Jump to content
  • 0

a good desktop or laptop pc for Second Life. help


tony78201
 Share

You are about to reply to a thread that has been inactive for 3568 days.

Please take a moment to consider if this thread is worth bumping.

Question

Hi everyone. I have a Dell inspiron 5520 with intel hd graphics/hd graphics 4000, and it can NOT run Second Life without crashing every 10 minutes. for a while now I've been searching for a new laptop, so now I'd like to see what I can buy, it doesn't have to be a gaming laptop, just one that can run second life well. I'd even consider a desktop. any help would be appreciated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

  • 0

Hi everyone. I have a Dell inspiron 5520 with intel hd graphics/hd graphics 4000, and it can NOT run Second Life without crashing every 10 minutes. for a while now I've been searching for a new laptop, so now I'd like to see what I can buy, it doesn't have to be a gaming laptop, just one that can run second life well. I'd even consider a desktop. any help would be appreciated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Hi Tony,

The consensus in the forums (not that we ever really agree on anything) seems to be that you want a computer with an nVIDIA graphics processor (GPU). You've are already experiencing SL through Intel integrated graphics. Though your PC should not be crashing, you'll never get Intel integrated graphics to run on "Ultra".

Here's a web page that gives benchmark information for various GPUs...

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu_list.php

And here's nVIDIA's GeForce Product page...

http://www.geforce.com/hardware

If you click on a particular GPU chip, you'll be taken to a page on which there's a link to a list of computers that use that chip. Here's the page for the GT 650m...

http://www.geforce.com/hardware/notebook-gpus/geforce-gt-650m

And if you click "See all >" in the "Notebooks" box, you'll get this list of computers from various manufacturers that feature that chip...

http://www.geforce.com//hardware/notebook-gpus/geforce-gt-650m/buy-online

Several forumites have recently purchased new computers, you might ask your question again over in General Discussion, but get ready for a long-winded and potentially contentious discussion. That's what we do over there ;-)

Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Do NOT get anything with integrated graphics (Intel HDanything).  Make sure the computer has a "discrete" graphics card.  Both AMD/ATI Radeon and Nvidia GeForce cards work well with SL, but most people seem to have better luck with the Nvidia cards. 

Any late model computer with a discrete graphics card and about 4GB or more of RAM should run SL very nicely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I went from a desk top to a laptop and till this day I regret it. Trouble with lap tops is the limitation on upgrading. Laptops are great for there intended purpose, but  if one has lots of money then this not a problem i just do not.

ADDED: Some off my freinds are hard core gamers and non one off them would consider a laptop worthy. They  use mini desk tops 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Any discrete graphics card above the GT630 or possibly GT640 will require a larger power supply than is typically included with a normal retail computer.  

The HD graphics should run SL on LOW settings.  Anything higher than that will make your computer cry.  Also, if your laptop is shutting down, it could be that you are overheating it.  SL does that to laptops.  Make sure all of the air vents in your current laptop are dust free and clear of obstacles, especially when running SL.  (Same advice if you choose to purchase a new laptop.)

I run SL on both laptops and desktops and find the experience most satisfying when I am using a desktop with GOOD GPU installed.  However my initial desktop build was based on an i5 chip and I used the onboard HD graphics for a few months before I added a discrete GPU.  Not having experienced SL on anything better I was happy with the HD graphics. It allowed me to chat with folks and do a bit of shopping without much frustration.   Dancing and exploring will definitely have you wanting a GPU.

 

You can frequently purchase a one generation old i3 or i5 based desktop on sale for a modest price.  I saw an i3 based desktop on sale yesterday for about US $320.   If you do that, you'll eventually want to upgrade the power supply (with careful shopping of sales and rebates around $40, otherwise $60 - $80)  before you upgrade by adding a GPU (GTX 650 (about $120) should work well on a single monitor system, I use a GTX660ti with a dual monitor system).

The absolute most satisfying thing about using the desktop versus the laptop is the screen size.  The 15.6" (typical) laptop screen just doesn't compare to a 23" display.   If you are stuck with a laptop you may want to look into purchasing an external monitor for your SL experiences. 

If you go laptop look for nvidia GT 650M or better graphics installed if you plan to do more than chat and shop in SL. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I've been using an ASUS G73SW for a couple of years now and it runs SL perfectly. FPS are consistently 40 and over depending on the sim design. And that's with draw distance at 800 and graphics set to high which for me is perfectly acceptable. A desktop would give me greater graphics capability but I just prefer the flexibility of being able to sit where I want rather than tied to a desk top. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

One thing I will mention is that in all of the areas that count,

an i5 intel chip is every bit as good as the newer i7s. Hardly any

games or other applications take advantage of i7 architecture yet

That having been said, the decent i5 chips cost just as much.

A lot of people are very happy with less expensive AMD setups,

which usually run cooler than Intels in laptops.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are about to reply to a thread that has been inactive for 3568 days.

Please take a moment to consider if this thread is worth bumping.

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...