SH4 Specs... What Upgrades Do I Need???

[martin1004]

I have a question. Well my SH3 worked like a charm be4 i installed GWX, then it started to lag.Im afraid that Sh4 will lag me too then although i think i have a normal pc
1 gig RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 Gt , 256 MB( ppl said that it was pretty good for games)
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ ~2,2 Ghz ----processor my problem i think.
I don't think i could play SH4 smoothly when SH3 already lagged..

[Mooncatt]

im also rather worried, i was lookin at some screenies and i was thinking will my setup strugglei got....
P4 3.0gig processer
1.5 gig ram
and the worring part ATi x700 256mb agp

so any help would be appreciated :up:

[Sixpack]

Could someone please post a readable image of the backside of the SH4 dvd ? I cant find the official minimum + medium + recommended specs.

Thanks.

[StandingCow]

im also rather worried, i was lookin at some screenies and i was thinking will my setup strugglei got....
P4 3.0gig processer
1.5 gig ram
and the worring part ATi x700 256mb agp

so any help would be appreciated :up:

You won't be able to play on full graphics, but I bet you will be fine on medium/low.

[Mooncatt]

im also rather worried, i was lookin at some screenies and i was thinking will my setup strugglei got....
P4 3.0gig processer
1.5 gig ram
and the worring part ATi x700 256mb agp

so any help would be appreciated :up:

You won't be able to play on full graphics, but I bet you will be fine on medium/low.

excellent thanx forr the help m8 :up:

[swe-mike]

Guys,

I thinking of upgrading my graphics card for SH4 since i suspect that my gfx is the bottleneck in my system. The question is which card i should pick? ATI 1900 or GeForce 7900/7950/8800? I dont think the 8800 is an option right now, to expensive.

My current setup:

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.13Ghz (E6400)
2GB 533 DDRII RAM
GeForce 7800GT 256MB

My monitor supports 1280x1024@75Hz at a max so that's what i am going to try and run the game at. Graphics detail settings at max.

But then again, my current setup might support that...or?

What do you guys think?

/Mike

[leeclose]

Ok this is the latest run down of what you need to run SH4:

OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows® XP/Vista only
PROCESSOR: Pentium®4 2Ghz or AMD Athlon™ (3Ghz Pentium or Athlon recommended)
RAM: 1GB (2GB recommended)
VIDEO CARD:DirectX® 9.0 compliant, 128 Mb Video Card capable of rendering Pixel shader 2.0 (256 Mb recommended) - See supported List*
DirectX® 9.0 (included on disc)
DVD-ROM DRIVE: 4X or faster
SOUND CARD: DirectX 9.0 compatible
HARD DISK: 6 GB • PERIPHERALS: Mouse, keyboard
MULTIPLAY: Broadband connection with 128 kbps upstream or faster (512 Kbps upstream or faster needed to host online games

[Prientje]

Guys,

I thinking of upgrading my graphics card for SH4 since i suspect that my gfx is the bottleneck in my system. The question is which card i should pick? ATI 1900 or GeForce 7900/7950/8800? I dont think the 8800 is an option right now, to expensive.

My current setup:

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.13Ghz (E6400)
2GB 533 DDRII RAM
GeForce 7800GT 256MB

My monitor supports 1280x1024@75Hz at a max so that's what i am going to try and run the game at. Graphics detail settings at max.

But then again, my current setup might support that...or?

What do you guys think?

/Mike

specs are good

no problem for you...to play SHIV

[LeafsFan]

HI,

I have a Pentium D 820 (2.8 GHZ) with
1 Gig ddr2 SDRAM at 533mhz
AT1 1300pro video card (256 MB)

How she gonna run SH4??

HB

[Sixpack]

:ping: Could someone please post a readable image of the backside of the SH4 dvd ? I cant find the official minimum + medium + recommended specs.

Thanks. :know:

[leeclose]

six read up a few posts and those specs i posted are direct from the main UBI web site so those are the correct specs:up:

[Sixpack]

Great thanks, but I wanted to know the 3 categories. Are they indeed all 3 on the UBI site ? Sorry for nagging in that case :-? ;)

[scg737]

I have the following setup:
- Intel P4 3.2ghz HT
- 1gb Corsair XMS RAM
- ATI 9800 Pro 128mb AGP

and was worried since SHIII w/ GWX runs VERY slowly around ports.
So I decided to upgrade :up:

Another 1gb XMS Ram (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145450)

And a new video card (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814143046)

Hopefully SHIV will run in non-slideshow mode!
Stephen

[Spaxspore]

Plays great on mine however, i alt-tabed during the patrol, SH4.exe using 1000mb of ram. IE if u need a cheap upgrade to paly this, but some ram.


