Vista - Waheyyyyy!

[plowsie]

Okie cokie people. I have this computer (http://www.ciao.co.uk/HP_Pavilion_Slimline_s3115_uk_Sempron_3600_2_GHz__ 6754942). Now i go to play games on it for Vista computers and it decides that it wants the game to be stop starty with the graffics, like on Moto GP 07 it accelerates in blocks and turns in blocks. Now i was speakin to Luckypants couple of weeks ago, and he said that it looks like my graphics are run off my RAM or summit like that...


Do i need to get a decent graffics card to play it?
What type will i be looking for, for my system?
What prices am i looking at?
Anyone got one?Thanks in advance :)

[plowsie]

Oh yeah, no posts saying buy a new comp :lol:

[ThEGr33k]

Hmmm. Those graphics processors arnt upto much and having to share main RAM means its basically made to run windows not a modern game. Ontop of that vista is crap and will be using most of the system RAM. If you have any less than 2GB of RAM then Id imagine it will be struggling to run windows?

Well its going to be hard to upgrade. I cant figure out if it has AGP or PCI-e graphics bus interface. If you really dont want to do that then ill tell you what youll need to upgrade this. The only problem is that on the link you have provided it doesnt say what motherboard it is... just a chipset which is actually refering to the built in graphics card (which you are correct about, uses the computers RAM.) I also dont have any idea what your Power Supply Unit (PSU) is, which is a concern as graphics cards can eat a PSU if it isnt good enough. Id need to know if it has a PCI-e 6pin connector and what Power output it has.

An upgrade might cost as much as £150 for a decent GFX card and PSU. So not much really.

It might be worth saving up and making yourself a new system. I can help you with picking out what to buy, dead simple to put together as well so you should be ok. I know you said not to say it...

Sorry I cant be any more help, I need you to look inside at what the:-
1 - Motherboard is (make and model)
2 - What the PSU is.

[Bluepete]

You could try using a USB dongle to increse the RAM. I have a Crucial 2GB dongle which Vista uses as system RAM. Seems to work and is a very cheap, first place to start. Make sure the data transfer rate is high enough if you do buy one though.

Pete

[ThEGr33k]

You could try using a USB dongle to increse the RAM. I have a Crucial 2GB dongle which Vista uses as system RAM. Seems to work and is a very cheap, first place to start. Make sure the data transfer rate is high enough if you do buy one though.

Pete

Hmmm. Sounds good enough for windows but with a small transfer rate it might not really help with games tbh. Worth a try saying that.

[600+]

You could try using a USB dongle to increse the RAM. I have a Crucial 2GB dongle which Vista uses as system RAM. Seems to work and is a very cheap, first place to start. Make sure the data transfer rate is high enough if you do buy one though.

Pete

I can honestly say I'm speechless!!! Never expected this of you mate! You are joining the geek club now you know :joker:

[Gordon B]

Hi mate,


2 memory - DIMM 240-pin
1 ( 1 ) x PCI
1 ( 0 ) x processor
1 ( 1 ) x PCI Express x16

Looking at the specs you need to get yourself a PCI Express Graphics Card. You should be able to pick up a decent one for about a 1'er.

However, this machine probably has some sort of warranty security sticker. Start fiddling around inside and your warranty goes out of the window...

Vista is also well known for eating RAM for breakfast and 1GB of Ram is nowhere near enough. You need at least 2GB to run Vista smoothly and to run games as well.

HTH

Gordon

[ThEGr33k]

Hi mate,

2 memory - DIMM 240-pin
1 ( 1 ) x PCI
1 ( 0 ) x processor
1 ( 1 ) x PCI Express x16
Looking at the specs you need to get yourself a PCI Express Graphics Card. You should be able to pick up a decent one for about a 1'er.

However, this machine probably has some sort of warranty security sticker. Start fiddling around inside and your warranty goes out of the window...

Vista is also well known for eating RAM for breakfast and 1GB of Ram is nowhere near enough. You need at least 2GB to run Vista smoothly and to run games as well.

HTH

Gordon


Ahh I missed the PCI-e thing... lol

[DoubleD]

You could try using a USB dongle to increse the RAM. I have a Crucial 2GB dongle which Vista uses as system RAM. Seems to work and is a very cheap, first place to start. Make sure the data transfer rate is high enough if you do buy one though.

Pete

The figure you are looking for is 150 (somethings or other) I got a SD card one the other day but alas my vista did not like it because the SD reader on my laptop can not do 150 (somethings or other)

[SoulKiss]

You could try using a USB dongle to increse the RAM. I have a Crucial 2GB dongle which Vista uses as system RAM. Seems to work and is a very cheap, first place to start. Make sure the data transfer rate is high enough if you do buy one though.

Pete

Wrong, completely wrong.

It does not use it as sytem RAM.

It uses it to cache files off of your Hard Disk and is used because reading and writing from flash is faster than from your Hard Disk.

USB drives are too slow for main RAM useage.

Also they would be knackered in months with that many reads and writes, as the flash memory used in usb drives is only good for a couple of hundred thousand writes per sector - more than enough for use as a file storage medium, usless for memory.

[Bluepete]

stuff.........


Just going off what Microsoft say mate! Maybe that it doesn't use it as RAM, but it sure as hell speeds up my machine and I thought it was a helpfull response to Plowsies question.

have a read here (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/readyboost.mspx) if you are interested.

[SoulKiss]

Just going off what Microsoft say mate! Maybe that it doesn't use it as RAM, but it sure as hell speeds up my machine and I thought it was a helpfull response to Plowsies question.

have a read here (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/readyboost.mspx) if you are interested.

Yep I know all about ReadyBoost.

It is very cleverly written that explaination, it talks about system RAM then changes the subject but in a way that, to the non-savvy (no insult meant to anyone), doesnt seem to change.

What this does is move the windows swap file to the ReadyBoost drive.

The swap file is what Windows uses when you run out of memory - traditionally this would be to hard-drive, which is quite slow - you probably have noticed that when you are doing a few things at once, your system seems to use the hard drive a lot, this is because it is "paging".

So as said, writing the files to USB stick IS faster than to a Hard Disk.

But be aware that the USB stick WILL fail a lot quicker than if just used for the odd file storage/transfer.

Wasn't trying to be picky, just un-obfuscating the lies, erm words, of Microsoft.

[MeridiaNx]

That integrated graphics chip will be enough if you want to play solitaire or retro games like doom. Otherwise, for anything released recently you'll need a graphics card to play it.

The sky's the limit really. You could pay £50 or £400 depending on which end of the scale you want to go. Probably not the latter, as to do so you'd then need to upgrade other parts to prevent bottlenecking the card. I direct you here (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Products.ASP?CatID=15&Category=Graphics+Cards&Thumbnails=yes), have a scroll through to get an idea of price.

FWIW, my 3 & 1/2 yr old PC has a card that you can just about still buy, GF6800GT, it costs £110 now though some of that price is probably inflated by rarity compared to some of the more common new ones where you can get better deals. That card is just about coming to the end of its life. I can run most games from last year with good resolution and high graphic options, though stuff coming out now makes it struggle a bit. But it gives you an idea if you don't want to spend the earth and want it to perform well but not bleeding-edge.

