27 replies to this topic

[Shadewolfe]

Hey everyone! I need some serious tech help here because I am WAAAY over my head. I am looking at getting a new laptop, hopefully to use for mostly gaming. Now while I was looking I was trying to find laptops with good processors. I managed to find a Toshiba with a 2.7ghz Intel i5 processor. However, my friend asked what the GFX card was and I found out it was an Intel HD 4400 GFX card and he told me that was really bad. But then he bailed and I'm left hanging with no idea of what GFX card I should look for in a laptop. Here's some of the cards I found while browsing :

AMD Radeon 8610M
AMD Radeon HD 8510G
Intel HD 4400 Graphics with shared DDR3 SDRAM memory (No idea what that means xD)

As far as CPU's, the one's that have the Intel 4400 are using Intel Core i5's, and the AMD ones are using things like AMD A10-5745M Quad-Core processor

If somebody can please please please help that would be amazing

-Edit- Should I look into buying a desktop? I suppose that's an open option, but I would have to get all of the Hardware for it too (Monitor, keyboard, etc. I have a mouse.) . Although I suppose all I would need is a keyboard because i can use my TV if I got an HDMI cable.

Edited by Darkwolfe, 23 July 2014 - 12:03 AM.

[Monkey Lover]

I have not had good luck with intel videocards with anything other than basic web use. Drivers with amd/nvidia are a lot better and have more support.

The intel video card is just as fast as the 8510 and the 8610 is 20% faster than both of them.

The 8610M looks to be 20% faster than the 8510G .

But you're still using a slow notebook videocard (most notebooks are slow). Its 10% of the speed of a highend desktop card.

Check out http://videocardbenc...et/gpu_list.php and you can compare the speed. You should be able to build a faster gaming desktop for cheaper than the a good gaming laptop.

Edited by Monkey Lover, 23 July 2014 - 12:20 AM.

[Shadewolfe]

Monkey Lover, on 23 July 2014 - 12:18 AM, said:

I have not had good luck with intel videocards with anything other than basic web use. Drivers with amd/nvidia are a lot better and have more support.

The intel video card is just as fast as the 8510 and the 8610 is 20% faster than both of them.

The 8610M looks to be 20% faster than the 8510G .

But you're still using a slow notebook videocard (most notebooks are slow). Its 10% of the speed of a highend desktop card.

Check out http://videocardbenc...et/gpu_list.php and you can compare the speed. You should be able to build a faster gaming desktop for cheaper than the a good gaming laptop.

Is a $600 or so price ceiling good enough to build a gaming desktop? ANd where would one go to figure out how to build one if they've never ever done anything like that before.

[ThermidorFallen]

Intel HD graphics are integrated graphics chips so they are built in to the CPU and are really not ideal for gaming (especially MWO), I believe the Radeon HD are as well. Getting something with a discrete card would be best. How much are you looking to spend as that will really determine what you can get?

And desktops are generally much cheaper and easier to get for gaming than a laptop, the price of the monitor and keyboard easily fit within the price of a laptop.

Darkwolfe, on 23 July 2014 - 12:22 AM, said:

Is a $600 or so price ceiling good enough to build a gaming desktop? ANd where would one go to figure out how to build one if they've never ever done anything like that before.

You beat me to it!

I priced up a gaming PC on PCpartpicker for a little under £500 that should have been able to play MWO so I would have thought it would be possible to get something for $600. Laptop wise would be more difficult however, a cursory glance at Newegg had laptops with discrete chips starting at around $800.

Edited by ThermidorFallen, 23 July 2014 - 12:30 AM.

[Egomane]

Moving to the hardware forums.

[Shadewolfe]

ThermidorFallen, on 23 July 2014 - 12:25 AM, said:

Intel HD graphics are integrated graphics chips so they are built in to the CPU and are really not ideal for gaming (especially MWO), I believe the Radeon HD are as well. Getting something with a discrete card would be best. How much are you looking to spend as that will really determine what you can get?

And desktops are generally much cheaper and easier to get for gaming than a laptop, the price of the monitor and keyboard easily fit within the price of a laptop.

