Playing civ 5 on a laptop questions

nokmirt

nokmirt

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1. What is it like playing civ 5 on a laptop? Is it a pain in the neck to get used too?

2. I wanted to spend somewhere between $700 to a $100 on one? What processor and other settings work the best with the game? I realize most laptops are not nearly as powerful as desktop pcs.

3. What is the best way to get an internet connection? I am daft when it comes to wireless and how these things work, sorry!
 
I am using a Acer 8942G

Its high spec (i7, 6GB RAM, GeForce GTS 250M, 2 x 640GB HDD) probably too high specification for normal use, but its a laptops - so no upgrades!

I would go for a fast i5 with a decent graphics card (from the high Class 2/Low Class 1 section from here) and a 17" screen.

In fact - take a really good look at www.notebookcheck.net - it will save lots of time by narrowing down the top line specs. It also is very honest on its reviews of the machines.

Have fun looking

Nigel
 
Regarding 1.: It depends. It should be clear that usually a laptop will be significantly slower than a desktop if they have comparable pricepoints. Especially with video cards the difference is huge, fortunately Civ5 mostly needs CPU power.
For me usability is fine if you use a external mouse.

Re 2.: As long as Sandy Bridge laptops are unavailable, a fast dual core i3/i5 CPU with a middle of the road GPU is what you want for Civ5.

The bargain

A bit more graphics power

Something portable
 
My HP HD 19" laptop is the only computer in the house that will play V. It has great graphics for being 5 years old. I just wish it had a little more power.
 
The_J said:
The processor is a bit slow. Else i'd say that it's a bit overpriced, but i'm not that familiar anymore with the current prices.
Click to expand...

Clock Speed 1.73 GHz
Max Turbo Frequency 2.93 GHz Does this Intel turbo boost technology help with gaming?

Isn't that sufficient for Civ 5? Rec settings call for 1.80 GHZ. Am I close enough or should I look for something else?

Ok what I figured out is this, and correct me if I am wrong. This I7 has a lower intial clock speed of 1.73 GHZ. But it can boost to 2.93 GHZ. So if a single core or cores is running a program it/they can boost the power for that application as needed. Based on this, Civ 5 recs a quad core at 1.80 GHZ, so the processor I will have tomorrow, which is rated at 1.73 GHZ, will have to step up performance to match recommended settings. No problem it will do that with ease and grace.

Spoiler :
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
Performance on demand

Intel has optimized Intel® Turbo Boost Technology¹ to provide even more performance when needed on the latest-generation Intel® microarchitecture code name Sandy Bridge. Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 automatically allows processor cores to run faster than the base operating frequency if it's operating below power, current, and temperature specification limits.

Dynamically increasing performance
Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 is activated when the Operating System (OS) requests the highest processor performance state (P0).

The maximum frequency of Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 is dependent on the number of active cores. The amount of time the processor spends in the Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 state depends on the workload and operating environment.

Any of the following can set the upper limit of Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 on a given workload:

•Number of active cores
•Estimated current consumption
•Estimated power consumption
•Processor temperature
When the processor is operating below these limits and the user's workload demands additional performance, the processor frequency will dynamically increase until the upper limit of frequency is reached. Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 has multiple algorithms operating in parallel to manage current, power, and temperature to maximize performance and energy efficiency. Note: Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 allows the processor to operate at a power level that is higher than its rated upper power limit (TDP) for short durations to maximize performance.
 
It cannot be stressed enough that the "recommended" specs are a bad joke :(
- Quad cores only give you a better frame rate, not faster turn times, ask any civver what he cares more about ...
- 9800GTs and cards of similar architecture run abysmally slow in Civ5.

That being said, the i7-740QM is not such a bad choice for Civ5, with 2 active cores the turbo boost frequency is "up to 2.53GHz". In combination with the bigger caches it will probably be a tad faster than a ~2.5GHz i3/i5. It's just much more expensive ;)

The mobility 5870 is one of the fastest laptop GPUs available, so the price for that ASUS seems justified.
 
tokala said:
It cannot be stressed enough that the "recommended" specs are a bad joke :(
- Quad cores only give you a better frame rate, not faster turn times, ask any civver what he cares more about ...
- 9800GTs and cards of similar architecture run abysmally slow in Civ5.

That being said, the i7-740QM is not such a bad choice for Civ5, with 2 active cores the turbo boost frequency is "up to 2.53GHz". In combination with the bigger caches it will probably be a tad faster than a ~2.5GHz i3/i5. It's just much more expensive ;)

The mobility 5870 is one of the fastest laptop GPUs available, so the price for that ASUS seems justified.
Click to expand...

Ok, the ASUS plays CiV like a champ. 15 civs 22 CS, hugemap no lag whatsoever! The microprossessor picks up speed as needed, but it is very smooth. I wanted to thank everyone for there input and advice.
 
It also has HDMI out, so you can hook it up to a nice LCD screen.
 
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