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can't play games on my new laptop (help)

bought a new laptop recently, since my other one was outdated.
anyways, tried playing some games (NFS, AOE3, C&C) and it would work fine until the game starts freezing when there's too much activity... graphics are fine and all, maybe i just need some ram?
i thought new computers should be able to play those games easily.

the comp is Toshiba Sr3 (centrino 1.7, 500ram, Intel� Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 900 with 128MB DDR shared video memory.)

http://www.toshiba.ca/web/product.g...rt=3951#spectop

opinions/suggestions on how i can make the games work flawlessly?

Games have evolved pretty rapidly over the last year for PCs... it's not like how it used to be. You can't simply go out and buy some RAM to make it work better. You now have to consider motherboard, bus speed, processor, port types/speed, and video card. They all play extremely important roles as they render 3d graphics in real time.

Unfortunately, there isn't much I could suggest with those specs... the first problem is that it's a Centrino chip and 1.7 ghz is kinda slow. It's definitely not designed for multimedia or games and is basically made as a cheap solution. Your graphics "accelerator" doesn't truly take advantage of the newest OpenGL or DirectX. most games are designed for the likes of ATI or Nvidia.

I'd suggest ensuring you've installed the latest drivers for video card and getting the latest DirectX drivers. That would be a start. But besides putting these games on the lowest video settings, there isn't much you'll be able to do... maybe jump back a couple years in release dates for games?

sell it and get a desktop if you want to play games.

Re: can't play games on my new laptop (help)

quote:

Originally posted by Mikesta bought a new laptop recently, since my other one was outdated. anyways, tried playing some games (NFS, AOE3, C&C) and it would work fine until the game starts freezing when there's too much activity... graphics are fine and all, maybe i just need some ram? i thought new computers should be able to play those games easily. the comp is Toshiba Sr3 (centrino 1.7, 500ram, Intel� Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 900 with 128MB DDR shared video memory.) http://www.toshiba.ca/web/product.g...rt=3951#spectop opinions/suggestions on how i can make the games work flawlessly?

You won't be able to play those games on that laptop mainly due to its built in graphics chipset, If the laptop doesnt have an ATI or Nvidia chip for the graphics, The games will not work.

ah damn... what a waste of money
i thought the future shop people are supposed to know their sh!t..
he was like "yea this one is the best for gaming, blah blah blah".
can't even return it now cause its passed 14 days.
i know desktops are way better but i really wanted a laptop and cashed out that extra money in hopes to get top of the line laptop.
now if i sell it, i'd probably lose a few hundred
oh well, atleast it can play porn

If any of you guys know people who are looking for a laptop, let me know with offers. thnx

quote:

Originally posted by Mikesta ah damn... what a waste of money i thought the future shop people are supposed to know their sh!t.. he was like "yea this one is the best for gaming, blah blah blah". can't even return it now cause its passed 14 days. i know desktops are way better but i really wanted a laptop and cashed out that extra money in hopes to get top of the line laptop. now if i sell it, i'd probably lose a few hundred oh well, atleast it can play porn If any of you guys know people who are looking for a laptop, let me know with offers. thnx

How long has it been? If you're only a few days over you could DEFINITELY go in and push them to bend over a bit. Tell them that the sales guy told you it would play any of the new games... tell them he clearly twisted the truth in order to make the sale. As long as they know you're willing to re-spend the money in the store to get something more suited to your needs, I KNOW they'll allow it.

My gf is a manager at Future Shop in Waterloo... and I used to work there too. If you approach it the right way, you should have no problems. Approach it courteously and friendly. Assure them that you understand th 14 day return policy, but that you're frustrated with the information you were provided. You've had time to evaluate the product and what the associate told you and it was clearly incorrect. As long as you don't go in an push your way around and be a prick, they'll tend to bend the rules.

Now, if it's been a month or more... I doubt you'll be able to do this... but hey... it might be worth a shot. You can even call first to explain the situation to the manager. If the first store doesn't allow it, call the next store... and so on... You'll eventually find a store that will allow the swap. Especially if you're upgrading a bit.

Good luck

It has been over a month, but I guess I'll give it a shot.
I was gonna buy a digi cam there, so maybe I'll use that somehow too when I talk to the manager.
Thanks for all the input.

Btw, what laptop would you recommend for gaming? Just those that have Nvidia and ATI cards?

Here's a couple suggestions:
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...10070502&catid=

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...10070893&catid=

Good bang for your buck... not much more. Without getting into a Pentium, these 64bit systems give you more power from start to finish. More RAM, faster bus speed, and better video card.

And yes, mention that you're buying a camera (buy it that day if you're CAN) and spend a bit more on a laptop. They also more willing to bend if you've bought their product service plan (well worth it on laptops).

Again, just present your case honestly and make sure they realize you feel mislead by the sales associate.

Another thing you might want to check is to see where the vents (where the fans blow the hot air out of the laptop) are on your laptop. If they are on the bottom of the laptop trying elevating like your laptop 3-6 inches above the table/desk/etc. when you play games on it, put books or something at each of the four corners to create space where air can move in and out of the laptop.

My cousin has this problem and must elevate his laptop everytime he uses it.

biggest thing you need to tell them is you CANNOT have an integrated/shared video chip. Otherwise your 512 integrated chip is going to piggy back on your systems 1gig of ram, and just screwing it all up.

you NEED a dedicated video card for todays gaming.

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