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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Some queries about Civilization V

WilliamWatts on 21 February 2010
starcraft said:
WilliamWatts said:
starcraft said:
WilliamWatts said:
Um any laptop released within the last couple of years ought to be able to run it.

So something like low end dual core + integrated graphics ought to do you fine. But why are you worrying about it now when it won't release until the end of the year?

If I am going to be resigned to purchasing a laptop then I may as well do so soon and get use out of it ASAP.

Integrated graphics would really run Civ 5 decently?

Go for a laptop with a discrete ATI DX11 graphics chip if you can, ATI 5xxx series. That way you'll be able to run more than just Civ 5, you'll also get access to Starcraft 2 etc. DDR3 is good because it uses less power than DDR2 whilst offering slightly more performance for about the same price.

Any 5*** series in particular?  I know NOTHING about Video Cards at all anymore.  IT used to be simple when it was NVIDIA Geforce this and that.  Now I am lost at sea.

HD 54xx = light weight 80 stream processors. 12GB/s Bandwidth

HD 56xx-5730 = medium weight 400 Stream processors. 25GB/s Bandwidth

HD 5750/70 = light heavy weight 400 Stream processors 55GB/s Bandwidth

So either a medium weight or a light heavy weight depending on what kinds of games you want to play. If its just lighter strategy etc games pick the former but if you want first person shooters etc pick the latter.



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starcraft on 21 February 2010
WilliamWatts said:
starcraft said:
WilliamWatts said:
starcraft said:
WilliamWatts said:
Um any laptop released within the last couple of years ought to be able to run it.

So something like low end dual core + integrated graphics ought to do you fine. But why are you worrying about it now when it won't release until the end of the year?

If I am going to be resigned to purchasing a laptop then I may as well do so soon and get use out of it ASAP.

Integrated graphics would really run Civ 5 decently?

Go for a laptop with a discrete ATI DX11 graphics chip if you can, ATI 5xxx series. That way you'll be able to run more than just Civ 5, you'll also get access to Starcraft 2 etc. DDR3 is good because it uses less power than DDR2 whilst offering slightly more performance for about the same price.

Any 5*** series in particular?  I know NOTHING about Video Cards at all anymore.  IT used to be simple when it was NVIDIA Geforce this and that.  Now I am lost at sea.

HD 54xx = light weight 80 stream processors. 12GB/s Bandwidth

HD 56xx-5730 = medium weight 400 Stream processors. 25GB/s Bandwidth

HD 5750/70 = light heavy weight 400 Stream processors 55GB/s Bandwidth

So either a medium weight or a light heavy weight depending on what kinds of games you want to play. If its just lighter strategy etc games pick the former but if you want first person shooters etc pick the latter.

Should I care much about the difference between 512MB and 1GB for the Graphics card?  Should I then be avoiding NVIDIA cards?

Also, is there any advantage in these new I-cores over a decent Dual Core?



starcraft - Playing Games = FUN, Talking about Games = SERIOUS

WilliamWatts on 21 February 2010
starcraft said:
WilliamWatts said:
starcraft said:

Any 5*** series in particular?  I know NOTHING about Video Cards at all anymore.  IT used to be simple when it was NVIDIA Geforce this and that.  Now I am lost at sea.

HD 54xx = light weight 80 stream processors. 12GB/s Bandwidth

HD 56xx-5730 = medium weight 400 Stream processors. 25GB/s Bandwidth

HD 5750/70 = light heavy weight 400 Stream processors 55GB/s Bandwidth

So either a medium weight or a light heavy weight depending on what kinds of games you want to play. If its just lighter strategy etc games pick the former but if you want first person shooters etc pick the latter.

Should I care much about the difference between 512MB and 1GB for the Graphics card?  Should I then be avoiding NVIDIA cards?

Also, is there any advantage in these new I-cores over a decent Dual Core?

Not really, you're talking about a laptop screen and you'll sooner be limited by bandwidth before memory size. However the higher end you go the more 1GB makes sense over 512, does that make sense? You could get away with a 54xx series for Civ but it wouldn't be much good for games

Nvidia aren't as power efficient, they don't support the latest Direct X version, their architectures are older. They are essentially cruder and they aren't nearly as good.

I over Core 2 is the a significant difference, especially the latest ix processors. They are much more power efficient, longer batter life moreso than the extra performance achieved.

http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/4b81bfcd02481aa62740c0a87e0106b5/Product/View/XC6468

Is an example of a good solid laptop. Its screen resolution which is 1366/768 is matched to the bandwidth of the graphics card and it comes with a 2 core 4 thread processor on the efficient 32nm process. If you wait a little bit you'll see these prices come down. Intel always reprices their parts in April so May can be a good time to buy.



theprof00 on 21 February 2010

I have the acer aspire 6930G
CPU: 2.0-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800
RAM/Expandable to: 4GB/8GB
Hard Drive Size/Speed: 320GB/5,400 rpm
Display Size/Resolution: 16 inches/1366 x 768

I can run civ 4 and colonization. But both are quite slow.



WilliamWatts on 21 February 2010

GeForce 9600M GS in the above? Its quite a slow GPU actually. Its only clocking at 430Mhz with 32 Stream processors.



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theprof00 on 21 February 2010

it'snhard finding a cheap laptop with anything more than that. Actually, I bought this a year and a half ago so...



WilliamWatts on 21 February 2010

Don't worry, Nvidia still thinks they are good. They know the way its meant to be renamed.

Thats decent for a year and a half ago btw. These new HD 56xx+ chips are actually among the first laptop GPUs which I would classify as decent.



starcraft on 21 February 2010
WilliamWatts said:
Don't worry, Nvidia still thinks they are good. They know the way its meant to be renamed.

Thats decent for a year and a half ago btw. These new HD 56xx+ chips are actually among the first laptop GPUs which I would classify as decent.

Sorry to be a pain, it's just that your advice has been so good thus far

From the DickSmith website you linked too, assuming I was willing to go to AU$1600 or so, what would be the best buy in your opinion?



starcraft - Playing Games = FUN, Talking about Games = SERIOUS

WilliamWatts on 21 February 2010
starcraft said:
WilliamWatts said:
Don't worry, Nvidia still thinks they are good. They know the way its meant to be renamed.

Thats decent for a year and a half ago btw. These new HD 56xx+ chips are actually among the first laptop GPUs which I would classify as decent.

Sorry to be a pain, it's just that your advice has been so good thus far

From the DickSmith website you linked too, assuming I was willing to go to AU$1600 or so, what would be the best buy in your opinion?

None! There aren't any with a suitable combination of features and quality. You'll have to wait for some new models.



starcraft on 21 February 2010

Indeed? Fair enough. I'll see if I can force myself to hold out until May.

But honestly, holding out for laptops is like saying "I wont have sex now, because the women will be more experienced and talented in a few months."



starcraft - Playing Games = FUN, Talking about Games = SERIOUS