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Playing Computer games on a laptop question

Old 01-22-10, 12:33 PM
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Playing Computer games on a laptop question

OK, first off I have a laptop work computer with ATI graphics, 2.2 Duo CPU and 1.96 GB of ram in a HP laptop.

The quesiton I have will this be powerful enough to run computer games like Bioshock etc...

I will be spending a lot of time on the road in coming weeks and figured I would purchase some computer games to play to pass the time.

Sorry if this is the wrong form I was not sure if it belonged here or Tech talk.

Thanks,
Old 01-22-10, 12:46 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

I haven't played the PC version of Bioshock, but I'd imagine you could run it on low settings. I know games like WoW, The Sims 3, and Spore can be run as well with an ATI card (assuming it's a 3200/4200).
Old 01-22-10, 01:16 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

Originally Posted by d2cheer
OK, first off I have a laptop work computer with ATI graphics, 2.2 Duo CPU and 1.96 GB of ram in a HP laptop.

The quesiton I have will this be powerful enough to run computer games like Bioshock etc...

I will be spending a lot of time on the road in coming weeks and figured I would purchase some computer games to play to pass the time.

Sorry if this is the wrong form I was not sure if it belonged here or Tech talk.

Thanks,
You need to be a little more specific. A 2.2 Core 2 Duo is plenty fast to handle numerous games, but only if the ATI graphics card is good. If it's an non-dedicated (integrated) graphics card, you can forget about most 3d games unless it's a really recent laptop.

Last edited by RichC2; 01-22-10 at 01:21 PM.
Old 01-22-10, 01:25 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

It says it is a ATI Mobility Radeon X2300
Old 01-22-10, 01:31 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

I dunno about that one. At least it's not the intel one.
Old 01-22-10, 01:33 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

According to Notebookcheck, which admittingly rounds down, you should be able to get Doom 3 running on Ultra at 29 FPS and FEAR running on Medium with no problem. Past that it's anyone's guess.

Install Steam on the laptop and download the BioShock demo, see if it works. Laptop Graphics Cards are a bit tricky.
Old 01-22-10, 01:56 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

I'd also note that if it's a work laptop, odds are your IT department has locked it down so you can't install your own software.
Old 01-22-10, 02:18 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

One more question, do you use the keyboard to play or would I need to purchase some type of controller for it?

Our IT dept. blocks certain websites but when I am not on the network I can do as I please. So I will have to check the Steam and demo later.
Old 01-22-10, 02:34 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

I always use the keyboard. For example, typically to move it's either the arrow keys (which I prefer) or the more popular "w-a-s-d" scheme.
Old 01-22-10, 02:57 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

Originally Posted by d2cheer
One more question, do you use the keyboard to play or would I need to purchase some type of controller for it?

Our IT dept. blocks certain websites but when I am not on the network I can do as I please. So I will have to check the Steam and demo later.
I'd buy a mouse and use the keyboard for WASD
Old 01-22-10, 03:22 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

Yeah, you'll definitely want a separate mouse to play. There's demos for most games out there, so that's the best way to test and see if the game works.
Old 01-22-10, 03:44 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

Go here: http://cyri.systemrequirementslab.com/srtest/ and see what you can play. While it won't tell you how well you can run it, it will at least give you a good starting point as to if you should even bother with a given game.

Last edited by SmackDaddy; 01-22-10 at 03:47 PM.
Old 01-22-10, 04:05 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

Originally Posted by d2cheer
It says it is a ATI Mobility Radeon X2300
That video card is really weak, and won't play games well at all. I am more of a Geforce fan myself, but I believe that Radeon 2000 series is equal to the Geforce 8000 series.

The first number in the four digit sequence indicates the generation, and the second number indicates how powerful it is.

For example, for the Geforce cards there is the 7000 series, 8000 series, 9000 series (and then it wraps back around to the 200 series which is the most recent generation).

Inside each generation, there are essentially three different levels of power. If the second number is 5 or below, this means the video card is not meant for gaming. It just simply lacks pixel shaders and a lot of other technical terms that gaming requires. If the second number is a 6 or 7, this means the card is meant for casual gaming, and it will play most games on medium to high settings at a modest resolution. If the second number is an 8 or 9, this means the card is meant for hardcore gaming, and it will max out all the graphical options and play at 1080p or higher resolutions.

Your Radeon 2300 simply won't be sufficient for gaming because it lacks a lot of horsepower. You will be lucky to play at even low settings at a low resolution. The Xbox360 video card is quite a bit more powerful than your card. If I remember right, the Xbox360 card is roughly equal to a Geforce 7800. While that is one generation behind the Radeon 2000 series, the Geforce 7800 is a high-end card, and high-end cards from the last generation are much more powerful than the low-end cards from the next generation.
Old 01-22-10, 04:23 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

On top of all the number they start throwing random letters in there too!

GT, GTX, GTXOC, CTXOCXTCO!

