Lighting problem...

[leonumber2]

Hey all

I just finished installing HL2 and started playing, I noticed it was very dark so I went to settings to correct it. It says adjust slider so all 3 lines of text below are visable, when the slider is all the way to the "light" side I can only just barely make out the "Clearly visable" line of text, my monitor brightness is set to 100% and when I adjust gamma in windows HL2 just overrides it. I have a junk video card (actually its onboard GFX) so im guessing I'll have to upgrade to an AGP if I want this problem fixed and better performance. Any other solutions would be appreciated tho, thx.

 

[giant384]

onboard gfx dont even support T&L its the worst card ever ya get an AGP card if u have an AGP slot and if u dont well ur stuck with a pci card like me

 

[leonumber2]

Ya I know

Yes I have an AGP slot, in fact on the day I bought HL2 I also bought and ATI Radeon 9250 PCI, and it will not work at all, Ive called ATI, my computer manufacturer, my motherboard manufacturer and my BIOS creator and NO ONE can give me support for it, anyways I was told its probably because I cannot disable my onboard VGA, ive also heard if you get an AGP card it automatically overrides the onboard VGA, I really hope so as im going to buy an AGP this weekend in hopes of fixing it all.

 

[Dumb Dude]

Through Windows device manager you can disable the on-board video. Thats how I did it on my way old computer to get my PCI card working. You might also want to try the BIOS to disable it, but if its a pre-built computer (Dell, Compaq, etc..) then you mihgt not get too many options in the BIOS. You will have to disable the onboard video, I don't think any card can override it.

Also, I have that problem with HL2's brightness. Its our monitors.

 

[leonumber2]

Yea my computer is pre-built (e-machines), and I have uninstalled my video drivers in device manager and gone through BIOS with no results, the BIOS seems to work in disabling my onboard tho, because when I turn on my PC again the monitor does not respond. Maybe its a problem recognising the card then... I dont know...

 

[giant384]

ya it should work if u disable the onboard gfx in bios it worked for me but mine is pci most intigrated gfx cards use the agp and it wont have a slot so i cant help u much

 

[leonumber2]

Finally

OK well I decided to take back my PCI card and I got the X700 Pro AGP 256mb, and it runs perfectly, didnt have any trouble with the onboard VGA, only prblem I am having is it "recommends" a 300 watt power supply, and mine is 250w... I noticed quite a bit of slow-down on the Sims2, although HL2 runs great, I think I'll get a 400w this afternoon just to make sure. oh btw, the new card still hasnt solved my lighting problem! lol, oh well.

 

[Dumb Dude]

If you read my post, I mention that the brightness problem resides with the monitor itself. Not the video card. Also, have you checked if there are any updates for Sims 2?

 

[leonumber2]

monitor

Yes I read your post, although I was hopeful that it might have made a difference anyway. The monitor I am using is an HP that came with a comp I got ages ago. I have another monitor in my basement, but its even older than this one, worth a try tho I suppose. I'm thinking about getting a 19" - do you recommend any, im not really interested in a flat pannel. As for the Sims2, no not yet, but i'll take a look this evening when I get a bit more time.

 

[Dumb Dude]

This here monitor is just like my current one, only mine is a 17", check it out: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=24-116-282&depa=0 <---Link (its hard to see links with the new board colors)