How would this laptop manage with WoW?

[Serelean]

Hey everyone!

So I'm looking for some advice on the a laptop I've spotted which I've done a bit of research on and think its a decent machine. Basically I only want it for casual wow play. I already have a desktop PC that is a better build than this laptop but I want something that I can just use around the house and that I can have downstairs whilst I'm watching TV after finishing work. My desktop is what I use for raiding too so I wouldn't need the laptop for that neither.

So here are the specs, nothing fancy, but I think they should be ok for casual play =)

Name
HP J1R16EA Core i3 15.6 Inch 8GB 1TB Laptop

CPU, memory and operating system
Intel Core i3 i3-3217U dual core processor.
1.8GHz processor speed.
8GB RAM.
1000GB SATA hard drive.
Microsoft Windows 8.

Display Features and Graphics
15.6 inch screen.
High definition display.
Resolution 1366 x 768 pixels.
Intel HD Graphics 40004000 graphics card. (Presuming the double 4000 is a mistake on the site)
Dedicated graphics card.

I also forgot to mention that I don't want amazing graphics for this neither, I am happy with the settings on "good". I would also disable shadows since I know they cause a lot of the FPS drops.

Thanks!

[Master Guns]

That's pretty weak.

First off,

-Dedicated GPU. Yuck.
-Anything lower than an i5, especially since WoD released, it's gonna be challenged. You'll get maybe low settings around 35 FPS, or around medium settings at about 20. =/

[Arbiter]

That's pretty weak.

First off,

-Dedicated GPU. Yuck.
-Anything lower than an i5, especially since WoD released, it's gonna be challenged. You'll get maybe low settings around 35 FPS, or around medium settings at about 20. =/

A) i5 on desktop is not the same as i5 on laptop. Desktop i5 is quad core no hyper threading, laptop i5 is dual core with hyperthreading
B) WoD didn't magically start taking advantage of more than 2 cores so a desktop i5 isn't going to perform any different than a Pentium or i3 unless the clock speed is higher

OP,

I do agree that laptop will be terrible for WoW but it's simply because like Master mentioned, lack of dedicated GPU is going to hurt, and the only settings you'd likely be able to achieve is low. The other problem is that the laptop is part of Intel's Ultrabook series, which are low clock speed for low power consumption. WoW isn't going to play nice with a 1.8Ghz clock speed, especially without a dedicated GPU. You definitely couldn't raid or PvP, but you might be able to log on to check on your garrison, auction house, etc.

Mind me asking what kind of budget were you looking to invest into a laptop?

[glo]

A) i5 on desktop is not the same as i5 on laptop. Desktop i5 is quad core no hyper threading, laptop i5 is dual core with hyperthreading
B) WoD didn't magically start taking advantage of more than 2 cores so a desktop i5 isn't going to perform any different than a Pentium or i3 unless the clock speed is higher

WoW has had a third primary thread (and many less utilized threads) for over half a decade, and now a fourth with WoD. So yes, quad core chips will have a significant impact on performance over dual core chips.

[Arbiter]

WoW has had a third primary thread (and many less utilized threads) for over half a decade, and now a fourth with WoD. So yes, quad core chips will have a significant impact on performance over dual core chips.

So why don't you tell my computer to start using them because it sure as hell hasn't used 4 threads. Third thread is typically partially used from other tasks while the fourth thread sits there doing almost nothing. That's why an overclocked Pentium literally performs the same in WoW as long as you aren't doing much other than light browsing on skype/mumble.

[Serelean]

Hey, thanks for the quick replies. So basically do I need to keep clear of dedicated graphics cards or? I'm just trying to get an idea of what to look out for in cheapish laptops lol.

Edit: the one thing I do know not to touch is anything with an integrated graphics card.

[Arbiter]

Hey, thanks for the quick replies. So basically do I need to keep clear of dedicated graphics cards or? I'm just trying to get an idea of what to look out for in cheapish laptops lol.

Edit: the one thing I do know not to touch is anything with an integrated graphics card.

You want to look for dedicated and stay away from integrated. That said, I did say you could just post your budget and I'm sure someone with better knowledge in laptops could help you get something a bit better.

[glo]

So why don't you tell my computer to start using them because it sure as hell hasn't used 4 threads. Third thread is typically partially used from other tasks while the fourth thread sits there doing almost nothing. That's why an overclocked Pentium literally performs the same in WoW as long as you aren't doing much other than light browsing on skype/mumble.

