Can I run Oblivion?

[TopHatKat]

So I got this new laptop. I'm curious as to whether it can play oblivion or maybe even skyrim. My problem is that 'm not sure how much ram it has. It says 4GB system memory but also 4096 DDR3 SDRAM. According to my dad, system memory can be converted to RAM. So can I run Oblivion? It also has a AMD Dual-Core Processor E-300. It says this has 1.3GHz and the requirements are 3 GHz, but I don't much about technology anyway so I'd thought I'd get confirmation from you guys.

[MARS]

You're probably going to have a lot of hiccups with that processor. Multiple cores don't matter for Oblivon, so 1.3 GHz is all you got.

[TopHatKat]

So skyrim for sure won't run then. Would you happen to know if fallout 3 or New Vegas uses multiple cores? And was the RAM enough for oblivion?

[MARS]

I don't think you'll have a very good time with Oblivion either.

[TopHatKat]

Well I found a website that has a lot of hardware reviews and such, and they judged my (processor?) to be able to run oblivion and fallout 3. I can run Fallout 3 better than Oblivion though. I might stop by Bestbuy and buy Oblivion. It can't be that expensive. Amazon prices it around 20$. I'll just return it if all else fails. I do understand that although I might be able to run it, it may still be very slow. Only time can tell. Thanks for the help!

[Tezliov]

No, you can't run Skyrim and it will struggle/not run Oblivion and Fallout 3.
The 4096MB MB of system RAM is the same 4GB that is installed. There is no "virtual memory" that can be added.
GHZ does not matter, it's just the speed that the processor completes the cycles at. It depends more what's in a cycle. For example, my FX 8150 runs at 3.6GHZ, but is much less powerful then a Core i7 4930x at 3.4GHZ.
The E-300 is pretty weak, and I'm hoping you spent less then $250 on that. Otherwise, return it and get something that can actually run games, like this.

[TopHatKat]

I can't exactly return it considering it was a gift. Do you know any particular pieces of hardware I could buy to replace? Preferably under $100. I'm talking the individual pieces. I'm assuming by what you said that I'm good on RAM?

[Lindai]

There's plenty of RAM.

You need to replace the CPU, if that's even possible. Make and model of the laptop?

[the Savage Hippie]

I ran Oblivion just fine with a dual core 1.5GHZ processor

[TopHatKat]

@Lindai It's a HP laptop. It says on the box that it's a 2000-2d19WM Notebook PC. That is what you mean by the model/make of the laptop, yes?

[Tezliov]

I can't exactly return it considering it was a gift. Do you know any particular pieces of hardware I could buy to replace? Preferably under $100. I'm talking the individual pieces. I'm assuming by what you said that I'm good on RAM?

Yes, 4GB of RAM is fine. You cannot upgrade laptops except for RAM and the hard drive, everything else is soldered.

There's plenty of RAM.

You need to replace the CPU, if that's even possible. Make and model of the laptop?

No laptops with APUs are upgradeable.

I ran Oblivion just fine with a dual core 1.5GHZ processor

GHZ =/= Performance.

[TopHatKat]

So is there ANYWAY(and I mean anyway) to upgrade my computer at all? You said laptops with APUs are not upgradeable but I'm just making sure. I might try oblivion to see how slow it'll run. I can settle for low frame rates. My old computer was half as powerful as this laptop and it ran minecraft on close to lowest settings. So maybe if I turned oblivion down a lot it may work.

EDIT: I take that back. My old computer has half the RAM, twice the GHz.

[Lindai]

No laptops with APUs are upgradeable.

That's just not true.

TopKatHat, according to The Internet, your CPU is soldered onto the motherboard. Which pretty much makes it irreplaceable.

So is there ANYWAY(and I mean anyway) to upgrade my computer at all?

You can add more RAM, disk space, etc. but none of that will make Oblivion run any faster. However, you might be able to make Oblivion run better by following this wiki guide.

[Tezliov]

No laptops with APUs are upgradeable.

That's just not true.

Yes it is. All laptop CPUs on that platform are soldered.

[Lindai]

Yes it is. All laptop CPUs on that platform are soldered.

On that platform perhaps, but your original statement, "No laptops with APUs are upgradeable", is false.

