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Cheapest GPU For Casual Gaming

Forum Laptops & Notebooks : General Laptops & Notebooks - Cheapest GPU For Casual Gaming

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rjkucia   05-23-2009 at 04:24:20 AM

I'm planning on getting a laptop so that I can play games when I'm not at my desktop. Unfortunately, I don't really have $1000 to spend, so I was hoping to find the cheapest laptop I can get that can play my games. I'm mostly looking to play Source games, and I don't mind lowering the settings slightly. Thanks for any help you guys can provide!

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Bronze Laptops badge frozenlead   05-23-2009 at 04:26:43 AM
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You'll need a midrange card, a 9600 or 3650 series.

------------------------------ Sager NP5793 | T8100 2.1GHz | 4GB DDR2-667 | 8800mGTX 512MB | 320GB 5400rpm | 1920x1200 17", 24" | Win 7 x64
 Reply to frozenlead
rjkucia   05-23-2009 at 03:39:20 PM
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Aren't those dedicated cards? I would prefer a higher-end integrated one, so that I can save on battery life and some money.

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soooopahfly   05-26-2009 at 08:58:00 AM
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I wouldn't expect much from an integrated video card for gaming, even any "high-end" one. In fact, the only "high-end" integrated video solution I can think of is from Intel, although there may be others.

But on the same token Source games aren't the most graphics intensive games, but I still wouldn't trust them to any integrated solutions.

Reply to soooopahfly
agentmilo   05-26-2009 at 01:20:44 PM
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I agree, you'll regret buying a laptop with integrated graphics to even casually play games. I'd recommend something that has either Nvidia's 9500/above or Ati's HD 34xx/above.

But still, I played Counter Strike Source and NFS Most Wanted on an Acer Aspire 6930 which had integrated graphics, but it played out pretty well. You can't play with all the bells and whistles, thats all.

Reply to agentmilo
Branimal72   05-26-2009 at 08:06:22 PM
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* • Espresso Black
* • Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
* • Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T6400 (2.0GHz)
* • FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* • FREE Upgrade to 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* • 512MB NVIDIA GeForce G 105M
* • 13.3" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP LED BrightView Infinity Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
* • LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
* • [For BrightView Infinity Display] Webcam Only
* • Wireless-G Card with Bluetooth
* • No Included Mobile Broadband
* • HP Color Matching Keyboard
* • 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* • Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
is this good for casual gaming? its around 800 at hp's website.

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to Branimal72
mudanes   05-27-2009 at 06:17:22 AM
- 0 +

Branimal72 wrote :

* • Espresso Black
* • Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
* • Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T6400 (2.0GHz)
* • FREE Upgrade to 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm) from 2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
* • FREE Upgrade to 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
* • 512MB NVIDIA GeForce G 105M
* • 13.3" diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP LED BrightView Infinity Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
* • LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
* • [For BrightView Infinity Display] Webcam Only
* • Wireless-G Card with Bluetooth
* • No Included Mobile Broadband
* • HP Color Matching Keyboard
* • 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* • Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
is this good for casual gaming? its around 800 at hp's website.



Sounds pretty good. Whats the model number?

Reply to mudanes
Branimal72   05-27-2009 at 03:03:44 PM
- 0 +

Its called the HP Pavilion dv3t series. Its pretty new on the market. Its estimated to ship on next Tuesday. I'm really excited about it.

Reply to Branimal72
mudanes   05-27-2009 at 06:34:33 PM
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http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-G-105M.13790.0.html

IDK the gpu doesnt sound that much better than te wimpy 8200m I'm looking into.

Reply to mudanes
rjkucia   05-27-2009 at 11:13:54 PM
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What about the 9400m/Ion? I've heard that this can play games decently. I value saving money over high settings and extreme frame rates - I'll use my desktop for that.

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to rjkucia
mudanes   05-28-2009 at 02:09:30 AM
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rjkucia wrote :

What about the 9400m/Ion? I've heard that this can play games decently. I value saving money over high settings and extreme frame rates - I'll use my desktop for that.



What would be the price range for a Laptop with that gpu? Also wasn't the Ion a gpu for the netbooks?

Reply to mudanes
mudanes   05-28-2009 at 02:18:08 AM
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152105

This looks like a promising solution for a back to school laptop for me thats not that much more than much weaker laptops. Has the T5800 and the 9400m for $700.

Reply to mudanes
rjkucia   05-28-2009 at 09:33:48 PM
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The Lenovo S12 is going to have Ion graphics, and should be around $500, which would be the perfect price for me. According to Nvidia, Ion should be able to play Source games. Anyone have experience with the Acer Revo, which also uses Ion?

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to rjkucia
mudanes   05-29-2009 at 04:56:08 PM
- 0 +

rjkucia wrote :

The Lenovo S12 is going to have Ion graphics, and should be around $500, which would be the perfect price for me. According to Nvidia, Ion should be able to play Source games. Anyone have experience with the Acer Revo, which also uses Ion?



Got a link to the article? I'm hoping these come out when its time to go back to school.

Reply to mudanes
rjkucia   05-29-2009 at 10:05:33 PM
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TenaciousleyDead wrote :

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/d [...] ,7908.html
ive been looking into the same one myself.



That's the Studio 14z. It's not a netbook, but it has the same graphics that Ion does. The S12 is here http://www.tomshardware.com/news/l [...] ,7888.html

Reply to rjkucia
TenaciousleyDead   05-31-2009 at 11:58:50 PM
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doesn't mean it cant be an option, its basically in the same league (2 inches off). not to mention the incredibly faster proc while still retaining around 5 hours battery life. I heard the s12 was coming around the end of summer, so well see.

Reply to TenaciousleyDead
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