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Started By
Message
Can someone explain Steam to me?
Posted on 12/17/14 at 10:49 pm
Posted on 12/17/14 at 10:49 pm
As you can tell from the title of this thread, I'm so far lost when it comes to PC gaming that I'll probably be incapable of communicating with most of you. However, my question is what is Steam and how can you access it? Also to what extent can you get free games? I've been interested in going back to playing civilization and age of empires. Are those available via steam? TIA
3
Posted on 12/17/14 at 10:52 pm to LSUsuperfresh
LINK
There's steams web browser store. There's a download link somewhere on the page (on mobile and don't feel like checking).
There's steams web browser store. There's a download link somewhere on the page (on mobile and don't feel like checking).
This post was edited on 12/17/14 at 10:53 pm
Posted on 12/17/14 at 10:53 pm to LSUsuperfresh
quote:
what is Steam
An awesome service/online store where you buy games. Also has groups, and IM function for your Steam friends.
quote:
how can you access it
Download and install.
quote:
Also to what extent can you get free games
Umm... If games are Free to Play by the publisher then they are free. Otherwise you buy them like any other store.
quote:
I've been interested in going back to playing civilization and age of empires. Are those available via steam?
Some of them are, but you may want to check out Good Old Games
Posted on 12/17/14 at 10:57 pm to SG_Geaux
What kind of computer capabilities will you need to be able to run their software? I've got like a 5 year old HP laptop with an i3 processor that struggles at times. Also, I'm working with a 10 mbps service plan.
Posted on 12/17/14 at 11:01 pm to LSUsuperfresh
Literally any recent computer can run Steam, BUT
Steam is just like an online store. It lets you buy and install the games. It doesn't stream games or anything like that.
You still have to install each game and you still have to meet the specs for that game to be able to run it.
You won't be able to play much with a 5yr old laptop.
Steam is just like an online store. It lets you buy and install the games. It doesn't stream games or anything like that.
You still have to install each game and you still have to meet the specs for that game to be able to run it.
You won't be able to play much with a 5yr old laptop.
This post was edited on 12/17/14 at 11:02 pm
Posted on 12/17/14 at 11:46 pm to SG_Geaux
Yeah, I seem to remember having issues running Civ IV towards the end of games with this laptop. For future reference when I buy another laptop, what are some of the most important features for running games? Processor and graphics card?
Posted on 12/17/14 at 11:52 pm to LSUsuperfresh
And RAM. You want at least 8GB these days.
But if you don't have a decent graphics card, the RAM does no good.
But if you don't have a decent graphics card, the RAM does no good.
Posted on 12/17/14 at 11:58 pm to LSUsuperfresh
quote:
what are some of the most important features for running games? Processor and graphics card?
This order:
Graphics card
CPU and RAM
Everything else
Really, graphics card is the one and only priority, because when you find a laptop with a respectable graphics card, literally everything else hardware-wise will be fine.
Give me a budget and I'll find you a legitimate gaming laptop. And just as a warning, any laptop worthy of playing modern, popular PC titles is going to start in the $1000 range.
This post was edited on 12/18/14 at 12:01 am
Posted on 12/18/14 at 12:03 am to ILikeLSUToo
Budget would likely be around $1200
Posted on 12/18/14 at 12:14 am to SG_Geaux
[link=(Current Specs)]LINK[/link]
Here are the specs on my current laptop. Do these specs decrease over time? It seems like my laptop is less capable of playing Civ 5 now than it was out of the box.
Here are the specs on my current laptop. Do these specs decrease over time? It seems like my laptop is less capable of playing Civ 5 now than it was out of the box.
Posted on 12/18/14 at 12:52 am to LSUsuperfresh
Link is broken.
As for performance decrease, a few things can contribute to that:
1. Hard drive slow-down from clutter/degradation -- generally you'll notice longer time spent on load screens, games launching slower, etc. anything related to seeking and loading data from your hard drive.
2. Heat -- Dust can block airflow over time, fans fail or run more slowly, thermal paste dries up, or some other factor causing your CPU and/or GPU to run hotter, causing your hardware to throttle (decrease clock speed) to avoid overheating.
3. Games could undergo changes/updates that may put a performance hit on older hardware in favor of driver optimization for more modern hardware.
Most commonly it's the first factor, but the second one happens more often than people realize. The third one is more of a theory.