As mentioned above, around $600 is my limit although I MAY be able to push that to $700 if I had to

Egomane, on 23 July 2014 - 12:26 AM, said:

Moving to the hardware forums.

Thank you Looked and couldn't find one.

I was browsing and found this and my friend said it's pretty good for the price. Opinions? http://www.walmart.c...or-Not/23745948

[Monkey Lover]

600 should build a good one. Let me make up example

[Monkey Lover]

http://www.pricewatch.com/

An example of what i would do with 600

http://www.cpubenchm...h_end_cpus.html (compare cpu's for speed)

$175 Motherboard Combos : fx-6300 (faster than 2.7ghz icore5) (with shipping pricewatch)
$60 600w powersupply corsair(amazon) (free ship) (buy name brand or good ratings or they will burn out)
$40 case (amazon free ship)
$43 4gb of ram (amazon)
$100 2tb western red drive (amazon)
$200 for a videocard (lots of pick from) radeon 270x

$615 If you watch for some sales you can get it cheaper. I bought a geforce 560 boost videocard for $100 it runs max settings on mech warroirs

Im not saying this is the best setup but it can be done for the price.

Edited by Monkey Lover, 23 July 2014 - 12:50 AM.

[Shadewolfe]

Monkey Lover, on 23 July 2014 - 12:47 AM, said:

http://www.pricewatch.com/

An example of what i would do with 600

http://www.cpubenchm...h_end_cpus.html (compare cpu's for speed)

$175 Motherboard Combos : fx-6300 (faster than 2.7ghz icore5) (with shipping pricewatch)
$60 600w powersupply corsair(amazon) (free ship) (buy name brand or good ratings or they will burn out)
$40 case (amazon free ship)
$43 4gb of ram (amazon)
$100 2tb western red drive (amazon)
$200 for a videocard (lots of pick from) radeon 270x

$615 If you watch for some sales you can get it cheaper. I bought a geforce 560 boost videocard for $100 it runs max settings on mech warroirs

Im not saying this is the best setup but it can be done for the price.

What do you think of that desktop I linked above for a base? I can always upgrade it later. Do you think it can run things like MWO, World of Tanks, War Thunder?
Also, I might look into building that rig but I'm not sure yet.

Edited by Darkwolfe, 23 July 2014 - 01:08 AM.

[Monkey Lover]

Darkwolfe, on 23 July 2014 - 12:50 AM, said:

What do you think of that desktop I linked above for a base? I can always upgrade it later. Do you think it can run things like MWO, World of Tanks, War Thunder?

Its not a bad setup but the videocard is very basic. I'm going to guess the powersupply and memory are on the cheaper side.(This might not be a problem)


If you go to
http://videocardbenc...et/gpu_list.php

The GeForce GT630 has a score of 737 . This is 20% faster than your laptops. I had a 8800 geforce with about this speed i was able to play on medium settings and i got some lag when there was smoke and a lot of action. I searched the form for GT630. A lot of people said it was a little to slow for them. Of course speed depends a lot on the screen resolution . If you're going to use a tv your not going to have as much of a problem as a large lcd screen.

You could go with this computer then upgrade the video card later on for around $150-$200. (score of 4,000)


http://www.newegg.co...N82E16883229285 910 score videcard This one might be a better way to go for the $500 price range.

Edited by Monkey Lover, 23 July 2014 - 01:32 AM.

[Naduk]

that system will run MWO on low, you will be lucky to get 30fps with all on low
my mate runs an almost identical dell rig
build the system your self or find a small local IT biz and for the same $ you will get a system many times more powerful

im not sure what the rule is for ATI , but for nvidia avoid anything with the GT prefix, you want a GTX
my GTX 580 smashes the GT630 from the walmart system about 50 times over and my card is so "old" now you cannot buy it, even tho the 630 is from a much newer line than the 580, the GT cards are very cut down budget models and will not have majortiy of the features of a full card of the same caliber (ie a GTX680 will beat a GT730 even tho the rating is higher)

as far as building your own pc goes
its very much recommended, its easy to learn
you can find a friendly local IT group to show you how (small biz types will likely teach you how to build it just out of passion)
or you can jump on youtube , do a quick search for "how to install ram" to see what i mean
there is plenty of tutorials from single parts to entire system guides (as with everything you see online do not take everything ppl say as literal)

i wish i could help you more but iv no idea on what sites are good for prices in the US
if you were in AUS id hook you up with http://www.pccasegear.com
someone will know a good US parts site im sure

