best laptop for mass effect andromeda

@megean23

Check the Minimum and recommended system requirements below, you can use this info to inform your buying decision when checking specs on a new machine.

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

OS: 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10
PROCESSOR: Intel Core i5 3570 or AMD FX-6350
MEMORY: 8 GB RAM
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GTX 660 2GB, AMD Radeon 7850 2GB
HARD DRIVE: At least 55 GB of free space
DIRECTX: DirectX 11

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

OS: 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10
PROCESSOR: Intel Core i7-4790 or AMD FX-8350
MEMORY: 16 GB RAM
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GTX 1060 3GB, AMD RX 480 4GB
HARD DRIVE: At least 55 GB of free space
DIRECTX: DirectX 11

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@megean23 wrote:

so I brought mass effect Andromeda and was all ready and excited, until it didn't launch, now I'm no expert and I just enjoy playing the past mass effect games so I though 'oh this will work' and apparently I was wrong as I need to upgrade my graphic card. so for asking around as I'm useless with this kind of stuff I find out I cant do this to my laptop. so my question is what's the best laptop to get for gaming as I really really want to play and play other games my current laptop doesn't support?

ANY HELP WILL BE FANTASTIC!!

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It would help a lot if you would post your complete laptop specs (including Windows version)!

Maybe it is just a matter of tweaking some files, but who can tell without seeing your specs?

I'm trying to attach the file but its to big, so ima just paste the top information

Item Value
OS Name Microsoft Windows 10 Home
Version 10.0.14393 Build 14393
Other OS Description Not Available
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name LENOVO-PC
System Manufacturer LENOVO
System Model 2347G2G
System Type x64-based PC
System SKU LENOVO_MT_2347
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3320M CPU @ 2.60GHz, 2601 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date LENOVO G1ET93WW (2.53 ), 3/8/2013
SMBIOS Version 2.7
Embedded Controller Version 1.10
BIOS Mode Legacy
BaseBoard Manufacturer LENOVO
BaseBoard Model Not Available
BaseBoard Name Base Board
Platform Role Mobile
Secure Boot State Unsupported
PCR7 Configuration Binding Not Possible
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "10.0.14393.1378"
User Name lenovo-PC\lenovo
Time Zone GMT Daylight Time
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 4.00 GB
Total Physical Memory 3.68 GB
Available Physical Memory 1.34 GB
Total Virtual Memory 7.93 GB
Available Virtual Memory 5.10 GB
Page File Space 4.25 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys
Hyper-V - VM Monitor Mode Extensions Yes
Hyper-V - Second Level Address Translation Extensions Yes
Hyper-V - Virtualization Enabled in Firmware No
Hyper-V - Data Execution Protection Yes

[Hardware Resources]

[Conflicts/Sharing]

Resource Device
I/O Port 0x00000000-0x00000CF7 PCI Express Root Complex
I/O Port 0x00000000-0x00000CF7 Direct memory access controller

Memory Address 0xF1C00000-0xF1CFFFFF PCI-to-PCI Bridge
Memory Address 0xF1C00000-0xF1CFFFFF Intel(R) Centrino(R) Advanced-N 6205

Memory Address 0xF1D00000-0xF24FFFFF PCI-to-PCI Bridge
Memory Address 0xF1D00000-0xF24FFFFF Ricoh PCIe SD/MMC Host Controller

IRQ 16 Ricoh PCIe SD/MMC Host Controller
IRQ 16 Intel(R) 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller - 1E2D
IRQ 16 Intel(R) Management Engine Interface

Memory Address 0xA0000-0xBFFFF PCI Express Root Complex
Memory Address 0xA0000-0xBFFFF Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000

Memory Address 0xFED40000-0xFED4BFFF PCI Express Root Complex
Memory Address 0xFED40000-0xFED4BFFF Trusted Platform Module 1.2

2 core i5 is way below spec. 4GB of Ram is as well.  Neither does the graphics card make the grade.  Part of the problem with laptops, and integrated graphics on the CPU as well, is that they share memory and bus space so the graphics potential is down from a dedicated CPU and GPU combination. 

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@megean23 wrote:

I'm trying to attach the file but its to big, so ima just paste the top information

Item Value
@Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3320M CPU @ 2.60GHz, 2601 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)

Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 4.00 GB

Memory Address 0xA0000-0xBFFFF Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000

No, will not work. Does not meet minimum requirements (by far). And since it is a laptop, it cannot be upgraded.

As far as running Andromeda on a laptop, you need to look at top tier gaming laptops as the game is quite demanding.