[ThEGr33k]

This (http://www.ebuyer.com/product/139597) is about the best value for money GFX card around atm. Itll play most modern games pretty well at quite resonable resolutions/settings.

This (http://www.ebuyer.com/product/133114) should do you as a power supply should you need to upgrade yours, id put money on that you do.

Hope this helps some.

[plowsie]

What I also wanted to know....will all these cards fit my system, thanks for the help so far guys :)

[Luckypants]

Wrong, completely wrong.

It does not use it as sytem RAM.

It uses it to cache files off of your Hard Disk and is used because reading and writing from flash is faster than from your Hard Disk.

USB drives are too slow for main RAM useage.

Also they would be knackered in months with that many reads and writes, as the flash memory used in usb drives is only good for a couple of hundred thousand writes per sector - more than enough for use as a file storage medium, usless for memory.

He's not wrong you know <----- agreeing with Soulkiss!. System paging is a well known bottleneck for computer system tuners and is heavily analysed on big systems. With windoze you have no real option but throw RAM at it to prevent paging actually occurring. There is now another option it seems of moving the page file to a slower RAM medium like the USB stick. We used to do the same on mainframes in the 1980's, using 'solid state disks' as we called them. windoze really is crap at memory management.

Anyhow, turning to Plowsie's problem the introduction of a decent graphics card will accelerate processing of the images, increase the storage available for image processing (his on board system uses 128Mb we worked out) if he goes for a 256Mb or more card.

The effect of adding the card will be that the main processor is relieved of having to manage the memory overhead of the on board graphics and will also have an extra 128Mb of RAM available. As long as all other apps are closed while gaming, this may be enough to get smooth (ish) graphics. There will no doubt be other minor tuning mods he can make to his settings to improve overall system performance and get the best out of what he has.

[plowsie]

Mike, Will this do? (http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/product.aspx?code=GC-AFX55D256&af=50)

[Luckypants]

Mike, Will this do? (http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/product.aspx?code=GC-AFX55D256&af=50)

No mate, check the 'bus standard'. Your computer has one PCI slot and one PCI-Express x16 slot available, that card uses the AGP interface. However for similar money you can have this (http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/product.aspx?code=GC-XN73GT256) which will fit. I'll leave it to the hardware geeks on here to tell you if it is any good, I really don't know if it is up to doing what you want. You know what I think of video games :rolleyes:.

If you get a new card, best ask the Windoze types on here if you need to do anything to disable the on-board graphics to reclaim the system RAM being used by the current graphics processing.

[ThEGr33k]

Mike, Will this do? (http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/product.aspx?code=GC-AFX55D256&af=50)

No sorry mate. It uses the "AGP" Bus medium also they were crap 4 years ago when they came out, you current onboard graphics would be better :rolleyes:. Your main (mother)board uses "PCI-e". The best way might be for you to post what you have to spend or what game you hope to play and let us look for you.

To be honest the one I posted is the best option, if you spend any less then you might as well not bother imo. :(

[wyrdness]

He's not wrong you know. System paging is a well known bottleneck for computer system tuners and is heavily analysed on big systems. With windoze you have no real option but throw RAM at it to prevent paging actually occurring. There is now another option it seems of moving the page file to a slower RAM medium like the USB stick. We used to do the same on mainframes in the 1980's, using 'solid state disks' as we called them. windoze really is crap at memory management.

Pardon? He *was* wrong, as he said that the USB drive was being used as system RAM (which is isnt'). Soulkiss corrected him and you've just posted almost exactly the same as what Soulkiss said.

Anyway, adding a USB swap drive isn't a good solution for gaming. You should ensure that you've enough system RAM to play games without the need for swapping, which in the case of Vista means 2-3Gb.

[ThEGr33k]

However for similar money you can have this (http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/product.aspx?code=GC-XN73GT256) which will fit. I'll leave it to the hardware geeks on here to tell you if it is any good, I really don't know if it is up to doing what you want. You know what I think of video games :rolleyes:.

If you get a new card, best ask the Windoze types on here if you need to do anything to disable the on-board graphics to reclaim the system RAM being used by the current graphics processing.

Again this card isnt worth getting imo.

Yes if you did install a new GFX card you would need to go into the bios and disable the onboard graphics card. After you do that the RAM it stole shoul become available again for use.

Plosie you need to have a look in your case and tell us what your power supply's rating is.

Please dont look for overly cheap plowsie becasue youll not gain anything by doin that, youll just waste your money. :(

[Luckypants]

Pardon? He *was* wrong, as he said that the USB drive was being used as system RAM (which is isnt'). Soulkiss corrected him and you've just posted almost exactly the same as what Soulkiss said.

Errrrr I meant that soulkiss is not wrong, which is why I quoted his post. I have edited my post for those of you struggling this morning.

[plowsie]

Okay the game i wanna play is Moto GP 07 for Vista, specially made apparently, only really gonna play that! Does that help at all?

[Luckypants]

Again this card isnt worth getting imo.

Well there you go.



....

Plosie you need to have a look in your case and tell us what your power supply's rating is.

Please dont look for overly cheap plowsie becasue youll not gain anything by doin that, youll just waste your money. :(

Good advice. Best listen to folks that do game on their PC about requirements.

[ThEGr33k]

OK. Yesthat helps. Still could do with you looking at the PSU to see what power output it has. Really need to know this as there is a VERY good chance youll need to upgrade it as cheap PC's (surprise surprise) have very poor supplies which wont be enough for a more modern graphics card.

Do you hava budget. IMO anything less than £100 and youll not really be gettin what you need.

[Luckypants]

hmmmm reading one or two comments on here made me think. We have not actually identified that bottleneck causing the slow game playing. Some folks have identified paging as a possible cause, others the GFX card.

Not being a gamer I don't know what will have the most effect on system performance - memory or graphics speed. As Plowsie is on a bit of a budget, we need to get this right.

Does anyone have experience of playing MOTO GP 07 on VISTA? What was the memory requirement of the game? What kind of system spec gave acceptable performance? If anyone has the game on VISTA can they post up the virtual memory use of the game when running?

Thanks

[plowsie]

Well yer i do have a budget, but it can be extended*, i spent £350 ish quid on the PC and it didnt have a monitor, thought i was doing well outta that! Does it not tell you on the link in the first post? I'm not on it atm as i am at workies :)

EDIT - * = I dont really wanna have to though...

[plowsie]

However for similar money you can have this (http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/product.aspx?code=GC-XN73GT256) which will fit

Again this card isnt worth getting imo.
Why????
Yes if you did install a new GFX card you would need to go into the bios and disable the onboard graphics card. After you do that the RAM it stole shoul become available again for use
I understand that!
Plowsie you need to have a look in your case and tell us what your power supply's rating is.
How do i do that?????
Please dont look for overly cheap plowsie becasue youll not gain anything by doin that, youll just waste your money. :(
Might just curl up in a lil ball in a sec :lol:

[DanAbnormal]

Plowsie, you have PM. I have a 7800GTX going cheap.