I run @ max grahpics @ 1600x1200 res


on this

Duo Core 2 E6600 @ 3ghz
2gig ddr2 800mzh Ram
Gforce 8800 GTX
SB XFI Plat.
3TBs of Storage

[Morts]

wonder if ill be able to run this with only 512 mb ram:hmm:
with low settings

[leeclose]

I dont think you will mort according to the offical ubi site you need minum 1 gig prefeerably 2:up:

[Morts]

I dont think you will mort according to the offical ubi site you need minum 1 gig prefeerably 2:up:


great:damn:
no money for upgrade:damn:
and a collecters edition on its way....now what am i gonna do:doh:

[leeclose]

Get a paper round in beirut i'm told it pays well:yep:

[waste gate]

Will I be able to play SH4 with these spex?

P4 @ 3.4GHz, XP SP2,
3.25GB RAM,
ATI X800 PCIexpress W/256MB Ram

OR THIS

P3 @ 3.2 GHz, XP SP2,
2.0GB RAM,
ATI X850 PCI W/256MB RAM

Thanx in advance
waste gate

[Gizzmoe]

Will I be able to play SH4 with these spex?

Yes.

[waste gate]

Will I be able to play SH4 with these spex?

Yes.

Thank you for your quick reply Gizzmoe!
Do you forsee any problems beyond the yes? Framerate is my biggest concern.

[Gizzmoe]

Do you forsee any problems beyond the yes? Framerate is my biggest concern.

The framerate will be ok, the SH4 engine is pretty scalable, thanks to the many graphics options.

[flintlock]

My monitor supports 1280x1024@75Hz at a max so that's what i am going to try and run the game at. Graphics detail settings at max. What do you guys think?
Mike, if you're going to run the game at a low SXGA resolution like that, I'd stick with your current video card as the rest of your specs are decent. I'd only recommend entertaining a video card upgrade if you were going to run push a 1680x1050 res or more. I'd sit tight and wait and see.

[aso544]

Decided to go the Laptop route instead of upgrading my current desktop. I have set my limit to 2k, but I am concerned if there is really a 2K laptop that can run SH4 maxed.

It also seems that most high-end notebooks are pushing Vista O/S.....crap!!!

Well, those with more computer savy then me help me customize a great SH4 system. I was looking at a Dell or possibly HP.

Here is a Dell I customized this evening for right under $1700


Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667 MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows XP Professional
17 inch Wide Screen XGA+ TFT Display with TrueLife™(glossy)
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS
80GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability

Thanks,
M60-E4

[Guido]

laptops are always less value for money, unless you NEED a laptop dont do it.

[aso544]

I do agree, but I am on the go a lot and this way I can take my computer with me while on work related trips.

M60-E4

[leeclose]

If you really need to get a laptop and yo uhave to ask your self do i really need one spend the money and get one thats future proof for at leasy 18 months minimum.:yep:

[capt319]

Hello, everyone. Long time lurker, first time poster. I have recently received my copy of SH4 and was thinking about upgrading my video card to try to get a better experience from the game.

I currently have a Intel Core Duo 6300 at 1.86 ghz
3.0 MB of RAM
ATI X1300 256 MB PCI

I was thinking of upgrading to the X1650, 512 mb. Can anyone tell me how much faster the 1650 will be? It is that much of a jump?

Thanks!

[flintlock]

Hello capt319, and welcome to Subsim!

What resolution are you considering playing at in general? What flavor of the X1650 are you considering, the Pro or XT? (I'll assume XT). You mention you're using a PCI X1300, so again I'll assume you're looking to upgrade to a PCIe part. You'll find a nice performance improvent over your current X1300, that's for certain. The performance of the X1650 is similar to a 7600 GT. If you can swing it in your budget, I'd highly recommend a X1950 Pro. A truly great mid-range graphics card that should have you in good shape for maybe another year or two. Just for comparative purposes, the X1950 Pro is similar to a 7900 GS, though the X1950 Pro is a little faster in most benchmarks.

Good luck with your purchase.

[jas39]

My system requirements:

Windows XP SP2
AMD Athlon 2000+ (1.67 GHz)
1GB DDR SDRAM
128 MB Nvidia Geforce FX 5500.

Can I run silent hunter 4?

thanks.

[flintlock]

Jas, specs are a little on the low side. I fear your video card may give you a lot of grief, and the processor is a little modest too.

[aso544]

Any thoughts on these specs for a laptop???? Pretty sure I am gonna place the order if this setup looks like it has the "juice" to run newer games.....but mainly SH4.

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7200 (2.00GHz, 4MB L2 Cache, 667 MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows XP Professional
17 inch Wide Screen XGA+ TFT Display with TrueLife™(glossy)
2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
256MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7900 GS
80GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
8X CD/DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW) with double-layer DVD+R write capability


ASO544

[flintlock]

aso544, those are some nice specs on that laptop. That'll give you a nice portable gaming platform without breaking the bank on some of the extreme laptop setups out there that don't exactly offer stellar returns on the price/performance ratio front.

Again, that's a nice looking system.

