T60P's gaming capability

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PAPPP · #31 Post by **PAPPP** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:56 pm

Since it was asked specifically: I've run oblivion on the T60p in my sig, and its entirely playable (~60fps) at moderate settings (Although I don't like the gameplay as much as Morrowind). "Moderate" here meaning 1280x1024 with quality settings and view distances set about 3/4 of the way to the high end of the slider, with a few ini tweaks and texture replacements. I actually saw in the range of 30fps at native (1400x1050), but low framerates give me a headache. I also play HL2/CS:S/Other Source games, Dawn of War, and a few other older games on here occasionally, and they all run fine at native.
If there is specific interest in some feature I can reboot into windows to check details (I dualboot Linux/WinXP, and lately have only been bringing up windows for proprietary games and B2Spice, or when I need the dialup modem).
Benchmarks (and game-specific tests, and whatnot) from myself and some other users over in this thread.

HBZ · #32 Post by **HBZ** » Sat Jan 20, 2007 4:20 pm

Another Oblivion player here. I can't max it like I can on my desktop but if you turn off grass and shadows you can turn everything else up pretty high. I've even got Qarl's textures installed although I recommend you have 2GB RAM if you want to use the large texture setting with that.

There are a couple things to do to get the best performance out of the V52x0. In the Catalyst Control Panel go to the Powerplay settings and make sure the sliders are all the way to the right on Performance. (Not the best choice for battery life but you can set it back when not gaming). Go to the Workstation settings and set the Application Profile to OpenGL Games. It probably doesn't improve performance but should improve compatibility if you do play an OpenGL game. Anything using the Quake or Doom engine are about it for OpenGL games these days, everything else is Direct3D.

Ford5of5 · #33 Post by **Ford5of5** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 4:03 pm

I have a T60p with a 15" flexview, a V5250, a T7200 and 1GB of ram. I have played Wow at Max setting and brillant is the word that came to mind; of course I was drinking Guiness at the time. Also, Alien vs Predator, C&C Generals and Tiberian Sun, Jane's fighter anthology, Battlefield 1942, and Stronghold Knights and SH 2. I have played all at max settings and the only time I ever had an issue was when I tried playing on my external 17" Sceptre LCD. I had to turn down settings quite abit and stability was still kinda an issue on some games. I'm sorry, I never really went through the motions of actually testing it because I gave the monitor away; I'm that happy with the flexview. As a caveat WoW is the newest game I have played on my machine, but I remember Battlefield 1942 and Alien vs Pred. giving my AMD desktop running at 2ghz with 2gb of ram and 256mb on board video alot of trouble but it runs smooth and stable on my T60p.

BachManiac · #34 Post by **BachManiac** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 2:52 pm

NJ_IT wrote: FYI:
I do not play any game in my T60P,but I can show you a famous game 'FF11 official bench mark site' as follows,
http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/downlo ... geID=media

After you download a benchmark soft, then install it.
You can get your machine score and compare to the score shown in the site.

Mine(T60P) was : Low Res. 6310, high res. 3970.

I've tested it now with my T60p FireGL v5250 with X1700 Catalyst 7.2 Drivers:

Low Res: 6990
Hi Res: 4374

greets!

botond · #35 Post by **botond** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:50 pm

BachManiac wrote:
NJ_IT wrote: FYI:
I do not play any game in my T60P,but I can show you a famous game 'FF11 official bench mark site' as follows,
http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/downlo ... geID=media

After you download a benchmark soft, then install it.
You can get your machine score and compare to the score shown in the site.

Mine(T60P) was : Low Res. 6310, high res. 3970.
I've tested it now with my T60p FireGL v5250 with X1700 Catalyst 7.2 Drivers:

Low Res: 6990
Hi Res: 4374

greets!

Where did you get the x1700 Catalyst 7.2 drivers and was it an easy install? Do you notice any improvements useability wise other then the obvious higher scores you got? Is it stable? Ive been wanting to install Catalyst drivers on my T60p but havent done it yet, Ive read a few posts about people having problems..

