Graphics Media Accelerator - Help

[Conspirate]

I'm debating to purchase a Toshiba Satellite M65-S909 Notebook (2.0GHz Pentium M Centrino, 1GB DDR2, 100GB, DVD±RW DL, Windows XP, 17" TFT). Online, it is 1600 off Toshiba; I found it at Costco for 1250. I am going to be using it to bring with me to college back and forth, and it would be nice if it could play some new games, such as HL2, CS:S, etc. The graphics that comes with it is "Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 with 8MB-128 MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory". I have heard that this will not be good enough to run newer games. Additionally, I have heard somewhere that a computer with a built-in graphics accelerator does not have room to upgrade a real graphics card. Could someone please bring some sense into this and tell me what a media accelerator should really mean to me?

Much appreciated.

 

[HRHunteRHR]

Nah, don't expect to play Half-Life 2 on that. The processor is a weaker processor, first off, it's an intel, secondly it's 2.0GHz mobile, and thirdly, it probobly has a small cache and heat sup easily. Laptops aren't meant for gaming. Although you may be able to play it at a lower setting, you need to check and see if it has a video card. Look for something that is ATi, and in the 9000 and up series if you want to play HAlf-Life 2. If you look forward to playign all sorts of games, make sure it's at least a mobile x600 and up series. I know that thing won't have an nVidia card in it so yea.

 

[HRHunteRHR]

To add to that and respond more theroughly, if you are looking to play games, DON'T buy a laptop. If you are buying a laptop for school, don't make it a media machine. You're better off watching them on a real T.V or desktop. Just tell me whether or not you HAVE to buy a laptop or desktop.

 

[The Power]

yeah your lap top isnt really that good for gaming. It could prob work for CS though.

 

[mammikoura]

I'd just get a cheap laptop for school, u won't be needing anything powerfull. (unless u need to use some programs that need alot from the machine)
And then a desktop for gaming. U could get a laptop for gaming, but it would cost alot, and the battery just doesn't last too long while gaming.

And for a laptop processor, I'd go with pentium M. And celeron and gaming shouldn't be in the same sentence, unless the sentence is "celeron sucks at gaming".

 

[Conspirate]

I already have a gaming desktop with all of that shit. This is just meant to be for school, but if like, for example, I took it to a LAN or friends house, it would be a lot easier. Not to depend on it for gaming, just to know that it could do a somewhat-decent job at it. The laptop dosent come with a graphics card per se, but a graphics media accelerator 900. So I just wanted to know what it could handle, and if it would make you unable to upgrade it.

 

[HRHunteRHR]

Media accelerator??? If it doesn't have a card, and you want to game, don't buy it. Simple. As. That.