jdpatt
01-12-2009, 03:01 PM
Hi all,
I just tried dusting off my old laptop to run EQ, and it seems to be struggling with it. A few years back, it would run 2 instances with the settings on low without any problems...now it seems to lag horribly. The stats are as follows:
Dell Inspiron 5100 laptop
Pentium 4 2.4 processor
768mb RAM
ATI Radeon Mobility 7500, 64mb graphics card
Fresh install of Windows XP (tried Vista and it wasn't enough computer to run it)
I found out I can increase the RAM to 2gb on this model, which I am considering, but wonder if my graphics card is still going to be a bottleneck. I don't really want to buy a new laptop, since I mostly just use it for word processing at work and surfing the net, but the option to play EQ would certainly be nice. I also don't need to run EQ on the typical "gaming" laptop, since EQ isn't exactly Crysis, haha, and don't have $3-4k to spend, haha.
So...in your collective opinions, would my computer, with 2gb of RAM, do okay with 1 or 2 instances of EQ? If not, what are my minimum options (or economical upgrades) for running 1 or 2 EQ instances? There's some good prices on laptops with 128mb graphics cards, a little more money will get me a 256mb card. I know from past experience that RAM seems to be the biggest factor in getting EQ to run, graphics card seems to be less important, even when multiboxing, but how much do I really need to run 1 or 2 accounts with moderate settings and reasonably smooth performance? Are onboard graphics better now than they were a couple years back? What ARE good, middle of the road laptop graphic cards?
Any and all input would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave
I just tried dusting off my old laptop to run EQ, and it seems to be struggling with it. A few years back, it would run 2 instances with the settings on low without any problems...now it seems to lag horribly. The stats are as follows:
Dell Inspiron 5100 laptop
Pentium 4 2.4 processor
768mb RAM
ATI Radeon Mobility 7500, 64mb graphics card
Fresh install of Windows XP (tried Vista and it wasn't enough computer to run it)
I found out I can increase the RAM to 2gb on this model, which I am considering, but wonder if my graphics card is still going to be a bottleneck. I don't really want to buy a new laptop, since I mostly just use it for word processing at work and surfing the net, but the option to play EQ would certainly be nice. I also don't need to run EQ on the typical "gaming" laptop, since EQ isn't exactly Crysis, haha, and don't have $3-4k to spend, haha.
So...in your collective opinions, would my computer, with 2gb of RAM, do okay with 1 or 2 instances of EQ? If not, what are my minimum options (or economical upgrades) for running 1 or 2 EQ instances? There's some good prices on laptops with 128mb graphics cards, a little more money will get me a 256mb card. I know from past experience that RAM seems to be the biggest factor in getting EQ to run, graphics card seems to be less important, even when multiboxing, but how much do I really need to run 1 or 2 accounts with moderate settings and reasonably smooth performance? Are onboard graphics better now than they were a couple years back? What ARE good, middle of the road laptop graphic cards?
Any and all input would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave