Game Recommendation/Computer Help

[Thyunda]

Can somebody help me out? If you guys can tell me which specifications are useful for this, and then recommend me some games that will run well on said specifications, it'd be much appreciated.

From that convoluted mess, I basically mean,
1. How do I bring up useful specs?
2. What games would I be able to run from there?

 

[MisterShine]

From that convoluted mess, I basically mean,
1. How do I bring up useful specs?
2. What games would I be able to run from there?

1. Hit the start button on your windows, click the "search for programs and files" text, then type in "dxdiag" without the quotations and hit enter. This will bring up your computer specs in one handy window.

The first tab is system, the really important ones are Operating System, Processor and Memory. The second tab, Display, will have a Device section on the left detailing your video card (I need the name, chip type, and approx total memory). These are the important bits on how games play. If you'd be so kind as to tell me what those values are on your dxdiag, I can help walk you through how to compare them to recommended/minimum specs.

 

[Thyunda]

From that convoluted mess, I basically mean,
1. How do I bring up useful specs?
2. What games would I be able to run from there?

1. Hit the start button on your windows, click the "search for programs and files" text, then type in "dxdiag" without the quotations and hit enter. This will bring up your computer specs in one handy window.

The first tab is system, the really important ones are Operating System, Processor and Memory. The second tab, Display, will have a Device section on the left detailing your video card (I need the name, chip type, and approx total memory). These are the important bits on how games play. If you'd be so kind as to tell me what those values are on your dxdiag, I can help walk you through how to compare them to recommended/minimum specs.

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit (6.1, Build 7600)
Processor: Pentium Dual-Core CPU T4400 @2.20GHz (2 CPUs) ~2.2GHz
Memory: 2048MB RAM

Device Name: Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family
Chip Type (Same as name)
Approx Total Memory: 812MB

 

[Waaghpowa]

What graphics chip are you running? Your cpu and ram are fine for certain games, but without the GPU you might as well forget it.

 

[MisterShine]

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit (6.1, Build 7600)
Processor: Pentium Dual-Core CPU T4400 @2.20GHz (2 CPUs) ~2.2GHz
Memory: 2048MB RAM

Device Name: Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family
Chip Type (Same as name)
Approx Total Memory: 812MB

Hmmm, unfortunately I have some bad news for you, your specs are fairly poor.

I'm copying this from the escapist article on Deus Ex 3 Min specs:

Minimum PC Specs:

OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 with DirectX 9.0c
Processor: 2 GHz dual core
RAM: 1 GB RAM (Windows XP) / 2 GB (Windows Vista and Windows 7)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 8000 series or ATI Radeon HD 2000 series or better
Required Disc Space: 8.5 GB

As you can tell, you have the right OS and processor (it requires a 2 ghz dual core, you have 2.2), RAM is another word for memory (in this case), so you meet that requirement too, the big problem is your video card, namely that you don't have one.

A small crash course on video cards, they are the thing that generates your graphics for your computer and output them to the screen, and there are 3 types: Nvidia, ATI and the generic "Onboard" cards. You can tell something is onboard because it isn't an ATI or a Nvidia, and since yours says its a "mobile intel" blah blah, that means its an onboard. Onboard cards are made for PC laymen or those who don't need their computers to do anything graphically intensive. While these cards are of varying levels of power, they are always worse than an nvidia or ATI and seriously hamper your ability to play games. Since its a mobile intel, I'm going to assume you're on a laptop? This means unfortunately that it is nearly impossible to replace your video card to something better. If you are on a desktop, this could be remedied through just buying a new video card and slapping it in there.

While you CAN play games on it, anything from the past five years or so that isn't on minimum settings is going to kick the crap out of your computer.

You could try

http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/

while on your laptop, but I've heard that with onboard video cards the website will always tell you that you'll fail at running it.

Hope this helps, if you have any further questions feel free to ask 'em.

 

[Thyunda]

Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit (6.1, Build 7600)
Processor: Pentium Dual-Core CPU T4400 @2.20GHz (2 CPUs) ~2.2GHz
Memory: 2048MB RAM

Device Name: Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family
Chip Type (Same as name)
Approx Total Memory: 812MB

Hmmm, unfortunately I have some bad news for you, your specs are fairly poor.

I'm copying this from the escapist article on Deus Ex 3 Min specs:

Minimum PC Specs:

OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 with DirectX 9.0c
Processor: 2 GHz dual core
RAM: 1 GB RAM (Windows XP) / 2 GB (Windows Vista and Windows 7)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 8000 series or ATI Radeon HD 2000 series or better
Required Disc Space: 8.5 GB

As you can tell, you have the right OS and processor (it requires a 2 ghz dual core, you have 2.2), RAM is another word for memory (in this case), so you meet that requirement too, the big problem is your video card, namely that you don't have one.

A small crash course on video cards, they are the thing that generates your graphics for your computer and output them to the screen, and there are 3 types: Nvidia, ATI and the generic "Onboard" cards. You can tell something is onboard because it isn't an ATI or a Nvidia, and since yours says its a "mobile intel" blah blah, that means its an onboard. Onboard cards are made for PC laymen or those who don't need their computers to do anything graphically intensive. While these cards are of varying levels of power, they are always worse than an nvidia or ATI and seriously hamper your ability to play games. Since its a mobile intel, I'm going to assume you're on a laptop? This means unfortunately that it is nearly impossible to replace your video card to something better. If you are on a desktop, this could be remedied through just buying a new video card and slapping it in there.

