Any integrated graphics?Follow

I used this laptop for a bit Link

I was able to play A Realm Reborn on low settings with moderate FPS. Not sure how to laptop GPUs stack up and compare to each other though, maybe someone else can chime in.

I already have a great desktop that I built when 1.0 came out and it is still up for the task. I could use a laptop for work purposes and general mobility in the house when the wife is on the desktop. So this is a supplemental machine, not a primary.

My Acer doesn't have a touch screen, but it's more than competent enough to play XIV (3500 on high, 6000+ on low) and I got it for $550. It has a GeForce graphics card at that price. I guarantee you can find one with everything you're looking for under 1000. Take a look at newegg or tigerdirect.

My laptop is an HP Envy. I played in beta for up to 12 hours in a row some days and had no troubles. I set the settings to maximum and went in and tweaked some things to help my performance a bit. Doing this, I had optimal quality with no extreme strain on my laptop aside from the temperature rising a bit high. If I was going to play for a long time I would prop my computer on an ice and make sure the fan vents were not blocked. I could do this because I have a wireless keyboard, mouse, and ps3 controller that I was using... My computer was just resting next to my TV connected through a HDMI cable. The ice pack thing is completely unnecessary, just an additional precaution for long term use ^^.

check out this guide: http://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comments/1jkm9n/lunas_guide_to_optimizing_low_end_system_for_arr/
If you set the settings to max, then follow the tweaks you will get a score of ~2400. Which is "standard." Low to some people, but still.... when I played in beta, everything was beautiful, and I had 0 problems.

It uses Intel HD Graphics 4000.

OS Name Microsoft Windows 8
Version 6.2.9200 Build 9200
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Manufacturer Hewlett-Packard
System Model HP ENVY m4 Notebook PC
System Type x64-based PC
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3632QM CPU @ 2.20GHz, 2201 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 8.00 GB

I've highlighted some things that you may also want to look for in you laptop if you choose to go that route. These things will also make a difference in your game play. The graphics card isn't working solo to run this game for you ^^

Not to sound rude in reply, but notice I stated that the settings were initially set to max, then I lowered the settings from there. I was not running on max settings, rather... modified max settings for optimal performance with my laptop -- not optimal quality for this game. FPS for the most part was between 20-30. Near Gridania aetheryte or in drybone it did drop significantly; you are right. However, I could run through the game fine without and graphical lag. Only some player characters and NPCs would show up a little slow in heavily crowded areas like mentioned before. In heavily crowded FATEs like Highbridge, I experienced no issues and got my claims on mobs just fine although I'm not sure what my FPS was in these instances.

As for the ice pack... I wrap it in toilet paper and then separate it from the laptop with a small hand towel (I probably should have mentioned this before). It picks up any condensation and leaves my laptop completely dry. While it may sound a bit strange, it works completely fine. The towel even stays completely dry as the toilet paper sucks up any condensation and the pc fans help keep everything dry.