Can this salvaged laptop handle 2 monitors? Back to the past.
53 replies, posted
[QUOTE=KinderBueno;47066656]That may explain why 60 fps 720p didn't work.
Yeah I just installed Chrome so it's latest.
So for this laptop optimization I:
1) Switched powermode to Performance.
2) Switched to classical theme.
What else can I do to optimize it?[/QUOTE]
You probably shouldn't use chrome, It's gotten pretty ressource-hoggy lately. Your mileage may vary of course.
Derp.
Can't even run 3d mark because it has no DX 9 GPU
Any basic games it could run? Like hl1?
[QUOTE=~Kiwi~v2;47066623]It went HTML5.[/QUOTE]
It's been HTML5 for a long time on supported browsers, it's still not very optimized though.
[editline]3rd February 2015[/editline]
As far as I know.
[QUOTE=~Kiwi~v2;47067069]I assumed he was using Firefox I wasn't paying attention to the user agent :v:
The Intel GMA 945 IS DX9 albiet awful so it may not be supported under 3D mark.
Old games like yes HL1 are very possible to run, Gmod is not possible though nor any other source engine.
Source: Experience orange box made most intel 945s crash like an old fart[/QUOTE]
I guess I will enjoy playing Blue Shift, Opposing Force again, since i only played through them once.
God I hope my FX8350 replacement arrives asap.
[editline]3rd February 2015[/editline]
Will this laptop function faster if I install Win 7 on external HDD that is 7200RPM instead of current small HDD inside laptop that is 4200?
[QUOTE=~Kiwi~v2;47067069]I assumed he was using Firefox I wasn't paying attention to the user agent :v:
The Intel GMA 945 IS DX9 albiet awful so it may not be supported under 3D mark.
Old games like yes HL1 are very possible to run, Gmod is not possible though nor any other source engine.
Source: Experience orange box made most intel 945s crash like an old fart[/QUOTE]
You need to add this in your launch options: +mat_forcehardwaresync 0
However, they are still going to run like ass. You can get away with HL2 and Ep 1, but Ep 2, Portal, and especially TF2 will absolutely DESTROY this thing, even on lowest. Its pretty awful for any game past 2005. Gmod may work, but YMMV due to models having varying complexity. I recommend flatgrass. Also have experience with this.
Also, try using Firefox and Flash player. It sounds really counter intuitive, but for some reason, some old PCs run flash player faster than HTML5.
[QUOTE=KinderBueno;47067123]I guess I will enjoy playing Blue Shift, Opposing Force again, since i only played through them once.
God I hope my FX8350 replacement arrives asap.
[editline]3rd February 2015[/editline]
Will this laptop function faster if I install Win 7 on external HDD that is 7200RPM instead of current small HDD inside laptop that is 4200?[/QUOTE]
Windows won't install on an external HDD. Even then, that won't do anything to FPS in games or youtube.
A nice browser to try that is lightweight is palemoon, it's a fork of firefox, i use it on the netbook.
Trying out firefox now.
Also tried running: Star Wars Jedi Outcast, getting only 30 fps at lowest settings and 1024 res. (probably because of 2nd monitor)
Oh my, I remember the Intel 945G. I used SwiftShader to play CoD4 on it. I finished the first few missions at 1-4fps with shader capabilities being emulated by the processor.
[QUOTE=Juggernog;47069320]Oh my, I remember the Intel 945G. I used SwiftShader to play CoD4 on it. I finished the first few missions at 1-4fps with shader capabilities being emulated by the processor.[/QUOTE]
That's how I finished EP2, but without swiftshader. The strider battle brought the system to its knees.
[QUOTE=~Kiwi~v2;47068156]In my experience +mat_forcehardwaresync 0 never worked for me. Still crashed EP2 and Portal. The only workaround I did find was for the game to stop drawing particles. r_drawparticles 0 was the command but it was a cheat so you also have to enable sv_cheats as well.
It may work for others though and for him but that core 2 duo ULV processor is not going to run the game well at all.[/QUOTE]
My buddy has a toughbook CF18, games on that Core 2 Duo U7500 are painful
How can I optimize this laptop to run better?
I already switched off 2nd screen, so left with 1x 1080p.
Using firefox without plugins.
Nothing running.
CPU usage: Average 12%
Memory usage: Avg 700 Mb.
CS 1.6 runs barely on 720p res, on 1080p it's 25 fps.
I see it's literally struggling rendering image to screen.
Btw: Not sure if this helps but in BIOS I've set video card to be used: Docking Station.
I assume docking station has more powerful GPU?
You can polish a turd all you like...
You really can't expect a laptop of that age with a 945 chipset to be a gaming machine, it's pointless.
Dell latitudes are for business stuff like word, excel etc, no games.
You have gotten about as much as you can out of it.
[QUOTE=KinderBueno;47075378]How can I optimize this laptop to run better?[/QUOTE]
There is quite a bit.
I usually start out with;
Running Glary Utilities, '1-click maintanence' first, then registry defrag.
Running CCLeaner, checking everything in both cleaning modes.
In CCLeaner, check the Startup programs and Scheduled Tasks. Most can be disabled.
After that, I run a disk defrag from Glary Utilities. Be sure to open the options and turn on 'move system files to beginning of disc' and run a full defrag+optimize.
After that, I tweak Windows.
Disable UAC
Disable search indexing
Disable system restore (IF you know enough to repair Windows without it)
Change the page file size to a static number (I usually pick twice the RAM size)
Disable Remote Assistance/Remote desktop
I believe you said you disabled Visual Styles, setting it to classic Windows is great for old computers.
I then clean up the Services.
This is a great guide on what you can disable;
[url]http://www.blackviper.com/service-configurations/black-vipers-windows-7-service-pack-1-service-configurations/[/url]
I have probably done this process a hundred times by now. It helps massively on older computers.
Is Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD better video card?
[QUOTE=~Kiwi~v2;47105263]Substantially.
But it's still integrated and upgrading laptop video cars are generally non existence.[/QUOTE]
Asking because I salvaged another laptop, essentially same shit but:
Dual Core T5800 @ 2.0 Ghz
and that Video card.
oh and 3 GB of shitty RAM.
[QUOTE=~Kiwi~v2;47105342]Oh yeah that's gonna perform twice as better as that low powered core 2 duo.[/QUOTE]
Might try putting it together now and running instead of that old laptop, hopefully this can run CS 1.6 at least at 1080p without lag.
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