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Netbooks capable of playing WoW?

C

cdmccool

Golden Member
I'm looking for a netbook, but I'm so out of the loop. The last time I really looked at one, they were pretty much useless for anything except e-mail. I have no idea where all the different netbook processors stand in terms of performance, but I want something that will handle HD video, has HDMI, and will play WoW/older games.

What would you recommend?

TIA
 
WoW's an older game. Any netbook that is built on the nVidia ION platform should theoretically be able to play it. The 9400M GPU will handle it. The Atom CPU is another story though.

If you want a small laptop for gaming, you really want to get into the 13''-14'' thin & light platforms. Something like a Dell Studio or Apple Macbook/Macbook Pro. They have better CPUs that can handle most older games as well as newer ones with the graphics toned down.
 
I got an ASUS N10 when it came out (standard Atom N270, Nvidia 9300M GS) and it plays games that are about that demanding acceptably. Overclocking the CPU is a must though for decent performance (I run my 1.6GHz Atom @ 2.1GHz), and I don't think an ION based machine, despite it having a more powerful GPU, will be much different - the CPU is a huge bottleneck on these machines. I mean Portal (for example), thanks to its really small enclosed environments, runs damn well at full graphics and 16xAA, but get HL2 Ep2/TF2 (very similar game engines/visual detail, larger environments however) going and its hard to get acceptable performance. If you want to see how people are getting games to run on these machines/get an idea of what you can run, you can check out the forums at n10user.com - any ION based machine will perform similarly, so as a rough guide it should work well.

As mmntech said, going for a small laptop with a non-Atom based processor is best if you want a good gaming experience.
 
It's not that I want it for gaming, I just want some capability in case I'm bored one day. There are lots of old games that are considered classics that I have never tried, Fallout 1/2, Deus Ex, Half-Life, etc.

After looking around, I think I've found 3 decent choices.

Asus Eee 1201N
MSI Wind U230-040
Toshiba Satellite T115D-S1125

From what I've gathered, the Asus has the better gpu, but the MSI and Toshiba have a better processor. I'm leaning towards the MSI or Toshiba for a more well rounded netbook, since many believe the 9400M GPU is rather mismatched with the Atom CPU.
 
I think you've got the right attitude there. As long as you have a discrete graphics card you'll be able to power through the games such as those you've specified easily, and even an integrated Intel gpu could handle those well enough. Mind you games that old will also run perfectly well on an Atom at stock clock speeds. I'd still go for the better CPU though because it will also have the benefit of making all your non-graphics intensive apps (i.e. your general computing experience) run better as well.
 
cdmccool said:
I'm looking for a netbook, but I'm so out of the loop. The last time I really looked at one, they were pretty much useless for anything except e-mail. I have no idea where all the different netbook processors stand in terms of performance, but I want something that will handle HD video, has HDMI, and will play WoW/older games.

What would you recommend?
Click to expand...

I would recommend NOT a netbook.

I have a netbook (MSI Wind) and WoW barely crawls, plus it does not have HDMI and cannot play HD video. You can get an ION netbook, but that would only be able to play certain supported HD video (if you have the right drivers and right software) and it still won't have HDMI and be able to play WoW decently.

There should be some upcoming thin/light notebooks based on the Core i-series CULV chips that would be great for everything you've described. Otherwise, go for one of the Core 2 based CULV thin/light notebooks such as this one:

ASUS UL30 Series
13.3" widescreen
3.74 pounds
10+ hour battery life
Core 2 Duo CPU
4GB DDR3 RAM
HDMI output
$650
 
You probably play WoW on a netbook...in 2004. My 2.8GHz E6300 + 9600GT chokes in Dalaran, an Atom netbook will NOT stand a chance.
 
1. Get a dual core at a minimum
2. Plan on having at least 2GB of memory
3. You need a half-way decent graphics card
4. Do you REALLY want to play a game on a screen that tiny?!

