My computer and the game with mods

[Angrykirill]

Hello fellow commanders, I've decided to upgrade my comp and one of the reasons behind is to run SH4 with all the great new mods coming up (Maru 1.6, Living Breathing Ocean, Water Reflections, new skins).

My supposed specs after the upgrade:

P4 2.66GHZ
XFX Geforce 7600GT XXX 256MB
2GB Kingston DDR-3200 RAM @ 400MHZ (Not running dual-memory)
Plenty of space as I'm adding another HDD

I can see that my P4 isn't up there in the reccomended specs with the rest of the computer, but will that be a problem that will slow me down? Also, with these specs, how well will I run the game with, say, the reflections/living ocean mod? What settings level and what extra settings? (Antialising)

Thanks in advance, Kirill

[AVGWarhawk]

You should be just fine. I play the game with lesser specs and with all the mod goodies !

[Angrykirill]

Thanks for the heads up but could I actually expect to get something like this (http://www.ducimus.net/sh4/water_test1.jpg) - pic stolen from the water reflections mod thread. I mean, this pic was clearly taken with a bunch of extra settings used, and I would like to know if this would run on my rig without becoming a slideshow (exagerrating a bit here, I know, but still, stuff like that in theory should create a lot of lag).

[ReallyDedPoet]

Thanks for the heads up but could I actually expect to get something like this (http://www.ducimus.net/sh4/water_test1.jpg) - pic stolen from the water reflections mod thread. I mean, this pic was clearly taken with a bunch of extra settings used, and I would like to know if this would run on my rig without becoming a slideshow (exagerrating a bit here, I know, but still, stuff like that in theory should create a lot of lag).

You should see that mod now, that pic is nothing compared to what is being done presently with ROW ( Reflections on Water ), other visual mods.


RDP

[Angrykirill]

But do the requirements to run it well and lag-free increase proportionally with the.. visual progress?

[ReallyDedPoet]

I would go with what AVG says, he runs it fairly well with his computer, modifies his settings to do so I believe. He could answer that better. I run the game with all game settings maxed ( except fog ) and ROW, including high res. foam. I have a P4(D), 3.2, 2 gigs of ram at 800mhz, and the same video card as yours.


RDP

[Angrykirill]

Thank you reallydedpoet :)

[ReallyDedPoet]

Good luck with it :up:


RDP

[AVGWarhawk]

Hey Angry, did not mean to leave you hanging. I run the game with:

AMD 3200+....I think it runs around 2.2 Ghz
2 gig DDR400
Visiontek Radeon X1300XGE 512mb card

I have everything checked off in graphics options with exception of:
Fog (would love this effect but FPS killer for my rig)
Sun glare (hate the effect)

My sliders for the other goodies are at half or full. My FPS can be from 20 to 60 FPS. Very playable to me although some are FPS junkies and need 50+. I guess it is all in the minds eye of the player. To each their own. I use ROW (actually gave me better FPS) and a crap load of other texture mods. I'm also using RSRD and have my music I installed in the game playing(sound track to the movie Gladiator). I experience ZERO ctd. Certainly you should have a nice playing experience with the goodies added:up: BTW, my screenies look just like Duci's you have on this thread.

[MONOLITH]

You should be just fine. I play the game with lesser specs and with all the mod goodies !


Ditto.

[Digital_Trucker]

I use the same processor (yes it runs at 2.2 GHz), only 1 GB of DDR400 and an EVGA 7800GS 256MB video card and use onboard sound (fixing to rectify that) and the only times I have problems is when an explosion happens (that's because of the crappy onboard sound) and when I have MANY (and I do mean many) burning vessels in front of me. I have everything checked except VSync, full screen glare and post production filters. I get from the mid 20s to the 50s depending on what's going on. Since my eyes (and everyone elses for that matter) can't process more than 30 frames per second, the dip into the 20s isn't noticable enough to bother me. With the specs you are listing you should have decent results, though it would be a good idea to use a real sound card instead of onboard.

[cappy70]

The graphics when explosions occur gives a little hic-up, even on highend systems....I think there is some programmer/graphic engine issue there.:D

[jdkbph]

You might also want to tell us at what resolution you plan to run the game. If you're using a flat panel, you're prolly looking for native. Res can make a big difference to frame rate at the higher resolutions (1620x1050, 1920x1200, etc) when you're pushing your system hard.