I don't what game you're playing. As per some random MVP on the official EU site since I'm not at home: http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/10887108861



Also, the game sure as hell "uses 4 threads" considering that the client spins up north of 35 threads as soon as you load it.

[Serelean]

I'm looking for something between £300 and £500. I'm not going crazy with this 1 like I did my desktop lol

[Arbiter]

I don't what game you're playing. As per some random MVP on the official EU site since I'm not at home: http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/10887108861

snip

I'll have to check that out when I get home because I have never seen 4 utilized cores with only WoW open. Thanks for sharing.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm looking for something between £300 and £500. I'm not going crazy with this 1 like I did my desktop lol

Yea, sorry but I'm not much of an expert on good laptops at low price points much less in the UK. If you want to be patient I don't doubt someone will drop by within the day.

[Morgaith]

snip

sorry but those specs are far below "good" settings.

[Master Guns]

A) i5 on desktop is not the same as i5 on laptop. Desktop i5 is quad core no hyper threading, laptop i5 is dual core with hyperthreading
B) WoD didn't magically start taking advantage of more than 2 cores so a desktop i5 isn't going to perform any different than a Pentium or i3 unless the clock speed is higher

OP,

I do agree that laptop will be terrible for WoW but it's simply because like Master mentioned, lack of dedicated GPU is going to hurt, and the only settings you'd likely be able to achieve is low. The other problem is that the laptop is part of Intel's Ultrabook series, which are low clock speed for low power consumption. WoW isn't going to play nice with a 1.8Ghz clock speed, especially without a dedicated GPU. You definitely couldn't raid or PvP, but you might be able to log on to check on your garrison, auction house, etc.

Mind me asking what kind of budget were you looking to invest into a laptop?

How about you learn what the hell you're talking about instead of posting like an idiot who knows nothing about the subject at hand.

@ OP,

Yes, stay AWAY from integrated graphics. You want dedicated, even a simple 1 GB dedicated GPU will work wonders over an integrated graphics chip.

C'mon. We can all play nice. If you have to point out that someone gave incorrect information, please do so in a reasonable manner. Being belligerent isn't welcome here. - Cilraaz

[skitszo]

why so rude master?... so he didn't agree with you...life goes on.

I'd say he's far from not knowing what he is talking about. Your only point is that APU/integrated graphics aren't going to perform well for wow. no reason to get all fluster busted...

[Deleted]

First of all, mobile i3's aren't 2 cores. They're single core with two threads, which is different and performs worse. Mobile i5's have two cores. I run WoD on mobile i5 and it takes everything this chip has to run it at 50 fps on low details. In Garisson. Intel HD4000 isn't really bad, but it's not very good either.

Get an mobile i7 with dedicated graphics, at least GeForce 650M if you want to play games on laptops. That's my piece of advice.

[Taotaisei]

The 3217U is a 2c 4t Jareq as per ARK. As someone who has an S400CA (got it for $300) from Asus with this CPU, I can tell you the game plays. Not very well, but it does play. In MoP I was achieving about 20-30 FPS on low settings. Haven't tested it out for the WoD update. Questing is viable. Cities aren't too bad because the framerate doesn't matter too much to check auctions or the like. However anything else is pretty much off the table. Dungeons and PvP aren't smooth enough to play other than for low level questing dungeons.

[Zerroth]

The "U" CPUs are really low power and suffer greatly compared to the "M" mobile series. It's mostly a battery-life improvement thing, but you lose much processing power.

My dad had that exact combo in MoP, and it was...bad. Unplayable to me.

[hitmanblood]

You guys have to realize while yes, he may be gaming on a integrated platform. He did mention that he will only be doing casual things such as questing and dungeons and such. That doesn't require as much as you guys think. Do not forget, he is also playing at a resolution of 1366x768, which does not require that much power, compared so the more mainstream 1080p we are all used too.

For casual things like questing/dungeons and sending followers on missions in your garrison, that laptop should be more then fine. You will not be getting game breaking performance but with a mixture of low to good settings and shadows off it should be above 30fps most of the time.

[Serelean]

Really appreciate the feedback everyone =). Guna look around to see if I can get 1 a bit better for the price bracket and post them on here for further advice! Thanks!