EDIT
was cruising the forums landed in this
you will want to check it out
http://mwomercs.com/...updated-weekly/

Edited by Naduk, 23 July 2014 - 01:35 AM.

[Shadewolfe]

Monkey Lover, on 23 July 2014 - 01:23 AM, said:

Its not a bad setup but the videocard is very basic. I'm going to guess the powersupply and memory are on the cheaper side.(This might not be a problem)


If you go to
http://videocardbenc...et/gpu_list.php

The GeForce GT630 has a score of 737 . This is 20% faster than your laptops. I had a 8800 geforce with about this speed i was able to play on medium settings and i got some lag when there was smoke and a lot of action. I searched the form for GT630. A lot of people said it was a little to slow for them. Of course speed depends a lot on the screen resolution . If you're going to use a tv your not going to have as much as a large lcd screen.

You could go with this computer then upgrade the video card later on for around 150-200. (score of 4,000)


http://www.newegg.co...N82E16883229285 910 score videcard This one might be a better way to go.

I saw a review that tested the R7 240 along with some other ones and that is apparently a pile of junk. My friend has an old-ish gaming laptop that he tested MWO on and he was getting 40-ish on low and 20-ish on medium, and the one that i linked has better specs than his. I'll probably upgrade the GFX card later. As far as the screen, the TV I'll be using is only like a 20in so I should be fine on that.
I'm thinking of upgrading it to a GT 730. Rank of 1167 compared to the 737 of the 630, and is only around $60. Maybe I'll spend a bit more to get something even better.

How would you recommend I check and address the possible cheap powersupply/memory?

Naduk, on 23 July 2014 - 01:30 AM, said:

that system will run MWO on low, you will be lucky to get 30fps with all on low
my mate runs an almost identical dell rig
build the system your self or find a small local IT biz and for the same $ you will get a system many times more powerful

im not sure what the rule is for ATI , but for nvidia avoid anything with the GT prefix, you want a GTX
my GTX 580 smashes the GT630 from the walmart system about 50 times over and my card is so "old" now you cannot buy it, even tho the 630 is from a much newer line than the 580, the GT cards are very cut down budget models and will not have majortiy of the features of a full card of the same caliber (ie a GTX680 will beat a GT730 even tho the rating is higher)

as far as building your own pc goes
its very much recommended, its easy to learn
you can find a friendly local IT group to show you how (small biz types will likely teach you how to build it just out of passion)
or you can jump on youtube , do a quick search for "how to install ram" to see what i mean
there is plenty of tutorials from single parts to entire system guides (as with everything you see online do not take everything ppl say as literal)

i wish i could help you more but iv no idea on what sites are good for prices in the US
if you were in AUS id hook you up with http://www.pccasegear.com
someone will know a good US parts site im sure

EDIT
was cruising the forums landed in this
you will want to check it out
http://mwomercs.com/...updated-weekly/

What, would you recommend something like the GTX 650 Ti for around $100?
-edit- The 650 Ti is actually a lot higher than PassMark lets on, which puts it way above my budget.

Edited by Darkwolfe, 23 July 2014 - 01:40 AM.

[Shadewolfe]

I'm gettign so overwhelmed right now.. I have no idea what I'm doing.

[Monkey Lover]

Darkwolfe, on 23 July 2014 - 01:35 AM, said:

I saw a review that tested the R7 240 along with some other ones and that is apparently a pile of junk. My friend has an old-ish gaming laptop that he tested MWO on and he was getting 40-ish on low and 20-ish on medium, and the one that i linked has better specs than his. I'll probably upgrade the GFX card later. As far as the screen, the TV I'll be using is only like a 20in so I should be fine on that.
I'm thinking of upgrading it to a GT 730. Rank of 1167 compared to the 737 of the 630, and is only around $60. Maybe I'll spend a bit more to get something even better.

