Gaming Speed Problem

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by FED UP, Jun 12, 2005.

  1. FED UP

    FED UP MajorGeek

    Heres what I have:
    Gateway 827GM with:
    AMD Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2GHz
    2000 MHz FSB
    512K L2 Cache
    ATI Radeon X200 IGP
    512 Mb DDR Dual Channel + RAM expansion. (According to System Properties, I have 896Mb)

    This is my new computer. Like a dummy, I had the "tech" at Circuit City install the RAM card when I bought the computer, and I never got the package it came in so i dont know the specs on the card. (That was one of several blunders made by Circuit City's staff involving my purchase, and Ill never go back there again)
    I understood that the Athlon 64 3500+ is a very good processor, and figured if I expanded the memory, I shouldnt have any problems running some serious games.
    I bought my first game, Dungeon Lords, and everything works fine until the outdoor landscapes, with lots of rendering/animation, and the action slows significantly. I have the resolution on the next to lowest setting, and Id really rather not cut out other graphics specs the game menu allows to improve performance on "slower machines" when I feel like my machine should be able to handle this, without the slowdown/jerkyness. What can I do to remedy this situation? More RAM? Would that help? Are there some system settings (outside of what the game options menu offers) that I can adjust to improve performance? What about a graphics card upgrade?
    Throw me a bone here guys!
    :D
     
  2. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    I'll bone you,lol :D ,you have a gig of memory but your onboard video card is taking 128meg of it,thats why your system mem is low,memory and cpu are fine what you need is a new video card,to find out whether you can install one we will have to work out whats inside your computer,hopefully it will have an agp or pci-e slot,not to be confused with a standard pci slot.

    First download sandra or everest from the download section and post the system summary here,upload it as an attachement,dont cut and paste it to your post they are pretty big.

    Your comp is pretty new,so if you have the manual lying around you may be able to find the specs of your motherboard there. :)
     
  3. FED UP

    FED UP MajorGeek

    Okey dokey.
    I uploaded the System Summary, the Mainboard specs and the Video specs.
    Also, according to an insert in the Owners manual, the "system board (has) a PCI Express slot for graphics card upgrades."
    So what do ya think?
     

    Attached Files:

  4. Omegamerc

    Omegamerc MajorGeek

    x200 is for hard working high end word pad documents and nothing more. Buy a new vid card for bout 200$~ odd , disable that IGP, and get your full 1GB back.
     
  5. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    What you need then is a pci-e video card it all depends how much you wanna spend. :)
     
  6. FED UP

    FED UP MajorGeek

    Is the PCI-E slot easily accessible without tools, so that a dolt like myself could install? Are there configuration issues once it is installed?
    :cool:
     
  7. Omegamerc

    Omegamerc MajorGeek

    pop the side case, pop the screw on the pci cover, put in the card, and molex connector for the vid card if it needs it and your done [​IMG].

    Boot up into bios hit the DEL key, go to the adv options and disable IGP, save reboot n' you should boot with the new card.
     
  8. FED UP

    FED UP MajorGeek

    Okay guys,
    Ill go to I guess Best Buy this Tuesday or Wednesday and see what they have. Any suggestions as to which one I should purchase, I dont know anything about these cards... I dont know what the price range will be, or which one(s) may be better than others or even if Best Buy is a good place to get one. What do y'all think ? (i can say y'all cause Im from Texas!(Yeeeeeehhaaaawwww!))

    ;)
     
  9. Omegamerc

    Omegamerc MajorGeek

    Dont buy retail; unless you like to spend xtra money for no reason [​IMG]

    newegg.com [​IMG]
     
  10. encrypt

    encrypt Private E-2

  11. FED UP

    FED UP MajorGeek

    Only thing about ordering online is the wait for shipping (im an instant gratification kinda guy) and also I have no credit card (or bank account). I don't like financial institutions (banks) or using other peoples money (credit). So that leaves me a bit short on options, but I prefer living a cash-only lifestyle. I dont have to pay interest on anything, I have no note to pay on my truck (paid cash in full) or anything else, but I am without the purchasing options that credit allows. I feel its worth the tradeoff.
    That being said, I will visit Best Buy tomorrow and see what they have in stock. I would try Circuit City, but those people proved to me how inept they are when i purchased my computer.
     
  12. Omegamerc

    Omegamerc MajorGeek

    Buy one of those one time use creditcards off of rite aid or what not... Not having any credit score isn't exactly good either, limits your life options to some extent; true that you have % rates that are sky high but thats if you don't pay, so just have the money before you buy something!
     
  13. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    yeh me too,whenever I can buy from a shop I do,even if its more expensive,it also makes returning stuff easier.

    Look in your local directory for computer shops nearby that you are willing to drive to,if they have a website cut and paste the link to your post and we will find the right card for you.

    A great performance card at the moment is the 6600gt for around $200,the different manufacturers cards perform the same,the things to look for are the game bundle,acessories and support.How does $200 sound?
     