[Tigrone]

My system requirements:

Windows XP SP2
AMD Athlon 2000+ (1.67 GHz)
1GB DDR SDRAM
128 MB Nvidia Geforce FX 5500.

Can I run silent hunter 4?

thanks.

Jas39, I fear you are well below minimum specs. The game's Read Me says it does not support the FX 5500. You really need at least a 2Ghz processer and a 6600 card or better.

[Penelope_Grey]

I got an AMD Athlon 64 processor, 2 gigs of ram, and a 512 graphics card. Will that be enough to run SH4?

[danlisa]

I got an AMD Athlon 64 processor, 2 gigs of ram, and a 512 graphics card. Will that be enough to run SH4?

What make/model of GFX card?

[Penelope_Grey]

Its an ATI RADEON X1600Pro

[danlisa]

You'll be fine.:up:

[THE_MASK]

I have a 24" lcd , 8800 series card and 6600 cpu . What downgrades do i need to play SH4 ?

[danlisa]

I have a 24" lcd , 8800 series card and 6600 cpu . What downgrades do i need to play SH4 ?

ROTFLMAO - Maybe a DOS emulator.:p

[jas39]

THANKS FOR THE HELP, TIGRONE, FLINTLOCK. i GUESS ILL WAIT UNTIL I GET A NEW PC. :(

[HannesGM]

Seeing there are many ppl concerned whether or not they can play the game with their rig - I can say I run it just fine (with no lagg whatsoever) on medium settings on this rig (medium settings being the pre-select medium settings in the grpahics options menu in-game):

AMD64 2800+ (1.8Ghz)
1BG DDR 2 RAM
Radeon X800XL graphics card
Windows 2000

Didn't even bother to check for new graphics drivers or stuff, just ran it and running it is!

No lag meaning that I experience no lack when having time compression on and approaching convoys, task forces or harbours (was much worse in SHIII) even on high time compressions like 1024x and above. No lag, either, when observing hits on ships either with camera or periscope. I don't know what frames per second I got, but I don't care either, seeing it runs smoothly.

Loading times are also significantly lower compared to SHIII - loading missions takes roughly twice as long in SHIII on my computer, same for startup of the game.

Just my 2€-cent

[martin1004]

that gave me a lil confidence.even though win 2000 is not supported u could play with it.i assume u ran it with low detail?

[zaloxski]

What about my extrange config 'I supouse':

AMD AthlonXP 2200 a 1800MHZ
1GB RAM = 512MB 400MHZ KIgnstone+ 512 333MHZ Generic (so 333 both)
XFX GeForce 7600GS 256MB in a AGP4x (suports AGP8x but not the mobo)
ASUS333A7 (with only AGP4x)

I'm in the limit of requeriments i think.

.-zalox

[Grothesj2]

I'm already expecting trouble since my vid card is not very good. Guess I'll keep my fingers crossed for whenever my pre-order arrives. :-?

AMD Athlon 64X2 Dual Core 2.20 GHz
2GB RAM
GeForce 6150LE

[daft]

My AMD 3300+ 2G RAM with Radeon X700 512mb gets very, very laggy while any 3D view is being displayed. Looks like I'll have to play with all bells and whistles turned off to get an acceptable frame rate.

[bert8for3]

There seems to be such a range of situations going on ... people with lower specs running fine, people with higher specs not. It's like hit or miss. I'll try it when I can get my hands on it here and see but meanwhile could someone give me a heads-up of their estimate whether it'll run (at all, well or somewhere in between) on my machine.
P4 2.5 Ghz
1GB RAM DDR
ATI Radeon 9550 (256)
Would upgrading my power supply help at all? I've read that it can help vid performance. Sorry I don't have specs with me, but it's a stock power pack on an HPPavilion 754n.
And last, if you wouldn't mind, about upping my RAM to 2GB. I was going to do this, but they told me at the store that the max that the m/b can take is 1GB. I don't have the manual for the comp anymore, but I've got in my mind that it could take up to 2GB. I ran PC Wizard and another system spec reporter and they both said max RAM is 2GB. I went to HP's website and in various places I've seen both 1GB and 2GB mentioned. The mainboard is an MSI MS-6577. I went to MSI's website, but the MS-6577 board doesn't show up. So I don't know how to check this out. I don't really want to buy 2GB on spec and see if it takes it.

[Hartmann]

i´m thinking in a bad optimization of the SH4 game graphics engine or filters , this can explain better performance in some computers compared with others. and not very good in medium range computers or above recommended specs.:hmm:

But other factors are important, like:

Hd defragmentation
Background running programs
options in graphic drivers
Activated windows xp services.
Bios settings.
reboot before play.

you can imagine like a race car tunned for a race, (gears,tires, weight, suspension,brakes)
A engine can have more horse power but it can loose the race if the other settings are wrong.

[HannesGM]

that gave me a lil confidence.even though win 2000 is not supported u could play with it.i assume u ran it with low detail?