BachManiac · #36 Post by **BachManiac** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 1:12 am

botond wrote:
Where did you get the x1700 Catalyst 7.2 drivers and was it an easy install? Do you notice any improvements useability wise other then the obvious higher scores you got? Is it stable? Ive been wanting to install Catalyst drivers on my T60p but havent done it yet, Ive read a few posts about people having problems..

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=38568

The install was not very easy, you must force the System to take the x1700 drivers, (manually choose driver from list) rename a .sy_ File to .sys when the Driver Installer ask therefore, reboot and install the Catalyst setup.

I don't know if there is any improvement because my T60p is brandnew and making a clean install of Win XP with x1700 drivers was my very first work with it. So I have never startet a benchmark with FireGL Drivers.

But maybe we can compare our stats. 3Dmark06 will be tested today if the downoad will be completed!

Until now the Driver is perfectly stable but I've tested only this FF-Benchmark and NeedForSpeed Most Wanted which also runs perfectly.

chrysb · #37 Post by **chrysb** » Tue Mar 20, 2007 11:50 pm

I'm running a T60p and it runs games very well. Though, it has issues with heat. My laptop lately has been overheating and shutting off mid-game, which makes for a very poor experience.

Seraph · #38 Post by **Seraph** » Wed May 09, 2007 12:16 am

Hello! First post!

I've looking into getting a T60p with 2GHz core 2 duo, 2Gb...

I'll use it for autocad and such so I like the v5250 256MB but I'd like to play a game here and there at moderate settings at least. (1 more for Oblivion, heh)

I've read on a several forums that there have been problems with the v2500 playing games because they freeze up the system after 5-30 minutes or so like the above post I assume, I've also read of people having problems modding them to be like the X1600.

Yet posts here people say it (Oblivion) works fine at medium settings, so is this a "fix/improvement" from the v5200 to the v5250?? Will it work?

v5200 = x1600?
v5250 = x1700?

Could that have something to do with it? I know the x1700 is the same as the x1600 but less power hungry if I'm not mistaken...

In a nutshell I'm asking if it's safe to think I could decently play games with a v5250 256MB? Sorry for being another person asking but I'm confused as to the different responses I've seen. Thanks!

agarza · #39 Post by **agarza** » Wed May 09, 2007 12:26 am

chrysb wrote:I'm running a T60p and it runs games very well. Though, it has issues with heat. My laptop lately has been overheating and shutting off mid-game, which makes for a very poor experience.

I'm trying to sound unbiased, but I have been lately unimpressed at how Thinkpads handle the heat issues specially when the laptop is used to play games. My T42p has frozen (GPU overheating) when I was playing online with some friend. I've known the FireGL cards T60 came equipped with run at high idle temps (55-60C) and easy rocketing to the 100C.

I consider that if you're to buy a laptop intentioned to put it to the test gaming, I'd suggest to look at other brand, like Dell XPS M1710 or the Alienware Aurora.

Seraph · #40 Post by **Seraph** » Wed May 09, 2007 12:31 am

In my case I intend to use it mostly for autocad and similar programs, gaming is not the priority... but it'd be nice to know I could do some.

So you think the problem is in the GPU overheating? Or compatibility issues with the drivers? Or both?

Splaktar · #41 Post by **Splaktar** » Wed May 09, 2007 8:11 am

For me I guess it's a combination of:

1) Heat problems (idle at 75-80C, runs at 90-105 C GPU) but doesn't shut off due to overheating
2) Driver issues or bad RAM? All RAM tests pass fine, but others have listed my RAM as possibly being 'bad'. All of the latest drivers that work for others, still lock up my machine.

Also if I try to use OpenGL, my FPS drops down to an unplayable level (3-9 FPS).

