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Does my laptop suck, or is my video card defunct?

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Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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Hi everyone,

I've been looking for the answer to this question for a loooong time. I've owned my laptop since Jan '11 and am have some time over the summer to play some games. I know the basics about PC gaming, and I think in theory, my rig should be able to play games that were made in the last 3 years or so on medium levels.

http://usa.asus.com/Notebooks/Multimedia_Entertainment/...

Here is what I know:

Intel Core i5 (M 460 @2.53GHz)
4 GB RAM
Windows 7 64x
GeForce GT 425M
Plenty of hard drive space

I have done one format since I've had it. I reinstalled all drivers and everything works fine, but I get the sneaking suspicion that whenever I play a game, the system is using the integrated "Intel Graphics Media Accelerator" instead of the Geforce. I know there are a few video-type control panel programs that may be warring with each other for control. I can use the NVIDIA one to select specific programs to utilize the GeForce, but I don't think it really is.

On the other hand, things might be working fine, and I am grossly overestimating my humble laptop.

Any ideas?

EDIT:
I know if this were any other system the answer would be to update drivers for the NVIDIA card, but since it is some oddball model, Asus has drug its feet on releasing new drivers. Any other suggestions?

More about : laptop suck video card defunct

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Graphics card Master

What games are you trying to play? The GT 425M seems to be a downclocked GT 430 which isnt meant for gaming in its desktop form, the laptop variant will be disappointing at best. Try running things on lower settings and see if that works significantly better, if its trying to use the intel IGP it will still be pretty absymal.

Let's see, I've tried

Fallout: New Vegas (Lowest settings, chugging through areas with multiple NPCs)
Stalker: Shadows of Chernobyl (Medium settings)
Team Fortress 2 (Chug Chug Chug)
Mount and Blade: Warband (Low settings, looked horrible)

I guess I figured on dated games like Mount and blade that I would be able to boost settings and maintain a reasonable frame rate. My main question is, is it possible that my video card isn't working properly and needs to be sent in?
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Graphics card Master

I'd say stick to the old 360. It will give you better gaming performance than your laptop.

Here's how the 425m ranks relative to other video cards from a performance standpoint:

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

It's more geared toward multimedia and productivity.

The 360 will do a better job with gaming.

Most laptop graphics cards aren't interchangeable, but you could contact ASUS to find out if they have any compatible upgrades and if this is possible with your particular model.
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