Nope, running it at medium settings. There was no problem whatsoever concerning running the program under Win2k. Guess you just have to have SP4 installed.

[rls669]

ATI Radeon 9550 (256)

According to the readme the 9500 series will not run the game, so upgrading your ram or psu would be pointless. Anyway, upgrading the psu will only help video performance if your card needs more power than the psu can supply -- and if this is the case, you won't be seeing low performance with a weak psu and better performance with a bigger psu. You'll just see the video card not working properly at all if power is insufficient.

[daft]

It's already been suggested elsewhere, but for those of you experiencing lagg, try setting your graphpic cards Anti Aliasing and Anisotropic filtering settings to "Application Controlled" or whatever your cards software manager calls it. I noticed a significant improvement in fps after doing so. I still suffer some mouse lagg in the 3D-views, but overall it runs much better now.

[bert8for3]

ATI Radeon 9550 (256)

According to the readme the 9500 series will not run the game, so upgrading your ram or psu would be pointless. Anyway, upgrading the psu will only help video performance if your card needs more power than the psu can supply -- and if this is the case, you won't be seeing low performance with a weak psu and better performance with a bigger psu. You'll just see the video card not working properly at all if power is insufficient.

Agh :cry: , I hadn't realized that, but tks rls669, better to know now. I will look around to see if there's a mid-range card I could switch to.

[leeclose]

Guys if you go up about a dozen posts till my last post the specs required of your system is there and thats direct from the UBI web site as of 3 days ago if all else fails use a hamster to power your PC:yep:

[Ferret71]

Hello guys,

Im really concerned about buying this game, moneys tight at the moment with another baby on the way ( one of my many shore leaves :up: ) so it leaves little in the way for upgrades.
Can anyone give me a heads up on if i will be ok on medium settings with this set-up

P4 2.6Ghz
1Gb Ram
GF6800XT 128MB

Thanks in advance.

[leeclose]

Hello guys,

Im really concerned about buying this game, moneys tight at the moment with another baby on the way ( one of my many shore leaves :up: ) so it leaves little in the way for upgrades.
Can anyone give me a heads up on if i will be ok on medium settings with this set-up

P4 2.6Ghz
1Gb Ram
GF6800XT 128MB

Thanks in advance.

Hi ferret this is from the UBI web site this is what you need to run SH4 i hope the info helps you will get by but just and no more you might miss out so i would recomened playign it qwith out the whistles and bells on:up:


OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows® XP/Vista only•
PROCESSOR: Pentium®4 2Ghz or AMD Athlon™ (3Ghz Pentium or Athlon recommended) •
RAM: 1GB (2GB recommended)•
VIDEO CARD:DirectX® 9.0 compliant, 128 Mb Video Card capable of rendering Pixel shader 2.0 (256 Mb recommended)•
DirectX® 9.0 (included on disc) •
DVD-ROM DRIVE: 4X or faster •
SOUND CARD: DirectX 9.0 compatible •
HARD DISK: 6 GB •
PERIPHERALS: Mouse, keyboard •
MULTIPLAY: Broadband connection with 128 kbps upstream or faster (512 Kbps upstream or faster needed to host online games

[Ferret71]

Thanks for the reply ;) maybe its best to leave this one untill i can upgrade, SH3 is still good.

Cheers.

[aso544]

Going tomorrow to update to my current desktop until I decide on what laptop to go with.

Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3.20 GHz (alrady installed)
2.5 GB RAM (DDR) 333 MHZ (adding 1.5 GB)
Nvida G-force 7900 GT (either 256 MB DDR3 or 512MB DDR2) or the GeForce 7950 GT (512 MB DDR3)

Is the older P4 3.20 processor really going to be decent as I have had this thing for almost 2 years so i am amazed it is still viable. Also my RAM is the older 333 mhz speed not the newer stuff so that may be an issue. I am also trying to decide between the 256/DDR3 or 512/DDR2 graphics card as I am unsure which really has the better performance or just go with the G-force 7950 GT with 512 MB DDR3. Any thoughts on the abouve issues I would love to hear as i should have the game in the next day or two.

Want to run this thing maxed!!!

MM

[leeclose]

Going tomorrow to update to my current desktop until I decide on what laptop to go with.

Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3.20 GHz (alrady installed)
2.5 GB RAM (DDR) 333 MHZ (adding 1.5 GB)
Nvida G-force 7900 GT (either 256 MB DDR3 or 512MB DDR2)

Is the older P4 3.20 processor really going to be decent as I have had this thing for almost 2 years so i am amazed it is still viable. Also my RAM is the older 333 mhz speed not the newer stuff so that may be an issue. I am also trying to decide between the 256/DDR3 or 512/DDR2 graphics card as i am unsure which really has the better performance. Any thoughts on the abouve issues I would love to hear as i should have the game in the next day or two.

Want to run this thing maxed!!!

