HP Pavilion Laptop, i5 Processor, 4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive, Intel? HD graphics card.
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/490596/HP-Pavilion-dm4-1060us-14-LED/

An Intel? Core? i5 Processor is fast, and the memory/hard drive is good. But what about the Intel? HD graphics card? I know Oblivion is an older game, so it should run with no problem with normal graphics, right? Some people are telling me I'd be lucky if I got it to run at all. D:

And what if the settings are all maxed out? Will it run seamlessly? Because that's what I'm hoping for...

I asked in a few other places and I'm getting some mixed answers... >>

EDIT: Fixed link.

Its not going to run at all with this chipset, maybe low at most. The game doesnt run on Intel video chipsets.

Yeah, those integrated graphics would be a problem if you want to run Oblivion on high settings. From what I've seen the graphics card is usually the issue with most computers you buy in a box these days (i.e. not custom built), especially laptops. With a desktop replacing the card is easy, but laptops are a lot more complicated.

Hey, I found this:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/25/intel-gma-hd-graphics-review-deems-them-excellent-for-video-med/

The i5 core is the one I'm getting. If that's what it's like for COD Modern Warfare 2 (on the lowest settings), wouldn't you think Oblivion would be OK?

I seriously need help figuring this out. D:

You cant really compare Oblivion and COD, they are different games with different engines. I am not sure about COD, but some people are able to play with the Intel chipset at lowest settings or with Oldblivion. (Also 21FPS on COD is pretty bad as well).

If by some miracle you go it to run at all it wouldn't be running well enough to be an enjoyable experience, looking terrible and always lagging.

Ok, so I have some good news!

Intel GMA 3000 & Intel GMA X3000 & Intel GMA X3100 Integrated graphics cards are rated as "Mid-Range" on the graphics card list.
That list hasn't been updated in 2 years.

My Intel graphics card is a 2010 Integrated card. So that means it'll work better! Woo! lol

Eh.....I wouldnt be so sure about that, midrange compared to what? Most people even with the new Intel chipsets are unable to play Fallout 3 at all and only get by slightly on Oblivion. It is a very weak chipset, not meant for games at all.

Last year my girlfriend and her sisters were all buying laptops at the same time. Her sisters bought one with integrated Intel chips in one day from a large retail chain. I advised the gf to shop around buy one with a dedicated Nvidia gpu for the same price online.

Now her sisters struggle to play Sims 2 while my girlfriend can play Sims 3 on high settings. It really does make that much of a difference.

I implore you to seek a laptop with a discrete gpu. Something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115793 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220794 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157367 lest you be another person coming back here in a month begging for performance boosting tips and mods.

My parents are letting me change the original plan. ^^

So I'm down to this:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i3+Processor+/+14%22+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/9964891.p?id=1218206200334&skuId=9964891

and this:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pavilion+Laptop+with+AMD+Turion%26%23153%3B+II+Dual-Core+Processor+-+White/9705406.p?id=1218154377090&skuId=9705406&st=14 dual core amd laptop&cp=1&lp=1#BVRRWidgetID

Both have what I'm looking for and they're both within my price range. But the question is... which graphics card is better?
The Asus's NVIDIA GeForce 310M with Optimus Technology ...
or the HP's ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4200.

The 310 is better......but still must it be between those two?
This Asus is much better then either of them, although it is recertified. But still worth it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220715 (And its cheaper then the one with the 310)
And this Acer is good too. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115793

Either way both of those are cheaper and better then the 2 from Best Buy.

Yea but my parents want to buy it locally... and I don't blame them. So it's gotta be either from Office Depot, Walmart or Best Buy.

It also has to have a screen between 14" and 15". Then, of course, a good graphics card. 300+GB on the hard drive and at least a 2.0GHz processing speed. Over 4 hours of battery life is preferred. A dual-ore, i3 or i5 is preferred. No more than $850. Preferably an HP, Acer, Asus, Dell or Gateway.
Can you find one like that oh Great Magical-Laptop Finder? I've been looking all freaking day and I can't find anything. XD

I have decided. ^^

HP - Pavilion Laptop / AMD Turion? II Processor / 14.5" Display / 4GB Memory / 320GB Hard Drive
From Best Buy.

It's the best for my personal needs. Plus, the graphics card (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250) should be pretty good for the game, right?

EDIT: Link wasn't working so I just put up the name it's under on Bestbuy.com.

It'll run on low settings.

Maybe low-mediumish.

I would've gone with the 310m one. It's almost equal in performance to a 9600m, which I've seen manage the game well on medium with my own eyes.

I decided on the other one because the 310m only has a processor speed of 1.2GHz.

Ok, instead of limiting myself to the brands I like, I looked at all the brands. Now my choices are...

Toshiba - Satellite Laptop / Intel? Core? i5 Processor / 14" Display / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive / 2.4GHz speed / NVIDIA GeForce 310M card

HP - Pavilion Laptop / AMD Turion? II Processor / 14.5" Display / 4GB Memory / 320GB Hard Drive / 2.3GHz speed / ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250 card

I really like the Toshiba for its specs, but I don't like the brand itself. I know a couple people who have a Toshiba and it's uber slow. Then again, it may just be that specific computer.
I'll have to ask the people at Best Buy. They know what they're talking about.

Asking the Best Buy staff? God help you.

(Go for the Toshiba if you don't mind the slightly smaller display, it won't be slow. Brand loyalty is a joke, they all use the same parts more or less.)

Ok, first off, the employees at Best Buy generally have no idea what they are talking about, they are just trying to make a sale. Second, while branding is somewhat important to some people I guess, its not as important as the specs inside. The Toshiba is better. (Also you dont compare the amount of Ghz when comparing different CPU architecture, the 2.4Ghz i5 would be faster then a 2.4Ghz Turion II)
And keep in mind, laptops are much more expensive then a desktop, so you wont be getting a very good gaming laptop for less then $900 pretty much. Even then it still wont compare to a gaming desktop.

Well we kinda personally know the people there, and we know they know what they (know) they're talking about.
Know. We know. Know is a weird word. :/

I'd defintiely go for the Toshiba, its specs seems to be far better than the HP laptop.

I play Oblivion just fine on medium settings with my 2 year old Acer laptop, and its specs are lower than the laptops you are considering.
Specs are 1.83 Ghz Intel Core2 Duo, 3gb ram, 320gb hdd, Nvidia 8600M GS.

At first that didn't sound right to me, but the GeForce 310M is actually close to the 9600M G...the lowest model of the 9600M series...go figure.


From the those three places with your price range and requirements, it's going to be limited. However, here is one you missed:
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/491478/HP-Pavilion-dv7-4060us-173-LED/

...yes, it's a bit bigger screen size, but the specs are nice for the price. Radeon 5650, Triple Core CPU...it's a hell of a deal for only $700 and at Office Depot no less.


Here's a smaller notebook with a Radeon 5145...it does cost more:
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/410757/Lenovo-ThinkPad-L412-4403-Core-i3/

....the Mobility Radeon 5145 is a renamed and slightly faster Mobility Radeon 4570. It'll get you some mediumish settings and is a bit better than the GeForce 310M.