<p>What is the minimum graphics card required to run games like Starcraft II without it being choppy, slow, or laggy? There is a laptop I'm planning to buy that I really like, but it only comes with a Intel HD Graphics (with up to 1696MB total graphics memory) card. I'm aware this isn't the best graphics card out there, and that NVIDIA or ATI graphics cards are more suitable for gaming, but will the Intel HD Graphics be enough to run SCII without lag on the lowest settings? If not, what is the minimum graphics card I need?</p>
<p>What CPU is it? If it’s a Sandy bridge, it has Intel HD 3000 graphics, which will do just fine in SC2.</p>
<p>I personally wouldn’t get a laptop with older intel graphics without also getting a discrete GPU, but I would be happy with the intel 3000 graphics.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what Sandy brige is (sorry, I don’t really know much about computers), but the processor is Intel’s i5 processor. Was that what you were asking? It also has 4GB RAM and a 500GB hard drive.</p>
<p>If it is a newer i5, you should be good. But discreet is always better. You might wanna check out the Dell XPS 15 laptop, which has NVIDIA Optimus as a built-in feature.</p>
<p>(Optimus is a technology that automatically activates the discrete card when games are active, saving battery life.). The XPS 15 also comes standard with an i5, GPU, 500 GB hard drive, and wireless N card.</p>
<p>Sandy Bridge is the newest generation of Intel CPU’s. An i5 could be from this generation or it could be older.</p>
<p>Do you know which specific processor it is (i5 2540M, for example)?</p>
<p>It is an i5-480M processor with 2.66GHz processor speed</p>
<p>That is from the last generation. It’s a solid processor, but I personally wouldn’t use that generation of Intel graphics for gaming. I’d prefer a discrete GPU with it, even if only an Nvidia 320M.</p>
<p>So would Starcraft II be choppy or laggy even on the lowest graphic settings if I used that graphic card?</p>
<p>It would probably run smoothly on low settings at least. I haven’t seen any benchmarks or used one myself; I’m just guessing.</p>
<p>What is your price range? Basically integrated Intel graphics aren’t gonna be the best, though they may still work. If you want advice from the pros, too, you may wanna hit up overclock.net.</p>