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picking a laptop for SL: graphics?


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Hi I'm thinking about getting a laptop so I don't have to spend all my time at my desk because of health issues.. And I'm kind of confused looking at laptops. I'm Seeing graphics listed on many at "Intel HD" and just seen one "Intel HD4400" http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/toshiba-toshiba-satellite-l50-b-15-6-laptop-black-intel-core-i5-4210u-750gb-hdd-8gb-ram-windows-8-1-l50-b-07w/10298966.aspx So I'm was hoping to get some insight if a laptop with this kind of graphics will run SL? I'll be using the laptop for other stuff of course, but not much sense getting one if I can't do SL too. I don't want to go spending a ton of money on a "gaming laptop just to do SL. I don't care if it's Intel or AMD CPU, but I have no interest in mac..
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The truth is that SecondLife actually works best with  the same or higher graphics performance  than most "games" need. 

The intel 4400 graphics is actually part of the 4th generation intel haswell CPU. its not a seperate card or chip . It has no dedicated graphics memory. Its  much better performance than older generation Intel integrated graphics  But its still no where near as good as having a seperate GPU card or gpu Chip with dedicated gpu memory.

Get a laptop with seperate Nvidia GPU chip. I would recommend a GT 650M  or better. (the second number "5"  is the performance level) 5 or higher is best for SL.

Will Intel 4400 graphics work in SL ? ....yes  but  only in low or medium graphics mode at reduced frame rates.

dd

 

 

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Thanks for the info on the Intel.. I'll see what I can find.. if the cost gets too high I might just invest in a super comfy chair for my desk instead, and maybe do some put grading to the desktop PC. But If i can a laptop to relax on the sofa or bed with would be nice if I can keep the price semi reasonable..

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Dax Mars wrote:

I might just invest in a super comfy chair for my desk


That would be the preferable solution anyway. Lounging on  a sofa or bed isn't good for your posture and will deffo ruin your spine. Get an ergonomically correct office chair with good lumbar support and try to sit straight while you're at the computer. See, for once our moms have been correct. :smileysurprised: A desktop computer is much better anyhoo; better upgradeability, cheaper, more powerfullerer. But if you insist on a laptop, yes, see that you get a gaming machine with dedicated graphics. MSI, ASUS and Lenovo have some not too expensive and hyped stuff in their lineup. Forget everything below the 800 € price range.

That thing from your link? Crappola. :smileymad: For 500 bucks it's not even in the running. 1.7 Ghz??? No SSD? That thing is a wannabe quasi-mobile office warrior fashion item. You want a battlecruiser of a laptop, not a lady's purse.

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Ok, then the plan is a trip to (as much as I hate the store) Staples and get a high end chair and maybe even a new desk. This desk is a bit higher them my old desk, and just seem a tad too high even with my chair raised for it. It's 25.5 inches to the keyboard shelf, 30.5 inches to the desktop. All the strange copu models on the laptops was driving my crazy.. I went in Bestbuy and they were giving me the line that it's still faster because of the new processor.. blah.. Right now my PC is 3GHz Athlon 2 dual core, but the video card is kind of dated being a nVidia Gforce 8400GS (512mb) So maybe update the video card at some point too :) The more I think about it, those little laptops are more for web browsing and email, maybe playing a dvd.. not even light duty gaming.

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Zacly. While the Best Buy guy was correct about modern CPUs being faster than old ones, even on slower frequency, the most important factor for SL is the GPU. You need graphics power, only the best will give you a truly great experience.

I don't know how old or powerful  your 3GHz Athlon is but the 8400 is deffo not the best solution anymore. Actually it never was. GS is not the good series and x4xx is fairly low in the lineup. See that you put at least an GTX x60 in your machine, and maybe update your RAM. That should give you a world of a difference.

Well, where I come from (fukn Germany) the heights of office desks are kinda normed, so they are in conjunction with regular office chairs perfect for the average person.

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