Question on laptops and viewers

[Chaos Vortex]

Greetings and Salutations. I am sure this question has been asked more times then not, and after goggling and searching I am still scratching my head at a view things...

First I want to say that I have tried just about all viewers out there, firestorm the only one that brings everything to just barely a cruel standstill. I thought the problem was in my internet package, so I increased it to where I am getting up 36.97mbps and 4.2mbps down {according to the test which I used a node cross country to me} and still pretty much the same thing. I went looking on how to activate the multi threading as I do have a dual core {more on this soon}, but could not find the option in the newer official SL viewers.

Now I am not asking for the utter and complete ~WOW~ experience, but it would be nice to have something that makes the viewers a lot more bearable when I move through different Sims {would love to spend more time in one particular Dragon Avi Sim}.

I have broken it down to one of a few things, and before i go dishing out more money {or limiting myself to only one Simi} thought i would ask for some help....

So far the specs i have are:

My Video driver: Mobile Intel four express chipset family, The processor is: Intel core Duo CPU P8600 2.4Ghz, with 4 gig ram on a dell inspiron 1545.I know someone i was speaking to in passing said it had to do with memory, so do i need to increase my ram, or am i pretty much out of luck and need to look into getting a older second hand desktop with a AMD processor in it?

 

 

[Rolig Loon]

The problem is the Intel 4000 HD graphics chip.  It's not up to the challenge of handling SL graphics at more than Medium quailty.  A laptop for SL should be a "gaming" laptop with a dedicated graphics card.  Integrated graphics chips are at their best when they are paired with a dedicated card that can take on the job of rendering the heavy stream of data that comes from SL's servers.  They have a reputation for failing to switch automatically, but most SL residents have found that they can be switched manually.

Increasing bandwidth won't really help much unless you have a system capable of handling that flood of data.  BTW, the Inspiron 1545 is listed in on-line reviews as "A great budget laptop, with a relatively high-resolution screen. It's an ideal alternative to a netbook if you want something larger."  Not exactly a ringing recommendation for SL.

Edited for typos. :smileysad:

[Theresa Tennyson]

Older second hand desktop yes, AMD CPU maybe, AMD video chip NO FOR GOD SAKES NO.

Second Life performance is 90% video card. Integrated laptop video just isn't designed to render dragons flying around. You'll want some variety of dedicated GPU and Second Life uses OpenGL as the graphics language. ATI/AMD video cards tend to have a lot of problems with OpenGL so you'll want to get a Nvidia card.

[Chic Aeon]

I absolutely agree that it's your graphics card. It almost always is .

Assuming you aren't going to buy a new computer, you might try Singularity or another of the 1.23 based second party viewers. They are much less stressful on your system and "possibly" your graphics card. I have a really old (six or seven years) mobility notebook that can still run Singularity. It isn't pretty but it works. So you MIGHT get the ability to run at a better graphics setting. Not sure on that.

If you want pretty you have to cough up those bucks and get a better system. More bang for your buck on a desktop directly connected to your modem.  Just sayin'

Good luck and I am in awe of your connection speed. Not available where I live.

[Baloo Uriza]

The issue you describe is Windows-specific, and nVidia isn't that much better on Windows. For all other supported platforms, though, AMD is the better option. If you want to avoid painting yourself into a WinCorner, ATI/AMD is the way to go for your GPU.

[Baloo Uriza]

You're best sticking exclusively to Alienware (if you like fugly cases and bad battery life), Dell Precision (better battery life for the same hardware Alienware has in a substantially less flashy package or, for best reliability and support, Lenovo ThinkPad W series (built to last and doesn't paint you into a WinCorner).