65 réponses à ce sujet

[Gorath Alpha]

That makes your earlier question a misfit of some sort.

lknewsome wrote...

I updated my drivers for my ATI Radeon HD 4350 in the hopes it would stop ME2 from crashing and now I can't start a new game with a previous ME2 character. It crashes as soon as I click on "import ME2 character" in the menu. Does anyone have any idea what I can do to fix this?

Three years ago, when an HD 4350 would have been a current product, that

"Intel Cor i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz
8.00GB RAM"

wouldn't have been available, so it looks now as if you are about to upgrade an entire PC, while not telling us about the video in it?

There is no valid reason for any ordinary person to put more than 4 GBs of system memory in a PC, and any extra cost to go beyond that 4 GBs is better invested in the next higher video, such as moving up to AMD's Radeon HD 6770.

[SerWhat?]

I bought the computer from Dell 2 years ago. The HD4350 was what came with the computer. I didn't chose to go for another video card at that time because I didn't know it was needed and I know just enough about computers to be dangerous but I have not upgraded my computer at all.

[Gorath Alpha]

Dell should not have still been using that card then, when the HD 5450 was readily available for the same cost to them (although the difference between the two is miniscule), one is Dx10.1, the other is Dx11.

Meanwhile, anyone else getting ready for ME-3 now?

[Fredvdp]

Gorath Alpha wrote...

Meanwhile, anyone else getting ready for ME-3 now?

I got my upgrades when The Witcher 2 came out so I'm good to go. Mass Effect 2 already ran great on my old PC so I hope BioWare at least considers a graphical upgrade. Especially textures need work even if Chris Priestly says ME2 already has high-res textures, which I disagree with.

Modifié par Fredvdp, 07 décembre 2011 - 05:59 .

[Moondoggie]

I have a few systems i want to test the game on with ME2 being such a well made game in terms of being able to run on a variety of systems at half decent levels of graphics and you didn't even need a hugely powerful system to max it out at most resolutions. I like to hope the next game will be just as universal and fair so people with all kinds of systems can enjoy the game to a decent level while giving people with more powerful systems the options to turn up the juice.

It'll be interesting to see how ME3 stacks up compared to ME2 over various systems.

[SerWhat?]

@Gorath Alpha, I am about ready to get a new graphics card at the end of this month. I want to spend about $150 on it. I just preordered SWTOR and need to to what is the best graphics card I can get for these games in your opinion for that price. My computer info. is already listed previously. Also what are the specifics I need like is it pci-e or pci. How can I find out what my power source strength is? Anything I might need to know when I go to purchase the card. Thanks for all you do and your time and patience.

[tango jack]

my specs are...

Microsoft windows 7 home premium service pack 1
i3 2100@ 3.1 ghz
4GB ram
AMD Radeon HD6450 vram 1.00GB

I,m a bit of a PC gaming noob but this setup seems to handle ME2 quite well so do you think it will handle ME3 as good?

2nd question: how would this setup go with SWTOR?

Thanks

[Gorath Alpha]

Given that SWtOR is just an MMO game, and those are not my personal cup of tea, and at this point I've not even changed my password there the way they wanted, plus I never liked the way that forum was mishandled. I like to have a forum I'm comfortable on, for my games. I wouldn't have that there (I just barely played The Witcher a few times, a total of less than two hours.  That forum was too hard for me to read.  I've never even installed Witcher II because they never answered my "new password" requests to update my account there).

There are actually three limiters to choices for gaming graphics cards. Cost is basic, but screen resolution is also important, and available power is very critical. Besides $150 in the first case, I need the brand name of the power supply, and the rated wattage. When I scroll up, will I see the resolution up there already? (I went to high school with Margaret (Peggy) Newsome, half a century or so ago.)

Tango, you didn't mention screen resolution or budget, and I can't tell with certainty that you have a normal Tower model of a desktop from your own question. However, I will say that I personally would not accept the kind of weak performance available from an HD 6450 as a suitable choice to play games on.

(Here's a reference about graphic card naming):

http://social.biowar...6/index/8149188

G.

Modifié par Gorath Alpha, 10 décembre 2011 - 01:41 .

[Fredvdp]

Speaking of SWTOR, I was surprised how poor it runs on an AMD HD 6870. Usually it's over 60fps but in some areas, like the senate plaza on Coruscant and the Republic space station it dropped below 30fps. It was a beta so maybe that's fixed but I'm not holding my breath.

I'm not a fan of MMOs myself. I played World of Warcraft when it first came out and never reached the max level. SWTOR, on the other hand, feels a lot like a standard BioWare RPG that happens to have other players in it. I can honestly say I liked it.

Modifié par Fredvdp, 10 décembre 2011 - 01:26 .

