Laptop question.

[Adam]

Evening everybody, there doesn't seem to be a CTDWAT type of catchall thread for non videogame stuff so i'll have to start a new thread.

 

I'm sure a few of you have heard of the website http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/ which is super handy to see if your computer can run certain games and whatnot, anyway, i'm browsing for a new laptop and there's a good sale with a bunch for about £400 reduced by about a hundred or so, but I can't really tell (basically i'm not a super whiz when it comes to specs) how the laptops would fare.

 

So question is, is there a website anywhere that runs like the above SystemRequirements site where you can put PC/Laptop makes or models in and them see how they'd match up to certain games?

 

Hope that question makes sense, and if it doesn't, basically I wanna play Football Manager 2015 (when it arrives) on my laptop and i've had bad experiences with a slow laptop running that game in the past.

 

Hopefully someone can help with any information

 

-Adam

[Death From Above]

Just in general with gaming. Thing with laptop integrated graphics cards is most benchmarks for them are pretty useless and most laptops are going to have one. I can't think of a less useful number I've come across with my laptop then benchmark sites trying to tell me things about my integrated graphics. 99% of people that have quoted info about them to me are parroting stuff off benchmark sites, and as such are basically talking out of their ass.

 

I have one of those. It's about 3 years old now I guess. I can run basically PS3-era games like Skyrim, Left 4 Dead 2, and other games of that ilk on it fine, despite whatever bullshit the benchmarks say about integrated cards. The current and last couple years laptop integrated cards will run that sort of stuff unless the system specs say otherwise with mainstream titles. But when you get outside of the AAA titles by major companies you have to watch it, because the thing with those integrated cards is they are a pain to test for so smaller companies now and again you run into problems. Like FEZ. Really simple looking retro-style game. Doesn't work on integrateds for no goddamn reason. I have not run into a lot of problems, but you do have to make sure you read those system requirements. In general most games released in the last 5 years agree with them well enough, but there will always be exceptions. I'm not runnin' games with maxed out settings here but maxed out PC settings just annihilate consoles. I can live with the middle ground for the cost.

 

After having owned one now, I'm of the opinion that on the whole cheap laptops really aren't that bad, unless you are going full blown hardcore gamer. Beyond that this thing has been an eye opener for the lack of necessity to spend crazy amounts on a home PC, as we've really reached the point where even the cheap models cover 99% of people's needs. Obviously the fact mine has lasted because I (1) don't overheat it or (2) treat it like a frisbee has a lot to do with that opinion. If it had blown up on me in six months I'd laugh at them as hard as XBoxes and their Red Ring of Unacceptable Manufacturing Standards.

 

New PS4-era stuff like Watch Dogs, well, I can't touch all that. I expect when GTA V comes out on PC I'm going to weep inside since they're jazzing it up even further. If you want to play that sort of stuff on a laptop at some point you'd best pony up for a fancy one.

 

For something like Football Manager you'll be fine unless the system requirements specifically say otherwise. I would think for a game like that your RAM is probably the more important thing to keep it running quick.

[Jenalysis]

For 32-bit games (pretty much everything before PS4-era is 32-bit), you only need 4-5 Gigs of RAM total.  They can't use over 4 Gigs.

 

I would look for a laptop that handles heat well if you're going to do any gaming, or invest in a cooling fan.

[Adam]

D'oh, didn't get one in the end, there was some decent ones in there, £370 for 8gb ram and 1TB harddrive but jesus did I ever get put off by Windows 8.1. First time i've ever used it. I'm gonna wait til the new FM game comes out anyway until I see the specs for it and then tailor my laptop search around that (and maybe it'll be cheaper just before Christmas)

 

But Windows 8.1. ..eesh.

[Death From Above]

I'm on Windows 7 myself, which I quite like, and I dread having to update to another OS too.

[blitzkrieg]

You can really use Windows 8 just like Windows 7. The only really adjustments is the "start" screen and the power controls. So while I couldn't really come up with a reason for someone to upgrade to Windows 8, I certainly wouldn't say there's a reason to not get it with a new computer.

 

Course I say this after I installed Linux Mint on my computer today because I realized I had no true reason to use Windows anymore.

[Tabe]

Just get a shell replacement for Windows 8 and it'll behave exactly like Windows 7. That's what I did and it's worked out great.