[Pedro68]

Coulda saved yourself £60 (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HP-Pavilion-Slimline-s3115-uk-Black-Desktop-PC_W0QQitemZ140201456815QQihZ004QQcategoryZ179QQss PageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) to put towards ya grafix card ;-)

Motherboard is manufactured by ASUS, model M2NC51-AR (HP rebadge it as a HematiteXL-GL8E).

Max memory supported by this m/board is 2GB (allegedly, and not withstanding any BIOS updates).

On-board graphics provided by nVidia GeForce 6150 LE (which presumably means "Light Edition", which in turn "probably means" they scrimped on a few things).

This link (http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7586_102-0.html?forumID=68&threadID=242304&messageID=2455070) may be of some assistance in relation to the power supply issue

HTH,
Pete

[DanAbnormal]

Does anyone have experience of playing MOTO GP 07 on VISTA? What was the memory requirement of the game? What kind of system spec gave acceptable performance? If anyone has the game on VISTA can they post up the virtual memory use of the game when running?

Thanks

It ran fine on my PC. But then I've probably gone overkill on the specs.

My rig:
Motherboard: Asus P35 Deluxe Wifi Intel 775 chipset
CPU: Intel Quad Core 6600 overclocked @3.4Ghz
GFX: Nvidia 8800GTX Ultra
RAM: 4GB Geil DDR2 Dual Channel interleaved 5700
PSU: BFG 1000Watt

V Mem was about 800MB.

[ThEGr33k]

hmmmm reading one or two comments on here made me think. We have not actually identified that bottleneck causing the slow game playing. Some folks have identified paging as a possible cause, others the GFX card.

Not being a gamer I don't know what will have the most effect on system performance - memory or graphics speed. As Plowsie is on a bit of a budget, we need to get this right.

Does anyone have experience of playing MOTO GP 07 on VISTA? What was the memory requirement of the game? What kind of system spec gave acceptable performance? If anyone has the game on VISTA can they post up the virtual memory use of the game when running?

Thanks

If it isnt the graphics card then Ill eat my shorts. I think the ram is a little low for vista so they are both bottle necks but the Graphics card is a double bosttleneck as it uses system RAM and is crap on top of that. :( More RAM would also be recomended.

You would have to see what spec you RAM is (would be written on the sode of it. Something along the line of PC 3200 should be on there.

Why????

How do i do that?????

The card is terrable, it would be only marginaly better than the one you have atm. :rolleyes:

All you have to do is take the side of the case off and look on the side of the PSU case (the bit you put the kettle lead into). It should be written on there somewhere. From this link (http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7586_102-0.html?forumID=68&threadID=242304&messageID=2455070) it says its a 160W powersupply. You WILL need a new powersupply!!!

That 7800GTX might be a resonable card, not the most modern but should run MotoGP07 pretty well.

It ran fine on my PC. But then I've probably gone overkill on the specs.

My rig:
Motherboard: Asus P35 Deluxe Wifi Intel 775 chipset
CPU: Intel Quad Core 6600 overclocked @3.4Ghz
GFX: Nvidia 8800GTX Ultra
RAM: 4GB Geil DDR2 Dual Channel interleaved 5700
PSU: BFG 1000Watt

V Mem was about 800MB.

Hmm a fello G33k.

My rig:-
Motherboard: Asus P5W DH deluxe
CPU: E6600 OC'd to 3.6GHz
RAM: 2GB XMS2 Corsair TwinX
GFX: Crossfire ATi 3870's. Both OC'd a little.
PSU: Coolermaster M850

Do you play UT3?

[Luckypants]

V Mem was about 800MB.

Seems like the proof of the problem. Plowsie has 98xMb (cannot remember exact figure but 986Mb sticks in my mind) after the on board graphics nicks 128Mb. So with Vista in and needing 800Mb Virtual for the game, his system will be paging it's little toosh off and using a lot of resource just managing memory. So a memory upgrade will cure that. From what Pedro was posting max addressable for this system is 2Gb so that is best he can do. Probably around £30 for 1Gb unless the PC guru's know better?

Even after sorting out the memory requirement, will he still need to spend out on a GFX card?

[Luckypants]

If it isnt the graphics card then Ill eat my shorts. I think the ram is a little low for vista so they are both bottle necks but the Graphics card is a double bosttleneck as it uses system RAM and is crap on top of that. :( More RAM would also be recomended.

Can't argue with that!

The card is terrable, it would be only marginaly better than the one you have atm. :rolleyes:

That 7800GTX might be a resonable card, not the most modern but should run MotoGP07 pretty well.

well you have not justified why the cheap GFX card is terrible.... But it will not fit anyway. not sure the 7800GTX will fit either as plowsie has one of these slimline cases and so needs a 'low profile' card.

[Warthog]

It ran fine on my PC. But then I've probably gone overkill on the specs.

My rig:
Motherboard: Asus P35 Deluxe Wifi Intel 775 chipset
CPU: Intel Quad Core 6600 overclocked @3.4Ghz
GFX: Nvidia 8800GTX Ultra
RAM: 4GB Geil DDR2 Dual Channel interleaved 5700
PSU: BFG 1000Watt

V Mem was about 800MB.


Nice rig Dan, but overkill is an understatement with respect to that PSU! The highest ever useage of power I have seen reported on the net (under reasonable conditions of course!) was 750 watts and that was a machine running 4 graphics cards! You'll only use 1000 watts if you are running 8 GFX cards, burning 16 DVDs, boiling your kettle, heating your swimming pool and powering your local grid all at the same time hahaha

[ThEGr33k]

You have not justified why the cheap GFX card is terrible.... But it will not fit anyway. not sure the 7800GTX will fit either as plowsie has one of these slimline cases and so needs a 'low profile' card.

Its old is the basic explanation. Its a little like trying to race a 20 year old bike vs a new off the shelf... is a bout the simplest explantion.

Indeed the case may cause issues. Jeez plowsie you arnt having much luck here mate. Youll have to measure the case and talk to HooliganDan (if you want that card) and see if itll fit.

List to do:-

- Check PSU
- Measure space available for graphics card.
- What RAM you have in the system already.

[DanAbnormal]

Nice rig Dan, but overkill is an understatement with respect to that PSU! The highest ever useage of power I have seen reported on the net (under reasonable conditions of course!) was 750 watts and that was a machine running 4 graphics cards! You'll only use 1000 watts if you are running 8 GFX cards, burning 16 DVDs, boiling your kettle, heating your swimming pool and powering your local grid all at the same time hahaha

It's not about total wattage though, it's all about the rails! I was running two 8800GTX Ultra's in SLI mode on a different motherboard and only the 1000W supply was stable enough with the CPU overclocked (also had a QX9650). You'd be surprised at how quick you can use that power. At least the PSU should last for the next generations of card (9 series).

