PC Discussion Thread - All PC related in here.

[lemd 0]

Works for Arma, will work for Arma 2.

Are you sure?

[gsleighter 0]

Works for Arma, might actually work better for Arma2. Less demanding shaders, especially on vegetation, and dual-core support. I have an older dual core that Arma chokes when it gets busy enough, but it should run Arma2 better if it supports multiple cores. And, the 8800GTX is still a half decent video card, until the GTX260 goes down in price some more.

[ck-claw 1]

Just a quick question guys:-

Saving up slowly for new pc for Arma 2-gonna take couple of months.

So in mean time i can run Arma ok on:-

Pentium 4 - 2.9Ghz

1 Gig Ram

Ati 2600 Pro 512Mb

Will for now getting an extra Gig of ram make that much difference seems its so cheap?

Or just plod on with what i got.

Thanks

ck

[Maddmatt 1]

Will for now getting an extra Gig of ram make that much difference seems its so cheap?

Should help it run a bit smoother, maybe allow you to turn up the texture quality and reduce issues with objects not loading when you see them.

The difference wont be huge, just a small boost.

[echo1 0]

More RAM is always good, especially if you can get it for cheap. However, in your system, the likely bottlenecks are going to be the Pentium 4 and the mediocre graphics card. The extra gig will be noticable, especially in regards to how fast Windows runs, but you won't notice a drastic increase in gaming performance. Incidentally, what sort of RAM is that you plan on buying?

[ck-claw 1]

Thanks Matt/ch_123.

Tis a very old pc so the ram is 184pin DDR Memory

[echo1 0]

I would have thought as much from the fact that it was an old Pentium 4. What brand of RAM are you getting?

[ck-claw 1]

Went for this in the end

Crucial 2GB (2x1GB) PC3200 CAS3 184pin DDR Memory Dual

Like i sed tis only just to tied me over for a few months or so!

[WangoTango 0]

Right now my rig consists of-

AMD 64 3800x2 2.4 ghz

2gb ram

ATI 1950 pro 256

550 watt power supply- 1 PCIe 6pin

with this setup I get anywhere fro 14 -60 FPS, depending on the situation within ArmA. I would like to get a steady 30-40 FPS, with no texture popping. I am using a resolution of 1440x900, with no AA AF and the rest of the settings set to normal.Now I want to upgrade to a card that only require one PCI-e 6 pin power conector, I really don't want to upgrade my power supply. The 8800 GTS 512 uses one pin, would this give me a much better gaming experience? Any othe suggestions?

I am also hoping to be able to run ArmA 2 at launch. Even if I can run it half arsed, I'll be happy.

[echo1 0]

Check out this PSU wattage calculator. From what detail you provided, your system, with the graphics card replaced with a Radeon 4870 would only use about 400W or so. As for the lack of a second PCI-E connector, you can get an adaptor such as this one. The Radeon would cost more than the 8800GTS, but it would be well worth it.

EDIT: Come to think of it, what brand/model of PSU do you have. I wouldnt recommend the above with a cheapass model.

[WangoTango 0]

Thanks for the reply,

This is my PSU

power supply

The 4870 is about $ 340 Cdn, the 4850 is around $200, thats more my target price.

[echo1 0]

Your link links to some parcel service...

[WangoTango 0]

Strange, when I click on it it goes to the Staples site.

[echo1 0]

It links to the staples site, but it asks me what my Canadian post code is (Bit of a problem considering I'm Irish..). Do you remember the brand name of the PSU?

[WangoTango 0]

Just type in L0M1N0...(zeros not ohs) that's my postal code.

[ilovebeer 0]

Im thinking of upgrading my 8800GT for EVGA Geforce GTX 260 mainly for ArmA II but does anyone know how the GTX 260 runs with ArmA?

