I Turned My School Laptop Into a Gaming PC With $0

Summary

This video follows the journey of transforming a $600 laptop with integrated graphics into a surprisingly capable gaming PC with zero budget. Initially purchased for school, the laptop failed to meet basic gaming and academic requirements. After multiple optimization attempts, including system tweaks, CPU adjustments, and software like Lossless Scaling, the laptop's performance in games like Fortnite improved significantly, achieving up to 233 FPS. However, demanding games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider remained nearly unplayable. Despite setbacks, the video demonstrates that even the worst laptops can be optimized for better performance with persistence and the right tools.

Takeaways

• 😀 The laptop was a poor financial decision, with its performance failing to meet the needs for school, 3D rendering, and gaming.
• 😀 Despite spending $600 on the laptop, the integrated graphics made it unsuitable for gaming, leading to frustration with low FPS and stuttering.
• 😀 A $600 laptop can underperform compared to lower-cost systems, like an RTX 3050 laptop, which provides better gaming capabilities.
• 😀 The laptop failed to meet the minimum requirements for new video games, making it practically useless for modern gaming.
• 😀 Optimization was necessary to improve performance, but even with tweaks, gaming at a playable level was a major challenge.
• 😀 Testing without optimizations showed extremely low FPS, with Fortnite only running well in specific scenarios (looking straight at the sky).
• 😀 The process of optimizing the laptop involved multiple steps, such as debloating, applying settings from optimization guides, and using performance tools like CTT and Vrol.
• 😀 Although Fortnite’s FPS was boosted significantly to 233 FPS, other games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider remained unplayable, even after optimizations.
• 😀 Attempts to overclock the CPU or undervolt it to boost performance were unsuccessful due to hardware limitations, such as locked CPUs and lack of undervolting support.
• 😀 Using a monitor to increase screen size helped simulate a desktop gaming experience, though it didn't improve the FPS significantly, highlighting the limits of integrated graphics.
• 😀 A $5 investment in lossless scaling helped boost FPS in games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, but even with extensive optimizations, achieving smooth 1080p gaming on integrated graphics was near impossible.

Q & A

Why did the author consider the laptop purchase the worst financial decision?

The author found the laptop to be slow, ineffective for school tasks like 3D rendering, and inadequate for gaming, making it an expensive mistake, especially since it didn't meet the minimum requirements for their classes.

What was the initial gaming performance like on the laptop?

The laptop had very poor performance, with Fortnite running at over 20 FPS, which dropped significantly during gameplay, making it nearly unplayable. Additionally, Shadow of the Tomb Raider ran at just 39 FPS, even with the lowest settings.

What was the author's goal for optimizing the laptop?

The author aimed to turn the slow, $600 laptop into a functional gaming PC, optimizing it to reach 200 FPS in Fortnite and at least 60 FPS in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, while eliminating stutters.

Why was the laptop considered unsuitable for gaming despite its $600 price tag?

The laptop was unsuitable because it only had integrated graphics, which failed to meet the minimum requirements for modern games. The lack of a dedicated GPU was a major limitation for gaming performance.

What optimization steps were taken to improve the laptop's performance?

The author used tools like CTT for debloating, and Vrol for optimizing, alongside manual tweaks like lowering graphic settings and enabling performance upscaling. These steps resulted in a significant performance boost, especially in Fortnite.

What specific gaming improvement was achieved in Fortnite after optimization?

After optimization, the FPS in Fortnite increased from 140 FPS with stuttering to a smoother 233 FPS, with improved playability, especially during fast actions like building.

Why did Shadow of the Tomb Raider remain underperforming even after optimizations?

Despite numerous optimizations, Shadow of the Tomb Raider remained at 39 FPS, as it is a GPU-dependent game, and the laptop’s integrated graphics were not capable of handling the game efficiently.

What risky tactics were attempted to improve the laptop's performance further?

The author tried undervolting the CPU for better FPS over a longer period but discovered that the CPU was locked and could not be undervolted. They also attempted to raise the laptop's TDP, but the BIOS didn’t support this feature.

What was the final optimization tool used, and how did it affect the performance?

The final tool was Lossless Scaling, which allowed the laptop to generate additional frames, boosting FPS to 60 in 720p using frame generation, despite the initial underperformance of the integrated graphics.

How did the author manage to achieve 48 FPS at 1080p despite the laptop’s limitations?

By using a combination of multiple optimization techniques, including FSR upscaling, Lossless Scaling, and frame generation, the author managed to push the performance to 48 FPS at 1080p, which was an impressive result for the laptop's limitations.