Have you tried any other games to see if you get any messages like the one you saw after you edited the Alter Ego file?

Although I don't like the way this Nvidis Optimus Technology works, I'm not convinced it's not working as it's supposed to. This may have been something with that one game. And if it's all working like it's supposed to, you still might have a very good laptop. It's rated very, very highly everywhere I read reviews.

Tell mom, there is no such thing as a laptop made in the US. And if you bought one from a store, you would still be dealing with the manufacturer. Everyone I know who has had to take a laptop in for repair under warranty to Best Buy had the laptop sent back to the manufacturer.

And if you end up having to keep this one, I would highly recommend getting rid of your partition and trying to install XP on a computer which was never meant to run it. Get a nice cheap laptop and partition and play away on it until you get so good at it you can do it in your sleep! Unless you are really good at this and have anticipated all the potential problems, a brand new $700+ laptop is not the best place to practice and experiment.

Just changed Alter Ego's shader level/antialiasing levels to 2 and 4 (the default values respectivcely), started up the game and did not see that "compatibiulity mode (low-end HW detected)" text at the bottom of the game's menu, but when I opened up a save, the characters were visible, after this, going back to the game's menu there was that "compaytibility mode (low-end HW detected)" text back again at the bottom of the game's menu.

(text from game's engine file after shader = 2, antiliasing = 4:)

AGDS5 Engine 1.9.4.9
-----------------------------
SystemCPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i3 CPU M 370 @ 2.40GHz
SystemOS: Windows Vista 32bit
SystemGPU: NVIDIA Corporation GeForce GT 420M/PCI/SSE2
SystemSPU: Speakers (Realtek High Definiti
SystemMemory: 3766.676 MB
SystemRender: OpenGL 4.0.0
ShaderModel: 4.0
MouseButtons: 5
MouseWheel: 1
Monitors: 1
Monitor Resolution: 1366 x 768
-----------------------------
CoreRender: Initilaized 1366 x 768

Edit - changed shader level = 0, antialiasing level = 0, tested gtame, went back into game, loaded a save, exited, checked game's engine, Nvidia GPU still showing up here, yet that "Comp....(low-end HW detected)" text showing up on game's menu.




Ok - where can I get one? What will Mom say if I tell her this? Could this be a gaming laptop? How much should I pay for it? After all, she's not computer literate, she just does email, solitaire and word perfect on her desktop PC (which is IIRC over 5 years old.)

First, what exactly is "low end HW"?

There are some US companies that custom build laptops, but you'll pay a lot more for them.


She's already created the partition, and apparently managed to get XP on it without harming Windows 7. Any drivers she installs over on the XP partition won't harm Windows 7. So unless she's absolutely given up on XP for this laptop, I'd recommend leaving the partitioning alone. That said, the switchable graphics may present a problem in XP since the Nvidia apparently only works in tandem with the Intel and not on its own.


Are the characters showing up OK now? Is anything wrong besides getting that message? Have you tried any other games that are showing the same problem?

I believe this refers to the Intel HD graphics chipset in my new Acer laptop. And Drac, I forgot to ask you, if I get myself a nice cheap laptop to experiment on, can I still keep both my Asus netbook and my Acer laptop (now I'm starting to hope I can keep it after all) that I just bought?

And where is the message coming from? From the game? As video cards go, the 420M could be considered low end, though the Intel graphics is lower.

Yes, it is -

Gee, I've no clue where this message is coming from. I believe it is originating from the computer being stuck at Intel HD graphics.


Yes, the characters showed up ever since I changed the shader/antilaising values to 0, and I posted the fix in that 7-month-old thread.
No, I have not yet tried playing any other games to see if that message appears.

EDIT - normally, I wouldn't be concerned about that message, but in the latest scenes part of my character's (Tim) body is cut off - this led me to believe Alter Ego was running off of the Intel HD chipset rather than the NVidia card b/c these scenes wern't being rendered fully.

If it's coming from the game, you probably wouldn't see it in other games.


Try a variety of other games -- especially later ones that would need more from the graphics card.


Yes, but we were assuming that by "low-end graphics hardware" it meant the Intel and not the Nvidia. The game may be throwing up that message every time it switches between the Intel and the Nvidia 420M. The game may consider both "low-end." The Nvidia 420M may be adequate for adventure games, but it's not a high-end or medium-end card. Do a Google search and you'll see it's considered low-end.

There might be something about the way characters are rendered in that particular part of the game that causes them to be cut off. You may be using the 420M at the time you're seeing those cut-off characters.

How do you like the 3D effects on your 3DV8?

Very cool - I'm sure the feeling will wear off, but for now it's kind of a neat toy.

To Drac - Regarding getting myself a good cheap laptop to experiment on - I just told Mom that if my Penna. sister/her husband/son is getting rid of any of their laptops, I'd take it, to which Mom agreed.

Now, several hours ago I contacted the ebay seller telling him that I wasn't satisfied with my laptop, that I wanted to return it for a full refund, but now that I've had this thorough discussion with you guys, I'm thinking that I'd rather hold on to my new Acer laptop - so what do I do at this point? You guys never got back to me about this.

I don't think we've determined whether the laptop is going to render your games satisfactorily yet in Windows 7. Suppose Alter Ego isn't the only game where people have pieces missing? We have to make sure it's going to work out as a gaming laptop for you, even if only in Windows 7. Unlike having a straight Nvidia card, where you could download a variety of drivers from laptopvideo2go, you apparently need drivers that work with the Intel/Nvidia combo, and there are far fewer drivers available for that.

Just got another reply at notebookreviews.com -



What do you think of this, people?

