# Laptop slow as hell, need a replacement.



## shteev (Jan 21, 2012)

Hokay, so, I came here mostly for an opinion. My current laptop, a Toshiba, is getting slower by the day. Not with everyday computing, but with games. My desktop is a total powerhouse, which can run any modern games. To be honest, it spoiled me, and when I'm away and on my laptop (which is often), I'm left with Minecraft and Garry's Mod (which only run at ~20 FPS anyways). It's getting on my nerves a bit, considering this thing was mid-range when I got it. I have two options...

1.) I can invest in a new laptop and have it be substantially better than my current one, OR

2.) I can put a couple parts in my old desktop, have it run better than any laptop I can buy on my budget, and have it permanently stationed at my other parent's house. This seems like a more viable option but the components are getting dated, and I don't have much of a place to put it at this house.

Or I could just suck it up and wait to go home.... hmmm.


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## gokorahn (Jan 21, 2012)

What is your budget for a new laptop, or for new parts?

Edit: and the specs of your old one? Cause it would help to see if there is anything better than it for your budget :3


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## veeno (Jan 21, 2012)

Invest in new laptop.


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## Kivaari (Jan 21, 2012)

What games would you be wanting to play? With CPUs coming with integrated graphics now, you can get pretty decent performance out of a cheap laptop. My Toshiba has a i3-2310m, and I have no issues with Fallout: New Vegas. I'm too cheap to go buy it, but it does sound like it might even run MW3 on the lowest settings, and this is a $400 laptop. Also, if you go with the laptop you can sell your old one, but I'm guessing you will want to keep the laptop if you upgrade the desktop.


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## shteev (Jan 21, 2012)

My budget... Shit, I guess $500 but my parents wouldn't be too happy if I blew all my money on a laptop.

Current specs:

AMD Athlon II x2 M300 @ 2gHz
ATi Radeon HD 4200 w/ 256mb dedicated VRAM
320gb HDD
3gb DDR2 800
1366x768 15.6" screen
Windows 7 Home Premium x86
That's about it.


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## shteev (Jan 21, 2012)

Kivaari said:


> What games would you be wanting to play? With CPUs coming with integrated graphics now, you can get pretty decent performance out of a cheap laptop. My Toshiba has a i3-2310m, and I have no issues with Fallout: New Vegas. I'm too cheap to go buy it, but it does sound like it might even run MW3 on the lowest settings, and this is a $400 laptop. Also, if you go with the laptop you can sell your old one, but I'm guessing you will want to keep the laptop if you upgrade the desktop.



I was planning all the later stuff. I tried Saints Row: The Third, but it ran at ~10 FPS even with the resolution set at 640x480.


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## gokorahn (Jan 21, 2012)

I think you could definitely get a new laptop that worth it for under $500, and I was bored and found this, not sure how good the videocard/integrated is, but it sounds decent
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba...hite/4602819.p?id=1218509237362&skuId=4602819


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## Onnes (Jan 21, 2012)

If you're really looking to play games on the thing, I'd probably recommend saving up a bit more cash. Remember that it's not just about being able to play today's games; you'll not want to replace this thing for at least a couple of years.


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## shteev (Jan 21, 2012)

Meh, mine's good enough for what it's made for. My desktop is fine. I'm just impatient.


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## zachery980 (Jan 22, 2012)

1) clean up your system registry 
2) don't run 20 things at once 
3) clean out your fans and heat sinks
4) free up some hdd space 
5) If all else fails downgrade to win XP

Now if your going to buy a new one then get it used. The price drops dramatically when used.


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## shteev (Jan 22, 2012)

Like I said, it's not slow with everyday stuff, just _gaming._ I wanna be able to play late-gen games, but this thing doesn't have the hardware to do it.


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## zachery980 (Jan 22, 2012)

then this should help
http://www.iobit.com/gamebooster.html


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## shteev (Jan 22, 2012)

Already tried that. I think I'm just gonna put Win 7 x64 on it and upgrade to 8gb of RAM. I'll crack it open and see if the CPU can be replaced as well. That'll, at least, make the games it does run faster.


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## zachery980 (Jan 22, 2012)

while your in there clean your fans. trust me, it does help under heavy gaming.


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## veeno (Jan 22, 2012)

Did your try hitting it with an hammer?


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## shteev (Jan 22, 2012)

No, let me go grab one.


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## ZerX (Jan 22, 2012)

check out this link http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html if you wanna know with which graphic card you can play games at normal resolutions.


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## Lobar (Jan 22, 2012)

I'm of the opinion that gaming laptops are just a terrible option in general.  Any decent portable gaming rig is going to cost 1.5x-2x as much as a desktop, and you won't ever be able to upgrade it in the future, and will also be heavy, put out a fuckton of heat, and have crap for battery life.

Play modern games at home.  Play older/lower-spec simpler games on the go.  If you can't find older/lower-spec games you like, you're not looking hard enough.


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## Onnes (Jan 22, 2012)

Lobar said:


> I'm of the opinion that gaming laptops are just a terrible option in general.  Any decent portable gaming rig is going to cost 1.5x-2x as much as a desktop, and you won't ever be able to upgrade it in the future, and will also be heavy, put out a fuckton of heat, and have crap for battery life.
> 
> Play modern games at home.  Play older/lower-spec simpler games on the go.  If you can't find older/lower-spec games you like, you're not looking hard enough.



Eh, I wouldn't completely dismiss laptops for gaming. Most PC games allow you to drop the graphical settings enough so that a relatively aged machine can play them, and the rise of integrated GPUs has given just about every new laptop a decent shot at running things. Also, if you spend a large amount of time away from home then it's a lot easier to just purchase a laptop than worry about additionally purchasing a desktop and potentially having to move it.


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## ArielMT (Jan 22, 2012)

zachery980 said:


> then this should help
> http://www.iobit.com/gamebooster.html



IOBit has a reputation for stealing and rebranding others' programs.
https://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/iobit.com


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## shteev (Jan 22, 2012)

So, the conclusion I'm coming upon is deal with what I already have and just wait 'till I get home.

That works.


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