PC Gaming
Avoid anything with an Intel "HD" "accelerator" if you plan on gaming.
Author:  cicely [ Mon Jul 05, 2010 11:10 PM ]
Post subject:  Re: Laptop and PC Gaming
Thank you. I figured as much but needed clarification.

So outside of the basics (internet, email, social networking, etc etc) my gaming is going to basically consist of online poker (which doesn't require much) and Civ 5 (which I presume is going to require stuff). Outside of a nvidia or Radeon card, what other things should I be looking at for a laptop?

Or is it safe to say that any major PC game should not be played on a laptop, and to stick to a desktop instead?
Author:  Vanamar [ Tue Jul 06, 2010 5:55 AM ]
Post subject:  Re: Laptop and PC Gaming
I play wow and other assorted 3d games on my laptop, so no, you don't have to shy away from laptops to game on, you just need to expand your budget a little.

2.1+ghz processor, 4+gb of ram, and a geforce/radeon mobile chipset with 512mb or more of dedicated vram would be the minimum.
Author:  CakvalaSC [ Tue Jul 06, 2010 6:42 PM ]
Post subject:  Re: Laptop and PC Gaming
Spec Vanamar gave you are really in your budget too.
Author:  Vanamar [ Wed Jul 07, 2010 7:58 AM ]
Post subject:  Re: Laptop and PC Gaming
Here you go, it's the best laptop I could find on bestbuy.com --

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Lapt ... Id=9741729

If you plan on carrying it around anywhere, be warned -- it's hell on your shoulders to carry for a while (my fiance has a laptop just like this, the previous generation, and it's like carrying 3-4 bricks in her laptop bag. Not horrible, but it starts to get hurty after a while)
Author:  Xkhanx [ Wed Jul 07, 2010 9:47 AM ]
Post subject:  Re: Laptop and PC Gaming
That's a nice laptop. Toss in an SSD as a render drive and you would have a serious HD Video Editing machine.
Author:  Nananea [ Wed Jul 07, 2010 11:15 AM ]
Post subject:  Re: Laptop and PC Gaming
I've never owned a laptop and to this day my old prejudice of laptop =/= gaming exists...I just can't wrap my head around it because it seems so crazy!
Author:  cicely [ Wed Jul 07, 2010 12:23 PM ]
Post subject:  Re: Laptop and PC Gaming
While the laptop that was listed looks like a very good one... it is out of my price range. I cannot justify a 1200 purchase on a laptop, and was really hoping to stay within 500-650 or so if possible.

I did see, under gaming laptops, this one-

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+-+L ... Id=9728443

It is going for only 850. I might be able to be talked into it, but only if this laptop is a very good one for the price. If there are some deficiencies in it, I would rather not pay that much for an average one.

ps- I am not into hardcore gaming per se. I have a Xbox 360 if I want to play games. This laptop (outside of the comfort of portability) will need to play Civ 5 (and prior incarnations); however, I do not see any other game that I will play on the laptop. Outside of online poker and maybe a Plants/Zombies game which doesn't require much at all. So I am not looking to spend a ton of money for a laptop that plays Civ games... just something inexpensive that can do the basic stuff I want on a computer and play Civ.
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