EDIT - when I ordered this Acer from ebay, I thought I was getting a laptop with a straight NVidia 3D card - which is what I'm really after, not some "combo NVidia/HD graphics".

So if I do get to keep this Acer laptop, I reckon I can sell it to my Penna. sister's family (and perhaps get their used laptop in addition to the money)?

What do I tell the seller at this point?

I think Meaker probably knows what he's talking about when he says you can't turn off the switchable part. As for getting a laptop with a separate video card, you wouldn't get an actual video card in a 15" laptop at your price point. You get a chipset that's integrated into the motherboard and (hopefully) has dedicated graphics memory. The only laptops I know of that have separate video cards are large and thick and heavy and expensive. And you don't really need a separate card for adventure games.

See if the seller is willing to take it back. It doesn't sound like you're satisfied with it.

I still think you should try more games with it, but I have a feeling it's never going to suit you. The question is whether you'll find anything better for games at your price point.

Exactly what kind of graphics card do I really need for adventure games that'll suit me into the next 3 to 5 years from now?



Have contacted seller - waiting for him to get back to me. Should I tell him I messed with the partitions and voided the warranty regarding returning the laptop for a full refund?



Well, I want a nice adventure gaming laptop (as opposed to FPS/RPG/action gaming laptop), but want to steer away from these with a combo discrete video card/integrated HD graphics, so could you give me some specs recommendations at my price point and I'll post this at notebookreviews.com when I ask over there after I get my money back, ok?

Cruise...It's a matter of honesty. If you don't admit to the partitions and I was the next poor schmuck to purchase this same laptop from this seller (who will most certainly sell it to someone else)...I would be pretty upset.

My two year old Asus Vista (that I took a couple of months to think about) has played everything so far with the exception of the old Thief games.It does have a separate video card, the Nvidia 9800 (laptop version of course). Yes it is heavier and thicker and tends to run a bit hotter than say my grandsons HP entertainment laptop. It has different modes to cope with this, battery saving, quiet office, entertainment and high performance. I usually just leave it on the latter since I have a cooler and leave it plugged in most of the time.

We have a tech over here that builds laptops to order besides desktops (not cheap though)and has only 4 that he says is for gaming. At least on their website, though I know he can make just about anything for a price. Not that you would ever buy from Hawaii, but take a look at the specs.
Falcon Hawaii

I wish you luck cruise, hope you get everything sorted out and do as Jenny says, try more games.

I just checked out that page, Hawka, but I don't know which ones are the gaming laptops - and why wouldn't I buy a customized laptop from Hawaii? This is, after all, part of the United States.

So is it possible for you to point out these 4 gaming laptops, Hawka, so I can play with the configs and check out this tech's prices?



So JK, should I contact the seller again (immediately) and admit to what I did with the partitions?

Better than a 420M apparently.


Have you checked whether you actually voided the warranty? Did the warranty forbid any software changes? Repartitioning doesn't "break" the hard drive any more than loading games on it. It's not a hardware change. It doesn't involve taking a screwdriver to the laptop and pulling its insides out.

If you're returning it to the seller, he'd have to expect you'd used the laptop and it isn't new anymore. If he resold it, he'd sell it as used. I suspect he's not going to give you a full refund on it, though he might give you a partial refund.


Have you tried other games with the laptop you have? I've only played adventure games using desktop video cards. Inland could give you a better idea since he's used laptops for gaming.

Just hold on. cruise02... wait to see what he says..you can always say you changed your mind.. start more games and see if you have problems and then take it from there...

Looking at some reviews... I would think this would be ok for adventure games if it can run these..?
Pros:
Gaming Graphics- the NVIDIA discrete graphics card e I play COD:Black Ops, Crysis Warhead and the new NFS incarnation, all in high settings. The great NVIDIA Optimus feature also turns off the discrete card and turns on the built in Intel Graphics for less intensive applications and games like NFS: Most Wanted, a great feature to conserve on battery life. PhysX is also great for compatible games like Batman: Arkham Asylum.

I just sent the seller another email admitting to the changes I made to the partitions, installing XP, and asked if he would still be willing to accept the laptop for a refund. So far, he still hasn't gotten back to me.

I don't know how to check to see if I had actually voided the warranty - how do I check?

1. Locate the warranty.
2. Read the warranty.

Is the warranty in a file on your computer?

I've not a clue as to where the warranty is.



Winfrey - which laptop is this review for?



Ok, Winfrey - will do like you told me to do. After I made this latest post here, I gave Baron Wittard Nemesis of Ragnarok about an hour's or so playthrough (on Win 7 64-bit), and I have no problems, that Compatibility graphics...(low-end HW detected) message did not appear at all when Baron Wittard and Black Mirror 2 were running. Tomorrow I'll print out a partial Black Mirror 2 w/t and give the game a playthrough, then I'll install Nikopol, Immortals of Terra, Rhem 4, and give these a playthrough.

EDIT - I noticed while playing Baron Wittard I felt quite happy and satisfied with how everything was (concerning the laptop) going.

Told Mom that laptops that have a separate 3D card in them are heavier, bigger, and thicker, to which Mom added "and they're more expensive." So will I need such a laptop to see me through the next 3 - 5 years if I stick to adventure gaming playing the latest releases?

I can't find anything about a warranty that's specific to Acer.
According to ***Notebookreview's Warranty Guide*** you don't have anything to worry about:

However the warranty will not cover you getting your money back because the Optimus graphics aren't working properly with a particular game. It's not a "satisfied or your money back" guarantee.

If you still have the link from your auction, you can check if the seller has any kind of guarantee.