Bad gaming performance?

[Vadamo]

So I recently got a ThinkPad T60 8744-5BU, and I plan to replace my AMD E450 laptop but I am having some issues with it.

Here are the specs of the ThinkPad:
Core 2 Duo T7200 @ 2.00ghz
3GB(More than enough for the games I am running)
Radeon x1400 128mb(Dedicated)

I am running Windows Vista (64) on it, Windows 7 has driver issues.

I have tried running Garry's Mod(less than 20 frames, unplayable),Counter Strike:Source(15-25 FPS),Payday: The Heist(Unplayable). This makes absolutely no sense to me, even on low it has bad FPS.

I used to run these games on a Single Core Celeron 2.16ghz & GMA 950 and these games were playable 25-30+.

Anyone know the issue?

Thanks

 

[joex444]

I'm pretty sure you're getting what you should be getting... that CPU came out in Q3 2007 and the GPU came out in 2006.

I'm not sure how you recently got an 8 year old laptop, but hopefully it was free because that's about what it's worth.

 

[StarChief]

Yeaaaaahh.... that laptop is pretty garbage, certainly not any good for gaming. You can watch movies/porn on it, but that's about it.

 

[DSzymborski]

I'm more amazed that these games weren't unplayable for you on a GMA 950. Even the x1400, which is "better" than the 950, is a decade old low-end GPU. They really should have not been playable at all on your previous PC, so I'm wondering if you're mistaken about its specs. It's also not an upgrade on your AMD E450 - the Radeon HD 6320 integrated is newer and better than an x1400. Relatively speaking, of course.

 

[mudpuppet]

Payday Minimum Requirements:
CPU: Pentium 4 3.0 GHz or Athlon FX-53
CPU Speed: Pentium 4 3.0 GHz
RAM: 1 GB
OS: Windows XP, Vista, 7
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 or ATI Radeon X1900
http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/CYRI/Requirements/payday-the-heist/11212?p=r

From the looks of it, your GPU couldn't cut through butter if it had to. Your other specs are still pretty low but that 128 MB on the GPU would explain a LOT just by itself.

 

[Vadamo]

I'm more amazed that these games weren't unplayable for you on a GMA 950. Even the x1400, which is "better" than the 950, is a decade old low-end GPU. They really should have not been playable at all on your previous PC, so I'm wondering if you're mistaken about its specs. It's also not an upgrade on your AMD E450 - the Radeon HD 6320 integrated is newer and better than an x1400. Relatively speaking, of course.

The 6320m is just terrible. I use Youtube a lot, and its a struggle on there. 480p barely plays.

I tested Youtube on this,x1400, and Youtube plays smooth at 720p.

I also plan to install Mac OS X which means Intel-only and luckily the Radeon x1400 is fully supported on Mountain Lion(With the help of some kexts). 😀
--
And it turns out the GPU wasn't a GMA 950, it was a GMA 4500m.

 

[DSzymborski]

I'm more amazed that these games weren't unplayable for you on a GMA 950. Even the x1400, which is "better" than the 950, is a decade old low-end GPU. They really should have not been playable at all on your previous PC, so I'm wondering if you're mistaken about its specs. It's also not an upgrade on your AMD E450 - the Radeon HD 6320 integrated is newer and better than an x1400. Relatively speaking, of course.

The 6320m is just terrible. I use Youtube a lot, and its a struggle on there. 480p barely plays.

I tested Youtube on this,x1400, and Youtube plays smooth at 720p.

I also plan to install Mac OS X which means Intel-only and luckily the Radeon x1400 is fully supported on Mountain Lion(With the help of some kexts). 😀
--
And it turns out the GPU wasn't a GMA 950, it was a GMA 4500m.

You likely had more problems going on there with your E450 build, the 6230m *is* better than the x1400.

The GMA 4500 explains it - it's a better GPU than the 950. Again, relatively speaking.

But otherwise, there's not much you can do here. No matter the operating system or settings, you're still going to be running ancient technology. That it's a laptop makes it even harder - if you had a 10-year-old desktop, you might be able to slap on a GT730 in best case or an AGP-version HD 4670 and eke out a little performance, but don't have the same options with a laptop.