Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 2:28 am Posts: 687 Location: Bevin Field Office - KI: 01350736
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It's impossible to say yet whether OSMO will push the hardware much more than the original URU did because its new content doesn't exist yet - popping up the poly count dramatically would make new content look strange next to old content, and we also don't know how many people are going to be in Ages.
That said, if things stay the way they are I *think* that a GeForce 8600M GT should do OK, maybe with some of the settings down (I need to install Uru sometime on my laptop to check it out). It's not a real workhorse though, and only a fraction as powerful as its desktop counterparts (i.e. even the original GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB is much more powerful). It should be able to push a lot of pixels, if you don't tax it with high levels of anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering.
I haven't got access to any AMD / ATi hardware but I've seen some 3D games chugging along on a newly store-bought laptop (not my choice but it was ~$500).
I don't know what your price range is, which is certainly the most important question. Even so, you certainly can get a *very nice* laptop for $500 or less. Actually, I've seen some great-looking gaming laptops (Dell XPS M1XXX series) that kick the puddin' outta my (suddenly) old (2007, heh) ASUS G2S-B2 model going very cheaply on that certain internet auction site - $700 and less.
My thoughts:
- Go with a 64-bit OS with 4GB of RAM at least. Wait for Windows 7 if you can! Much improved for usability over Vista. At this point XP is more of a liability than an asset; Vista takes a lot of the guesswork and finesse out of securing your computing. Which isn't to say XP is horrible - I'm using it right now.
- Get a dual core processor, at minimum. You can scrimp on the OS and the RAM if you must save money, but going to a single-core CPU is not actually saving you much (if any) money over the low-end dual-cores yet severely impairs general functionality and system speed. Single biggest upgrade you can make today. It won't necessarily make Uru run faster - but it will let you run other things in the background concurrently without any trouble, and the game's threads will appreciate having a core to themselves.
- For wireless internet, look up 802.11n, not b or g, for your connection. MUCH faster and the range is improved. You'll need a faster wireless router to take advantage of it, but this should be catching on.
- Intel setups can benefit from Intel Turbo Memory, though you want the 2 or 4GB module, not the 512MB or 1GB (like I have, heh).
- GRAPHICS: Building on the post above, I agree totally that you need a dedicated separate card, not "integrated" chipset graphics. For serious FPS gaming, I would go with a dual 9800M type cards at least - but you don't really need that kind of power yet, and even these are hopefully soon to become obsolescent. Horrible heat issues with the range of G92 / G96 chips from nVidia too. HOWEVER, for your purposes, a 8X00M series chip should be enough, with any luck. Incidentally, if OSMO keeps PhysX for the physics, an nVidia graphics card will handle the physics for you (just keep the driver current).
- Underclocking software: Some good ones mentioned here, should still be reasonably current. Helps keep the laptop quiet and saves the fans when you don't need the extra juice to underclock (undervolt) the CPU. You may also invest in an active cooling pad for the laptop if it seems to be noisy (with the fans on) all the time.
- Screen is another important part here. I'm not sure if I like my 1920x1200 screen, at 17" diagonal, or not. It seems to give me headaches occasionally. It may be better to go with a smaller resolution (1920x1080 seems like a common resolution), depending on whether you want to watch high-definition videos on it (hah) or just want to have a lower DPI (i.e. things appear bigger onscreen, saving your eyes).
I'm sure there's more but that should be enough to get you started.
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