Question:
Lenovo C200 with Intel GMA 950 - games
First of all, I am aware that:
-Intel integrated graphics are not for gaming
-It's always better to get a dedicated GPU
However, I am very much considering this laptop mainly because it's cheap and can run Ubuntu 7.04 well.
Intel® Celeron® M Processor 430 1,73 GHz
2 x 512MB DDR2 667 MHz
Intel Media Graphics Accelerator 950 up to 128MB shared
Will I get good performance (without any graphical issues/glitches) with these games:
Icewind Dale 1 & 2
Baldur's Gate 1 & 2
Planescape:Torment
Fallout 1 & 2
Gothic 1 & 2
Sacrifice
Sacred
Neverwinter Nights
Can Intel GMA 950 run 3D games well at all, regardless of their...age?
Can I watch DVDs with it without any problems?
Oh, and one last question: How much better is a PentiumM or a CoreDuo processor compared to this CeleronM?
Thanks
Answer:
Re: Lenovo C200 with Intel GMA 950 - games
That is a single core processor, which is old and outdated. Unless you are getting that for about $300, it is not a deal at all.
Answer:
Re: Lenovo C200 with Intel GMA 950 - games
That is a single core processor, which is old and outdated. Unless you are getting that for about $300, it is not a deal at all.
QFT. Also, Intel integrated graphics are not for gaming of any type. You will be lucky to experience playable FPS in *any* of the games you mentioned.
Answer:
Re: Lenovo C200 with Intel GMA 950 - games
QFT. Also, Intel integrated graphics are not for gaming of any type. You will be lucky to experience playable FPS in *any* of the games you mentioned.
Even those old Black Isle games? If that's true then I really shouldn't mess with it.
Answer:
Re: Lenovo C200 with Intel GMA 950 - games
Even those old Black Isle games? If that's true then I really shouldn't mess with it.
For the old games its more of a driver problem than a lack of execution resources as it is with the newer games. Intel graphics have drivers tuned for stability, not performance. Thus they get little in the way of performance optimization for anything but basic everyday PC usage.
Answer:
Re: Lenovo C200 with Intel GMA 950 - games
That's a pretty ancient setup. If you're planning on getting a cheap laptop, then atleast go with a dual core and integrated Intel GMA X3100 card. It's much better than the GMA 950 and also keeps laptops cheap and power efficient. I think it'll play the games you mentioned too.
Answer:
Re: Lenovo C200 with Intel GMA 950 - games
Are you guys smoking crack? Baby Boy, please ignore what is quite frankly appalling rubbish from techguy2k7. Those games will run fine on the GMA950, most of them at high settings. Check out my sig, I have a GMA950 Screenshot thread - I think if I can get Call of Duty, Dawn of War, GTA III and Half Life 2 to run you're hardly going to have issues with games from 1999....honestly the crap people spout about the GMA without having a clue is staggering.
As for the Celeron D it's basically a Pentium M with less L2 cache, so while it takes a slight hit in games it's not too bad, it's still fine and the GMA950 will limit you far sooner then the Celeron will so don't worry about it. For multi-tasking however, obviously any dual core would be better.
However I would agree with those that say it's an old setup. It'd want to be very cheap to warrant buying it, especially when notebooks with integrated low end Ati and Nvidia graphics (6100/6150/x200/X1150 etc) are found in even the cheapest of laptops these days.
Answer:
Re: Lenovo C200 with Intel GMA 950 - games
Are you guys smoking crack? Baby Boy, please ignore what is quite frankly appalling rubbish from techguy2k7. Those games will run fine on the GMA950, most of them at high settings. Check out my sig, I have a GMA950 Screenshot thread - I think if I can get Call of Duty, Dawn of War, GTA III and Half Life 2 to run you're hardly going to have issues with games from 1999....honestly the crap people spout about the GMA without having a clue is staggering.
You've got to be kidding me. Clearly these are the words of someone who feels the need to defend a (poor) purchase choice. Your own screenshot thread shows pathetic graphical detail in extremely old (and therefore not graphically demanding) games. You said it yourself in that very thread: Generals observations - Image quality very poor in most games. Grainy appearance.
Generals conclusions - Stick with Dx8 games for a smooth gameplay experience, and try out Dx9 titles at our own risk. Regardless of a specific games requirements, or performance on technically similar hardware, Dx9 gaming on the GMA950 is a hit and miss and liable to cause alot of frustration.
As for the Celeron D it's basically a Pentium M with less L2 cache, so while it takes a slight hit in games it's not too bad, it's still fine and the GMA950 will limit you far sooner then the Celeron will so don't worry about it. For multi-tasking however, obviously any dual core would be better.
However I would agree with those that say it's an old setup. It'd want to be very cheap to warrant buying it, especially when notebooks with integrated low end Ati and Nvidia graphics (6100/6150/x200/X1150 etc) are found in even the cheapest of laptops these days.
The above is all correct (except you said Celeron D instead of Celeron M). Why defend such a sub-par graphics chip though?
Answer:
Re: Lenovo C200 with Intel GMA 950 - games
Heh, this is exactly what I came up with after searching this site for hours on this subject...some people are diminishing the Intel GMA 950 too much and some say it really isn't meant for any gaming. And now my head hurts :p. I really don't need any newer games, just the ones I mentioned, but seeing how no one can say for sure that those games run without any probs, I'll have to pass on any laptops with the Intel GMA 950.
Answer:
Re: Lenovo C200 with Intel GMA 950 - games
Hold on there. I never said the GMA would tear through Crysis now did I?
What I'm defending is the actual capabilities of the GMA950, crap as it may be. You posted that it wouldn't play any of those games at acceptable FPS - which I'm sorry, but is absolutely bull.
The games Baby Boy listed are old games mostly, some of which only require 4mb video memory. We're talking about games that are 8 years old. And you go and claim they won't work well, which goes to show you haven't a clue about the cards capabilities.
Your own screenshot thread shows pathetic graphical detail in extremely old (and therefore not graphically demanding) games.
Thats the whole point - it runs old games fine, and even some new-ish ones. The games baby boy listed are years older then even the games I tested for the most part. Getting the picture yet as to why exactly your post was totally wrong? Oh and I didn't realise Half Life 2 was 'extremely old'. I think if I can get that to run, games that require a 266mhz cpu and 4mb Video memory aren't going to exactly pose any problem.
Like I said. I'm not leaping to the rescue of the GMA. What I'm doing is disproving another crock of **** that someone posted because they're hopping on an already popular bandwagon. Like it or not, whatever the GMA can do, your post was tripe and unhelpful. If baby boy is happy just playing the games he listed, it doesn't really matter if he has an 7950GTX or a GMA950 for the most part as - bottom line - they are old games that the GMA950 will run through no problems.