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[Captain Dawson]

Hello chaps, Captain Dawson here.

I'm looking into buying a new laptop, and I'm wondering how high of a gpu (assuming i7 processor and generally high quality specs) it would take to get perfect mode, reflective water, and non-spiky clouds. 

I realize it's not necessarily an exact cutoff point for bad graphics, but I'm specifically looking to get the kind of graphics I see in the Tracks. Interestingly, I see totally different quality between my gameplay, and tracks, on the same install. On my old laptop, in gameplay I currently have lousy looking cloud graphics, with weird spikes and shading issues. I've already tried everything I know to fix it, but to no avail. On the tracks, clouds look perfectly normal.

If someone could give me an idea of what hardware would be required in my case, I would really appreciate some input!

[SAS~Storebror]

Any currently available dedicated GPU will do.
Any solution based on CPU integrated graphics (Intel HD whatever) will not do, you will have to use DirectX mode with all the resulting limits in that case.

For instance, I have a development PC with a Geforce G210 GPU (crappy as can be) with 512MB DDR2 RAM, even that one can handle perfect mode, if only at mediocre FPS.
The GPU scores less than 2000 points on 3D Mark 06, take this list:
http://www.notebookcheck.com/Mobile-Grafikkarten-Benchmarkliste.735.0.html
to see the comparative values for mobile GPUs in the far right column, you'll notice that you have to go back 10 years at least to find some mobile GPU that doesn't run at least 2 times as fast as my G210.

If however you want to see smooth gameplay and not just perfect mode, but maxed out settings all around, then you need something with more than 10.000 3D Mark 06 points, that's for instance a GPU like the following:
From the 600 family a GTX660M or better (the tenths digit counts, the higher the better)
From the 700 family a GT750M or better
From the 800 family a GTX850M or better
From the 900 family a GTX950M or better (maybe a GTX940M will do, but not sure).

Best regards - Mike

[DougW60]

Captain D.  based on your comment regarding other parts of your intended buy (i7 processor and generally high quality specs), then I assume your laptop will be used for other programs other than Il-2.  As Mike stated above, Il-2 will work well with pretty much all currently available GPUs including AMDs.  Only thought for you will be how long do I plan to own the laptop and what other programs do you use.  Are you thinking about Il-2 Battle of Stalingrad/Moscow? Will you watch movies and such on the laptop? Look at what you think will be the main challenge for the intended laptop and consider future proofing it a bit.

[Captain Dawson]

then I assume your laptop will be used for other programs other than Il-2.  As Mike stated above, Il-2 will work well with pretty much all currently available GPUs including AMDs.  Only thought for you will be how long do I plan to own the laptop and what other programs do you use.

Actually, IL-2 is probably the only program that will ever run on the laptop. We're buying a bunch for an exhibit at the Museum where I work. (Which SAS~Storebror will remember from my previous threads...)

Any currently available dedicated GPU will do.
Any solution based on CPU integrated graphics (Intel HD whatever) will not do, you will have to use DirectX mode with all the resulting limits in that case.

From the 600 family a GTX660M or better (the tenths digit counts, the higher the better)
From the 700 family a GT750M or better
From the 800 family a GTX850M or better
From the 900 family a GTX950M or better (maybe a GTX940M will do, but not sure).

Thank you SAS~Storebror, that's what I was looking for. So the laptops have to be dedicated graphics, better than the ones you listed.

[Captain Dawson]

Now I have one more question: What should be the requirements (if any) for CPUs? Is i5 series good enough, or do we need i7 series?

[JG7_X_Man]

Cpt. D - I think either is OK. I went with the i7 because of other applications I use. Minitab, Excel modeling, and other 64-bit enabled applications and games (DCS ans Starctizen one day). The i5 is just as capable IMHO.

My old 2700+ and 970 can run IL-2 balls out. The issue is your graphic tweaking.

[Toobone]

Any solution based on CPU integrated graphics (Intel HD whatever) will not do, you will have to use DirectX mode with all the resulting limits in that case.

What about working Intel graphics HD 6200 (GT3 class) with OpenGL 4.3 API? Will it work with third Nvidia shaders (perfect mode)?

[SAS~Storebror]

What should be the requirements (if any) for CPUs? Is i5 series good enough, or do we need i7 series?

Now that we're talking about Notebook processors, the answer cannot just be one or the other, it depends.
Notebook CPUs have many specs to take into account for the one thing that counts for IL-2:
Single Thread Performance.
This is all that counts, nothing else.
You can see a chart showing how different CPUs perform on single thread operation here:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html

You will soon notice that it's not that easy to spot the Notebook CPUs.
The fastest one is the Intel Core i7-4940MX @ 3.10GHz with 2193 Passmark points.
2nd place is Intel Core i7-4930MX @ 3.00GHz with 2160 points.
3rd place is Intel Core i7-4910MQ @ 2.90GHz with 2160 points (yep, surprise surprise, 100MHz less but same points on single thread operation).
4th place is an i5 then, the Intel Core i5-4340M @ 2.90GHz with 2104 points.
There's another 6 or so i7 mobile CPUs on the following places before the next i5 comes up (Intel Core i5-4330M @ 2.80GHz, 1925 points).

Aynthing below 1800 points won't make you happy with IL-2 on large missions, so you should really take a look what CPU precisely is working in that laptop of your choice and check it's single thread performance from the above given list first.

My old 2700+ and 970 can run IL-2 balls out. The issue is your graphic tweaking.

You're comparing apples and oranges.
You talk about desktop CPU/GPU, the TS was asking for mobile ones.

What about working Intel graphics HD 6200 (GT3 class) with OpenGL 4.3 API? Will it work with third Nvidia shaders (perfect mode)?

No.
Intel HD is a no-go for IL-2.
The reason is that Intel focused on DirectX support, their OpenGL drivers can be considered "alpha" ones at best and none of them works (correctly) with IL-2.

Best regards - Mike

[Toobone]

No.
Intel HD is a no-go for IL-2.
The reason is that Intel focused on DirectX support, their OpenGL drivers can be considered "alpha" ones at best and none of them works (correctly) with IL-2.

Thank you for comment. And last quest about AMD APU processors: the same like Intel HD or more support to IL2 OpenGL?

[SAS~Storebror]

No idea, sorry.
We'd need an APU user to confirm whether or not it's working with IL-2 in OpenGL mode.
Both working and non-working is possible to an equal probability.

Best regards - Mike

[Toobone]

We'd need an APU user to confirm whether or not it's working with IL-2 in OpenGL mode.

We've got one at Aviaskins, but he keep silence about his APU. May be it the same as Untel HD.