[SerWhat?]

I checked my computer for the power source and there was no info. I called Dell and they told me it is a Dell power box 475 V. They recommended a ati radeon 5670 1gb. I'm still under service contract and they will install for free at my house. Is this a good card? He said it was $100.

I don't think I have any Margaret Newsomes in my family but I don't know that side of the family very well. 

Modifié par lknewsome, 10 décembre 2011 - 06:38 .

[Gorath Alpha]

Installed in your home, it's quite good for Medium quality, the service charge seems quite small, and the power supply is a good one. If that seems like a lot of money to you, labor costs are not cheap, but it's really very easy to do, and only the software updates to the drivers takes any real time.

Almost anyone able to use a phillips screwdriver to remove a couple of screws can put an HD 5670 into a computer tower, for maybe $70 by mail order (eTailer pricing).

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814150542

That's this year's version of essentially the same card, for $59 after rebate.

P. S. My Peggy Newsome lived in San Antonio when she was 17, was short, brunette, and nice looking.  (She'll be my age now, and probably somebody's grandmother.)

Modifié par Gorath Alpha, 10 décembre 2011 - 07:05 .

[SerWhat?]

Thanks! You're my hero!

[tango jack]

Sorry about the lack of Info Gorath..

Apart from the info i provided previously i can say that my PC is the tower type (Not an all in one or laptop) and the screen resolution is 1280x800 at a refresh rate of 60hz and the monitor is a 20 inch benq. I have run ME1 and ME2 with this card for a while and seems to handle everything ok but if i can get a better result with a higher end card that would be great.

I will go out and have a look at some graphics cards today and see what is available based on what has been posted already. Budget is not a problem but not unlimited so i,ll see what the cards are priced like here in australia and then make a decision but any advice is helpful.

Modifié par tango jack, 10 décembre 2011 - 09:48 .

[Gorath Alpha]

The card pointed out to Newsome is available around the world, just do a USD to OzD conversion based on about $70-75 to see if you local eTailers are in line. Remember, it's got a very high Bang for the Buck value -- more frames per second per monetary unit than any other cards in its class, and low power demands.

Moving upward in the performance spectrum requires a larger investment than only the card, because the upgraded power supply also must be included in the budget. 

P. S. We've had a regular here from down under, the handle he uses is Bogsnot, and he may be able to steer you to a particularly reliable eTailer the way we tend to use Newegg as a place offering both good pricing and good service, but so far limited to Canada, China, and the States.  Whatever time it amounts to where you are, he tends to arrive in the wee hours of our mornings in Texas. 

Gorath

Modifié par Gorath Alpha, 10 décembre 2011 - 11:03 .

[SerWhat?]

Just wanted to give you an update! I purchased the 1gb radeon from Newegg and received it today. I just installed it and my performance score on my graphics card went from a 3.7 to a 6.8! I am about to play ME2 to get an idea of the difference. Thanks so much for all of your help. I couldn't have done it without you Gorath!

[Gorath Alpha]

Happy to hear it, and sorry not to acknowledge this until now. Have fun with it.

[Gorath Alpha]

The imminent release of ME-3, this coming March, seems to be getting a great deal more public attention than ME-2 did when it was at a similar stage in its development. The forums have gone through a major draw-down of its experienced game player members' attendance since the middle of last spring, however, a sizable population of new members have been arriving.

Both of the Dragon Age games, and both ME games, have had a slight upsurge in messages from new owners of the older games, with ME-2 getting far more of the new arrivals whose PCs aren't really adequate for games using the UT3 game engine. This is the place, in this thread, to check ahead whether you will be able to run Mass Effect, whichever of ME-2 or ME-3 you want to know about.

[Gorath Alpha]

Paparob wrote...

So yeah I got Mass Effect 2 as a gift and I'm not really sure I can run it, having problems with crashes. Here are my system specs, if anyone has any suggests on what I should can do to improve game performance please let me know. (Yes I'm currently running it with the graphic settings at the lowest they can be through the in game options menu)

CPU: Pentium® Dual-Core CPU E5300 @ 2.60GHz

RAM: 4.5 GB

OS: Vista Home Premium 32 Bit Service Pack 2

Graphics Card:
Intel® G41 Express Chipset

Both the CPU and the video are well below the supported level. You are not likely to enjoy the poor experience you'll have with such a Low Performance machine as that. Sorry.

[Paparob]

Gorath Alpha wrote...

Paparob wrote...