MM

If its a P4 3.2 hyperthreading cpu ur laughing as top teh ram anything above 2 gig will make sh4 run just nioce and your video card seems just ok to be honest:up:

[THE_MASK]

Would this be a good monitor to play SH4 on .

19inch BENQ MODEL FP93GX 2ms Response TFT Silver/Black DVI SXGA 1280x1024 Contrast 700:1

[Grothesj2]

I'm already expecting trouble since my vid card is not very good. Guess I'll keep my fingers crossed for whenever my pre-order arrives. :-?

AMD Athlon 64X2 Dual Core 2.20 GHz
2GB RAM
GeForce 6150LE

Finally got my copy. Yay! But as feared, the game loads but is almost unplayable. *sigh* I hope getting a new vid card will solve the slowness.

[leeclose]

Sober your monitor should just be fine mate:up: Groth you should be able to run SH4 well with your set up that really weird mate do you have any stuff running in the background ???

[Grothesj2]

Leeclose,

Nothing major but I am going to do a defrag and a reboot and see if that helps. My system isnt exactly finely optimized but it's not completly cluttered either. Could turn off Norton as well. The 6150LE is a crap integrated card so I'm thinking that's probably the real reason for SHIV slow performance. It's the first time I bought a system with an integrated card but after getting medically retired from the military my incom dropped way down and I couldnt afford the near top of the line stuff any more.

[CrocodileDundee]

Leeclose,

The 6150LE is a crap integrated card so I'm thinking that's probably the real reason for SHIV slow performance.

Most likely.

I've also got an X2 4200, 2GB Ram, but 2 Gforce 6800 (SLI configuration). SH4 works reasonably well (framerate drops during explosions & stuff). I tried an XFX GeForce 8800GTX 768MB DDR3. It made the game really smooth at any resolution. Guess if you'd like to throw 450quid outa window, there's your winner.

[Grothesj2]

I'm looking at getting a GeForce 7600 GS if defrag and a fresh restart dont help (yes I know it's not on the officially supported list but it seems a very popular card so shouldnt be problems). I have a free PCIe x16 slot so should fit. It looks reasonably priced and hopefully wont cause power issues. I've never upgraded video from an integrated card before. Anything special needs to be done or is it still pretty much Plug n Play?

[leeclose]

IMHO i think forking out 450 quid for a video card just so you can play sh4 is mad ive seen other semie decent 5121 meg cards for well under 300 quid try ebuyer.com or try buying direct from the manufacturer also look at amazon as ell there inda decent for parts again depends in your location as well.

[CrocodileDundee]

IMHO i think forking out 450 quid for a video card just so you can play sh4 is mad ive seen other semie decent 5121 meg cards for well under 300 quid try ebuyer.com or try buying direct from the manufacturer also look at amazon as ell there inda decent for parts again depends in your location as well.

Why spend £275 when you could spend £400 and get the best? (for a while). I didn't say he should get 2 8800s and make an SLI system!:rock: (i guess you'd need a 1KW source for that rig). Probably you'd have to build your own power generator in the back garden too! :|\\

Hey, just kidding! If your rig runs SH3 smoothly, my guess is it will run SH4 almost the same.

[DaMaGe007]

Well, although I have a new system on the horizon Im thinking of getting a new card for my current machine, just to prolong its life for a bit.

Its an Agp slot so Im kinda limited

The machine is a 2.8g P4, with 1 gig of ram, and about the best card I can find at my supplier here in Australia is a

Nvidia 7600GS 512 MB DDR2 AGP Video Card

Its a resonable price at $228 dollars AUD

What do you guys think of this card and should I be able to run the game ok on this machine with this card ?

Please dont bother linking to Intenet sites for other sales Im not going to order from another country ect...

and before you start laughing at the card just remember, here in Australia our dinnertime TV is showing M*A*S*H....so we are a bit backward and behind :)

EDIT:also is it worth the extra ram the 256 version is even cheaper...at $169...

[Linavitch]

and before you start laughing at the card just remember, here in Australia our dinnertime TV is showing M*A*S*H....so we are a bit backward and behind :)

LOL. We got it worse though. We are showing Neighbours!

[DaMaGe007]

and before you start laughing at the card just remember, here in Australia our dinnertime TV is showing M*A*S*H....so we are a bit backward and behind :)

LOL. We got it worse though. We are showing Neighbours!

LOL Suckers !

Australia's No1 export :)

[Grothesj2]

Ugh...while researching I have learned my power supply is too small for just about any new video card so now not only do I need to get a new card but a new power supply as well. *pulls out hair*. Looks like I wont be playing for a while.

[leeclose]

Groth how well does SH3 run on your machine? if its ok you might only need to do some very basic GFX upgrades:yep: and well extra ram never goes amis and for a gig of ddr ram atthe moment inc p&p ur looking at 40 to 45 GBP:up:

[flintlock]

What do you guys think of this card and should I be able to run the game ok on this machine with this card ? Neal has posted (he has the ATI equivalent X1650 Pro 512MB) and reported that he has a very playable experience at 1280x1024, with the occasional slow down when there is a lot of action on the screen. His system is similar to yours, so you may likely get similar results. I would go for the 512MB version if you have your heart set on the 7600 GS.