How would you recommend I check and address the possible cheap powersupply/memory?

Those fps sound about right for a 240 dont forget they are about 50% faster than the laptop. The gt630 is about 20% slower than the r7 240. Its really a 30 dollar card.


If you plan on upgrading you should go with something like r7 260x for $110 (3000score).

I looked at maybe around 20 desktop under 650. I couldnt find anything with a videocard faster than the 240. I have always found it best to just build the system i wanted because of this.


To add on,.. dont go with a cheap powersupply they will burn out on you. I would go with the 60 dollar amazon corsair. You might as well go with name brand memory too as its about the same price. You deal with less doa this way.

Edited by Monkey Lover, 23 July 2014 - 01:52 AM.

[Shadewolfe]

Monkey Lover, on 23 July 2014 - 01:50 AM, said:

Those fps sound about right for a 240 dont forget they are about 50% faster than the laptop. The gt630 is about 20% slower than the r7 240. Its really a 30 dollar card.


If you plan on upgrading you should go with something like r7 260x for $110 (3000score).

I looked at maybe around 20 desktop under 650. I couldnt find anything with a videocard faster than the 240. I have always found it best to just build the system i wanted because of this.


To add on,.. dont go with a cheap powersupply they will burn out on you. I would go with the 60 dollar amazon corsair. You might as well go with name brand memory too as its about the same price. You deal with less doa this way.

If I did my best to put together a PC and brought it back to this thread would I be able to get some opinions on it?

[Monkey Lover]

I would start a new topic others would be able to help you tweak it. Just make sur eyou tell them you want to stay in the same price range.


Amazon.com
newegg.com
pricewatch.com
ebay.com

Are the places i look for prices.

Edited by Monkey Lover, 23 July 2014 - 01:58 AM.

[Shadewolfe]

Monkey Lover, on 23 July 2014 - 01:57 AM, said:

I would start a new topic others would be able to help you tweak it. Just make sur eyou tell them you want to stay in the same price range.


Amazon.com
newegg.com
pricewatch.com
ebay.com

Are the places i look for prices.

Alrighty. Now.. If i do build a computer. How the hell do I put an OS on it?

[Monkey Lover]

Darkwolfe, on 23 July 2014 - 02:02 AM, said:

Alrighty. Now.. If i do build a computer. How the hell do I put an OS on it?

Well i guess you will need to factor in the price of windows os . Installing it isn't bad.

After you plug all you computer stuff, Start the computer. You will come to the bios screen (first screen on all computer where it counts the memory and shows you stuff you don't care about)

It will let you boot from the dvd rom by pressing f11,f8 or something at the start. There will be a message on the screen at startup or your manual will say.

Once you do this you select "dvdrom" pop in your windows dvd and it walks you step by step. (Really basic at this point.)

Just watch a few building tutorials on youtube before you start into it.

Edited by Monkey Lover, 23 July 2014 - 02:15 AM.

[Shadewolfe]

Monkey Lover, on 23 July 2014 - 02:09 AM, said:

Well i guess you will need to factor in the price of windows os . Installing it isn't bad.

After you plug all you computer stuff, Start the computer. You will come to the bios screen (first screen on all computer where it counts the memory and shows you stuff you don't care about)

It will let you boot from the dvd rom by pressing f11,f8 or something at the start. There will be a message on the screen at startup or your manual will say.

Once you do this you select "dvdrom" pop in your windows dvd and it walks you step by step. (Really basic at this point.)

Just watch a few building tutorials on youtube before you start into it.

I'm looking at a few and it seems a bit daunting. Might enlist some help from a friend
Started a thread with the build I came up with, hop on over if you want and toss me your opinion

[SpDmnAdam]

This thread is right up your alley.
http://mwomercs.com/...updated-weekly/

Also you might consider this since you might be very space limited.
http://www.ibuypower...re/Revolt-RD507