[Luckypants]

Its old is the basic explanation. Its a little like trying to race a 20 year old bike vs a new off the shelf... is a bout the simplest explantion.

Sorry mate, just cos something is a not the latest wizzy bang thing does not make it 'terrible'. The question would be is it measurably better / worse than the on board graphics Plowsie has currently?

This is moot now anyway, given it won't fit in the case. so I'll not derail further.

FWIW Plowsie has 1Gb RAM, with 128Mb stolen by on board graphics.

[DanAbnormal]

Sorry mate, just cos something is a not the latest wizzy bang thing does not make it 'terrible'. The question would be is it measurably better / worse than the on board graphics Plowsie has currently?

This is moot now anyway, given it won't fit in the case. so I'll not derail further.

FWIW Plowsie has 1Gb RAM, with 128Mb stolen by on board graphics.

Yup, I agree. By the way the cheapest and best upgrade to do first is buy more RAM. I hate these pre-built PC's and would never go back to one. They are built usually with the micro ATX form factor (small motherboard) which limits you so much. For a little more money and some knowledge (and luck) you can build a great gaming rig. But we all need to start somewhere. I started with a pre built HP PC but I soon shoe-horned a couple of 6800 Ultra's in! Ah, back when Doom 3 was the PC's killer app! :smt024:p

[Pedro68]

Ah, back when Doom 3 was the PC's killer app! :smt024:p

Pah, I was dabbling in system building when the original Need For Speed came out ... those were the days ... CPU cache was an "optional extra" back then!
At least they had the foresight to install IC-sockets so you could just plug the chips in :P

Anyway as folk have said ... Stu, you have a few things to check (cos you went and bought a slimline and therefore non-standard PC :P):

Before you do any of the suggestions though ... ask yourself this ... are you quite comfortable invalidating your warranty? I think someone already mentioned this ... but most shipped systems these days (that I know of) will have their warranties invalidated if you open up the case. There are exceptions (please see the HP list of CSP/CRP (http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01044446&lc=en&cc=uk&dlc=en&product=3462805#c01044446_s31xx.uk) - that's Customer Serviceable/Replaceable Parts), although the graphics card and PSU are NOT on this list.

If you don't mind, then open up the case and check it out.

If you are going to add more RAM, just make sure HP haven't installed 2 x 512MB memory modules (I don't think they will have, but I've even had mainboards shipped with "factory defaults" not set properly) so well worth checking before you spend money on a memory module that you have nowhere to stick *ahem* If both memory banks are full, then (HP build staff want shootin!) you'll need to purchase 2 x 1GB memory modules (but you may be able to flog the 512MB sticks on here or on fleabay).

Find out what size PSU you have ... it should have a "Wattage" stamped on it somewhere - sorry but couldn't actually find too much info on t'internet about that (possibly 160W?!).

Check the wording CAREFULLY on any graphics card. It needs to be a PCI-express card, and due to the slimline nature of the case, you'll be needing a low-profile card.

I'll dig out some links to ebuyer (or the like) and post up in a bit m8 ;-)

[Warthog]

I was running two 8800GTX Ultra's in SLI mode

*slobber* *salivate*

Have you got Crysis? That is the benchmark game nowadays. I am moderately happy running it in high on windows XP, but I would give my left ball to play it in Vista with directX 10 on some GTX's on Very High. It looks like photorealism practically! (I found a crack to enable very high in XP, but it was very jerky and not proper very high anyway without DX10).

[ThEGr33k]

My first comp is still running lol. Not very well recently mind, athlon 2800+ :rolleyes: with a 6800GS (I built it with a 9800pro origionally).

Anyway. Yes older graphics cards et outdated VERY fast. Those older cards that were posted were DX9 and only sm2 compatible, we are upto DX 10.1 and sm 4.1 now so they simply cant run some of the bits that the games now use. :(

[Pedro68]

HP Memory Upgrade Guide (http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=bph03886&lc=en&cc=uk&dlc=en&product=3462805&lang=en)

One or two of these (http://www.ebuyer.com/product/91121/show_product_specifications) should do the job for the memory ;-)

As for graphics cards ... I really am out of my depth on this one ... I ain't upgraded a graphics gard for years, and the only "low profile (http://www.ebuyer.com/product/139149)" one I could find on eBuyer cost £57.

Not sure that helps ya or not.
Oh and see my first post - there's a link in it about the power supplies (and there's links in that link to sites that supply slimline PSU's - but by sounds of it, one or two may not be a simple replace like-for-like option :/

Pete

[plowsie]

PC Dudes - Will these be ok to boost RAM, i know i wont be able to use both...

Linky! (http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(18457)Crucial-1GB-Kit-2x512MB-Ballistix-Memory.aspx)or these Linky! (http://www.microdirect.co.uk/(18459)Crucial-2GB-Kit-2x1GB-Ballistix-Memory-DDR2.aspx)

[Luckypants]

PC Dudes - Will these be ok to boost RAM, i know i wont be able to use both...

Linky! (http://www.microdirect.co.uk/%2818457%29Crucial-1GB-Kit-2x512MB-Ballistix-Memory.aspx)

spec you linked to says you have two spare DIMM 240 pin slots. I think you can use both!

[Pedro68]

Actually, spec says "expansion slots (free)", and what they do is list first how many slots there are in TOTAL, and then put how many of those are free (in brackets).

Bit worrying though cos it states "2 memory - DIMM 240-pin" - but doesn't mention about one being free, which would mean that your system has both slots filled, each with a 512MB memory module.

Open the case up Stu and check ...
Either way, ignore your first link - whatever the configuration 2 x 512MB modules won't help at all.
Right, if you have ONE memory slot blank then you have a single 1GB memory module in the other memory slot, in which case, you need ONE x 1GB module (EDIT: to add to the already existing 1GB module)
If both slots are full, then you have 2 x 512MB memory modules and you will need to order the ones from the second link (2 x 1GB memory modules). (EDIT: to directly replace the 512MB modules).

PC's eh?! :rolleyes: expensive hobbies ain't they ;-)

[ThEGr33k]

Double post

[ThEGr33k]

spec you linked to says you have two spare DIMM 240 pin slots. I think you can use both!

He can use both, but they are only 512 sticks. So you wont gain anything. These (http://www.ebuyer.com/product/91124) should do you. 2x1GB sticks of RAM. Youll have to remove the 1GB you already use and just put it to one side and just insert both of these, that probably a good thing as you know they are compatable with eachother. Pretty cheap and have a good writup. :D

[Pedro68]

Guys this mainboard only has 2 DIMM slots on it. Spec says he already has 1GB.
Soooooo ... it either has both slots filled with 512MB sticks, or 1 slot filled with a 1GB stick. So technically speaking whilst he could use another 2 x 512MB sticks ... I don't see the point, unless that memory shifts electrons faster than an anorexic shifts her dinner ;-)

[Luckypants]

Yeah got that now. I thought the spec said he two free DIMM slots, not just two DIMM slots. nice link earlier pedro the HP site about memory upgrade.

