# I Can't Play Games on My Laptop?



## OutCognito (Aug 13, 2011)

My sister recently went to college and gave me her old laptop (It is a HP G61 and is only about two years old.) I restored the computer to factory defaults to have a fresh start. I downloaded some games and this is when I realized my problem. The first instance of the problem was when I was playing a game called "League of Legends". About ten minutes through the game, the game would freeze. It isn't a computer freeze because I could still move the mouse and see people walking in place. I was then disconnected. The second instance was when I was playing a game called "Dragon Nest". I would run through a dungeon and after a short-while everything would start to move in place. I could still move freely but whenever I tried to hit something the hits wouldn't register. After about 30 seconds everything went back to normal and a lot of monsters died and I was hurt. I tested my computers download and upload speed to see if anything was different from my family desktop. My download speed on the laptop is 5 mbps, and the one on the desktop is 26 mbps. The desktop is directly hooked up to the modem, and the laptop is wireless (I don't know if this would be the reason for the difference in speed, and or disconnection/lag issues.) I have also noticed that videos on YouTube load A LOT slower than on my desktop. I finally gave up and tried to use my desktop but I seem to have disconnected from Dragon Nest on there as well (except this time it automatically disconnected me, it didn't have a pause in the game.) Does anyone know what may be the problem with my laptop/ internet, and or how to check what is wrong with it? I appreciate the help. Thanks, Chris.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

You can Google "speed test" and find a bandwidth test to ascertain your Internet connection speed.

Laptop computers are mainly designed for light computing tasks such as surfing the web, checking e-mails and word processing; few are built with gaming graphics and even those usually have heat-related problems. There are dozens of HP G61 series notebooks, some of the higher end ones might be capable of limited gaming but many are not.

What is the specific model of your computer? Check its specifications against the requirements for the game you wish to play. Also, while in the game start with all graphics set to their lowest settings -- if the game runs fine you then can start adding enhancements until you reach the desired level of performance vs graphics quality.

System Requirements : League of Legends Player Support


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## OutCognito (Aug 13, 2011)

MPR said:


> You can Google "speed test" and find a bandwidth test to ascertain your Internet connection speed.
> 
> Laptop computers are mainly designed for light computing tasks such as surfing the web, checking e-mails and word processing; few are built with gaming graphics and even those usually have heat-related problems. There are dozens of HP G61 series notebooks, some of the higher end ones might be capable of limited gaming but many are not.
> 
> ...


The specifications aren't the problem. My desktop could handle the game on low graphics and it is about 5 years old. My laptop is atleast 5x better and I could easily play on high graphics. I even switched onto the lowest graphics on my laptop hoping for the disconnection issues to go away, but they haven't. Why is it that my laptop disconnects and my desktop doesn't?


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

5 Mbps should be sufficient to play online games; however, if your desktop is connected at 26 Mbps you will definitely notice a slowdown with the WiFi compared to your wired connection. Problems that occur after several minutes of gameplay in a laptop also may be heat related. Download GPU_Z and CPU_Z and record your CPU and GPU load and temperature settings while playing a game.

It would help the technicians here to know the make and model of your laptop.


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## OutCognito (Aug 13, 2011)

MPR said:


> 5 Mbps should be sufficient to play online games; however, if your desktop is connected at 26 Mbps you will definitely notice a slowdown with the WiFi compared to your wired connection. Problems that occur after several minutes of gameplay in a laptop also may be heat related. Download GPU_Z and CPU_Z and record your CPU and GPU load and temperature settings while playing a game.
> 
> It would help the technicians here to know the make and model of your laptop.


Alright, I have downloaded them both. How would I go about recording the data? I have to go to work in half an hour so I won't be able to report the results until late tonight or early morning. BTW ty again for helping me.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

Open both GPU_Z and CPU_Z and then play your game for a few minutes. Then tab out of the game and chose the options in GPU_Z (sensors tab) and CPU_Z (about tab) that log the monitoring data to a file. This data will give you a better idea of how your system is performing under load and whether the issue might be heat- or processor load-related. Windows itself also has system monitoring features -- go to Start and run resmon -- this will give you information on what system resources are being used in and out of the game.

Also, check your router's settings and make sure that the connection isn't set to disconnect after a certain time or after certain amount of data transfer.


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## OutCognito (Aug 13, 2011)

MPR said:


> Open both GPU_Z and CPU_Z and then play your game for a few minutes. Then tab out of the game and chose the options in GPU_Z (sensors tab) and CPU_Z (about tab) that log the monitoring data to a file. This data will give you a better idea of how your system is performing under load and whether the issue might be heat- or processor load-related. Windows itself also has system monitoring features -- go to Start and run resmon -- this will give you information on what system resources are being used in and out of the game.
> 
> Also, check your router's settings and make sure that the connection isn't set to disconnect after a certain time or after certain amount of data transfer.