3DMark06 scores are around 1612-1614.

zulu61 · #42 Post by **zulu61** » Wed May 09, 2007 2:21 pm

Hey on this topic I would like to be able to play the new Lord of the Rings online game. Considering that at this point the game plays alright on my Thinkpad z61m with all the settings on low, I figured it would be a considerable improvement if I get a T60p.
Current settings on my notebook are:
Z61m 9450-D9U
Intel® Core 2 Duo processor T7200 (2GHz)
2GB RAM
120GB 5400rpm HD, 15.4in 1680x1050 LCD
128MB ATI Radeon X1400
with Windows XP

I am considering buying a ThinkPad T60p
with the 15.4 WSXGA+ TFT display
Intel® Core 2 Duo processor T7600
(2.33GHz, 4MB L2, 667MHz FSB)
2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM 667MHz SODIMM
ATI Mobility Fire GL V5250 256MB
100GB 7200rpm Hard Disk Drive
running Windows XP

To be honest I don't think I can trust my money to any other laptop peddler. I will never go back to a DELL and now that they are part of Dell, buy from Alien either. I've read reviews on Cyberpower, Sager, Asus, Toshiba, HP and it seems to be a mixed bag of satisfaction vs dismay with almost any boutique Gaming Laptop shop. Yes I know there is always some satisfied and some dissatisfied customers but I am an old guy that has relied on IBM for years and am still impressed overall with their buildout and support when it comes to quality in general...

Any thoughts or feedback would be appreciated.

Bigben · #43 Post by **Bigben** » Wed May 09, 2007 2:30 pm

I don't think that the T60 is going to offer that much of a change in terms of gaming performance over what you have now. The V5250 is not a gaming card, the extra memory will help, but that's probably not the bottleneck. I'd reconsider the purchase personally, buying a T60 for gaming just doesn't make sense, they aren't made for that, and any gaming capability is more of a side benefit, but not something that it does extremely well. If you are buying a notebook for gaming, you should really look at other manufacturers, and if you're worried about reliability, find one with a good warranty policy.

Splaktar · #44 Post by **Splaktar** » Wed May 09, 2007 2:40 pm

Fully agree with Bigben.

agarza · #45 Post by **agarza** » Wed May 09, 2007 4:22 pm

You're right BigBen, Thinkpads, specially newer are not meant to be used as gaming rigs. I never got a BSOD or computer freeze on my T30 when I gamed a lot on it, even run NFS: Most Wanted with lowest settings, but the GPU didn't overheat.

Concerning gaming performance in Vista is partially to the drivers. But the Aero feature in Vista would ultimately kill battery life, and in direct relation to the Discrete/Integrated Graphics Chip.

zulu61 · #46 Post by **zulu61** » Tue May 15, 2007 1:03 pm

Thanks for the advice. Since I already have a Thinkpad Z61m for work I did some research and took the plunge buying a (Clevo) from Xoticpc.com

SAGER NP5760 Intel Core 2 Duo DUAL CORE / 17" WS/UXGA / 512MB nVidia GeForce 7950GTX PCI-Express Video / DDR2667
- 17" WUXGA "Glare Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy Screen (1920x1200)
- Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
- Standard 0 Dead Pixel Policy
- Intel® Core™ 2 DUO 2.0GHz (T7200) Processor (Merom / 4 MB L2 Cache / 667 FSB)
- 512MB PCI-Express nVidia GeForce 7950GTX w/GDDR3 (User Upgradeable)
- 2,048MB DDR2 667 PC2 5300 (2 SODIMMS) Dual Channel Memory
- Standard Finish
- Combo 8x8x6x4x Dual Layer DVD +/-R/RW 5x DVD-RAM 24x CD-R/RW Drive w/Softwares
- 100GB 7200RPM (Serial-ATA 150)

I am really hoping to get the box by this weekend before I head out on the road as it would be nice to play the new LoTRO with all the bells and whistles. I've got my fingers crossed

.

For the record, I picked Xoticpc over powernotebooks, though it was very nearly a tossup. I've read some really decent reviews on the overall build for that particular machine and both ODM's service and support seem to have decent ratings but in the end there were some little extras bundled in for the same price as without. When I "chatted" with their applet I was pleased with the responses to the questions I asked. I was even more impressed by calling there and speaking directly with Justin so that more or less cemented the deal. Of course the "love" is always sweetest during the romance period. Let's hope it's a long one ; ) cause now they've got my money lol.