Anyway, right now, the definitive best $1200 gaming laptop is the MSI GT Series GT70 Dominator-895
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M 3GB
Intel Core i7 4800MQ (2.70GHz)
8GB Memory 1TB HDD
17.3" 1920 x 1080
Windows 8.1 64-Bit
DVD Super Multi
Now, your budget might be set in stone, and that's fine. But if not, here's what another $300 will get you: ASUS ROG G751 Series G751JT
Republic of Gamers
Intel Core i7 4710HQ (2.50GHz)
16GB Memory 1TB HDD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M 3GB
17.3" 1920 x 1080
Windows 8.1 64-Bit
DL DVD±RW/CD-RW
It has double the RAM, which is not super important in terms of gaming, but of particular importance is the graphics card. It uses the GTX 970M, part of the latest generation of NVIDIA mobile cards, which has shown upwards of 40-50% performance improvement over the 870M (the graphics card in the $1200 laptop). When it comes to gaming laptops, every last bit of GPU performance is crucial, because it's essentially the sole dictator of gaming performance and among the most impractical and often impossible components to upgrade.
Having that said, I'm obligated to mention that if you don't necessarily require the mobility of a laptop, building a gaming desktop at that same budget would give you a significantly more powerful, easily upgradable machine.
As for performance decrease, a few things can contribute to that:
1. Hard drive slow-down from clutter/degradation -- generally you'll notice longer time spent on load screens, games launching slower, etc. anything related to seeking and loading data from your hard drive.
2. Heat -- Dust can block airflow over time, fans fail or run more slowly, thermal paste dries up, or some other factor causing your CPU and/or GPU to run hotter, causing your hardware to throttle (decrease clock speed) to avoid overheating.
3. Games could undergo changes/updates that may put a performance hit on older hardware in favor of driver optimization for more modern hardware.
Most commonly it's the first factor, but the second one happens more often than people realize. The third one is more of a theory.
Anyway, right now, the definitive best $1200 gaming laptop is the MSI GT Series GT70 Dominator-895
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M 3GB
Intel Core i7 4800MQ (2.70GHz)
8GB Memory 1TB HDD
17.3" 1920 x 1080
Windows 8.1 64-Bit
DVD Super Multi
Now, your budget might be set in stone, and that's fine. But if not, here's what another $300 will get you: ASUS ROG G751 Series G751JT
Republic of Gamers
Intel Core i7 4710HQ (2.50GHz)
16GB Memory 1TB HDD
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M 3GB
17.3" 1920 x 1080
Windows 8.1 64-Bit
DL DVD±RW/CD-RW
It has double the RAM, which is not super important in terms of gaming, but of particular importance is the graphics card. It uses the GTX 970M, part of the latest generation of NVIDIA mobile cards, which has shown upwards of 40-50% performance improvement over the 870M (the graphics card in the $1200 laptop). When it comes to gaming laptops, every last bit of GPU performance is crucial, because it's essentially the sole dictator of gaming performance and among the most impractical and often impossible components to upgrade.
Having that said, I'm obligated to mention that if you don't necessarily require the mobility of a laptop, building a gaming desktop at that same budget would give you a significantly more powerful, easily upgradable machine.
This post was edited on 12/18/14 at 12:54 am
Posted on 12/18/14 at 10:51 am to ILikeLSUToo
Bookmarked 
. I'll definitely give these a strong consideration when I'm looking to purchase a new laptop in the next few months.
. I'll definitely give these a strong consideration when I'm looking to purchase a new laptop in the next few months.
Posted on 12/18/14 at 10:54 am to LSUsuperfresh
The big steam sale starts today, go ahead and get yourself off on the right foot. The first sale is the best.
Posted on 12/18/14 at 11:00 am to Mr Gardoki
Steam is a marketplace that takes your money in exchange for tons of video games you will never have time to play.
Posted on 12/18/14 at 3:33 pm to LSUsuperfresh
Just get Steam, download Star Trek Online for free, and have fun.
It is fun, big, free, and requires relatively low specs.
It is fun, big, free, and requires relatively low specs.
Posted on 12/20/14 at 8:09 pm to SG_Geaux
quote:
Steam is just like an online store. It lets you buy and install the games. It doesn't stream games or anything like that.
That was my biggest question.
Also, for anyone who wants so answer, what's the deal with badges and all that?
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