PC: Can I run it? No, apparently not. Oh wait, yes I can. Wait, whut?

[Eduku]

So I've been looking around those 'can I run it?' websites (namely, systemlabrequirements and yougamer) which detect your PC specs and measure them accordingly and whatnot. However, it seems that there seems to be some sort of problem with detecting my specs, or so it seems to me.

Systemlabrequirements seems to get completely confused with my video card, showing actual numbers proving that it is worthy of running the game, yet it goes on to state 'you need a better video card'.

Yougamer is a bit better, it seems to detect my video card fine. However, in the case of those sites, they always come up with the verdict that it meets the minimum, but not recommended, at which point it tells me that I'll only be able to play it on low settings and resolution.

To test this, I looked up a game I actually do play, Dragon Age, and tested my specs against the game's requirements. Both came up with the previously described verdict. However, I know for a fact that I can run the game on 1280xsomething (I forget the other measurement, sorry) and on ultra-high settings with almost no slowdowns.

Are these sites doing something wrong (in which case, could you recommend me some better ones), or is there something that I'm failing to see?

 

[Eduku]

What video card do you own?

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Go to more of the sites and see what they have to say.

 

[Magnatek]

What video card do you own?

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650

Ah, a laptop integrated graphics card. I have the same situation, though mine is with Intel. You see, even though these pieces of graphics hardware are built with gaming in mind, that doesn't mean that the games themselves are made with the opposite in mind. When getting games on Steam, certain Source games require me to submit data for it, then continue, since it's not usually recognized by any big names in games. So, it's basically a "grin and bear it, trial and error" thing. Integrated graphics aren't usually recognized, so you'll have to find out for yourself whether the game actually works.

 

[shadow741]

Systemlab sucks, it said I couldn't run FO3 w/my video card but I got it instead and I could still run it.

 

[Eduku]

What video card do you own?

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650

Ah, a laptop integrated graphics card. I have the same situation, though mine is with Intel. You see, even though these pieces of graphics hardware are built with gaming in mind, that doesn't mean that the games themselves are made with the opposite in mind. When getting games on Steam, certain Source games require me to submit data for it, then continue, since it's not usually recognized by any big names in games. So, it's basically a "grin and bear it, trial and error" thing. Integrated graphics aren't usually recognized, so you'll have to find out for yourself whether the game actually works.

Ah right, I had suspected it had something to do with being a laptop card.

It is rather annoying, since I consider these sorts of sites quite valuable. I was looking up Dead Rising 2, since I'm considering getting it, and it says I don't even meet the minimum requirements, yet I don't know if that's actually the case or not. I guess I'll have to do trial and error, like you say.

Of course, benchmarks and demos are still always useful for this sort of thing. The games that have them, anyway.

 

[Altorin]

this seems to be pretty much solved for you, so I'll share an anecdote about "recommended specs"... My PC could play Oblivion, with upgraded Textures mods, the maximum resolution that I could possibly make it, at probably around 40fps.. which isn't top of the line, but it's definitely serviceable.

I later tried to install Knights of the Old Republic, and it was like "Wait wait wait wait.. you want to play THIS game? With THAT video card? Pah!! PAH HA HA HA!! HEY EVERYONE!! CHECK OUT THIS LOSER!! HE WANTS TO PLAY THIS GAME WITH THAT VIDEO CARD!! Yeah, what a joke, get out of here you loser."

It still let me install the game, but it ran like crap.

So, don't always think about System Requirements as set in stone.

 

[Sneaklemming]

download some demos and give it a go

 

[lacktheknack]

What video card do you own?

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650

Aaaaahhhh... integrated laptop cards. The bane of spec-detectors' existence.

 

[Cynical skeptic]

You see, even though these pieces of graphics hardware are built with gaming in mind

Er... no. Typically that just means the chip from the 5650 (or whatever) is integrated into the motherboard, sharing the system ram. The problem is laptop ram is slower than desktop ram, and isn't even anything resembling the same league as the ram on board even budget video cards.

Laptops aren't built for gaming, they're built to sell the laptop to people who don't understand that even though the game says "requires at least x or greater," and the laptop's specifications match up, the key word is "mobility."

