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Running RoM from laptop to TV?

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EntropyKnight

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Friday, December 30th 2011, 9:03pm

Running RoM from laptop to TV?

Okay, so I'm not gonna lie; my computer can't handle the graphics of the vast majority of RoM, but I'm sitting here staring at my options and the thought occurred to me that I might be able to use a TV as a display for my laptop instead of the built-in. I'm pretty sure there's a way to do it, but I'm not sure how the graphics would work then. In this particular case, my intent is to hook a wireless receiver to a box attached to the TV and playing from my keyboard while having it display on the TV screen.

The question then is, is the box attached then to the TV going to be handling the graphics or is that a direct link to my rather lackluster HD 3100 on the laptop?
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SwordofOmens

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Friday, December 30th 2011, 9:16pm

Probably won't help, imho. The graphics card in your laptop is most likely gonna be handling the graphics either way. If the box goes to a USB or other port, then maybe, but if it plugs into the VGA, HDMI, etc on your laptop you won't see a difference. If you have a PCIe expansion slot in your laptop you can maybe stick in an upgraded video card for a better visual experience.

That being said it all depends on the box you have attached to the TV. Can you post make/model, ect. for the box? That would help give a better answer.

EntropyKnight

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Friday, December 30th 2011, 9:17pm

Quoted from "SwordofOmens;497933"

Won't help, imho. The graphics card in your laptop is gonna be handling the graphics either way. If you have a PCIe expansion slot in your laptop you can maybe stick in an upgraded video card for a better visual experience.

Any idea what it'd look like? I do have this little cardlike slot off to the side, about 1/4-in by 2-in but I have no earthly idea what it's for.
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Friday, December 30th 2011, 9:19pm

As sword said, your computer will still be handling the graphics. It will run just as well on your TV as it does on the laptop.

As to how to link them, it depends on the TV and your computer. The easiest way would probably be a direct HDMI cable link, though depending on the models you may need to use DVI or VGA. Best to consult a technically apt friend or family member that is nearby.
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Friday, December 30th 2011, 9:21pm

Quoted from "EntropyKnight;497934"

Any idea what it'd look like? I do have this little cardlike slot off to the side, about 1/4-in by 2-in but I have no earthly idea what it's for.


Generally speaking you wont be able to upgrade the hardware in your laptop easily. I really recommend using a desktop with a wired connection for games when possible for these and other reasons. That sounds to me like a memory expansion slot, not really what you need.
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EntropyKnight

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Friday, December 30th 2011, 9:26pm

Quoted from "Rodatas;497940"

Generally speaking you wont be able to upgrade the hardware in your laptop easily. I really recommend using a desktop with a wired connection for games when possible for these and other reasons. That sounds to me like a memory expansion slot, not really what you need.

I was afraid of that. This laptop's all I've got, and I'm really trying to keep within a stupid-small budget. I've got a sneaking suspicion I'll have to bite the bullet on that much, but either way ideas are always a help.
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Friday, December 30th 2011, 9:32pm

Quoted from "EntropyKnight;497942"

I was afraid of that. This laptop's all I've got, and I'm really trying to keep within a stupid-small budget. I've got a sneaking suspicion I'll have to bite the bullet on that much, but either way ideas are always a help.


Best bet is probably just to crank down the graphics as much as you can and make sure the laptop is well cooled. Don't set it on a flat surface or your actual lap if you can help it. Prop it up on a movie case or a book, maybe use a desk fan. Every little bit helps.
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Friday, December 30th 2011, 9:37pm

Quoted from "Rodatas;497944"

Best bet is probably just to crank down the graphics as much as you can and make sure the laptop is well cooled. Don't set it on a flat surface or your actual lap if you can help it. Prop it up on a movie case or a book, maybe use a desk fan. Every little bit helps.

I do notice a trend of the graphics really starting to lock up after a bit of playtime. Not to mention the fan (or area immediately next to) gets insanely hot after practically no time at all. Is it the heat causing additional strain?

Let's take Xaviera for a norm real quick, because I go there all the time; Normally I can hop in just fine, go around for... 8 minutes before I start getting a few seconds at 1.7-2.3 FPS. 20 minutes later I'm getting full locks for as long as 3 seconds (0.2-0.3 FPS) but then it jumps right back up to 14.X or 22.X which is pretty normal for my performance.

It would make sense, I'm just wondering if the card itself can be cured on a slim client (lowest graphics with the exception of view distance at half) and a second fan.

Any thoughts?
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Friday, December 30th 2011, 9:49pm

Another alternative, though not sure if it would actually be a better value than getting a desktop, might be a docking station with it's own video card.
Something along these lines: http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-ThinkPad-Ad…g/dp/B000BTN1EC

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Friday, December 30th 2011, 9:51pm

Laptop...

Good ventilation is always important with a laptop, so adding a fan if you can is probably a good idea.

As to the original problem, if your TV is decent and it's a good size then you may see a slight improvement simply because the image is larger. You'll want to connect through a high resolution connection such as HDMI or VGA if your TV has one. Be careful when using a wireless box. Some of them can "dummy down" the video signal so that the image may look good, but text is nearly unreadable. Use a box that transmits in higher resolutions.

It sounds to me like the slot in the side of your laptop is a PC Card slot (previously known as PCMCIA) in which case you might actually be able to upgrade your video card directly through that slot. I know alot of manufacturers used to make video cards for those slots but I haven't checked any recently. It's worth looking into.
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Friday, December 30th 2011, 9:57pm

Well, it's not a matter of broken hardware or "curing" the card. Its a performance limitation. The computer will chug and have difficulty if it's hot. Think of it like a human body. Lots of work warms you up, gets the blood flowing, but you can get too hot. A cool cloth or some AC will help, but even with that if you keep straining you'll overheat and collapse.

The best way to ease things is cooling, reduced graphics, and restarting (with a few minutes to let things settle) every so often.
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EntropyKnight

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Friday, December 30th 2011, 10:06pm

Quoted from "Succaat;497952"

Good ventilation is always important with a laptop, so adding a fan if you can is probably a good idea.

As to the original problem, if your TV is decent and it's a good size then you may see a slight improvement simply because the image is larger. You'll want to connect through a high resolution connection such as HDMI or VGA if your TV has one. Be careful when using a wireless box. Some of them can "dummy down" the video signal so that the image may look good, but text is nearly unreadable. Use a box that transmits in higher resolutions.

It sounds to me like the slot in the side of your laptop is a PC Card slot (previously known as PCMCIA) in which case you might actually be able to upgrade your video card directly through that slot. I know alot of manufacturers used to make video cards for those slots but I haven't checked any recently. It's worth looking into.

Thank you so much. I'll take a look and see if it's not on par to work with.

Thanks everyone; another idea shot down but two sprung right up. I smell trial and error comin' up haha.
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And one of the very few people trying to bring back the "RP" in this RPG.