  14. Omegamerc

    Omegamerc MajorGeek

    for 200$~ you can buy a 6800NP which outperforms the 6600gt, surf newegg.com for prices.
     
  15. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    My bad I'v just got bored of surfing newegg for dollar prices to make sure the price I quote is right,being from the uk not only do I have to convert it but but you lucky SOB's get everything alot cheaper so its hard to tell how close I am,even so if the shop around the corner has a 6600 for $200,I think it will be worth it and save the trouble of getting a credit card and you can have it sameday.IMO. :)
     
  16. encrypt

    encrypt Private E-2

    get a debit card. you can use it like a credit card, exept its not one. it takes it straight from your bank account, and no interest. i use it all the time, and ive had no problems. and honestly i think that if a person is willing to throw 150 dollars away just because there impatient, there alittle slow in the head. i would wait a week for 150 dollars. anyway, a debit card would be your best solution.

    and yes its good to start building credit. when you wanna buy a house ur gonna be screwed, because you have none. o_O
     
  17. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    Who's willing to throw $150 away?
     
  18. encrypt

    encrypt Private E-2

    well thats pretty much the price difference between the two links i posted previously. and he said he would rather go and buy the gfx card at the store. o_O

    i would rather wait, and not have to pay taxes than waste all that money. also, if your lucky and if you spend enough, you most likely wont even have to pay for shipping and handling.
     
  19. Rikky

    Rikky Wile E. Coyote - One of a kind

    I missed your links encrypt,I see what you mean,The store I go to scan.co.uk is about a 15 mile drive at the most I'll use £5.00 of petrol,which is half the delivery cost from scan when bought online,so its actually cheaper for me to drive there.Prob cheaper with some etailers but only by 5-10 £'s not $150 and they dont have good return policies and poor customer support,scans is second to none.

    I suppose it depends what store u live near,a second option which I have done recently,if you have a small computer shop nearby is to ask them to order it for you,ask them for the quote of how much it will cost,if you like it leave a deposit and come back when its delivered,they usually dont pay shipping costs because they order in bulk and if you have any problems all you have to do is take it back to them,the guy I sometimes get stuff from gets a delivery every morning so you may be able to get it next day. :)
     
  20. FED UP

    FED UP MajorGeek

    Well, heres what I did....

    I bought the ATI RADEON X700 pro.
    I know its not the best out there, it was $200 at Best Buy. It WAS the best one they had in stock for PCI Express....
    I installed it earlier, and it works WAY better than my onboard X200....Game runs
    MUCH more smoothly with no slowdowns, there are still some jerky areas, however, and I suspect that's due to the programming rather than a graphics processing deficiency...Not sure, though....
    What I can do now, if the X700 proves to be not enough, is shop around for the best price I can find on a better card, for a future purchase....
    You guys fail to understand that I am an Independently Wealthy Kazillionaire, and I pay$500 for lunch everyday....Haha..... :D
    Anyway, I managed to install the card myself, and Im quite proud of myself for the feat. The hardest part was getting the Freakin' tower cover back on!!! :mad:
    Not bad for a N00b!
    Thanks for your input!
    Ive got my eye on a ATI X850......
    Whats the best card out there for PCI Express?
     
  21. Omegamerc

    Omegamerc MajorGeek

    Re: Well, heres what I did....

    Did you properly uninstall your old drivers and reinstall a new 5.6 pair from ati.com ?? Could help out the studdering.

    x850PTE 512 is the best out so far if you consider ati. NV has the 6800U 512mb pci.
     
  22. FED UP

    FED UP MajorGeek

    I used the ATI Uninstall Software utility which uninstalls the drivers and everything in one step. I installed the drivers from the disk that came with the card... I wonder if that's the 5.6 you are talking about?
    Ill do some checking and see.....
     
  23. FED UP

    FED UP MajorGeek

    I assume you are talking about a driver version of 5.6 ?
    I am trying to find what driver version I have.....
    Havent found it yet....
    Still looking.....

    I have Sandra 2005 installed, so Ill see if I can find that information using that...
     
  24. Omegamerc

    Omegamerc MajorGeek

    Your gonna want to uninstall the set that you installed and go download 5.6 catalyst from ati.com
     
  25. FED UP

    FED UP MajorGeek

    Like this?

    step 1: download 5.6
    step 2: uninstall current version
    step 3: install 5.6
    ??????????????????????????????

    Is that how I should do it?
     
  26. FED UP

    FED UP MajorGeek

    By the way, the disk that came with the card says the driver version is 8.04 .
    Is 5.6 better than 8.04?
     
  27. Omegamerc

    Omegamerc MajorGeek

    nope, and yes download 5.6, uninstall old one, install 5.6
     
  28. FED UP

    FED UP MajorGeek

    5.6 now installed.
    Running well!
    Thanks omegamerc! :)
     
  29. Omegamerc

    Omegamerc MajorGeek

    No prob! enjoy! :D
     

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