While you CAN play games on it, anything from the past five years or so that isn't on minimum settings is going to kick the crap out of your computer.

You could try

http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/

while on your laptop, but I've heard that with onboard video cards the website will always tell you that you'll fail at running it.

Hope this helps, if you have any further questions feel free to ask 'em.

Ya. I know my specs are awful. I could run Rome: Total War on the lowest settings perfectly well. Unfortunately, Medieval 2 brutalises my poor machine. I'm going to guess that since I'm on a laptop, it's going to be a nightmare to replace the video card?

I don't mind things being on the lowest settings, I just want to know a few games that will run smoothly. I put Medieval's problems down to it being an RTS, which, naturally, has a lot happening at once. D'you think there are any you can come out with off the top of your head? I'm planning on getting the first two Fallout games. They're fairly simplistic, so they should run perfectly well. Fallout: Tactics too, probably. I don't even need to ask about the more recent Fallouts, I doubt they have a chance.

 

[MisterShine]

Ya. I know my specs are awful. I could run Rome: Total War on the lowest settings perfectly well. Unfortunately, Medieval 2 brutalises my poor machine. I'm going to guess that since I'm on a laptop, it's going to be a nightmare to replace the video card?

As far as I'm aware, outside of some real technical know-how and welding skills, it's not possible to replace a laptops video card. Though I'm surprised you're having trouble running Medieval 2, when was the last time you defragged your hard drive, updated drivers, ran a virus scanner or wiped your hard drive? Also you might have a lot of programs running in the background.. (easiest way to check the last one, right click on the bottom tool bar and open "start task manager", switch to the processes tab, if your physical memory or CPU is above 50% and you aren't running a bunch of shit you have some issues)

The easiest way to increase your performance outside of that though is to increase your memory (RAM), could you link me to your computer where you bought it from, or if you got it from the store, which one?

I don't mind things being on the lowest settings, I just want to know a few games that will run smoothly. I put Medieval's problems down to it being an RTS, which, naturally, has a lot happening at once. D'you think there are any you can come out with off the top of your head? I'm planning on getting the first two Fallout games. They're fairly simplistic, so they should run perfectly well. Fallout: Tactics too, probably. I don't even need to ask about the more recent Fallouts, I doubt they have a chance.

gog.com

head there, I'm sure pretty much everything for sale on that site will be able to run on your computer (outside of Witcher 1 and 2 ) Also try out that website I linked in my previous post, it will scan your computer against a game of your choice and tell you how much past the minimum you are at running it, or if you can at all. Also just to warn you, Windows 7 hates old games like the early fallouts, but good old games optimizes them to run on 7, which is why I recommend them for you.

Some old RTS's off my head you could handle:
Dawn of War 1
Warcraft
Starcraft
Civilization
Europa Universallies

 

[Thyunda]

Ya. I know my specs are awful. I could run Rome: Total War on the lowest settings perfectly well. Unfortunately, Medieval 2 brutalises my poor machine. I'm going to guess that since I'm on a laptop, it's going to be a nightmare to replace the video card?

As far as I'm aware, outside of some real technical know-how and welding skills, it's not possible to replace a laptops video card. Though I'm surprised you're having trouble running Medieval 2, when was the last time you defragged your hard drive, updated drivers, ran a virus scanner or wiped your hard drive? Also you might have a lot of programs running in the background.. (easiest way to check the last one, right click on the bottom tool bar and open "start task manager", switch to the processes tab, if your physical memory or CPU is above 50% and you aren't running a bunch of shit you have some issues)

The easiest way to increase your performance outside of that though is to increase your memory (RAM), could you link me to your computer where you bought it from, or if you got it from the store, which one?

I don't mind things being on the lowest settings, I just want to know a few games that will run smoothly. I put Medieval's problems down to it being an RTS, which, naturally, has a lot happening at once. D'you think there are any you can come out with off the top of your head? I'm planning on getting the first two Fallout games. They're fairly simplistic, so they should run perfectly well. Fallout: Tactics too, probably. I don't even need to ask about the more recent Fallouts, I doubt they have a chance.

gog.com

head there, I'm sure pretty much everything for sale on that site will be able to run on your computer (outside of Witcher 1 and 2 ) Also try out that website I linked in my previous post, it will scan your computer against a game of your choice and tell you how much past the minimum you are at running it, or if you can at all. Also just to warn you, Windows 7 hates old games like the early fallouts, but good old games optimizes them to run on 7, which is why I recommend them for you.

Some old RTS's off my head you could handle:
Dawn of War 1
Warcraft
Starcraft
Civilization
Europa Universallies

Thanks, man. Medieval ran alright, but the campaign screen was a little slow, but the battles were fine. That was until I sallied against a siege on Venice. THEN things got problematic.

 

[Thyunda]

I'm temporarily resurrecting this thread for a quick question.

Would my laptop, with the specs above, be able to run Fallen Earth?

 

[DazZ.]

I'm temporarily resurrecting this thread for a quick question.

Would my laptop, with the specs above, be able to run Fallen Earth?

No.
But it's not THAT big of a download to find out if it's playable for you (as in if you can stand the amount of lag it would bring)? I really, really don't think it will be playable though.

I have a spare lappy of similar specs though, used to run League of Legends okish. (low settings 20-30fps)

Edit: Actually my lappy was slightly beefier, 3gb and a few more hertz in the cpu.