They should just toss a giant Crap, Decent, Good, Great and Awesome sticker on their boxes too.
Old 01-22-10, 04:39 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

Originally Posted by SmackDaddy
On top of all the number they start throwing random letters in there too!

GT, GTX, GTXOC, CTXOCXTCO!

They should just toss a giant Crap, Decent, Good, Great and Awesome sticker on their boxes too.


The letters do make a difference, but it is nowhere near as significant as the numbers. A Geforce 9800 GTX is slightly more powerful than a 9800 GT, but we are generally only talking about a few frames per second here and there. Only a very hardcore person is going to truly care about that. The numbers make a much more significant difference. A 9200 is going to be able to play older games like Doom 3 and FEAR at medium settings at around 30 frames per second while a 9800 is going to be maxing the settings at over 60 frames per second. When you get into more modern games like Bioshock and Assassin's Creed, the difference will be even more staggering. The 9200 will be choking on even low settings while the 9800 will be playing very comfortably on all high settings.
Old 01-26-10, 11:28 AM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

Originally Posted by RichC2
According to Notebookcheck, which admittingly rounds down, you should be able to get Doom 3 running on Ultra at 29 FPS and FEAR running on Medium with no problem. Past that it's anyone's guess.

Install Steam on the laptop and download the BioShock demo, see if it works. Laptop Graphics Cards are a bit tricky.
Thanks for this the demo seem to play just fine on the work laptop.

A game shopping I will go!
Old 01-26-10, 11:46 AM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

Originally Posted by kgrogers1979


The letters do make a difference, but it is nowhere near as significant as the numbers. A Geforce 9800 GTX is slightly more powerful than a 9800 GT, but we are generally only talking about a few frames per second here and there. Only a very hardcore person is going to truly care about that. The numbers make a much more significant difference. A 9200 is going to be able to play older games like Doom 3 and FEAR at medium settings at around 30 frames per second while a 9800 is going to be maxing the settings at over 60 frames per second. When you get into more modern games like Bioshock and Assassin's Creed, the difference will be even more staggering. The 9200 will be choking on even low settings while the 9800 will be playing very comfortably on all high settings.
Get's even worse when you look at a chart like this one and you see older cards that are more powerful than newer cards and start looking at fill rates and pixel pipelines.

I'm waiting for Nvidia and ATI to merge so I can by my HD45350EX GTOC 4TB Virtual Reality Engine Card that requires a 2000w power supply.
Old 01-26-10, 12:23 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

This is the very reason I bought my 360 at launch vs a gaming PC. This bullshit about video card updates on the PC side of gaming is such a hassle. The graphics on my 360 look great. I don't need 8x AA, and 4 GB of video ram, blah blah blah just so I run the game at 16000 x 9000 resolutions to make my games fun.
Old 01-26-10, 12:55 PM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

Originally Posted by edstein
This is the very reason I bought my 360 at launch vs a gaming PC. This bullshit about video card updates on the PC side of gaming is such a hassle. The graphics on my 360 look great. I don't need 8x AA, and 4 GB of video ram, blah blah blah just so I run the game at 16000 x 9000 resolutions to make my games fun.
It's not really that bad though, in my opinion. Honestly, a bit of research and you can find the best bang for your buck card that will last you a decent amount of time. For instance, the system that I built 2 years ago with an 8800GT is still decent enough today.
Old 01-27-10, 05:35 AM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

Originally Posted by fumanstan
It's not really that bad though, in my opinion. Honestly, a bit of research and you can find the best bang for your buck card that will last you a decent amount of time. For instance, the system that I built 2 years ago with an 8800GT is still decent enough today.
This is true. Most people are just clueless about PC gaming, and they just go by old cliches like "PC gaming is too expensive" because they don't know any better.

I just built a new PC for myself back in November. An Athlon II X2 3.0 Ghz, 4 GB RAM, and a Geforce 9800 GTX. Total cost was about $450 from newegg. Granted that buying a prebuilt PC does cost significantly more because of the middle man markups, but if you are willing to build it yourself it doesn't cost that much at all. Building it yourself isn't that difficult either. I just read a few online guides about how to build a PC, and basically taught myself everything.

My new PC is only $150 or so more expensive than the consoles, but it is easily three times more powerful, completely maxing out games that only run on low to medium settings on the 360. My PC isn't even top of the line either. It is only a dual-core instead of a quad-core. It also uses a last generation video card. Granted the newest cards are freaking expensive. The Geforce 290 is about $300 alone, but you don't really need a card like that when a last generation card is still maxing out all the games. (Except Crysis of course, but not even the newest cards can max out that beast of a game.)
Old 01-27-10, 06:45 AM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

Originally Posted by kgrogers1979
(Except Crysis of course, but not even the newest cards can max out that beast of a game.)
That's the other issue. Many PC game makers aim "high" because "people can always upgrade", so if you don't upgrade your machine over a couple years, you're now getting the low end of quality in your games. Whereas game programmers for consoles, since they are basically standardized hardware, learn to optimize their work for the standard requirements and produce *better* games for the same specs as time goes by.
Basic PC gaming might be as cheap if you build your own, but they sure don't make it easy unless you're a PC geek or follow the industry (which I don't) so you know what the hell 8700GTX means as compared to 7800GT, and if it's worth 75$ more (just making up numbers.)