JD

[AVGWarhawk]

Good point. 1024x768

[Angrykirill]

Thanks to everyone who replied:)

To AVGWarhawk: Thank you, that gives me a good idea of how it is. So the fog makes it unplayable, huh? Annoying, but doubt it will be such a huge difference. And yes, I will run 1024*768 on a 19' monitor (not flatscreen).

Digital_Trucker, About the on-board sound; I use this as well unfortunately, but could it be because you only have 1gig? Or maybe because of the programming issue like cappy70 said?

[AVGWarhawk]

The fog will slow you down to a crawl. I would love to have it but no go for me.

I also use onboard sound. I have no issue with it. Works fine.

[Digital_Trucker]

Digital_Trucker, About the on-board sound; I use this as well unfortunately, but could it be because you only have 1gig? Or maybe because of the programming issue like cappy70 said?

Either of those very well could be the case. I should find out soon since I plan on buying a sound card before I do an upgrade. If the sound card makes the hiccup less noticeable, then it must be a combination. If the sound card makes the problem go away completely, then just a hardware issue.

BTW, I, too, forgot to mention my screen resolution. I run at 1280x960 (I have to have all the buttons on my orders bar that I can get:lol: ). I hadn't noticed any major slowdowns in fog, but then I don't think I've run into a lot of fog before. I'll have to test that in a single mission and see what it does to me.

[Angrykirill]

Warhawk: Thanks, shouldn't be a problem. After all, someday one of the modboys will find a way to make it work on low-end systems.. A bit enthusiastic of me to think that maybe, but it could happen with the current speed of development.

Digital: You have the AC97 I guess? Don't be ashamed of it :lol: :p it's worked very well for me through 5+ years (newest game I had on my rig was probably SH3 although various demos ran well too)

[Torps]

Warhawk: Thanks, shouldn't be a problem. After all, someday one of the modboys will find a way to make it work on low-end systems.. A bit enthusiastic of me to think that maybe, but it could happen with the current speed of development.

Digital: You have the AC97 I guess? Don't be ashamed of it :lol: :p it's worked very well for me through 5+ years (newest game I had on my rig was probably SH3 although various demos ran well too)

Just curious, what are your upgrade limitations? Nvidia only, not upgrading your motherboard etc? How much is your budget for this upgrade.

If you have not visited newegg.com, you should! I am sure more people then me would recommend it. A P4 3GHZ goes for 89.00 and for 136.99 Core 2 Duo E4400.
You can get a EVGA GeForce 8600GTS 512MB for 214.99 after rebate 199.99 plus the card is DX 10 and for SH4 thats a big plus if you want the full effects or the XFX 8800GTS 320MB for 250.00 after the rebate, up to you.

[Angrykirill]

Hey Torps,

my budget is around 500 USD (+ - 50 bucks) at current course and I don't live in the US, which means that online stores located there are out of the question - hell, I can't even order anything from other EU countries without overpaying. Yeah, I'm not going to switch the MB simply because it will be too expensive and most of the other stuff that I already have will have to go.

I generally trust GF cards more than ATI and have also heard they are better suited for this game, this GF card from XFX is probably the best thing around for the price.

[Torps]

Hey Torps,

my budget is around 500 USD (+ - 50 bucks) at current course and I don't live in the US, which means that online stores located there are out of the question - hell, I can't even order anything from other EU countries without overpaying. Yeah, I'm not going to switch the MB simply because it will be too expensive and most of the other stuff that I already have will have to go.

I generally trust GF cards more than ATI and have also heard they are better suited for this game, this GF card from XFX is probably the best thing around for the price.

If im not mistaken you are looking at 30% increase in price compared to the US. I think you should be able to run the game well, At this point im not sure what kind of hard drive your getting but it would benefitial getting a smaller Harddrive( If your under say 120 Gb already then maybe not.) in exchange for a better video card. There is a little price difference here (US) between a 7600 and 8600, if it is the same there, then you might want to consider it. I hope I was helpful.

[Angrykirill]

I have a 120gig, don't think I will need more. Besides I have an AGP mobo, 8600 isn't made for AGP yet afaik (except for some version I saw in the US)