CPU requirements. (Slightly off topic.)

[NicoFiend]

Alright guys. Some of you have already been talking with me about this game, and my lacking CPU. And I've decided my next paycheck solves that problem. However, I game on a laptop, and upgrading a laptop CPU is a nightmare. It's like playing connect the dots, where some of the dots are invisible, or using code names. Anyways, laptop is Toshiba Satellite C55t-A5222. That's a socket G2, rPGA988B/FCPG988, HM-70 Chipset (wondering if this is backwards compatible with i5-7 family?) Current CPU has TDP 35w, wondering if the 45w Intel i7 3630QM quad (if even compatible) would risk damaging the computer? Anyways, could use some educated help here.

[Ilya]

Well they are both the same socket type, that is the most important thing.

Next thing I would look at is the power. The CPU won't "hurt" the laptop, but if there isn't enough power it will cause your laptop to not start, or crash due to power outages. What GPU do you have in that thing, or is it integrated? That CPU you are looking at is over $200 (from what I found). If you have a low-end GPU as well, it might actually be more reasonable (i.e. affordable in the long run) to buy a new laptop.

Some things to be aware of -
Keep in mind the i7 is a pretty strong CPU that puts out some power, which also means it will put out some heat. So you will need some decent airflow in your laptop to prevent overheating.
As I mentioned with the GPU, if you have a lower end GPU in your laptop it is still going to bottleneck the system when gaming.

[NicoFiend]

The i7 is not my only ideal upgrade. It's just the only compatible quad. According to slot type I have the full range from Pentium-i3-i5-i7, however the HM-70 chipset only has two of it's OWN processor families. Intel Pentium and Intel Celeron. What I'm asking is... Is HM-70 backwards compatible with an older i5?

[NicoFiend]

They're all the same measurements, same socket type, all Ivy Bridge, which the internet claims is compatible. My current CPU is IntelCeleron 1005m

[NicoFiend]

As for GPU it's combined with the CPU with high end shaders (5.0 I believe) and share video memory. Which is annoying, but RAM is cheaper than a CPU.

[NicoFiend]

For comparison, my laptop already runs many games (though on the very low end, graphically.)

[BlockbusterLateFees]

Dont do anything above 35w, you can fry your motherboard. Im using the alienware alpha which is similar to a laptop and I high recommend you upgrade to i7 4765t. 35w, works beautifully. Also, upgrade your memory to DDR3L, it has to have the L at the end of it. Corsair Vengence 1600 DDR3L 16gb is what I got, couldnt be happier. Although, dont get too excited, because the game itself is in alpha stage and needs a lot of optimizing, which means, even with a good set up, the game might run a little lower than expected and it isnt your fault. With those things in mind, I think you will have a great time with the game. Just dont expect too much until they start to work on the games optimization so it can run better. And with my settup I can run far cry 4 with

Textures Ultra
Shadow MEdium
Post FX Low (cutscene graphics, so it doesnt affect gameplay anyway)
Geometry Low
Vegetation Medium
Terrain Ultra
Water Medium
HIgh
off
off
Off
off

and it never drops below 30fps, looks beautiful. So if Farcry 4 can run with some settings on Ultra, it shows you this game still needs some time optimizing, which is no problem if you realize that before upgrading and expecting huge changes.

I hope this helps!

[NicoFiend]

It will indeed help once I get in game! But for now, I am running 4 gigs of DDR3 and a 1.9Ghz dual core Celeron. Both leave a lot wanting. My main focus here was looking for someone who works on laptops and can tell me about backwards compatible chipsets, as well as socket dimensions, and BIOS compatibility.

[Hendrik]

erm, dont do it I'd never touch something like gpu or cpu on a laptop the most i'd do is switch hdd or add a bit of ram.

Upgrading it too much will be trouble temperature and power usage wise.

[johnga]

Originally posted by AnarCrass:

Alright guys. Some of you have already been talking with me about this game, and my lacking CPU. And I've decided my next paycheck solves that problem. However, I game on a laptop, and upgrading a laptop CPU is a nightmare. It's like playing connect the dots, where some of the dots are invisible, or using code names. Anyways, laptop is Toshiba Satellite C55t-A5222. That's a socket G2, rPGA988B/FCPG988, HM-70 Chipset (wondering if this is backwards compatible with i5-7 family?) Current CPU has TDP 35w, wondering if the 45w Intel i7 3630QM quad (if even compatible) would risk damaging the computer? Anyways, could use some educated help here.

is that the model with intel hd graphics if so dont waste your time you cant upgrade your gpu making all other upgrades a waste of time for gaming especially games with crytek eng.
i build high end pcs. for other people and have done work on laptops as well as a hobby not a expert but i do no my way around them.

[NicoFiend]

Well guys, I have to work with what I have. I will settle for minimal graphics. The way intel integrated GPU works is it shares RAM with the system, rather than having built in VRAM. Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics sharing around 8 gigs of RAM on a faster CPU (Even just the 2.4 duo Pentium, though that's integrated HD, not 4000) should be sufficient to RUN these games. I don't care about pristine textures or water reflections so much. If I had the money to build a solid gaming machine, I'd do so in a heart beat, but for now... I am content with just scraping by

[johnga]

do you own this game now and are you able to play it at all

[NicoFiend]

I do not own it currently, however the minimum specs are met in all regards except CPU, where I fall 0.5Ghz below

[NicoFiend]

However DayZ runs just fine (Well... as close to fine as DayZ CAN run) on low graphics. Rust ran fine once I stopped trying to run it on high graphics, The Elder Scrolls Online runs fantastically on medium/medium low with all lighting and shadows (I am a ♥♥♥♥♥ for dynamic lighting. Will sacrifice all the rest of my graphics in favor of good lighting.)

[johnga]

do you have any games that use the crytek eng.

[johnga]

the reason i ask is because the crytek eng. is the most demanding one out there right now and if you have games that run with it you may be able to run this game on lowest settings.