how well can I use this laptop for a cheap portable gaming option

[bsgx3]

I found this laptop and was thinking about getting it for gaming when on trips and such. Will it run games and should I get an extra 4 Gb of ram for it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K1IO3QW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=npl0f6-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B01K1IO3QW&linkId=f0c1008ea6d3e0678f58929238c0d33c

 

[t53186]

Depends on the games, an I3-7100 with Intel 620 graphics is not a very powerful combo. Every game on the market has a recommended minimum system requirement specification, usually that will give you a good idea if that game will run on your PC, or laptop.

 

[jasonkaler]

I have a similar spec laptop but with 8GB ram, which I would say is necessary for any computer to function today.
I can play games that we made before approx 2010, like Oblivion, Civ 5, Risen, Total War Medieval 2.
Don't expect anything with any descent graphics made after that to run.

 

[jaguarskx]

Don't expect to be able to play games for long if you are not plugged into an AC outlet.

Can it play games though? Yes, but it depends on the game and adding a 4GB stick of RAM will give Windows more RAM to work with and allow the RAM to operate at full speed (dual channel) instead of half speed (single channel). That can improve game performance by 10% to 20% when using integrated graphics, but it varies by the specific game. Click link below for some Intel HD 620 game benchmarks, keep in mind that laptops tested have either a Core i5-7200u so performance can be lower with the i3-7100u if the game is somewhat CPU intensive.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-Graphics-620.172256.0.html


I don't really play games that much anymore, but based on my experience testing some games on a 4th gen Core i5-4200u with the Intel HD 4400 the Acer laptop should be able to play the following games:

- Mass Effect Trilogy (not Andromeda)

- Skyrim at 1366x768 with default settings. 1600x900 with tweaked settings and good performance is definitely possible if you tweak the SkyrimPref.ini file; I did this with the Intel HD 4400 on a friend's laptop. 1080p may be even possible with decent performance if you install mods for lower spec systems like smaller textures.

- Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas and Oblivion. These games all use the same game engine; Gamebryo which as developed for Oblivion. However, that engine does not recognize Intel integrated graphics you need to use the following file to run these games. Installing it makes the game think the laptop has one of the older nVidia GPU so that the game can be played. It will not increase the performance of Intel graphics. The file was originally developed as part of the "Oldblivion Project". Oblivion was the 1st game to drop support for DirectX 8.1, the file allowed GPUs that were not compatible with DirectX 9 to play the game. But graphics would look a little weird because of the lack of DirectX 9 effects.

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/17209/

- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I and II. They are really old games from the early 2000's but they are great games. It would be nice if BioWare would remaster those games before they go out of business no thanks to EA's meddling...

- Star Trek Online. Currently playing this free online game when I have time. I tested the Intel HD 530 with this game (normally play it with the GTX 960m) and it can handle 1080p resolution with a mix of low and medium settings with "Lightning 2.0" enabled and get pretty decent / good performance most of the time. Disable "Lightning 2.0" for better performance... makes the game look a bit dated though.

- Star Wars: The Old Republic. I have not had a chance to try out this "free-mium" online game yet, but based on SWTOR forum posts the Intel HD 620 can run this game.



- The Sims 3... because I have seen people play that game with the Intel HD 3000 graphics core from 2011.

- The Sims 4... because there are videos on Youtube showing that game being played on the Intel HD 620.

- League of Legends... because a toaster can run that game. At worse, rub two potatoes together to get some extra "juice".