[ThEGr33k]

Guys this mainboard only has 2 DIMM slots on it. Spec says he already has 1GB.
Soooooo ... it either has both slots filled with 512MB sticks, or 1 slot filled with a 1GB stick. So technically speaking whilst he could use another 2 x 512MB sticks ... I don't see the point, unless that memory shifts electrons faster than an anorexic shifts her dinner ;-)

I know. He can use 2x512, but like I said above he wont gain anything as he will only end up with 1GB of RAM which he has already... 2x1GB is the best option imo, its not expensive and you cant go wrong tbh as they will be matched to work together fine. :D

[Pedro68]

Yeah got that now. I thought the spec said he two free DIMM slots, not just two DIMM slots. nice link earlier pedro the HP site about memory upgrade.
Yeah, pity more manufacturers don't do this ... memory has exploded into a minefield for the basic users ... no wonder PCW can get away with charging what they do for memory upgrades :rolleyes:

Particularly liked the animated and *ever so important* gif showing the guy lifting the "access panel" ... I think once you've figured it slides back slightly, you'd think that lifting it off would be common sense :rolleyes:

[Pedro68]

He can use 2x512, but like I said above he wont gain anything ...
My bad, sorry, see what ya saying now :smt023

[ThEGr33k]

My bad, sorry, see what ya saying now :smt023

Just hope Stu can understand all that we just spammed at him lol. :p

[plowsie]

I get it, i get it!

Now PSU :lol: if i stick this gfx card Dan is sending me, will i most likely require playing with(buying new/adapting old) the PSU?

[DanAbnormal]

I get it, i get it!

Now PSU :lol: if i stick this gfx card Dan is sending me, will i most likely require playing with(buying new/adapting old) the PSU?

I have a 650Watt PSU up for grabs as well mate. ;)

[plowsie]

Oh jesus! How much!

[DanAbnormal]

*slobber* *salivate*

Have you got Crysis? That is the benchmark game nowadays. I am moderately happy running it in high on windows XP, but I would give my left ball to play it in Vista with directX 10 on some GTX's on Very High. It looks like photorealism practically! (I found a crack to enable very high in XP, but it was very jerky and not proper very high anyway without DX10).

Yeah, I love Crysis, what a game. At the moment, on 1 8800 I can run it at 1900x1200 with 2xAA on high settings in DX9 which looks bloody fantastic. All runs well at an average of 60fps, low points being about 45fps which is still great.

In DX10 mode on very high I can run it all with 2xAA but only have the resolution at 1280x1024. Still it looks stunning, more like a CGI movie than a game. The 'Core' level where you're in zero G just shows what is possible with software these days....:smt103:smt024:p

As a sidenote the tweaks to the config files to make it run Very High in XP actually is no different than how it looks in Vista. AND you get an extra 10% in your frame rates. Just goes to show the DX10 really isn't all that (at the moment).

[DanAbnormal]

Oh jesus! How much!

Cover the postage and she's yours. I'm not using it mate so would much rather be able to help someone out otherwise it will sit in a box gathering dust.

I think postage is about ?15 as it's on the heavy side though.

[Luckypants]

I have a 650Watt PSU up for grabs as well mate. ;)
Yeah but back to the point this is a slimline case, it probs won't fit. One of pedro's earlier links was to a good thread on video card upgrade on a simialr system and the PSU upgrade was 'complicated'. Stu will need to measure up carefully to see what size will ft.

[Pedro68]

Stu, you sure that gfx card that Dan is gonna send you will actually FIT in your slimline case? Same goes for PSU too! The case you have is a THIRD of the size of a normal PC case. Think you may need a low-profile gfx card, and a "smaller than standard" PSU.

EDIT: Mike beat me to it ... what he said ;-) LOL

[DanAbnormal]

Yeah but back to the point this is a slimline case, it probs won't fit. One of pedro's earlier links was to a good thread on video card upgrade on a simialr system and the PSU upgrade was 'complicated'. Stu will need to measure up carefully to see what size will ft.

Good point. I did however manage to shoe-horn a 500W PSU in my old Micro ATX HP PC. Where there's a hammer, there's a way! :D

[plowsie]

Trial and error is the key to everything :D lol. Looks back and thinks to the single track road...yer this'll do!

[DanAbnormal]

Stu, you sure that gfx card that Dan is gonna send you will actually FIT in your slimline case? Same goes for PSU too! The case you have is a THIRD of the size of a normal PC case. Think you may need a low-profile gfx card, and a "smaller than standard" PSU.

EDIT: Mike beat me to it ... what he said ;-) LOL

Plowsie,

How about I just bring my spare motherboard, cpu, gfx card and PSU and we start again!? You can buy an ATX case for £30 from overclockers which are brilliant.;)

[Pedro68]

Plowsie,

How about I just bring my spare motherboard, cpu, gfx card and PSU and we start again!? You can buy an ATX case for ?30 from overclockers which are brilliant.;)
Stu, Dan has a point there ya know. If it were me, I'd go for that option* ... otherwise ya stuck with a non-standard case (nice idea, but awkward to upgrade beyond a point).


* If it were me, I wouldn't have bought that PC in the first place :D LMAO

If you haven't had the PC long you could always see if you could send it back. You may have to pay a re-stocking fee (nothing to do with nylons or fishnets!) ... but still preferable to paying for a graphics card, PSU and more memory, when Dan's bits of PC kit look mighty tempting ;-)

[DanAbnormal]

Stu, Dan has a point there ya know. If it were me, I'd go for that option* ... otherwise ya stuck with a non-standard case (nice idea, but awkward to upgrade beyond a point).


* If it were me, I wouldn't have bought that PC in the first place :D LMAO

If you haven't had the PC long you could always see if you could send it back. You may have to pay a re-stocking fee (nothing to do with nylons or fishnets!) ... but still preferable to paying for a graphics card, PSU and more memory, when Dan's bits of PC kit look mighty tempting ;-)

I made this mistake when I first bought a PC. It's a simple thing as you would expect it to play all the latest games etc. But PC's are so unique. They are like women, sure on the outside they might look great but the innards are twisted and evil. Er, anwyay. I digress. ;)

My point is that now you know better for the future.

[MeridiaNx]

If it isnt the graphics card then Ill eat my shorts.

I agree with this.

For game playing purposes you could stick endless amounts of RAM into the system but if you didn't have a graphics card it's not gonna help a great amount. Think it's to do with the fact that because cards are de rigeur now, all games are designed with the expectation that they will be in place. The fact that they have their own RAM (in addition to all the other whizzy technology) that is dedicated solely to graphics makes them perform in a manner that RAM, with its multi-tasking, cannot do.

Of course, you need the RAM as well, so it's a balancing act. But if you want the PC to do anything more intensive games-wise than run Windows, you'll need a dedicated graphics card, even if it's not top of the line.

If Plowsie was more into improving ripping performance then RAM would be more of an issue.

