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    Gaming on my T510

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by Rezabrya, Jul 4, 2011.

  1. Rezabrya

    Rezabrya Notebook Consultant

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    I have a Thinkpad T510 with an i7 cpu, and discrete graphics. I am wondering what all I should do to make this the best gaming machine when on AC power. When on battery power, I would like to be energy efficient, but as powerful as possible when plugged in. I am looking to play some starcraft 2, counterstrike source, minecraft, and possibly a few other games. What is necessary to crank up the power?
     
    Rezabrya, Jul 4, 2011
    #1
  2. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

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    I'm assuming yours has the NVS 3100M GPU? The 3100M is a pretty weak GPU, based off the GeForce 310M. You aren't going to be able to do serious gaming on it. You could try to overclock the GPU, core clock, memory clock but honestly it's not worth it. It should do Source games (HL2, TF2, CS:S). Starcraft 2 is one of those games that are CPU bound more than GPU bound. The quad core i7 will yield better frame rates for SC2.
     
    Tsunade_Hime, Jul 4, 2011
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  3. lead_org

    lead_org Purveyor of Truth

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    If you want to do serious gaming, you should get an eGPU, but that means this won't be portable and you would need an external LCD.
     
    lead_org, Jul 4, 2011
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  4. Colonel O'Neill

    Colonel O'Neill Notebook Deity

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    For maximum battery life on battery power, get this tool:
    PowerMizer Manager | Some More Bytes

    Enable PowerMizer, set battery to maximum power save, and AC to maximum performance. If you're out of warranty or want to be out of warranty, then you can get:

    NVidia System Tools with ESA Support:
    NVIDIA System Tools with ESA Support

    or GPUTool:
    Download GPUTool Community Technology Preview 1 | techPowerUp

    This'll let you overclock the GPU. I've found that the NVS3100M tends to be very sensitive to increases in memory clock.

    Make sure you have TPFanControl installed to max out the fan while overclocked, and HWMonitor to watch the temperatures. Latest NVidia Verde drivers might offer more efficiency too.
     
    Colonel O'Neill, Jul 4, 2011
    #4