Is there a tool that can help tell me what to set my game settings to?

[M0dulo]

I just had to replace my laptop. I originally had an asus gaming laptop and this one is a general work laptop and a huge downgrade. I'm considering salvaging parts from the old laptop later but for now I'm hoping theres some tool that I can connect my steam, liibrary, give it my spec for the laptop and have it tell me what I should set specific games to instead of benchmarking manually.

[76561198407601200]

Originally posted by M0dulo:

I just had to replace my laptop. I originally had an asus gaming laptop and this one is a general work laptop and a huge downgrade. I'm considering salvaging parts from the old laptop later but for now I'm hoping theres some tool that I can connect my steam, liibrary, give it my spec for the laptop and have it tell me what I should set specific games to instead of benchmarking manually.

Unfortunately you will have to determine if the hardware you have meets the minimum spec requirements on the store page for each game. Otherwise you can utilize one of the many sites ie canirunit.

[ReBoot]

There's GeForce experience which scans your hardware and applies settings to games. I am not sure whether AMD/Intel got similar stuff but you can check that yourself.

Also, don't bet too much on salvaging parts. Laptop parts are, except for few special cases (I. E. Framework Laptop), pretty much futile in that regard.

[Anonymous Helper]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Also, don't bet too much on salvaging parts. Laptop parts are, except for few special cases (I. E. Framework Laptop), pretty much futile in that regard.

Generally only laptop storage (HDD, SSD, M.2, NVMe etc.) and memory can be taken out or replaced in laptops (In some cases even those are soldered to the motherboard). Rest are generally non-removable.

While Framework Laptop allows removing/replacing most parts, most of those parts (with exception of memory and storage) are only usable on another Framework Laptop.

Also do note that even if you can extract laptops memory modules, there is no guarantee they are compatible with another laptop or with memory already present on the laptop. There also might not be free slots available put them in.

[IFIYGD]

Install Steam Client.
Click "Help" in the upper left part of the screen.
Click "System Information".
Copy the info to your clipboard or write it down- you don't need it all but the OS, CPU type and speed, GPU or integrated chipset model and version, memory type/speed and amount are basics you need to know to do store page comparisons.
You can also click the "Compare Your Hardware" button to compare your HW to what others are using based on System Surveys they completed. Won't tell you what games you can run, or what settings you should use.

Sites like canirunit will be hit or miss- that site in particular is a marketing site set up to try to get you to buy new "upgraded" hardware or machines from h their sponsors. But it can give a reasonable guess at whether your work laptop can run a game at lowest settings or not. https://www.pcgamebenchmark.com/ is a similar site that does a similar scan and will also try to suggest new upgrades from their sponsors that you should buy. (so they get a nice juicy payment from you clicking the links).

Sometimes asking in the game's own forums to see if anyone else using the same or a very similar machine is able to run the game well enough to have a decent playing experience, and to see if any specific settings need to be tweaked to run the game well enough to play it without many issues.

[Pierce Dalton]

Originally posted by M0dulo:

I just had to replace my laptop. I originally had an asus gaming laptop and this one is a general work laptop and a huge downgrade.

Then you don't need any tool, low or medium at best.

[Eagle_of_Fire]

Originally posted by M0dulo:

I just had to replace my laptop. I originally had an asus gaming laptop and this one is a general work laptop and a huge downgrade. I'm considering salvaging parts from the old laptop later but for now I'm hoping theres some tool that I can connect my steam, liibrary, give it my spec for the laptop and have it tell me what I should set specific games to instead of benchmarking manually.

If I understand your "problem" right, then the answer is a very obvious NO.

[Jon the VGNerd]

Originally posted by 76561198083019420:

its not your game, you dont own it

I have hundreds of physical games (old and new), and digital games as well, can even play digital games on the PS3 and 360 as well. Your argument is invalid.

[Anonymous Helper]

Originally posted by Jon the VGNerd:

Originally posted by 76561198083019420:

its not your game, you dont own it

I have hundreds of physical games (old and new), and digital games as well, can even play digital games on the PS3 and 360 as well. Your argument is invalid.

No it's not. Licence agreement included on those physical copies is the same as in digital copies. You do not legally own the game, only personal licence to play it. Difference is the licence terms could not be enforced until digital age. After digital became a norm, those boxes started to contain single use activation keys for various platforms and boxes and their content became mere decoration as no one but the person that had activated the game could install and play the game.

[Jakob Fel]

Originally posted by Anonymous Helper:

Originally posted by Jon the VGNerd:

I have hundreds of physical games (old and new), and digital games as well, can even play digital games on the PS3 and 360 as well. Your argument is invalid.

