Is this laptop good enough to Run Sims 3 + other online games

[caitytrina]

http/www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/lenovo-z575-15-6-laptop-gun-metal-12377746-pdt.html

The sort of games I play are Sims 3, zOMG on gaia, Fiesta, I hope to get the Guild War games, Vampire Masquerade 2 etc (anything RPG I'm normally interested in)
These are the specs of the laptop:

Processor A6-3420M (1.5GHz (turbo 2.4GHz, 4MB Cache)
Operating System Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
RAM 8GB
Screen resolution 1366 x 768
Screen size 15.6"
Hard drive 750GB
Optical disk drive DVD RW
Memory card reader 5-in-1 card reader
USB 4 x 2.0 USB
Modem/Ethernet 10/100M LAN
WiFi 802.11 B/G/N
TV output HDMI
Webcam Yes
Battery Black 6 Cell 2.2A
Accessories included AC power adapter
Size W 376 x D 250 x Thickness 35.5 mm
Weight 2.6 kg

I would also be using this laptop for university next year (2013 september) and the course I am hoping to do is Computer Science/Computer Games Development(hopefully I'll get the grades). From what I can tell, most of the specs are capable of sims, but I can't find any information on the graphics card to compare (though I did get the laptop but filtering by laptops with 1.5 GB dedicated graphics memory). I won't be able to take my desk top 'cause I decided to give it to my mother when I leave (I saved my ema for it last year) and I'll be saving a good few months for this. If there's a better system please recommend, I would rather save for longer than get this and need another system after.

 

[jaguarskx]

The laptop is basically has an entry level graphic core that is integrated into the Llano A4-3420M APU. The APU is a term AMD came up with that combines both CPU core and graphic core into one single processor. The CPU itself is somewhat weak and so is the graphics, but it should be fine for relatively old and/or non-resource intensive games like Crysis and Battlefield 3. Skyrim and Diablo 3 should be able to run on low settings. The integrated graphic is (Radeon HD something....) is a little less powerful than a desktop Radeon HD 5550 graphic card, but it should be decent for that resolution.

If you can hold off and wait to save up more money then you can buy a newer generation laptop that should start to trick in beginning this month. They may be slightly more expensive because the previous / current generation laptops like Lenovo Z575 have been reduced in price to clear out the inventory. However, this is usually offset by the fact that there are "back-to-school" sales going on... at least in the US.

For example, the upcoming Lenovo Z585 is the successor to the Z575. It is not listed on Lenovo's UK site yet, but it is listed on the US site as "coming soon".

http/www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/ideapad/z-series/z585/

This laptop, and other new laptops, will feature AMD's new Trinity APU that replaces Llano (like the A4-3420M). The CPU core is a bit better and so is the integrated graphics. Trinity APU will have a little higher clocked CPU cores and they also more efficiently as well. Without getting too technical, Trinity APUs will offer better gaming performance then their Llano APU counterparts that they will be replacing. The integrated graphic core in the fastest Llano APU is a little slower than a desktop Radeon HD 5570, while the graphic core in the fastest Trinity APU is a bit faster than the Radeon HD 5570. This has a trickle down effect on lower Trinity APUs so all Trinity APUs will be better than the Llano APUs they will be replacing. In the end this means better gaming performance.

On the Intel side, they have recently released their new Ivy Bridge family of CPUs. What this means is that these current CPUs offers better performance than their previous Sandy Bridge family of CPUs. Most notably is the new Intel HD 4000 graphic which is in every single mobile Ivy Bridge CPU from the slowest to the fastest. Unlike Llano and Trinity APUs where the graphic core is different based on the APU model; a Llano A6 APU will have a faster graphic core than a Llano A4 APU. Even though Ivy Bridge CPU have both a CPU core and graphic core (like Llano and Trinity), Intel still calls them CPUs.

The Intel HD 4000 graphic is more power than the graphic core in the Llano A4 and A6 APUs. It can come somewhat close to challenging the graphic core in the Llano A8 APUs, but the Intel HD 4000 usually looses. Naturally, it is also loose to the Trinity A10 model APUs as well. However, the CPU core is much more powerful than what AMD has to offer, by at least 20%. So... on the CPU core side of things an Ivy Bridge CPU @ 2.0GHz is at least as powerful as a Llano / Trinity APU @ 2.4GHz.

 

[jaguarskx]

You can click the following link for some benchmarks. Of the integrated core in the Llano A8 APU (Radeon HD 6620G), the upcoming Trinity A10 APU (Radeon HD 7660G) and Intel's Sandy Bridge (Intel HD 3000) and Ivy Bridge (Intel HD 4000) CPUs. The Llano A4 models are not represented since this is basically a shootout of the fastest integrated graphic core models, but the graphic core in the A4 series should perform better than the Intel HD 3000.

http/www.anandtech.com/show/5831/amd-trinity-review-a10-4600m-a-new-hope/6

The following are dedicated graphic cards so they should be ignored. They are just used as a comparison.

HD6630M
GT640M
GT630M

 

[TomaTenku]

I have An A4-3300M APU, it will play D3 on Med/Low Settings, and works great for some game dev stuff that i do out and about, although if I had more money to invest, I would looked for something with a separate graphics card. Plus now is the worst time to buy a laptop. Christmas and Back to School time are some of the best time to buy a laptop as they market more sales during those times to help push sales.