Still up to you which card you get though mate, though IMO I'd stick below the price point where you start to get diminishing returns on your investment. E.g. when I buy a card, I don't buy the very top one, too pricey, but the next down normally. That way I get 95% of the functionality for 75% of the price (approx. generalised numbers), but I play on the PC a lot. You'll want to stay in the medium range I think, that way you aren't paying a premium for power you don't strictly need if you're only going to be playing the one game (and not a graphical powerhouse of a game either)

HTH

[MeridiaNx]

Trial and error is the key to everything :D lol. Looks back and thinks to the single track road...yer this'll do!

Doesn't always work with delicate PC stuff - *snap* What was that? :smt092

[MeridiaNx]

Yes older graphics cards et outdated VERY fast. Those older cards that were posted were DX9 and only sm2 compatible, we are upto DX 10.1 and sm 4.1 now so they simply cant run some of the bits that the games now use. :(

True, they do get outdated fast, but I've been surprised with my PC at how well it has hung in there, even though it has been easily surpassed in the power stakes. If you're not concerned with the aboslute bleeding-edge every year, then if you buy the right one in the first place you can get some good use out of it.

AMD64 3500+
GF6800GT
1GB PC3200 RAM
150GB HD
DVD RW

And all the little extras as well, ethernet card, etc etc. But that rig has managed to keep up with the Battlefield series, Doom3, Oblivion, Stalker, Bioshock. Ok I concede defeat on Crysis (I am so pessimistic I haven't even bought it). But pretty good for a PC I got so long ago IMO and is close to being 3 revisions of GPU behind!

[ThEGr33k]

I agree with this.

For game playing purposes you could stick endless amounts of RAM into the system but if you didn't have a graphics card it's not gonna help a great amount. Think it's to do with the fact that because cards are de rigeur now, all games are designed with the expectation that they will be in place. The fact that they have their own RAM (in addition to all the other whizzy technology) that is dedicated solely to graphics makes them perform in a manner that RAM, with its multi-tasking, cannot do.

Of course, you need the RAM as well, so it's a balancing act. But if you want the PC to do anything more intensive games-wise than run Windows, you'll need a dedicated graphics card, even if it's not top of the line.

If Plowsie was more into improving ripping performance then RAM would be more of an issue.


HTH

Thanks. :D

True, they do get outdated fast, but I've been surprised with my PC at how well it has hung in there, even though it has been easily surpassed in the power stakes. If you're not concerned with the aboslute bleeding-edge every year, then if you buy the right one in the first place you can get some good use out of it.

AMD64 3500+
GF6800GT
1GB PC3200 RAM
150GB HD
DVD RW

And all the little extras as well, ethernet card, etc etc. But that rig has managed to keep up with the Battlefield series, Doom3, Oblivion, Stalker, Bioshock. Ok I concede defeat on Crysis (I am so pessimistic I haven't even bought it). But pretty good for a PC I got so long ago IMO and is close to being 3 revisions of GPU behind!

Yes I agree they do last ok. My older comp with similar spec is still going (though it is getting to the end now :(. Anyway, my point was you wouldnt go out and buy this stuff now. Even the low end stuff is much better than that now. :rolleyes: (Im guessing it wont play many modern games on full settings?)

I agree with starting again. The bits Dan has are pretty good, all you need is RAM and a case, which you need anyway to be fair.

:D

[plowsie]

Right someone build me a PC for gaming for ?50 and i'll be happy lol.





Shall i get me coat lol.

[plowsie]

Right so thinking, how much would it cost to make a PC for Vista that would be solely for gaming?

[northwind]

Right so thinking, how much would it cost to make a PC for Vista that would be solely for gaming?

Well, you could do it cheap, but IMO there's basically no point at all in building a Vista PC for gaming unless you make it cutting edge- as far as I'm concerned the only real advantage it offers is DirectX 10, which so far has been a total damp squib, to the extent that they've deliberately crippled the DX9 version of Crysis to make it seem like Vista offers a performance advantage (some graphics settings are disabled, but you can re-enable them in DX9) There's a few directx-10 games coming along like Company of Heroes, which is an amazing game but with DX10, runs slower and looks not much better :why:

So... Maybe I'm a luddite, but I can't see any point at all in building a budget Vista gaming machine.

[ThEGr33k]

Well, you could do it cheap, but IMO there's basically no point at all in building a Vista PC for gaming unless you make it cutting edge- as far as I'm concerned the only real advantage it offers is DirectX 10, which so far has been a total damp squib, to the extent that they've deliberately crippled the DX9 version of Crysis to make it seem like Vista offers a performance advantage (some graphics settings are disabled, but you can re-enable them in DX9) There's a few directx-10 games coming along like Company of Heroes, which is an amazing game but with DX10, runs slower and looks not much better :why:

So... Maybe I'm a luddite, but I can't see any point at all in building a budget Vista gaming machine.

No I agree completly. Vista sucks XP FTW. SP3 should be a long soon which is supposed to give XP a 15% performance boost too :D.

Whats this about getting very high in crysis in DX9?

[northwind]

Whats this about getting very high in crysis in DX9?

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2222414,00.asp

It's not quite identical- and it does apparently run a bit slower- I wouldn't know, it just looks like another boring shoot 'em up to me :smt023

[DanAbnormal]

Right so thinking, how much would it cost to make a PC for Vista that would be solely for gaming?

Well you can do it on a reasonable budget. The most expensive item will be the graphics card, nature of the beast I'm afraid.

Here is a breakdown of what I consider to be a decent enough gaming rig:

Motherboard:
Asus P5K Intel P35 (socket 775 FSB upto 1333Mhz) - £78.71

CPU:
Intel Core2Duo E8400 (socket775 - FSB 1333Mhz) - £146.86

RAM:
2GB Geil DDR2 PC2-6400 Dual Channel - £41.11

Graphics:
OcUK Nividia 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI-Ex16 - £234.99
OR
ATI Radeon HD 3870 XT 512MB - £152.74 (this card will not be as good as the Nvidia card though).

HDD:
Fujitsu 250GB 5400RPM SATA 2 - £85.76

Optical:
Pioneer DVD-RW SATA - £19.96

Case:
Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - £72.84

Power Supply:
OCZ 600W Silent PSU - £46.99

I assume you already have a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers?

So all in all this would set you back £707.26 (with the Nvidia card) and about £622 with teh ATI card.

You could save money for example if you had the E6700 CPU and also the 650W PSU from me (say £70 for them) which would give you a new total of £442.65 which would still include the kickass 8800GTX graphics card. If you can use your optical and hard drives from your existing system then yo ucan save even more money.

[DanAbnormal]

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2222414,00.asp

It's not quite identical- and it does apparently run a bit slower- I wouldn't know, it just looks like another boring shoot 'em up to me :smt023

You have it the wrong way round. There is no difference in how it looks (not noticable to any one at all really) and in fact it will run faster by upto 15% in DX9 than it will in Vista. My point here is that so far DX10 seems to do nothing new at all and in fact DX9 is still faster (albeit with some manual tweaks! That will change later down the line though, I just wish they would get multi threaded games going!!!

