Whats the problem?

kiwi_2005 · 09-02-10, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainMattJ.

well, im quite tired of the massive LAAAAAAAAAAG in my SH5. I get 9 FPS at best. im so VERY VERY tired of it. and im tired of having to put my graphics on all my games to lowest or near lowest so it doesnt lag like F.

However, i need some info on what i need to upgrade. My computer is pretty powerful, 4GB RAM and 600GB hard drive quad-core 64 bit windows Vista With ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics.

But although im pretty dam sure what the problem is, i want some better advice. i wanna know. What do i need to upgrade for SH5 to run well. i am pretty sure its the Radeon 3200, as ive heard its pretty old. But i was wondering if perhaps i needed other things for my computer to finally run all the games at an acceptable res and grahics quality, and that includes SH4 and 5. And how would i go about installing the graphics card, especially since im deciding towards buying an Nvidia. and what model would be best?

im not sure where i can aquire more system specs. and XP users cant help with helping me find it, because its much different, as ive gotten lots of Advice on where to find certain files or find something in control panel and its not there on my machine.

and dont try to tell me to fix SH5 with mods or tring different res, cause it wont work. period. And my situation is different then the common "microstutter" every1 has while running clouds or something. My problem is that sh5 has graphics my machine cant handle, and i aim to change that. even at lowest possible settings, its 9 FPS.

Thank you.

Vista needs twice amount of ram than XP does when it comes to gaming- so if the game requires 2gigs of ram for XP users and your running vista you'll need 4gigs to play it well. Going back to XP is not going backwards just update XP to SP3. IMO XP is more the gaming OS compared to Vista. Otherwise if you haven't a XP cd lying around buy Windows 7 professional or ultimate edition then decide on whether you want to buy a top of the range gfx card or just a small upgrade to the one you have. XP or Win 7 are the best OSes for gaming.

Foggy · 09-02-10, 11:02 AM

I run SH5 on 4Gb with no framerate issues at all, but the rest of my rig is pretty darned fast, so I'm sure that helps. But I think 4Gb of RAM is plenty (I run Flight Sim X with high rez packs with very minor hits on the same amount of RAM, and that's far more demanding).

Having said that, I think your problem IS and ISN'T the system RAM amount. In this case, your bottleneck seems to be your vid card. Integrated video like the HD3200 is going to use up your system RAM, probably a couple of gigs of it, and this, combined with what Windows already uses, doesn't leave much system RAM free while gaming in modern games. By adding a video card to an existing slot, you'll free up your system RAM for what it really needs it for.

In order to upgrade, you'll need to check the following:

- See if your motherboard has a free PCI-E slot for a video card (most do). If it does, make sure there is room for it around it in the case (many of the latest cards are pretty large in size. You can get the card dimensions when you're looking at them online).

- Make sure your PSU (power supply) is both capable of supporting the kind of additional voltage a modern card will suck up, AND make sure that your PSU has the kind of power connectors that the card will need in order to run (if your PSU doesn't have the connectors, some vid cards come with a molex connector that you can plug into a standard PSU dongle and it converts it to that type of power connector, but make sure the card you order either has it already or that you add it to the order. You can also buy these at local computer stores).

Konovalov · 09-02-10, 11:12 AM

Capt MattJ,

What size monitor (resolution) do you use and also what type of CPU do you have and it's clock speed? Another question is what is the motherboard?

And as mentioned by some others that video card is actually an on board chip that is over 2 years old. It is garbage for something like SHV or any recent game from the last couple of years. My guess is that this is your biggest problem.

On the memory question there isn't really any game that will see a real benefit with 8GB of RAM over 4GB.

Anyway hope the peeps here can help you out.

arnesw · 09-02-10, 11:44 AM

BTW...

Here's a useful site to ballpark your PSU needs: http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

The free version of Sisoft Sandra is a nice tool to see your system specs: http://www.sisoftware.net/

09-02-10, 11:12 AM	#3
Konovalov Ocean Warrior Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: High Wycombe, Bucks, UK Posts: 2,811 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	Capt MattJ, What size monitor (resolution) do you use and also what type of CPU do you have and it's clock speed? Another question is what is the motherboard? And as mentioned by some others that video card is actually an on board chip that is over 2 years old. It is garbage for something like SHV or any recent game from the last couple of years. My guess is that this is your biggest problem. On the memory question there isn't really any game that will see a real benefit with 8GB of RAM over 4GB. Anyway hope the peeps here can help you out. __________________ "In a Christian context, sexuality is traditionally seen as a consequence of the Fall, but for Muslims, it is an anticipation of paradise. So I can say, I think, that I was validly converted to Islam by a teenage French Jewish nudist." Sheikh Abdul-Hakim Murad (Timothy Winter)

09-02-10, 11:02 AM	#2
Foggy Loader Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Central CA Posts: 88 Downloads: 35 Uploads: 0	I run SH5 on 4Gb with no framerate issues at all, but the rest of my rig is pretty darned fast, so I'm sure that helps. But I think 4Gb of RAM is plenty (I run Flight Sim X with high rez packs with very minor hits on the same amount of RAM, and that's far more demanding). Having said that, I think your problem IS and ISN'T the system RAM amount. In this case, your bottleneck seems to be your vid card. Integrated video like the HD3200 is going to use up your system RAM, probably a couple of gigs of it, and this, combined with what Windows already uses, doesn't leave much system RAM free while gaming in modern games. By adding a video card to an existing slot, you'll free up your system RAM for what it really needs it for. In order to upgrade, you'll need to check the following: - See if your motherboard has a free PCI-E slot for a video card (most do). If it does, make sure there is room for it around it in the case (many of the latest cards are pretty large in size. You can get the card dimensions when you're looking at them online). - Make sure your PSU (power supply) is both capable of supporting the kind of additional voltage a modern card will suck up, AND make sure that your PSU has the kind of power connectors that the card will need in order to run (if your PSU doesn't have the connectors, some vid cards come with a molex connector that you can plug into a standard PSU dongle and it converts it to that type of power connector, but make sure the card you order either has it already or that you add it to the order. You can also buy these at local computer stores).

09-02-10, 11:44 AM	#4
arnesw Watch Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 21 Downloads: 84 Uploads: 0	BTW... Here's a useful site to ballpark your PSU needs: http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp The free version of Sisoft Sandra is a nice tool to see your system specs: http://www.sisoftware.net/