The fastest card you're going to find in an AGP flavor is a Radeon X1950 Pro (available in both 256/512MB), with a the 7900 GS in close tow, though the Radeon will oust it in almost every benchmark. There's a rumor that a X1950 XT part may be released for AGP soon too, which would make that card the undisputed king of the proverbial hill.

One thing to keep in mind with graphics cards, and their upgrades: they are but a single piece of an overall puzzle. Depending on what resolution you plan on running, and considering your system bus speeds, CPU and memory, there is a point at which it will have diminishing returns on your investment.

[Grothesj2]

SH3 runs all right though there is some stutter/slowdown when getting close to a convoy on high compression. The problem is, my power suplly only 300w and not may cards can live on that. 350-400w seems normal.

[DaMaGe007]

Yep, thats why I will get a new machine...I have decided to push it back to 6 months instead of 2 and purchase the upgrades for this one i the meantime.

I have ordered the 512 card and an extra gig of ram bringing it to 2gig.

its an 800fsb, ddr400, 2.8g proc AGP setup atm, it should be usable and i only run 1024x768 anyway...so it should be good enough

I havent purchased a game since GTA SA and SH3, and wont be getting many more than SH4 and GTA4 lol :)

My Pc gaming has taken a backseat in the last few years.

The ATi card you mention is $350 so I will stick with the Nvidia that will do for now.

[flintlock]

Good call on the memory upgrade, and your upgrade strategy in general. Either way, I think you'll be in good shape at an XGA resolution.

Congrats on the upgrades! :up:

[DaMaGe007]

I hope the memory works I ordered a 1gig stick and I currently have 2 512s...

but if it doesnt I will just try a single extra 512 bringing me to 1.5g..hopefully...

[zaloxski]

Nvidia 7600GS 512 MB DDR2 AGP Video Card

Its a resonable price at $228 dollars AUD

I have a XFX GeForce 7600GS 256MB DDR2 AGP for 120€ (130-150$ maybe)

Runs great and every time between 57 - 61 ºC

[Grothesj2]

The patch somehow actually improved performace some but still not good enough to enjoy the game. -sigh- It reminds me of that old UZO spray bug for SHIII, how this computer acts.

[newsoft]

It's already been suggested elsewhere, but for those of you experiencing lagg, try setting your graphpic cards Anti Aliasing and Anisotropic filtering settings to "Application Controlled" or whatever your cards software manager calls it. I noticed a significant improvement in fps after doing so. I still suffer some mouse lagg in the 3D-views, but overall it runs much better now.


Thank you, sir! This helped a LOT!! :rock: I had about 17 fps in external view and tried those settings. It instantly improved. Steady now at 25-34 fps. Very playable! :D

[leeclose]

Is it just me or does it seem to be a lot of hassle to pay a game shouldnt the designers be creatig the game to suit us not the other way round on a high note gives me a good excuse to go from 2 gig to 4 gig of ram and buy my 512 video card oh well :rotfl:

[aso544]

Ugh...while researching I have learned my power supply is too small for just about any new video card so now not only do I need to get a new card but a new power supply as well. *pulls out hair*. Looks like I wont be playing for a while.

Great, I did not think about that. How can I tell if my desktop has the proper amount of power for a new card? the sticker on the back says....

AC Imput 100-127 V- 4.0A
50/60Hz 200-240 V- 2.0A

Looking to go with a
Nivida G-Force 7950 GT 512 MB.

[leeclose]

If its a bought system ie dell/compaq etc visit there home page and it will give you the relative info if its a homebuild just open up your case all the info is there and mind and unplug it first:yep:

[Flick]

This info is from the latest dowonload patch Patch v1.1

Recommended Configuration:
Win XP/VISTA Only
DirectX 9.0c
3 GHz Pentium 4, AMD Athlon or equivalent
2048 MB RAM
256MB DirectX 9.0c compatible graphics card with Pixel Shader 2.0 capability
DirectX 9.0c compatible sound device
DVD-ROM 4x or faster
6.0 GB hard drive space
Windows-compatible mouse required
Internet connection for play on Ubi.com (minimum 56k modem or broadband)

*Supported Video Cards at Time of Release:
ATI(r): 9600/9700/9800, X300 to X850, X1300 to X1800
NVIDIA(r): 6200/6600/6800/7800


*Not Supported Video Cards at Time of Release:
ATI(r): 9200 and below/9500
NVIDIA(r): 5200 and below/5600/5700/5800/5900
Laptop models of these cards are not supported

[aso544]

If its a bought system ie dell/compaq etc visit there home page and it will give you the relative info if its a homebuild just open up your case all the info is there and mind and unplug it first:yep:

This is what HPs website says.....

