Laptop Gaming?

[cgannon64]

I just checked out the specs on my laptop today. Its a PIII 1.1 Ghz with 584 RAM. My PC is a PIII 800 Mhz with 384 RAM. Obviously it seems that my laptop is superior, and that I should play games on it. But I was wondering...are there any problems that I should be aware of my playing on a laptop, like overheating or the like?

I know this may sound noobish, but I don't want to kill my dad's $1000 laptop just because I wanted an extra 300 Mhz of processor...

EDIT: Forgot one last thing. The laptop has something like GeForce2, while my PC has a low-quality video card that came with the computer.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

The refresh rate on LCD screens is slower than for CRTs, so that's another thing to think about - what you gain from the fater CPU/bigger RAM on the laptop could be reduced or lost from the slower graphics.

 

[CrackedCrystal]

You could overcome the graphics thing if you had a docking station. But that costs money. If you were going to spend money anyway, I would just say buy a new video card. There are some lower-end ones around $70 that are very good (like Gefore4 MX).

I would not like the keyboard of a laptop either for video games unlewss it was a turn-based game like Civ. They are just too awkward for me. Same thing with the touchmouse.

Bottom line, I think you would not enjoy it as much as your desktop, and it wouldn't be much faster. A 300Mz difference is not going to give you a great deal of difference in gameplay.

 

[cgannon64]

Thanks. The graphics wouldn't be much of a problem, because Civ3 isn't that graphics intensive. But also, as CrackedCrystal pointed out, the lack of diagonal keys will be annoying in Civ, and it won't be much more of a difference.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Lucky]

I always use my laptop for LAN gaming elsewhere and also if I want to play Civ3 outside in the summer.
Unless you play shooters or other fast paced games, you won´t have much problems with the display. Overheating should not be an issue, just be aware of where you put it, i.e. look out that you don´t block the air vents. So putting it on your lap, as the name suggest, or on something else soft is not a good idea. Use a hard and level underground for it.

You should also get a mouse for it, I don´t like the trackballs or touchpads at all.
Another thing is to try to play in the native resolution of the display, usually 1024x768 or 1280x1024. For standard laptop LCD displays it usually is the former. Otherwise the display will have to downgrade and resize the graphics which will lead to a noticeable loss of image quality.

 

[Grisu]

I use my laptop all the time for gaming and never experienced any problems. I never noticed a low refresh rate of my display, I think modern displays are much better in this regard.

Overheating shouldn't be a problem: your laptop should be built to be able to handle it's cpu.

 

[CommiePlanner]

I also game on a laptop all the time, my graphics processsing unit sucks however. Be careful about overheating, and cd-rom drives in laptops are not always the most durable. It is better to have it plugged into the wall than to play off of your battery. Hope this helps.

 

[cgannon64]

Originally posted by CommiePlanner
It is better to have it plugged into the wall than to play off of your battery. Hope this helps.

That's what I always end up doing. I'll probably only install Civ3/PTW in my laptop for when, in the summer, I'm away from my computer.