For a casual gamer, what are the essentials?

[Explodio]

Hi guys,
Apologies for such a noob question. I'm far from familiar with these internal workings of my computer (I generally assume it's a matter of spirit magic...).
I'm trying to figure out what my machine's graphics specs are, specifically in relation to playing games. Essentially, I have a stock standard dell laptop and in between working, I enjoy jumping on Steam, downloading a cool game and playing it. I generally avoid new games, because I'm sure my laptop isn't tough enough to handle anything too graphics heavy. When I try and compare my computer's stats with recommended specs, I often find different definitions for what is needed...
When I did my own investigation, I was told that memory was important... but my GPU-Z says 0mb....
I was also informed that GDDR5 is better than GDDR3... but I don't know what that means, or where to find it.
I also thought my GPU (GT2) might be multi? But the thing says multi is disabled? I can't decipher this sagely riddle!!
Can someone just tell me in Layman's terms what "console level" of game I should be able to play? i.e is PS1 my limit?
Boom,
Cheers,
EXP

 

[Vario]

What is the laptop model?

HD Graphics 4000 is Ivy Bridge.

You'd be amazed the stuff you can run on a laptop though, I have a Latitude D530 with onboard graphics on its Core 2 Duo 2.2ghz that can run League of Legends, Call of Duty 2, etc with playable settings.

 

[Explodio]

Hey man,
Thanks for getting back to me. She's a Dell... Intel Core i3 3217U cpu@1.80 ghz
4Gbs of RAM
Windows 8. 64 bit OS
I'm playing FF8 and its exactly like the ol' PS1. I see games on steam and I'm like..."that came out on PS2/xbox so I probably can't play it." I also don't really want to have to compromise on whatever the standard default display settings are for a game just to make it run.
What do you reckon I can handle?

 

[THE_EGG]

I have an Asus taichi31 with an i7-3537u (also 4gb of ram). It isn't much different to the i3 you have really. As far as games your laptop can handle it really depends on the game.
I've noticed I can play SimCity (2013) easily on low-medium even when the population gets to over 200,000. StarCraft II is another notable game it can play pretty well same for Company of heroes (medium settings), some older CoDs (as Vario said), DiRT (low settings), BFBC2 (low settings), virtually any LEGO game (I can't remember the graphics settings I used for these though), Sims 3, World in Conflict (low-medium settings) etc....

Obviously pretty much no chance of running games like BF4, BF3 etc on a low-voltage cpu with integrated graphics.

Also, GDDR5 (or GDDR3 etc) memory would only apply to a dedicated video card which unfortunately you don't have (which is also why GPU-z will state you have 0mb). Integrated graphics steal memory from the RAM so if it is possible it might be worth upgrading your RAM to something with a higher frequency. Normally the performance difference between high or lower frequency RAM isn't noticeable enough to warrant an upgrade but it can make a difference if you are using integrated graphics.

 

[Sir B. Fannybottom]

There really isnt a console limit of games you can play, since there are quite a few newer games that are not very demanding at all. I'd say just simply take a look at some videos of gameplay before you purchase, and maybe try out a demo. If there is no demo for the game, there is always an alternate way to get the full game to simply test it out (plz dont be a douche and just straight up pirate the game and never pay for it).

 

[Explodio]

Thanks for the tips. It can be hard to tell how a game is going to go without trying it, I guess.

 

[Vario]

Try to get the demo from steam if it offers it.

 

[Devon68]

Here are some newer games that will run on an intel HD graphics:
http://www.game-debate.com/news/?ne...Play On Intel HD Graphics - June 2014 Edition

 

[Explodio]

Thanks guys. You've helped a dude come to terms with some of the basics of Spirit Magic...

 

[Tallencor]

Are you in the market to do any upgrades?

 

[dr0thegreatest]

Upgrades for laptop?

 

[Tallencor]

Upgrades for laptop?

Yeah did some research as I have never owned one. Guess it isn't so easy.

 

[dr0thegreatest]

no bro . not even worth it imo.