Crysis, boring!!!? :smt094 ;)

[northwind]

You have it the wrong way round. There is no difference in how it looks (not noticable to any one at all really) and in fact it will run faster by upto 15% in DX9 than it will in Vista.

Mmm, the screenies usually look a bit different. Not neccesarily worse, just different. Most of the FPS numbers are a bit lower on DX9 that I've seen. But then, since I lack a) vista, b), a graphics card that can do DX10, and c) Crysis, I've not tried it so I'll take your word for it :D

[plowsie]

Ok now i know this is lookin like im chasing a lost cause... But...

System Requirements
Operating System: Windows XP (http://soteriamag.co.uk/newsite/component/option,com_jreviews/task,list/criteria,3/jr_operatingsystem,3/order,alpha/Itemid,12468/) • Windows Vista (http://soteriamag.co.uk/newsite/component/option,com_jreviews/task,list/criteria,3/jr_operatingsystem,4/order,alpha/Itemid,12468/)
Minimum Processor: Pentium IV
Min Processor Speed: 2400 GHz
RAM: 512MB
Minimum Graphics Card: ATI Radeon 9 or better
Sound: DirectX 9.0 Compatible Sound Card
HDD Space: 18Mb
Other Requirements: Mouse • Keyboard • Speakers


Theoretically, have i not got all of this except for the gfx card? Could i not just get a graphics card that meet these requirements? Or would i still have to update the PSU and RAM?

[northwind]

What's that for? Is there a recommended spec? Minimum spec tends to be gauged very low, and worked out with very low resolutions etc.

[plowsie]

Pulled that off a site searchin for the system requirements for MotoGP07

[northwind]

Personally, I wouldn't even run vista with half a gig of ram, never mind try and run a modern game on top of it. It can be done, but... Well, lots of compromises.

From Yougamers:

The graphics can be tweaked via the game launcher and the settings are mostly based on detail and visibility; draw distance and number of bikes visible play a large role in performance and gameplay. The publisher's minimum requirements are another case of "it'll run but that's it;" even with every setting on its lowest value, the frame rate barely crept into the 30 region at 1024 x 768. The only way it was playable was at 800 x 600, and even then it was choppy. Realistically, one needs to take those requirements and move them up one level to have a minimum level of playability: a 2.8GHz CPU, 1GB of system RAM and a 128MB graphics card along the lines of an ATI Radeon X700 or NVIDIA GeForce 6600.

The problem is one of view distance: set to short and bikes just pop out of nowhere, leaving you to guess where they are further ahead, so it needs to be set as high as possible and we recommend one uses Medium settings, half draw distance and 15 bikes. Unfortunately this eats into the CPU's power and amount of RAM, hence the difference between the YouGamers and publisher's minimum requirements.

For the best balance of graphics, gameplay and performance, one needs a dual core processor (MotoGP 07 will use all cores available), plenty of memory and a reasonably modern graphics card: an Athlon 64 X2 3800+ or Intel Core 2 Duo E6300, 1.5GB of RAM and an ATI Radeon X1800 256MB or NVIDIA GeForce 7900 256MB will do the trick; with such a setup, once can play on "High" details settings at around 1280 x 1024 without the frame rate wobbling around too much. "

[ThEGr33k]

Well you can do it on a reasonable budget. The most expensive item will be the graphics card, nature of the beast I'm afraid.

Here is a breakdown of what I consider to be a decent enough gaming rig:

Motherboard:
Asus P5K Intel P35 (socket 775 FSB upto 1333Mhz) - £78.71

CPU:
Intel Core2Duo E8400 (socket775 - FSB 1333Mhz) - £146.86

RAM:
2GB Geil DDR2 PC2-6400 Dual Channel - £41.11

Graphics:
OcUK Nividia 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI-Ex16 - £234.99
OR
ATI Radeon HD 3870 XT 512MB - £152.74 (this card will not be as good as the Nvidia card though).

HDD:
Fujitsu 250GB 5400RPM SATA 2 - £85.76

Optical:
Pioneer DVD-RW SATA - £19.96

Case:
Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - £72.84

Power Supply:
OCZ 600W Silent PSU - £46.99

I assume you already have a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers?

So all in all this would set you back £707.26 (with the Nvidia card) and about £622 with teh ATI card.

You could save money for example if you had the E6700 CPU and also the 650W PSU from me (say £70 for them) which would give you a new total of £442.65 which would still include the kickass 8800GTX graphics card. If you can use your optical and hard drives from your existing system then yo ucan save even more money.

I can find cheaper prices than this easy:-


Motherboard:
Asus P5K Intel P35 (socket 775 FSB upto 1333Mhz) - £74.01

CPU:
Intel Core2Duo E8400 (socket775 - FSB 1333Mhz) - £129.83

RAM:
2GB Corsair PC5400 (if not Overclocking which ill bet your not this is fast enough.) Dual Channel - £28.89

Graphics:
OcUK Nividia 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI-Ex16 - £234.99
OR
ATI Radeon HD 3870 XT 512MB - £133.94 (this card will not be as good as the Nvidia card though, But not enough to warrent the price imo.).

HDD:
250 Gb Western Digital SATA300, 7200 rpm, 8MB Cache, 9 ms (http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=567854) £40.31

Optical:
Pioneer DVD-RW SATA - £19.96

Case:
Gigabyte Poseidon - £52.88

Power Supply:
OCZ 600W Silent PSU - £46.99

Price with ATi graphics card = £526.81
Price with Nvidia Graphics card = £ 657.86

Prices from Scan.co.uk

[Pedro68]

Ok now i know this is lookin like im chasing a lost cause... But...

System Requirements
Operating System: Windows XP (http://soteriamag.co.uk/newsite/component/option,com_jreviews/task,list/criteria,3/jr_operatingsystem,3/order,alpha/Itemid,12468/) ? Windows Vista (http://soteriamag.co.uk/newsite/component/option,com_jreviews/task,list/criteria,3/jr_operatingsystem,4/order,alpha/Itemid,12468/)
Minimum Processor: Pentium IV
Min Processor Speed: 2400 GHz
RAM: 512MB
Minimum Graphics Card: ATI Radeon 9 or better
Sound: DirectX 9.0 Compatible Sound Card
HDD Space: 18Mb
Other Requirements: Mouse ? Keyboard ? Speakers


Theoretically, have i not got all of this except for the gfx card? Could i not just get a graphics card that meet these requirements? Or would i still have to update the PSU and RAM?
Stu,

The problems you've got are thus:

You're on-board graphics are simply not up to the job of running a modern game.
You have a slimline case, and therefore certain sacrifices have been made to shoe-horn everything in (hence the use of on-board gfx, but to be fair, most bog-standard PC's do that these days, and also you have a "slimmed down" PSU which is comfortably able to handle all the components currently in the system).

So ... if you want, you can go and buy an ATI Radeon 9 (or equivalent gfx card) and it WILL meet the specs the game requires.

However ... firstly the existing PSU won't be able to handle the additional power requirements of a dedicated gfx card (most likely), and secondly you'll probably need a "low profile" gfx card just so that it will fit in the slimline case.