Apart from the hardware differences, "mobility" means "generates less heat, uses less electricity," which means "hard underclocking," which means "does less."

While that chip may be identical to the ones stamped onto radeon 5650s, its been crippled to not melt your laptop.

Frankly, you don't need system requirement sites to tell you if you can play a PC game on a laptop. The fact you have a laptop precludes you from playing anything released within two to three years of your laptop's manufacture.

 

[Klumpfot]

this seems to be pretty much solved for you, so I'll share an anecdote about "recommended specs"... My PC could play Oblivion, with upgraded Textures mods, the maximum resolution that I could possibly make it, at probably around 40fps.. which isn't top of the line, but it's definitely serviceable.

I later tried to install Knights of the Old Republic, and it was like "Wait wait wait wait.. you want to play THIS game? With THAT video card? Pah!! PAH HA HA HA!! HEY EVERYONE!! CHECK OUT THIS LOSER!! HE WANTS TO PLAY THIS GAME WITH THAT VIDEO CARD!! Yeah, what a joke, get out of here you loser."

It still let me install the game, but it ran like crap.

So, don't always think about System Requirements as set in stone.

I can relate to this. When I installed Heroes of Might and Magic IV recently (a game released roughly 8 years ago), the game scoffed at my multi-core processor, gigabytes of RAM and modern graphics card, saying they were not up to par - for you see I needed at least 64 megabytes of memory, and several HUNDRED megahertzes of processing power. My machine is obviously inferior to the magical contraptions conceived by dwarves back in the olden days.

 

[Magnatek]

You see, even though these pieces of graphics hardware are built with gaming in mind

Frankly, you don't need system requirement sites to tell you if you can play a PC game on a laptop. The fact you have a laptop precludes you from playing anything released within two to three years of your laptop's manufacture.

You make good points, until this. I'd advise to look here. [http://steamcommunity.com/id/Tekkieman/games?tab=all] As you can see, I've been able to actually play games that have been out within 2-3 years of this laptop's manufacture. The Inspiron 1545 was created in 2008, and I have been able to play not only Left 4 Dead 2 and Killing Floor on here, but multiple other games like Oblivion, Bioshock, as well as some MMO titles such as DDO and Lord of the Rings Online with little problem. Every one of these games were claimed for me to be unable to play on recommended settings. Yet, none have given me any trouble, save for Left 4 Dead 2, but that was due to a shoddy connection I had that week, since I've only really played multiplayer.

 

[Cain_Zeros]

Frankly, you don't need system requirement sites to tell you if you can play a PC game on a laptop. The fact you have a laptop precludes you from playing anything released within two to three years of your laptop's manufacture.

I'm gonna sound like a dick for saying this, but you're wrong. My laptop (which wasn't made for gaming), can play Dragon Age without a problem. A game that was released after it's manufacture. At least six months, maybe a little closer to a year after.

 

[Eduku]

Frankly, you don't need system requirement sites to tell you if you can play a PC game on a laptop. The fact you have a laptop precludes you from playing anything released within two to three years of your laptop's manufacture.

I'm gonna sound like a dick for saying this, but you're wrong. My laptop (which wasn't made for gaming), can play Dragon Age without a problem. A game that was released after it's manufacture. At least six months, maybe a little closer to a year after.

Yep, same thing here.

 

[veloper]

Oh, a laptop. Then it sucks, no worries.

How much does it suck? Find benchmark and compare it to a desktop model.

 

[Seth Smith]

Hmm. I should look at my laptop sometime. I bet it could play some games. I think.

I like laptops.

 

[Eduku]

Are these sites doing something wrong (in which case, could you recommend me some better ones), or is there something that I'm failing to see?

Those sites are rarely accurate, go here if you want real data you can use from other notebook gamers.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/

As a fellow notebook gamer, only I run dual 280m in SLi, what are you trying to run?

Oh, okay, thanks for the link, bookmarked.

It's nothing in particular that I'm looking to run, I was just checking around those sites to see if I could run the upcoming games. I guess Dead Rising 2 is one of them.