For example: https://www.asus.com/us/site/g-series/#/products/laptops/g752 or equivalent from other manufacturers.

so looking at new laptops and they are expensive so would you guys recommend getting a desktop or either a ps4/xbox one

@megean23 wrote:

so looking at new laptops and they are expensive so would you guys recommend getting a desktop or either a ps4/xbox one

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PS4 (Pro) is the easy way (for this game anyway), as it is what it is and can run the game for sure.

Gaming desktop will be considerably cheaper than a gaming laptop (similarly performing).

A GOOD gaming laptop is not cheap. Even entry level gaming notebooks can be more expensive than the desktops with the same or better performance. 

If you dont wanna carry it with yourself, buying/building a desktop is a better choice. The display can be quite costly if you looking for a real good one but if you happy with the current one you have, or some cheap one does the job too, then you can save some money there.

If portability is what you looking for, then you have to sacrifice the performance for mobility unless you have loads of money to spend, then you can get a very good laptop with excellent performance but many of them suffer of cooling issues and so on.

Also consider you will probably swap your notebook after a few years. Upgrading a desktop is take one part out put the other one in. 

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@megean23 wrote:

so looking at new laptops and they are expensive so would you guys recommend getting a desktop or either a ps4/xbox one

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It depends on the settings you want to play with in Andromeda, your budget and if you want play other upcoming games as well. I ran Andromeda on a mobile workstation on 900p and low settings at 80FPS. There are so many laptops that are way cheaper than mine (2000 bucks) that are also better in terms of games because mine is not meant for that. Examples are the Clevo barebones with let's say GTX950M. The i5 variant seems to be good nowadays, the i5 6xxxHQ or the i5 7xxxHQ so you could take that into account in your choice. But if you want to play games in the future and want to be on the safe side, go for the console or the desktop. Upgrading a laptop is possible but it requires some fiddling with the BIOS (especially with the CPU and the desktop GPU's). It used to be easier, uninstall the old ones with DDU and get the new drivers. Also, both mobile GPU's and laptop-ready desktop GPU's are really expensive. A GTX1060 costs 500 bucks. Not really worth it in my book.

Edit: And do NOT go for a laptop with an Ivy Bridge. Those laptops cannot be undervolted. Also, easily removable batteries is a plus. Those lithium batteries will always be a joke.

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@Vellu78 wrote:

@megean23 wrote:

so looking at new laptops and they are expensive so would you guys recommend getting a desktop or either a ps4/xbox one

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PS4 (Pro) is the easy way (for this game anyway), as it is what it is and can run the game for sure.

Gaming desktop will be considerably cheaper than a gaming laptop (similarly performing).

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True and true.

A PS4 Pro (don't go for the standard version anymore) is about 300 - 400€/$ - or whatever equivalent in your currency (I guess).

A desktop PC is surely about 600 - 700 €/$ for a decent playexperience. And a laptop ... I have no clue. whenever I look at one that I find decent I end up 2000€/$ +

--------------------------- From a similiar post a view weeks ago about a budget gaming PC:

Tough nut to crack ...

• CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1500X 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor - $174.99
• Motherboard: MSI - B350 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard - $84.99
• Memory: GeIL - EVO POTENZA 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory - $102.88
• Storage: Seagate - FireCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive - $69.99
• Video Card: MSI - Radeon RX 580 4GB ARMOR OC Video Card - $204.99
• Case: Thermaltake - Versa H21 ATX Mid Tower Case - $33.95
• Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply - $29.99
• Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit - $89.89

That is $800.00 altogether for self-assembly, without screen, keyboard, mouse etc. You may need additional parts, tools maybe.
I selected the parts via online pc builder pages that compare prices available, so please understand this just as a guideline. 

You can upgrade CPU (Ryzen 1800X), memory (+16Gb), GPU (Vega, 1080ti), storage in the future easily once you are willing to invest extra money.

Theoretical saving up to $200 with a end price of $600 by evaluating the following:

1. If you have an OS you can save this money of course (saves $90).
2. You could reduce memory to 8Gb if you really have to (for saving $50).
3. Maybe cheaper B350 mainboard, but maybe with lesser potential to OC or upgrade (saving $30).
4. I wouldn't recommend any smaller CPU. Also an SSD is more expensive with less capacity. The selected SSHD (or hybrid) is fast. But you could use a common HDD (saves $20).
5. Graphic card ... well, this is the crucial part. A 6 or 8gb card is not required. Not for Andromeda or other games currently. 1080p is fine. There are some cheaper alternatives like MSI or Sapphire RX 470 4Gb or a MSI GTX 1050 Ti 4Gb (saves $60).