So if you wish to carry on down that route, then IMHO, you ought to be looking for a dedicated, low-profile, PCI-express gfx card with a minimum of 256MB of dedicated video RAM on it. And on first looksies, they are either quite scarce or probably beyond what you might be hoping to spend.

To power this "beast" you'll also need to upgrade the PSU. Reading the link I posted earlier in this thread, that seems like a complete ar$e of a job to do (or at least to find one that will fit your system).

Of course you could always phone HP support and ask them what they recommend. Dut don't be surprised to hear them say "If you want to play the latest games then you've bought the wrong system".

As I say ... you may be better off flogging the HP system on fleabay (or taking it back to where you got it from), and put any money recouped towards building a system that is more appropriate for playing that game (it will also be capable of playing other games too without it having to be an out-and-out "gaming" machine).

HTH,
Pete

[plowsie]

Yeah bin searching for gaming systems on net that are custom mate, cheap one that looks ok is just over the £300 mark!

[Pedro68]

Yeah bin searching for gaming systems on net that are custom mate, cheap one that looks ok is just over the £300 mark!
£300?? for a "gaming" system?? XBox360 perhaps? LMAO
TBH, I have built a fair few systems for people - none of them wanted anything "too fancy", just for basic surfin' n stuff ... certainly no gaming ... and I struggled to get systems built for under £300.
Now part of the reason for that is because I refuse to use "budget/crap" components, because in the long run it only falls back on me. I'll get a CPU to suit their needs and enough RAM to run whichever O/S (and applications) they have a preference for. I make full use of on-board sound and graphics (since they only want to do basic stuff), but I don't scrimp on peripherals either (not top-notch, but half-decent mouse, keyboard and speakers - maybe spend a little/lot more on the speakers if they are "into their music").

So do yourself a favour before you make any rash purchases m8 ... post up the spec on here and see what the learned folk think ;-)

None of us want to see ya wasting money m8 :cool:

[plowsie]

http://www.computerplanet.co.uk/gaming/gamer1000/step1.html

Got that down to £297 playin with bits that i wouldnt need...

Now tell me what bits are shiiiiiiiite lol!

[Pedro68]

Stu, how confident are you of putting the system together yourself? I reckon you could probably save yourself a few bob by doing this. Or get someone local (who knows what they are doin) to lend a hand with the fiddly bits ... like locking the heatsink down onto the CPU ... I haven't built a system for a while, but the heat sinks that come with some of the retail AMD processors you are "supposed to" use a SCREWDRIVER to push a metal strap under a slot ... that slot is precariously close to the mainboard ... and believe it or not I once rammed a screwdriver into a mainboard ... no damage done thankfully! But you do have to be a bit careful with some of the components (memory is very sensitive to ESD* as well)

If you ain't confident, can't get someone to help or just not bothered about it, then go for it ... most of those components look ok at first glance ... although I haven't heard of that manufacturer of graphics card before (so maybe one of the others can chip in here?)

*Electro-Static Discharge

Pete

[Warthog]

Well you can do it on a reasonable budget. The most expensive item will be the graphics card, nature of the beast I'm afraid.

Here is a breakdown of what I consider to be a decent enough gaming rig:

Motherboard:
Asus P5K Intel P35 (socket 775 FSB upto 1333Mhz) - £78.71

CPU:
Intel Core2Duo E8400 (socket775 - FSB 1333Mhz) - £146.86

RAM:
2GB Geil DDR2 PC2-6400 Dual Channel - £41.11

Graphics:
OcUK Nividia 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI-Ex16 - £234.99
OR
ATI Radeon HD 3870 XT 512MB - £152.74 (this card will not be as good as the Nvidia card though).

HDD:
Fujitsu 250GB 5400RPM SATA 2 - £85.76

Optical:
Pioneer DVD-RW SATA - £19.96

Case:
Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - £72.84

Power Supply:
OCZ 600W Silent PSU - £46.99

I assume you already have a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers?

So all in all this would set you back £707.26 (with the Nvidia card) and about £622 with teh ATI card.

You could save money for example if you had the E6700 CPU and also the 650W PSU from me (say £70 for them) which would give you a new total of £442.65 which would still include the kickass 8800GTX graphics card. If you can use your optical and hard drives from your existing system then yo ucan save even more money.


Dude, you definitely have to have the new 8800 GT on there instead, my mate just picked one up for £135 new off ebay, and it tests about 10% slower only but 1/2 the price! It's a real fast budget card now. Even outperforms the GTX on the odd test! Check out the side-by-sides on firingsquad.

[ThEGr33k]

TBH the setup I put down is about as cheap as you can get a gaming computer. You could go cheaper on GFX card and thats about it but then it wouldnt be the best for goming... :rolleyes:

[plowsie]

I'd only really use it for 2 or 3 games, does that still make no difference...?

[DanAbnormal]

Plowsie,

If you wanted to build a system I would be willing to travel to you and lend a hand one weekend. Provided that a limitless supply of tea and snacks are on the menu! I've built a few gaming specific PC's and also just some bog standard types too. It's all about practice really.

I haven't sent the graphics card yet as it sounds as if It won't fit your slimline case.

[plowsie]

Yeah cool mate, if i can raise the sorta cash i'm gonna need to do it then i will give you a shout mate... Thanks for the offer :)

[DanAbnormal]

Yeah cool mate, if i can raise the sorta cash i'm gonna need to do it then i will give you a shout mate... Thanks for the offer :)

Like I said, I have most of the bits and I would sell them dirt cheap.

PSU - check
CPU - check
Graphics card 7800 - check (it would certianly do until you could afford somethign better)

You'd just need to get a case, motherboard and some RAM and you'd be away.

[plowsie]

Like I said, I have most of the bits and I would sell them dirt cheap.

PSU - check
CPU - check
Graphics card 7800 - check (it would certianly do until you could afford somethign better)

You'd just need to get a case, motherboard and some RAM and you'd be away.
What am i looking for to fit all that stuff you have into...

[Pedro68]

What am i looking for to fit all that stuff you have into...
Any STANDARD case should do it ... ATX or micro-ATX should take the stuff that Dan is selling ... just don't get a bloody "slimline" ;-)
Just depends how much you wanna spend and how "bling" you want it to look ;-)
I mean, you could go for see-thru panels with full neon kits (neon fans, neon strips, etc) inside if you felt inclined (and had the cash) :cool:

[plowsie]

Remember this thread guys lol, I fixed it a lil, set everything to as low as possible and put the Nvidia settings at best performance instead of quality and she now works.

Was there playing it with a keyboard for half a day yesterday, got cramp eventually, tried fannying about with the configure controller bit, it doesnt load, bit of researching tells me that Moto GP 07 on Vista (even though it is the Vista edition) will not let you adapt the controller settings. Fine then I will struggle. Spoke to someone online, told me about Xpadder, excellent, now have a controller on the go for it :D

[ThEGr33k]

Glad you have managed to get it working la. :D