got my hands on an Acer TimelineX 1830T 11.6" with a core i3 380UM @ 1.33 Ghz (suck it Atom) and the intel GMA HD that's integrated into the die of the 1st gen core i-series. Slick machine, and actually suitable for multitasking work and HD videos, unlike Atom. Hell, virtual machines run better on this than natively on Atom.
I'm trying to turn this into a "portable gaming system", and yes I know an intel IGP is not exactly meant for games, especially when paired with a ULV processor, so obviously I'm not gonna bother with newer titles like L4D or COD4, but older titles (i.e. GoldSrc engine games, Starcraft 1) and most of the Humble Bundle games should work great on this. Even some of the original Source-engine titles like CS:S are playable.
Thus far all the low-requirement games I've put on this "subnotebook" are running great, but there's one bewildering exception - CS 1.6. I'm running at 1024x768 and I've tried all 3 rendering modes (OpenGL, D3D, software). OpenGL gives the best performance, but I still rarely exceed the high-20s fps, with below 20 fps often. What's even stranger is that CS:S actually runs better (1024x768 lowest), with over 40 fps for the most part. Doesn't make sense since CS 1.6 is running on an engine that's over 10 years old. I've tried tweaking it, but the in-game menu has fewer options than the first release of Crysis 2.
Anyone using a first-gen i-series GMA HD able to suggest anything? thanks.
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