WoW may be old in terms of when it came out, but it is still one of (if not the) most played game to this day. Improvements have been made (whether they're visually noticeable or not), and hardware that would laugh at the game in 2004-2006 will choke today.
 
I do appreciate the advice, but I am looking for a netbook.

The 3 I listed will in fact handle HD video, and have HDMI(including the MSI). I just used WoW as a jumping off point because it's probably one of the most recognizable titles that fall under "older games". Although, I was not aware of any upgrades they had made, making the game more demanding than when it came out. I remember my brother used to play WoW on an Athlon 64 3000+ with Radeon X1250 integrated gpu. =D

The 3 netbooks I listed also have dual core processors, and at least 2GB of RAM. The Toshiba even has one slot open, and can easily be upgraded to 4GB.

Price is a factor. These netbooks go for around ~$490 shipped. The Asus UL30 is $160 more, and uses the Intel 4500MHD which I am avoiding. And like I said previously, it's not that I want it for gaming, I just want some capability.
 
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I don't play WoW, so I'm probably the last punter you should listen to, but...

There's a lot of confusion about the term 'netbook'. Some of the comments suggest we were assuming your choices were classic 10-inch, Atom-cpu netbooks, but as you've clarified, only the ASUS EeePC is an Atom machine, the others use Athlon dualcores.

That said, buying a netbook or a CULV-type subnotebook is principally about mobility right? Weight, size, battery life. I believe AMD's offerings suffer dramatically shorter battery life than most of the CULV notebooks. You've already remarked that you want the notebook principally for purposes other than gaming...

There are decent CULV 11.6-inch notebooks out there for less than $500. I missed getting the Gateway EC1830u (rebadged Acer 1810TZ) with Pentium 4100 for $430 at Micro Centre (blast!). I suppose the question comes down to: are integrated ATi graphics so much better than Intel's 4500HD to compensate for the shorter longevity and weaker processor of AMD notebooks? Bear in mind that WoW stresses both the cpu and graphics. Unfortunately I've not seen head-to-head benchmarks of this sort.
 
Ha! Just found on NotebookCheck.net that one will be lucky to get much over a dozen fps using Intel 4500MHD graphics (dropping to 800x600 gets 35 fps). TechReport reviewed the ASUS UL30A (Pentium SU7300, GMA 4500MHD) and reported

World of Warcraft is sluggish at native resolution with low detail levels. Drop to 800x600 and gameplay is smooth enough to be playable, although again, that's just wandering around where the demo dumps new players. Massive raids will probably bring the GMA to its knees.
Click to expand...

That seems in line with NotebookCheck's benchmarks.

If playing WoW at greater than 800x600 is important to you, I suppose you'll have to go AMD. Shame there's no 'ION' platform for CULV processors -- curse the Intel v nVidia war...
 
Winterpool said:
I don't play WoW, so I'm probably the last punter you should listen to, but...

There's a lot of confusion about the term 'netbook'. Some of the comments suggest we were assuming your choices were classic 10-inch, Atom-cpu netbooks, but as you've clarified, only the ASUS EeePC is an Atom machine, the others use Athlon dualcores.

That said, buying a netbook or a CULV-type subnotebook is principally about mobility right? Weight, size, battery life. I believe AMD's offerings suffer dramatically shorter battery life than most of the CULV notebooks. You've already remarked that you want the notebook principally for purposes other than gaming...

There are decent CULV 11.6-inch notebooks out there for less than $500. I missed getting the Gateway EC1830u (rebadged Acer 1810TZ) with Pentium 4100 for $430 at Micro Centre (blast!). I suppose the question comes down to: are integrated ATi graphics so much better than Intel's 4500HD to compensate for the shorter longevity and weaker processor of AMD notebooks? Bear in mind that WoW stresses both the cpu and graphics. Unfortunately I've not seen head-to-head benchmarks of this sort.
Click to expand...