Power supply

AC input voltage (47-63 Hz):
100-127V/8A
200-240V/4A
DC output wattage: 300 Watts Looks like I may need a 350W power supply for a 7950 GT card or maybe i may be able to get away with what i have. How hard is the power supply to replace and what would it cost give or take?


It also says I have...

Intel Pentium4 520 (P) 2.8 GHz:

800 MHz front side bus
Hyper-threading technology
Socket 775 (Grantsdale)but my System Properties says I have a

Intel Pentium (R) 4 3.20 GHz

I wonder which one is correct ?

[Grothesj2]

If you dont have enough power to your video card it probably wont work right or it will be slowed down in performance i understand. I've only replaced one power supply before with some help but I think if you mark your cables (this one goes to dvd, this one to hard drive ect) it shouldnt be tooo hard. My biggest problem is I'm not able to use all my fingers to get in there and fiddle with things since some of them have no more feeling any more. So I may just have to pay someone to install all this crap once I can afford to buy it. Ugh...the things we do for our hobbies. :damn:

[Cakewalk]

I have an EVGA 7900 GS KO, I assume this will run the game at near perfect quality? (256 MB)

[Mentalist]

Well, after tweaking my computer to the max I've come to the realization that SHIV signifies the natural end of my machines ability to keep up a decent pace with current games.

I have a AMD 3.2GHZ 64bit CPU, 1GB RAM and a Geforce 6600 256mb vanilla (not even the GT model) running on Vista. It's been a very trusty machine for the past few years but it's showing its age a little too much now.

I can get 25fps on medium settings (without enviromental effects) outside, though slowdown is too frequent to say that this is a stable playing speed. It usually drops to 12-15fps at times of action and into single digits when travelling at TC+1024


I am not blessed with the money to upgrade my machine in every department and even a small upgrade is going to break the bank for me but I'm going to try and bite the bullet.


I am going to keep my CPU since there is no way in hell I can justify an upgrade for it alongside what I think is the two more important criteria right now.

I'm thinking I need another GB of RAM and a better GFX card.

I've been looking at Newegg and I've seen a very good deal on a GeForce 7900 GS PCI-X card that is actually cheaper than the 7600 GS AGP!!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130056&ATT=14-130-056&CMP=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r


Add another $70 to that to procure another GB of RAM and I'm looking at $220. Converted to Euros (I'm in Greece) that works out at 170.


It's going to hurt since life is expensive enough as it is already but it's not an insane amount of money and I'm thinking it will give a healthy enough boost to run SHIV and some more recent games at a fair whack (although I'm not expecting to be able to max everything out)


This is the best deal for my situation I've been able to come up with. The price converted to performance is very nice from what I can see. So, I'm posting this up for folks who may be in the same Boot:arrgh!: as me and who are wanting to upgrade but don't have loads of money to throw at the problem.

I think for the money this is a good deal all round and a 7900 at that price is very purdy indeed.


Thoughts?

[leeclose]

Hi Aso if you live in the UK it will cost you about 20 to 30 GBP for a new psu(power supply unit) and most shops will fit for 5 to 10 pounds not to sure of the price in the states the extra power in your system is always beneficial.

Cake walk it's a combination of things to make SH4 run ie CPU/RAM/HDD(for access speed) and yopur video card tell me them and i can say yeah or nay. Mentalist your machine with a extra gig of ram(2) and a decent video card round about the 100 to 150 quid price area for a decent 256 you should run SH4 just nice.
I would suggest shoppin gonline from some where like www.ebuyer.com (http://www.ebuyer.com) these guys are really good with component prices:up: Happy gaming guys:yep:

[ComradeP]

Currently, my PC will probably be unable to run SH IV, I'm still waiting for the Deluxe Edition to arrive by mail so I can't confirm it yet.

My specs are:

AMD 2800+
Geforce 440MMX (one of the most cr@ppy 128mb cards around)
3072 MB worth of the newest RAM (I'm purchasing a new computer part by part, the RAM came first).

At least it loads fast...

[Grothesj2]

Yes, for me it loads liked a drea, better than SVIV. Still cant play it effectivly though. I did manage to sink a ship in a mission but it was all so very laggy that it killed the experience.

[Misfit138]

Think I already know the answer for this one but is there even a slightest change to get this running with ATI X600 256mb..?

