Can my computer run Oblivion?

Element Brian

So I, unfortunately, know very little about hardware and well, most wares. I know, it makes me a pretty crappy gamer and i guess its just stuff I'll have to learn eventually.

Anyway I've been thinking about buying Oblivion for my laptop and the big question ive been wondering is if I'll beable to run it. It looks like my computer meets all of the min. specs except for the video card, the card i have is "Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express Chipset Family" anyway here is the min specs for the video card for oblivion
128MB Direct3D compatible video card
and DirectX 9.0 compatible driver;

I dont know how to compare cards or what they mean or any of that stuff, i know im pathetic, but hopefully you guys can help me...ive also heard that there might be a patch to like, downgrade the game or something so that a less video card can play it or something to that effect, anyway i'd appreciate your input, it'd help me know whether to put 30$ into a game im not sure if i can play or not.

FirstComradeStalin

You have an integrated graphics card. Which means you don't actually have a separate graphics card.

Long story short, no.

Rohan

Unfortunately, no.

Tav

The patch to downgrade it makes it look like ass. Part of what makes Oblivion the decent game it is is the graphics. You couldn't run it I'm afraid.

Element Brian

Well that settles that i guess, is there a specific way i can look at my graphics card and know what games it can run and which it cant? I seem to beable to play WoW just fine im not sure if thats a good reference or anything, im just hoping to beable become a little bit more literate at this stuff, as for right now, i look at the name of my graphics card and all i know is that it says something about families, (i kind of feel like from the matrix or something when they are just staring at lines of code and able to read all that crap while someone like me just stares at them in utter confusion)

Dehumanized

You can use a requirements checking site like this one as a guideline. It won't be right every time, but it'll give you a good reference usually:

http://www.yougamers.com/

vonPoonBurGer

Element Brian wrote: »

I seem to beable to play WoW just fine im not sure if thats a good reference or anything

It really isn't, actually. WoW's graphics engine is pretty primitive compared to newer stuff like Oblivion, and something like Crysis makes the WoW renderer seem utterly archaic by comparison. WoW is incredibly forgiving, specs-wise, many newer games are not nearly as tolerant.