I am attaching the files that I got from the CPU and GPU. I am guessing my computer did horrible compared to my expectations.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

Laptops are just not gaming machines. Let's look at the requirements for League of Legends vs your machine's specs:

League of Legends Minimum System Requirements

2 GHz processor -- Your AMD Sempron™ Processor Model M100 at 2 GHz meets this -- just, a 3 GHz processor is recommended

1 GB RAM -- You have plenty of RAM at 3 GB RAM

Shader version 2.0 capable video card -- You have M880G with Mobility Radeon HD 4200 Shader Model 4.1 

DirectX 9.0 capable video card -- You have Directx 11

HOWEVER, -- Recommended Video card: GeForce 8800 or better

This card has a Passmark G3D rating of _966_

Your ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4200 has a G3D rating of _108_

A decent gaming card that will play most games today, albeit on moderate settings, the 5770 has a G3D rating of _1674_


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## OutCognito (Aug 13, 2011)

MPR said:


> Laptops are just not gaming machines. Let's look at the requirements for League of Legends vs your machine's specs:
> 
> League of Legends Minimum System Requirements
> 
> ...


So is that the reason I constantly disconnect from games? I wouldn't think a video card would be the cause of disconnection issues.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

Oftentimes, multiplayer games will disconnect you if your system slows to the point of affecting other player's gameplay.

Here are some more things you might wish to check:

What anti-virus software are you using? I'd recommend Microsoft Security Essentials as it works well, is free, and has low system overhead.

Make sure that the game is listed in the exceptions list of your firewall and that the router is set up properly to allow it. If your home network has several wireless connections set the game's priority high in the Quality of Service.

Try connecting directly to your router via a wired connection vs WiFi and see if you still get disconnected.


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## OutCognito (Aug 13, 2011)

MPR said:


> What anti-virus software are you using? I'd recommend Microsoft Security Essentials as it works well, is free, and has low system overhead.


I currently don't have an anti-virus. This computer is supposed to be set up with Norton but I didn't want to use it. I will take your suggestion and download Microsoft Security.



MPR said:


> Make sure that the game is listed in the exceptions list of your firewall and that the router is set up properly to allow it. If your home network has several wireless connections set the game's priority high in the Quality of Service.


I am currently in my computers firewall and the game was already allowed via Home/Work (Private). There is also an option for Public, should I check that as well? I also don't see the option for quality of service. Is that within the routers firewall or my computers? I currently have an xfinity router and I don't have many options to tweak with in the firewall from what I have seen.



MPR said:


> Try connecting directly to your router via a wired connection vs WiFi and see if you still get disconnected.


I guess I can try that, if I can find a long enough ethernet cord. I also have a Belkin Wireless Router that I haven't used yet. Should I try to set the laptop up to it?


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

Operating without antivirus is not a good thing to do if you go online online. Malware can cause system slowdown like that you are experiencing.

Overheating too can cause showdowns -- if you have an offline 3-D graphics-intensive game play it for several minutes to see if your system can handle it, or you can download a 3-D benchmark and run it for several minutes while monitoring GPU_Z.

Make sure that the ventilation ports of your laptop are clear and the system is dust-free. Also, it is best to run "laptops" on a hard surface and not actually on your lap (or a bed, carpet, etc.).


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## OutCognito (Aug 13, 2011)

MPR said:


> Operating without antivirus is not a good thing to do if you go online online. Malware can cause system slowdown like that you are experiencing.
> 
> Overheating too can cause showdowns -- if you have an offline 3-D graphics-intensive game play it for several minutes to see if your system can handle it, or you can download a 3-D benchmark and run it for several minutes while monitoring GPU_Z.
> 
> Make sure that the ventilation ports of your laptop are clear and the system is dust-free. Also, it is best to run "laptops" on a hard surface and not actually on your lap (or a bed, carpet, etc.).


I have plugged the laptop directly to the router with an ethernet cord and I am surprised with the results. Not only is the download speed 36 mbps, even higher than my desktop was, but I am not experiencing any lag in games (Atleast so far). So I think that was the reason. I currently play my laptop on a hard surface anyway but some of the ventilation parts of the laptop is under the computer so I am going to have to buy a cooling pad. It heats up wayyyy too fast. In about an hour I am forced to shut it off in fear it is going to over heat. Thank you for your help.


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