Computer Help!!

Okay, this is really starting to bug me. The two games that I got (Axis and Allies RTS and LOTR: Battle for Middle Earth) are really cool, unfortunately, my laptop is having problems handling them. This makes no sense as my system is WAY above the system specs. Here it is:

Pentium 4
2.79 GHz
512 MB RAM
ATI Raedeon 7500 Mobile 64 MB
DirectX 9.0c
Windows XP Pro


LOTR:
Windows XP or 2000
1.3 GHZ
256 MB RAM
8x or faster DVD ROM
4 GB or more free space
Sound and Video 9.0b
ATI Radeon 75000 or greater or GeForce 2 32 MB

Similiar requirements on Axis and Allies. The games also run better on a slower machine. Any reason for this? I reformatted my laptop and everything and still didn't help. I'm at a loss. Plz help

- Arkans

[Jack]

Your graphics card sucks, so you're screwed.

[Anebriated]

Games notoriously run slower/choppier on laptops. That being said the two things that will make the most difference in performance are your video card and memory.

Your video card is the minimum spec from what you have posted so that could be part of it. The minimum specs are just what is needed to be able to run the game, not run it well. You can get away with the minimum spec video card if you have a decent amount of memory to back it up. Generally 1GB of memory is standard anymore on desktops, not really sure about laptops.

Not really sure what you are willing to do but those would be your two easiest solutions to improve performance. Upgrade the vid card or boost your memory a bit. Hope that helps or someone else can correct me if my information was off.

What's a good video card and how much does it cost?

- Arkans

what is the difference between a HPEL and a Help?

[Jack]

You have a laptop, so you're out of luck as far as upgrading the graphics card. If you want better, buy a new laptop... You can buy more ram, but I'm not sure how much that would help.

Damn, no possible way to update a laptop graphics card at all?

- Arkans

[Jack]

The graphics card isn't really a card on a laptop, it's integrated into the motherboard. You could try calling whoever made the laptop, and see if they have some sort of upgrade program where you can send it in, otherwise you're screwed.

[Drew2]

No, it's onboard.

Dell made it, I doubt they'll be able to do that. Guess it is time to invest in a desktop again.

- Arkans