Yeah, I desperately need an upgrade but I'm waiting for the new ATI and GeForce cards

[leeclose]

:yep: Ok guys for the Fourth time here is the Official specs from UBI as in the people who made SH4 if you dont have theese specs you cant run it so here we go again:yep: :

OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows® XP/Vista only •
PROCESSOR: Pentium®4 2Ghz or AMD Athlon™ (3Ghz Pentium or Athlon recommended) •
RAM: 1GB (2GB recommended) •
VIDEO CARD:Directex 9.0 compliant, 128 Mb Video Card capable of rendering Pixel shader 2.0 (256 Mb recommended) •
DirectX® 9.0 (included on disc) •
DVD-ROM DRIVE: 4X or faster •
SOUND CARD: DirectX 9.0 compatible •
HARD DISK: 6 GB •
PERIPHERALS: Mouse, keyboard •
MULTIPLAY: Broadband connection with 128 kbps upstream or faster (512 Kbps upstream or faster needed to host online games

[Grothesj2]

Well, finally ponied up the money and ordered a 600w power supply and GeForce 7950 GT/512MB GDDR3. I'll be real upset if this doesnt run SHIV well. Now just have to wait a week for it to arrive and make the time to install it.

[AVGWarhawk]

Anyone using a AGP Radeon X1300 512mb for this game? Does it work well?

[The General]

These are my specs and the game is so slow (with absolutely everything switched off and minimalised) as to be unplayable. I can't quite believe it! :nope:

3.4 GHZ Pentium 4

1 GB RAM

NVIDIA GEFORCE 6200SE 256 MB RAM

I have no soundcard (which may tax the processor a little but not enought to worry right?)

Now, I'm off to buy a kick-ass GFX Card in a minute, so hopefully that'll do it. Oh, I might as well buy a sound card while I'm at it.

I expect to see a dramatic improvement!

Hold the phone! I better get another Gig of RAM too right?

Curse you Ubisoft!

[Misfit138]

Official specs...According to official specs this game would run on my old pc...ATI Radeon 9600 pro 256mb, yeah right!

I guess what I really would like to know is that has anybody tried this with ATI X600 and is it playable?

[AVGWarhawk]

These are my specs and the game is so slow (with absolutely everything switched off and minimalised) as to be unplayable. I can't quite believe it! :nope:

3.4 GHZ Pentium 4

1 GB RAM

NVIDIA GEFORCE 6200SE 256 MB RAM

I have no soundcard (which may tax the processor a little but not enought to worry right?)

Now, I'm off to buy a kick-ass GFX Card in a minute, so hopefully that'll do it. Oh, I might as well buy a sound card while I'm at it.

I expect to see a dramatic improvement!

Hold the phone! I better get another Gig of RAM too right?

Curse you Ubisoft!

I have the same 6200 card. I have particle density at zero like the rest of it. It is playable but not great picture. Video cards are being looked at by me now. Sounds like you are headed in the right direction. I'm looking at the Radeon X1300 XGE 512mb. Not sure if this is a good card or not.

[stabiz]

The 6200 is simply outdated. Not being rude here, but the card wont do you any good anymore, at least not with SH4. It doesnt matter that it has 256MB Ram when the gpu is that old.

I would recommend one more GB of ram, and the 7600GT or up, or ATI equivalent. The reason for this is type of ram. The 7600GS uses DDr2, the 7600GT DDR3. (Or even better, the 7900GS, which is a sweet card, and not to pricy)

I had the 7900GS, and switched to 7950GT, without noticing to much difference, except at high resolutions.

[leeclose]

General before you go spending your money have you downloaded the patch for SH4 also is your video card agp or pci express becouse talkign to various peopel i know who have the game they have almost identical set ups to you and all they have done is fired another gig of ram in. So you may be spending money when you dont need to also what OS are you using?

[AVGWarhawk]

The 6200 is simply outdated. Not being rude here, but the card wont do you any good anymore, at least not with SH4. It doesnt matter that it has 256MB Ram when the gpu is that old.

I would recommend one more GB of ram, and the 7600GT or up, or ATI equivalent. The reason for this is type of ram. The 7600GS uses DDr2, the 7600GT DDR3. (Or even better, the 7900GS, which is a sweet card, and not to pricy)

I had the 7900GS, and switched to 7950GT, without noticing to much difference, except at high resolutions.

Not rude at all man!!!! Hell, I now this card is built like the old Yugo and is just as slow:oops:. Concerning the money aspect and all(two kids) I'm looking at the Radeon X1300 XGE 512mb DDR2 AGP.

Currently I have 3200+ AMD and 1 gig. I can play the game but not very well. Seems the bottle neck is at the card.

What do you think of the X1300 XGE? See below!


http://www.visiontek.com/products/cards/retail/x1300_512_XGE_agp.html


She is not a lightnening card but better than the 6200!

[Morts]

*Note* SH4 will run with only 512 mb ram !!
i tested it back home littlebit below medium grapichs worked fine
only a few FPS drops:up:

[CptGrayWolf]

*Note* SH4 will run with only 512 mb ram !!
i tested it back home littlebit below medium grapichs worked fine
only a few FPS drops:up:

Hey great news, I only have 768! I knew all those doomsayers were wrong when they said you needed 1 Gig min! :D

[Gizzmoe]

FYI, we have too many sticky threads, so I unsticky this thread and close it. Please use this thread ("Technical Help") instead:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=107783