No it's not. Licence agreement included on those physical copies is the same as in digital copies. You do not legally own the game, only personal licence to play it. Difference is the licence terms could not be enforced until digital age. After digital became a norm, those boxes started to contain single use activation keys for various platforms and boxes and their content became mere decoration as no one but the person that had activated the game could install and play the game.

It's also not enforceable with DRM-free, which is why I really do wish Steam would let us have DRM-free offline installers, at least for the games that support it (eg. games that are also hosted on GOG). That said, provided you bought a game via Steam themselves, you're pretty much guaranteed to have indefinite access to that game since Valve doesn't really revoke keys unless they were illegitimate.

Now, regarding the OP: it takes some practice but if you read up on what sort of graphics settings impact which bits of hardware, you can start tweaking graphics settings to your hardware and it eventually becomes second nature. For example, anisotropic filtering usually impacts RAM. Shadows tend to impact the GPU. NPC model render counts usually impact CPU. The list goes on; you just kinda have to study which settings impact which pieces of hardware. Once you study that, experiment with those settings in a range of different games.

Like I said, it eventually becomes second nature and, if I'm being honest, it's a big part of the appeal of PC gaming. Tinkering and tweaking is the sort of freedom that makes PC gaming so freaking awesome.

[Anonymous Helper]

Originally posted by Jakob Fel:

It's also not enforceable with DRM-free, which is why I really do wish Steam would let us have DRM-free offline installers, at least for the games that support it (eg. games that are also hosted on GOG).

Except that's not for Valve to decide. Valve is in legally binding contract with developers and publishers on Steam that states that such decisions are entirely up to developers and publishers and Valve won't interfere with it. If Valve tried to renegotiate those terms 90%+ of the developers and publishers would reject the idea and they would leave Steam the moment Valve would try to force the issue. This is why only around 10% of the PC games are available on GOG in the first place as 90%+ of the developers and publishers will never agree to GOG's terms.

There is also the fact that only tiny fraction of Steam's want's such feature and even smaller would make use of it and there is also the issue of many people would use it for illegitimate purposes (ie sharing the backups with others).

[Jon the VGNerd]

Originally posted by Anonymous Helper:

Originally posted by Jon the VGNerd:

I have hundreds of physical games (old and new), and digital games as well, can even play digital games on the PS3 and 360 as well. Your argument is invalid.

No it's not. Licence agreement included on those physical copies is the same as in digital copies. You do not legally own the game, only personal licence to play it. Difference is the licence terms could not be enforced until digital age. After digital became a norm, those boxes started to contain single use activation keys for various platforms and boxes and their content became mere decoration as no one but the person that had activated the game could install and play the game.

I'mma stop you right there because your response is incredibly biased. I happen to own physical copies from at least a dozen PS1 games to PS4 games with me, digitally included for both PS1 on the PS3, and digital games on the PS4, even have at least hundreds of PS2 games with me as well (and even if that's not the case, doesn't stop me from playing because older games never had any form of DRM, except for one such game known as MAG on the PS3, which is basically it really). Same with OG Xbox games I bought from both at a local game store and at an online retro gaming store, same with the 360. Even Microsoft themselves stated that games + DLCs that were previously bought can be redownloaded at anytime before the XBL for the 360 have shut down for good, and was still able to play 360 games digitally with no issues.

And before you say anything, no gaming company would dare barge through the door into my house and take away each and every physical games I rightfully bought, dating back decades ago too. Plus, Ubisoft pulled a "be comfortable that [they] don't own their games]" stunt, which basically backfired on them badly, which in result led to their stocks tanking. And its all due because they're planning to include both The Crew 2 and The Crew Motorfest an offline mode. Plus, should my internet were go out, I can still play games on Steam without the worry of needing an internet, not caring too much about achievements in the meantime.

Even if I don't legally own the game, doesn't stop me from playing them however I want. Hence, no gaming company would be insane to break into my house and start confiscating games out of sheer spite. That'd be considered breaking and entering by law, or even home invasion and trespassing altogether.

[Nx Machina]

Originally posted by Jakob Fel:

It's also not enforceable with DRM-free, which is why I really do wish Steam would let us have DRM-free offline installers, at least for the games that support it (eg. games that are also hosted on GOG).

Offline installers on GOG have a EULA, and you still only have a licence to play it. You do not own the games.

[Nx Machina]

Originally posted by Jon the VGNerd:

I'mma stop you right there because your response is incredibly biased. I happen to own physical copies from at least a dozen PS1 games to PS4 games with me,

You own the disc, not the content on it.