Best,

Zulu

Bigben · #47 Post by **Bigben** » Tue May 15, 2007 2:16 pm

Nice rig there, that should definitely satisfy your gaming urge

Kel Ghu · #48 Post by **Kel Ghu** » Wed May 16, 2007 2:05 am

Though a T60p won't be the best buy for a gaming laptop, I'd still like to show that a V5250 is still much better than a x1400.

x1400: 4 pixel shader and 2 vertex shader
V5250: 12 pixel shader and 5 vertex shader

V5250 raw performance is 2.5 to 3 times superior to x1400. It might not be enough to play most newest games though.

jjesusfreak01 · #49 Post by **jjesusfreak01** » Wed May 16, 2007 10:37 am

Kel Ghu wrote:Though a T60p won't be the best buy for a gaming laptop, I'd still like to show that a V5250 is still much better than a x1400.

x1400: 4 pixel shader and 2 vertex shader
V5250: 12 pixel shader and 5 vertex shader

V5250 raw performance is 2.5 to 3 times superior to x1400. It might not be enough to play most newest games though.

its about 2x as fast in 3Dmark, though with some tweaking (overclocking) you can get the T60 up about 200 points. I wonder how far the 5250 can overclock?

Oh, and I hear the NVS 140 scores about 1800 on 3Dmark, so be prepared for only a slight improvement with the T61, at least until we get models with a better card.

skpsm · #50 Post by **skpsm** » Thu May 24, 2007 9:13 am

Scores on 3D Mark 06 : 1676 ( consistent with 5 tests )

Testing environment :
Power Supply - Maximum performance
OS - Windows Vista business - Aero ON
Wireless - ON

tballx · #51 Post by **tballx** » Sun May 27, 2007 12:13 pm

BachManiac wrote:
NJ_IT wrote: FYI:
I do not play any game in my T60P,but I can show you a famous game 'FF11 official bench mark site' as follows,
http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/downlo ... geID=media

After you download a benchmark soft, then install it.
You can get your machine score and compare to the score shown in the site.

Mine(T60P) was : Low Res. 6310, high res. 3970.
I've tested it now with my T60p FireGL v5250 with X1700 Catalyst 7.2 Drivers:

Low Res: 6990
Hi Res: 4374

greets!

Where did you get these drivers? Are you using Vista? I can't get anything but lenovo drivers to install.

jkahng · #52 Post by **jkahng** » Sun May 27, 2007 1:56 pm

hello guys,
i have a z61m 9451 5hk
Coreduo 1.83(NOT Core2duo) w/ 1.5gig ram
x1400
xp pro korean

i get low res : 5408, hi res : 3390

the v5250 is much faster than the x1400 but not by 2 fold
more like 1.5 fold (consistant with other benchmarks)

the x1600 core which the v52xx is based on is a much superior core but the core/mem underclocking done on the tp limit it's performance.

i did 2 runs each low and hi res and ended my cpu / gpu => 57/63 degrees

i use nhc to undervolt.
disabled anit-virus software, stock lenovo ati drivers.
powerplay and cpu set to max of course...

agarza · #53 Post by **agarza** » Sun May 27, 2007 4:24 pm

I did the FF11 official bench mark on my T42p with the following applications opened:
- Firefox (3 Tabs)
- Notepad (x3)
- Windows Explorer (x3)
- IE7
- eMule
- FlashGet

I only did the High test, it seems my laptop got about 3100, I'm not sure where to check for the exact number.

T60P's gaming capability

Games

Re: FYI FF11 Official Benchmark test(v3.0)

Re: FYI FF11 Official Benchmark test(v3.0)

Re: FYI FF11 Official Benchmark test(v3.0)

Also considering a T60P for gaming

Took your advice

Re: FYI FF11 Official Benchmark test(v3.0)

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