Sorry, if it doesn't have an Atom, it's not a netbook. The low-voltage Athlons fall into the same realm as Intel CULV notebooks.
 
I was going off of what Newegg has under 'Netbooks'.

*shrug*

Also, anything above 4-5 hours of battery life is more than I will ever need. I haven't even considered it because I figured anything in this class will do at least 4 hours.
 
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Zap, you highlighted "HD video, has HDMI, and will play WoW" and said don't look for a netbook then, well my year-and-a-half old ASUS N10 does a pretty handy job at covering all that ('cept for the screen resolution of 1024x600, can't really view HD in all its glory 🙂).

And Winterpool, make sure you are comparing apples with apples. Discrete graphics are sooo much better than Intel's rubbish GMA offering. So so much. Here's a thread about getting Wow to run at 80fps average on an Atom (with overclocked gpu+cpu I admit, but from personal experience I can tell you that this doesn't translate into much extra heat/lost battery life, cause if you're gaming on it you're gonna have a fair amount of power drain anyway):

http://www.n10user.com/viewtopic.php?id=836

For the record, if I could add anything to my netbook that could've revolutionized how I'd used it, it would definitely be a better CPU. There are unfortunately some games/applications that no matter how much you tweak them, the little Atom falls short.
 
c-fone said:
Zap, you highlighted "HD video, has HDMI, and will play WoW" and said don't look for a netbook then, well my year-and-a-half old ASUS N10 does a pretty handy job at covering all that ('cept for the screen resolution of 1024x600, can't really view HD in all its glory 🙂).
Click to expand...

Weren't the N10 units kinda expensive for a "netbook?" :hmm:
 
Fayd said:
well, one of the asus UL30's has switchable graphics to get to a geforce 210? i think.
Click to expand...

Yes, but that's for the $800-850 UL30Vt version. Hardly netbook pricing.

I guess this debate greatly depends on each individual's definition of "netbook." In my mind, a netbook is a low-power laptop (both in terms of performance and power consumption) with an extremely portable form factor (8-10") and low cost (under $400 or so). Generally that means an Atom processor and GMA 500.

Anything in the $500-600+ price bracket (with the rare exception of "premium" netbooks, which are a total rip-off), 11-13"+ screen, and Core 2 Duo / i3 / Pentium / Celeron / Athlon Neo / etc. processor is just a small laptop. Call it a CULV, ultraportable, etc. Just don't call it a netbook. Why? Well, my UL30A-A2 is closer to a "normal" laptop in both performance and price than it is to an average netbook.
 
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For wow, CPU matters as much as the GPU and also, Hard Drive matters too. You want to install wow on a short stroked partition that is 7200 rpm for max performance. I would suggest any CULV laptop.
 
hp mini 311. it has atom, but it has ion (9400m), high res screen (1366x768), and everything else you need. $400 at newegg. 🙂

edit - forgot to say that the only difference between ion and ion le is that the le only supports directx9 and the regular ion supports directx10. however, there is a hack/workaround so dont feel bad if you spring for ion le. 🙂
 
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You will -not- enjoy playing WoW on a netbook


The most you*might* be able to do is low level soloing in vanilla areas. You wouldn't be able to do the expansion areas at all


My laptop with T6600/4500MHD+DDR3 gets like 11fps in unpopulated wrath areas at lowered resolutions. Unplayable
 
Your experience with Wow on the T6600 doesn't seem right. My two year old Dell 1720 (dual core, average ATI graphics) plays WOTLK fine. A little lag like most in Dalaran occasionally, but consistently 30fps or better. Not at max setting, somewhere in the middle.
 
tompc said:
Your experience with Wow on the T6600 doesn't seem right. My two year old Dell 1720 (dual core, average ATI graphics) plays WOTLK fine. A little lag like most in Dalaran occasionally, but consistently 30fps or better. Not at max setting, somewhere in the middle.
Click to expand...

It wasn't slow because of the T6600, it was slow because of the IGP. You had a dedicated GPU
 
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