I will say that I think PC gaming is more expensive for the same amount of work. For my 360, the only decision was which size hard drive to get. I personally also prefer gaming on a console, with a game controller.
Old 01-27-10, 07:26 AM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

Originally Posted by dtcarson
That's the other issue. Many PC game makers aim "high" because "people can always upgrade", so if you don't upgrade your machine over a couple years, you're now getting the low end of quality in your games. Whereas game programmers for consoles, since they are basically standardized hardware, learn to optimize their work for the standard requirements and produce *better* games for the same specs as time goes by.
Basic PC gaming might be as cheap if you build your own, but they sure don't make it easy unless you're a PC geek or follow the industry (which I don't) so you know what the hell 8700GTX means as compared to 7800GT, and if it's worth 75$ more (just making up numbers.)

I will say that I think PC gaming is more expensive for the same amount of work. For my 360, the only decision was which size hard drive to get. I personally also prefer gaming on a console, with a game controller.

So much wrong with this post.

Most PC developers don't "aim" that high. This is yet another common misconception that non-PC gamers tend to have. These developers are the exception to the norm. Crysis is the only game that comes to mind that can't be maxed out easily. Most of the main companies, like Blizzard for instance, make their games easy to handle. Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2 won't have insanely high system requirements.

The Geforce 9000 series came out at the beginning of 2008. It is 2 years old, but yet the 9800 GT can still max out any game except for Crysis. The 8000 series came out in 2006. While the 8800 GT can't max out games at 1080p, it can max out most games at 720p. The 8800 GT is going on 4 years old, and it is more powerful than the card in the current consoles which are about equivalent to a 7800 GT. So a 4 year old card is still more powerful than consoles. So thinking that you need to constantly upgrade your PC is yet another misconception by non-PC gamers.

You also don't need to follow the PC industry that closely to keep up with it. I certainly don't follow it as closely as a lot of the more hardcore people. I usually stay a generation behind because that is most cost-effective. The newest cards, like the Geforce 200 series, are way too expensive costing several hundred dollars for the card alone and I honestly don't see a point in spending that much money when the last generation cards are still more than sufficient for any game but Crysis. So I do follow the current industry but I am certainly not hardcore about it.

It isn't as difficult as you think building your own PC. I just read a couple online guides and built my first PC in about 3-4 hours. First time is always hardest of course, and now I can build one in half the time.

The preference of gaming with a controller I will give you, but most games on PC can be played with controllers too if you so desire. If I remember right, the 360 controller is compatible with PCs and most current games can be played with it. However, a controller will never match the precision of a mouse. You simply cannot line up headshots in a FPS or control an army in an RTS as easily with an analog stick as you can with a mouse.
Old 01-27-10, 08:17 AM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

I dunno, I own a GTX260 216 (got it new for $150 in early '09) and can play Crysis in High without issue

And while I wouldn't recommend playing an FPS with a gamepad online, in single player there usually isn't an issue and it is a bit more relaxing.

Edit: Oh wow, those cards actually held their value

Last edited by RichC2; 01-27-10 at 08:20 AM.
Old 01-27-10, 08:40 AM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

My current PC only has an AGP bus so I bought the fastest AGP card I could get. My processor is a 3.2 single core intel. Last time I checked I was getting just over 30 fps with all settings maxed out on Doom 3. Since most of my gaming has been spent on the consoles like the 360 and PS3 I haven't bothered to upgrade this computer. However, as Diablo 3 release slowly approaches I do plan to upgrade then. Hopefully I won't have to wait much longer after Starcraft 2 comes out. I did buy a few games for my PC during the Steam sale over Chirstmas but most of those were not graphics heavy games and they run fine.
Old 01-27-10, 10:52 AM
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Re: Playing Computer games on a laptop question

Originally Posted by kgrogers1979
However, a controller will never match the precision of a mouse. You simply cannot line up headshots in a FPS or control an army in an RTS as easily with an analog stick as you can with a mouse.
As much maligned as the Wii is by just about everyone, pinpoint precision in the few PROPERLY done FPS's on the Wii rivals that of the PC's mouse/keyboard combo.

As far as video card confusion, you have to remember, most of the people we encounter online in forums think like you do since forums draw specific demographics. I've been shopping for video cards and seen the bemused looks on peoples faces as they try and figure out what exactly they are looking at. I keep up with PC tech and I build my own PC's and choosing a video card is by far the part I dread most.

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