So yeah I got Mass Effect 2 as a gift and I'm not really sure I can run it, having problems with crashes. Here are my system specs, if anyone has any suggests on what I should can do to improve game performance please let me know. (Yes I'm currently running it with the graphic settings at the lowest they can be through the in game options menu)

CPU: Pentium® Dual-Core CPU E5300 @ 2.60GHz

RAM: 4.5 GB

OS: Vista Home Premium 32 Bit Service Pack 2

Graphics Card:
Intel® G41 Express Chipset

Both the CPU and the video are well below the supported level. You are not likely to enjoy the poor experience you'll have with such a Low Performance machine as that. Sorry.

Thats OK I half expected as much. That being said I do want to upgrade them, any suggestions on what I should buy? Turns out the same person who got me Mass Effect 2 plans on getting me Mass Effect 3, so getting it running smoothly is a good idea.

[Gorath Alpha]

I'm not that confident that your system will make an adequate starting point for the upgrades. The Pentium Dual has only been used in really inexpensive PC systems that have a lot of cut-rate parts in them. The mainboard may not accept a better replacement CPU properly, and the power supply almost certainly would need replacing.

Occasionally a hobbyist chooses a flexible motherboard as a base for a big overclocking effort, using a Pentium Dual just to see how far he can take it, since some of them can be overclocked like crazy. If your MB doesn't take better CPUs, maybe it does allow overclocking.

[Paparob]

Gorath Alpha wrote...

I'm not that confident that your system will make an adequate starting point for the upgrades. The Pentium Dual has only been used in really inexpensive PC systems that have a lot of cut-rate parts in them. The mainboard may not accept a better replacement CPU properly, and the power supply almost certainly would need replacing.

Occasionally a hobbyist chooses a flexible motherboard as a base for a big overclocking effort, using a Pentium Dual just to see how far he can take it, since some of them can be overclocked like crazy. If your MB doesn't take better CPUs, maybe it does allow overclocking.

I'll be honest I'm not that good at hardware. Let me put it this way, if I save up $1500 and take it down to say the Geek Squad might they be able to do it? I hate to put it that way but frankly you're getting a bit over my head, so I hope you don't mind me asking it that way.

[Gorath Alpha]

There isn't a place to go any longer, I don't think, for such detailed hardware. I think the place has become moribund now. I will look it up for you. For that amount, you can take your pick of premade systems if you order online. My own systems cost me between $750 and $850, with top quality parts, but I build them myself.

Here are three ready-mades sold by Newegg with HD 6770 cards:

http://www.newegg.co...me=Desktop-PCs#

(You'll have to copy & paste that)

Here is where Flem1's group used to be here at Social:

http://social.bioware.com/group/151/

Again, copy it and paste it.

[Paparob]

Gorath Alpha wrote...

There isn't a place to go any longer, I don't think, for such detailed hardware. I think the place has become moribund now. I will look it up for you. For that amount, you can take your pick of premade systems if you order online. My own systems cost me between $750 and $850, with top quality parts, but I build them myself.

Here are three ready-mades sold by Newegg with HD 6770 cards:

http://www.newegg.co...me=Desktop-PCs#

(You'll have to copy & paste that)

Here is where Flem1's group used to be here at Social:

http://social.bioware.com/group/151/

Again, copy it and paste it.

Ah a good idea. I'll bother you one last time, would something like this work?


http://www.newegg.co...N82E16883229285

Modifié par Paparob, 08 janvier 2012 - 11:56 .

[Gorath Alpha]

That one should be fine for ME-1, 2, and 3. It does offer less of a lifetime as equipped for any potential game play down the road compared to the Radeon HD 6770, which should continue to be adequate into early 2015, while after about two years, we can anticipate the HD 6670 having mostly run its course without giving up a lot of the better quality settings, and thus being ready to upgrade.

Now, let's be sure you know this: I am not any great fan of the Cyberpower brand specifically. Those just happened to be the ones that Newegg had on hand with the HD 6770 card pre-installed, which I think of right now as a good choice. You probably should visit the online reputation reference sites to see what kind of service Cyberpower provides these days (Newegg handles the most immediate service, and is very good, but after 30 days, it's all Cyberpower).

[Paparob]

Gorath Alpha wrote...

That one should be fine for ME-1, 2, and 3. It does offer less of a lifetime as equipped for any potential game play down the road compared to the Radeon HD 6770, which should continue to be adequate into early 2015, while after about two years, we can anticipate the HD 6670 having mostly run its course without giving up a lot of the better quality settings, and thus being ready to upgrade.

Now, let's be sure you know this: I am not any great fan of the Cyberpower brand specifically. Those just happened to be the ones that Newegg had on hand with the HD 6770 card pre-installed, which I think of right now as a good choice. You probably should visit the online reputation reference sites to see what kind of service Cyberpower provides these days (Newegg handles the most immediate service, and is very good, but after 30 days, it's all Cyberpower).

I understand completely. You have been most helpful, it just up to me now to compare brands and shop around. Thank you again for your time.