[TopHatKat]

Thanks for the info! I was just wondering if I could even run it in the first place. Not sure if my computer has a graphics card and the like. I'll definitely have to try it. Low settings don't really bother me. I'm used to them.

[Tezliov]

Yes it is. All laptop CPUs on that platform are soldered.

On that platform perhaps, but your original statement, "No laptops with APUs are upgradeable", is false.

"APU" is AMD's marketing term for their A and E series CPUs.
I was referring to their CPUs, not all technical "APUs" which would mean any CPU with an integrated GPU.

OP, this is the best benchmark I could find. It's for the E-350 though, but the 350 uses the same iGPU so it's only different on CPU-side.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4134/the- ... -miniitx/5
There's no Oblivion benchmark, but it shows how weak it is.

[TopHatKat]

I just ran half-life 2 fairly smoothly on my laptop. I turned down the graphics just a little and BANG silky smooth. The minimum req for hf2 is 1.7 GHz. Oblivion is 2.0, so if I just turn the graphics down, should run smooth. I have heard that oblivion only uses one core instead of both, though. Anyone know?

[Tezliov]

I just ran half-life 2 fairly smoothly on my laptop. I turned down the graphics just a little and BANG silky smooth. The minimum req for hf2 is 1.7 GHz. Oblivion is 2.0, so if I just turn the graphics down, should run smooth. I have heard that oblivion only uses one core instead of both, though. Anyone know?

For the last time.
GHZ =/= Performance.
HL2 is a very, very easy to run game. The fact that you actually had to turn graphics down on it proves that your computer is very weak.
My old Core2Duo and GT 220 desktop could max it easily.
You can't run any games on that computer. It was not made for games. It can't run games. It most definitely can't run Oblivion well.

Ignoring the truth doesn't make it better.

[Lindai]

I just ran half-life 2 fairly smoothly on my laptop. I turned down the graphics just a little and BANG silky smooth. The minimum req for hf2 is 1.7 GHz. Oblivion is 2.0, so if I just turn the graphics down, should run smooth. I have heard that oblivion only uses one core instead of both, though. Anyone know?

Oblivion indeed uses just one core. Half Life 2 can utilize both cores on your chip, which is why it runs well.

[TopHatKat]

In my eternal quest of making oblivion playable on my laptop, I thought of something awesome. What if....now bear with me...I made an external processor! Like a normal flash drive except for cpu. Or does that already exist? That seriously sounds cool. Maybe reroute the different passages concerning the cpu? I don't know. This is all new stuff to me and it's quite fascinating. If this doesn't exist, then I have an excellent business opportunity in front of me just waiting to be exploited. Not like I have any idea how processors even work now . I'll figure something out.

[Lindai]

A local cloud computer?

I don't think anything like this exists. The slow transfer speed(data bandwidth) of the USB port would severely bottleneck this hypothetical external CPU.

[Tezliov]

In my eternal quest of making oblivion playable on my laptop, I thought of something awesome. What if....now bear with me...I made an external processor! Like a normal flash drive except for cpu. Or does that already exist? That seriously sounds cool. Maybe reroute the different passages concerning the cpu? I don't know. This is all new stuff to me and it's quite fascinating. If this doesn't exist, then I have an excellent business opportunity in front of me just waiting to be exploited. Not like I have any idea how processors even work now . I'll figure something out.

Not possible at all.
Your computer sucks. Deal with it. Return it or suffer with it. You can do nothing to help it.

A local cloud computer?

Hahahahaha.
Local means in your house.
Cloud means you're connecting over the internet to it.
Do you actually have any idea what you're saying or are you just making up everything?
A "cloud computer" actually doing the rendering is impossible.
A "local computer" would be in OP's house. Meaning he would have to buy a new computer, and in that case he could just use that computer.

[TopHatKat]

My computer can run Microsoft Word, so I'm pretty sure it's the most powerful laptop on the market. I just had to turn down the graphics of the letters. I can type up to 350 words before it freezes. Pretty awesome upgrade if you ask me. Still working on the external cpu. It'll happen. Trust me. Thanks again (I know I say thanks a lot) for the input!

[Lindai]

A "cloud computer" actually doing the rendering is impossible.

No it isn't.