Geforce Go 6150: Suggestions?

[herbius]

This is mainly for the computer-literate guys of the forum. It's not really Nightfire-related but important for me in terms of general gaming; if moderators think it should be in with the off-topic stuff then feel free to stick it there.

I've got my new HP Pavillion tx1000z laptop (with touch screen :grin::grin:) which I didn't specifically buy for gaming, mainly because I needed a newer, faster, dual-core laptop that didn't crash constantly. It has Vista Home Premium (some people say it's broken already ) but that's good enough for me.

However, I didn't realise how cosmically crap my integrated GPU was (nVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 in case you didn't read the title ) until I started playing elite Orange Box games like Team Fortress 2. I can't even run in 1024X768 FGS without the whole computer lagging so much at settings recommended by the engine that the game is unplayable even without being in a massive firefight, which is what TF2 is mainly all about.

I know this isn't a processor-related problem: I have 2X 1.9ghz AMD Turion64 CPUs (not as good as Intel, I know ) and with forced dual threading the game runs worse than without, which is probably due to the console command being slightly beta.

To get the game even running acceptably I have to lower the resolution to 800X600 , disable AA and AF, set the texture detail to medium (I will NOT have low because it looks so unbelivably crap it could come from a GoldSource game ) and lower shadow and water detail to the lowest. Even then, it still lags quite considerably when in a massive fight.

What I was wondering (got there in the end ) was if it was possible to replace on-board GPUs with better ones, how much it would cost, and which ones were DirectX 10 compatible. If I have Vista I better be flipping able to get DX10 or it's not worth it...

I have a feeling Tres, Ulti and people like that will know at least a bit about this. PLEASE DO NOT tell me to go get another computer; I came here for solutions, not a name of a computer that's better that I don't have and won't be able to afford for another one and a half years because I'm still paying back the money I borrowed from my parents to be able to get my current system.

Thanks, any helpful helpful help is much appreciated.

Specs:

2X AMD Turion64 1.9ghz CPUs (=3.8ghz)
1.5gb RAM with max 128mb shared graphics memory (I have it set to 64mb at the moment because apparently that freed up more ram for the game to use)
nVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 on-board integrated GPU
Windows Vista Home Premium

[[OO9]]

I think your stuck between a rock and a hard place with this one. The cheapest solution I can think of, is change the motherboard with a higher GPU. As the GPU is part of the motherboard it can't unfortunately be replaced on it's own.

[herbius]

I imagine that's going to be quite expensive; I'm assuming I'm going to need a specific motherboard that'll fit the laptop (it's rather small), plus entirely new processors as well as the GPU which is a bit of a waste. Unless the processors themselves are removable/replacable onto the new motherboard? Would this motherboard have to be custom to fit the laptop or do they come in general sizes?

I think the first thing I'll do is buy myself 1gb more RAM; if that doesn't help I'll think about the motherboard stuff.

[UltimateSniper]

Are you sure that runing it in dual-thread mode isnt creating extra lag?
I dont have much experience in playin with laptop insides (mainly cuz the only laptop in the house is my dads and he never lets anyone touch it), but i think that the CPU should be removable...

[herbius]

Are you sure that runing it in dual-thread mode isnt creating extra lag?

I sais I thought it was, so I switched back to "normal" mode (whether it be partly dual core or just single, although I think it must be multi-threading slightly).

[Tras]

First of all, I have only one laptop, with a geforce 7600 go GPU and an Intel core duo 1,6Ghz processor. It does not run perfect in games like TF2, but at least can run them with native resolution and 30-40fps.

Yes what I see wrong is the GPU chipset, the CPU is really cool, but Geforce go 6150 is low-level, on Nvidia cards you got to notice the series number (6xxx) and the most important, the performance of it, x200, x600, x800, x900. This means that a 6900 graphics card wins a 7200 card in performance.

I'm sorry to say that changing the GPU chip or board is impossible if it is about a laptop, each motherboard manufacturer has its own special size of the graphics board, also different wirings, plugs, cooling system etc... not even to mention that no one would dissassemble your laptop, as they are quite sensitive.

About changing the motherboard from the laptop, it is also impossible :(, every motherboard is designed for a single "chassis", battery, peripherics, plugs, etc...

Oh and 1,5 of RAM is quite enough, the lack of that computer is the graphics processing speed, not the amount of memory

You just were unlucky , you should have asked us for advice before buying it

[herbius]

Oh dear... a performance of 150 lol

I e-mailed PC World a couple of days ago, apparently someone in Currys said they could change GPUs on laptops. However, they said that work was "Not undertaken by them," so I'm pretty much stuffed.

Since we're cleaning out two bedrooms to eventually redecorate them, one rather old computer is now in the loft. I suppose another option would be to work on improving that one and just accept my laptop as crap for gaming.

[UltimateSniper]

CPU - no more than £500 (Havent checked the CPU market for a year lol)
Gphx Card - No more than £350 (Unless u try Crossfire/SLI)
MBoard - Around £80-100
PSU - No more than £100
RAM - Around £80 pr. 2GB stick.
Fans... ur choice

tell me if theres somin i missed, unless u want more HDD space too

[herbius]

You know, I might just buy one off eBay. Save monies.

[Tras]

Post the specs of the PC before buying it, so we can give you some advice

[herbius]

Post the specs of the PC before buying it, so we can give you some advice

Lol, good idea I'll have to wait a while though, I hardly have any money any more after buying the new laptop.

[UltimateSniper]

lol...
TKO : 'OMG NOT AMD U NOOB, GET INTEL!'
Pay no attention to those comments unless they're backed up
When i got this PC i was rather baffled by the amount of things i had to pay attention to in order to make sure i was gettin the fast machine i envisaged... It seems to be, even though its been rather outdated since i bought it lol

[Tras]

My choice would be sell it as "almost not used" and buy another lol

[UltimateSniper]

well... how much did it cost?

[herbius]

I dunno, you bought it...