Getting new laptop. Looking for proper OpenGL support for Jdoom and eduke32 HRPs

[Spiderdemon6669]

Hello everybody, as the title suggest, I'm currently on the search for a new laptop. My main interest is the graphics card. I'm not looking for a gaming laptop, as they are far too expensive. Besides, modern games aren't what I want to run.

To get to the point, I'm trying to figue out what processors are best for running OpenGL required games and source ports. I would like to run High resolution packs for eduke32 and the doomsday engine, but I'm not sure where to turn.

As far as I know, AMD and Intel are my only options. My gut tells me to go forAMD as my last laptop had an Intel Core i3 m330 and could not do didly squat as far as OpenGL was concerned (it ran DirectX just fine though). I've also heard good things about Nvidia, but I don't think it comes in premade laptops.

So basically, I'm just looking for suggestions. What processor(s) has worked best for you? Also, has anyone else had problems with the Intel Core i3 M330 as far as OpenGL was concerned?

Thanks in advance.

[Aliotroph?]

If you're looking for graphics cards, why are you talking about CPUs? What GPUs do these things have? You're easily safe with one from nVidia or AMD.

[Spiderdemon6669]

Yeah, sorry. I'm not specifically knowledgeable in the fieild of hardware. But thank you for the input. That is what I mean't :)

[Aliotroph?]

I can't say much about Intel GPUs. Historically they were just awful. Rather than have performance degrade nicely they would do things like cause game installation to fail with errors that didn't even make sense. They are apparently better now, but it seems safer to me to buy something from nVidia or AMD.

As for CPUs, anything on the market can run Doom ports and such.

[Spiderdemon6669]

Are nvidia gpu's commonly sold in premade laptops or would I have get it seperetly?

[Aliotroph?]

They are fairly common, but probably cost more. You really can't buy them separately.

[Spiderdemon6669]

ok thanks

[Gez]

There are plenty of laptops with a GeForce in it, my last three had one. They generally are Intel + Nvidia, I haven't seen an AMD + Nvidia ever since AMD bought ATI. (But maybe I just haven't looked enough.)

There have been some attempts at designing a standard allowing to upgrade a laptop's video card, but this never really took off. Unless you see it explicitly written that the laptop has MXM, you can safely assume it hasn't.

[kristus]

Aliotroph? said:

You're easily safe with one from nVidia or AMD.

Correction. He's easily safe with one from Nvidia. AMD is nice, I got one myself. But since it's OpenGL reliancy he's looking for. Nvidia is his best option hands down.

[Spiderdemon6669]

kristus said:

Correction. He's easily safe with one from Nvidia. AMD is nice, I got one myself. But since it's OpenGL reliancy he's looking for. Nvidia is his best option hands down.

Ok, does this include both the GeForce and Quatro models? Also, is AMD, despite being inferior, atleast still compitent in the field of OpenGL?

[kristus]

From what I know Quadro is pretty similar to the GeForce line of cards. But they are a lot more expensive. They're specially designed for working with CAD programs and stuff like that.

And yes. Radeon cards are functional with OpenGL. And while they've improved a lot over the years and there's usually not any issues, it's not uncommon that their drivers cause problems with OpenGL programs and games. An more recent example of this being the release of Rage where they put out the wrong drivers giving everyone who had an Radeon serious issues with the graphics.

[Armaetus]

Avoid any laptops with Intel video acceleration, look for one that has ATI or Nvidia as its video card.

[Kaiser]

If you want to run actual OpenGL ports, please choose something that doesn't come with integrated intel graphic chipsets. I can't stress this enough.

[printz]

Fuck Apple. They're so in love with Intel they have to provide many of their affordable laptops with Intel graphics cards. Nevermind that GPU can be used not just for games, but for any advanced drawing canvas, and even for non-graphic applications as additional computational power to the CPU (edit: http://www.khronos.org/opencl/ ). AND OpenGL seems to be the standard 3D API too in there.

[Gez]

Apple is a special case, since it doesn't have Direct3D at all, those who make MacOS X drivers are forced to provide decent support for OpenGL.

[Spiderdemon6669]

Kaiser said:

If you want to run actual OpenGL ports, please choose something that doesn't come with integrated intel graphic chipsets. I can't stress this enough.

When I got my laptop. I was under the ignorant impression that any graphics card could run OpenGL as a standard process. Thankfully, lesson learned big time.

In response to the apple argument, I wouldn't even consider bothering with apple, regardless of gpu's. Apple's don't offer much options in the gaming department in general compared to Microsoft. Sure, they may run the entire Marathon trilogy and a spiffy version of Wolfenstein 3-D, but that's about it as far as exclusivity in my intrest. Anything else was made for (and at times exclusive to) Microsoft OS's