[echo1 0]

Billybud -

Looks like you have yourself a non-brand PSU. These are a leading cause of system fuck ups of all shapes and flavours. You can take your chances with a new graphics card, but be prepared for the fact that it might not like it and you you may have to buy a better one.

ilovebeer -

The GTX260 isnt a great choice, its about as fast as the much cheaper ATI Radeon 4870. That said, nVidia are likely to refresh their graphics card line soon enough, so if you have a preference for nVidia, I'd wait for that. Otherwise, get a 4870.

[WangoTango 0]

Thanks for your help.

[ilovebeer 0]

Billybud -

Looks like you have yourself a non-brand PSU. These are a leading cause of system fuck ups of all shapes and flavours. You can take your chances with a new graphics card, but be prepared for the fact that it might not like it and you you may have to buy a better one.

ilovebeer -

The GTX260 isnt a great choice, its about as fast as the much cheaper ATI Radeon 4870. That said, nVidia are likely to refresh their graphics card line soon enough, so if you have a preference for nVidia, I'd wait for that. Otherwise, get a 4870.

Thanks for the info, i geuss ill wait since i only use nvidia. MY 8800GT runs everything on Very High but im kinda planning ahead for ArmA II but im sure my 8800GT will be able to run that decent ass well. Plus i have SLI so if ArmA II will acually allow me to use it i will.

[Sertorius 0]

HELP!

I just got GTAIV, and I see that it has become necessary to update from the old graphics card (Game is totally unplayable). Current card is a Geforce 7900GT/GTO in a PCI Express x16 slot. I don't want to do anything fancy, I just want to replace the card. I was wondering what I should replace it with. I have some ideas, and some comments on them would be much appreciated.

Galaxy 86GGE8HDFEXX GeForce 8600 GT 1GB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16

Galaxy 95TGE8HUFEXX GeForce 9500 GT 1GB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16

Both seem reasonably cheap. Should I go with one of these, or a 512MB card?

[echo1 0]

Two things -

A) Both of those cards are slower than your current one.

B) There are apparently a shitload of bugs with the PC port of GTA4. I would suggest waiting for a patch to come out before upgrading your PC, and there is supposedly one coming soon (Let me know btw, Im considering getting this game for Christmas...)

[Sertorius 0]

A. They're both slower   ? How can you tell (This n00b needeth thy knowledge)?

OK, what about these (Just a few more ideas):

MSI N9800GT 512OC GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3

HIS Hightech H260XTP512DDN-R Radeon HD 2600XT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3

Both of these are GDDR3, and I think my 7900GT/GTO is GDDR2 (I bought whatever the cheapest one was). No matter what I do, my new card will be DX10 compatible as compared to the old one, and that should provide some improvements, right?

P.S. - Do you have a personal preference for something I haven't mentioned yet? What's the best card I could put into a PCI-Express 16x slot?

[echo1 0]

Quote[/b] ]How can you tell?

I'm a habitual review-reader. The 8600GT was not much faster than the 7600GT, and the 9500GT would be around the same speed. The 7900GT is a pretty decent card if memory serves me correct, although its a bit long in the tooth. As for your alternatives, the 2600XT isnt particularily good. The 9800GT is alright, but I'd go for either a Radeon HD4850, or a HD4870, whichever you can afford. They would represent a good investment, and offer a significant tangible improvement over your current card.

[Maddmatt 1]

HELP!

I just got GTAIV, and I see that it has become necessary to update from the old graphics card (Game is totally unplayable).

I have a Geforce 7800GT and I eventually managed to get the game playable.

There are new Nvidia drivers for the game, get them here.

Make sure you uninstall your old drivers first via add/remove programs, otherwise you might still have trouble.

FPS can be low at times, but it's playable and looks ok.

There should be a patch out soon that might help a bit too.

[Sertorius 0]

Quote[/b] ]Make sure you uninstall your old drivers first via add/remove programs, otherwise you might still have trouble.

Should I remove the Display Drivers too? Or should I only remove the Display Driver?

Edit - NM, I found a walkthrough

Edit2 - IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE! IT'S AAAALLLIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVEEEEEEE!!!!