Magical Computer

HL2Fans_MoleX · Apr 17, 2005

ok guys here the deal... befor i sent my computer to meet a doctor for repairs.. i was cheking on the Requirements i needed to play Half-Life2.... witch are

# 1.2 GHz Processor
# 256MB RAM
# DirectX 7 level graphics card
# Windows 2000/XP/ME/98
------------------------------------

My computer Specs are the following:

800 MHz AMD Duron processor.
384MB RAM
DirectX 9 level graphic card " Diamond stealth S60 32MB-ATI Radion 7000"
WindowXP home edition OS.

there isint realy anything special about it but Half-Life2 demo was working just fine .. wait wait it was working way to good thats what im saying NO LAG, NO TEXTURE FAILURE ect...

i dont get it? could it be that the mini req are wrong or maybe my graphic card was just 2 good?

and also befor i end this post i would like to know whats the spec for this other graphic card i have .."its the original that came with my pc when i bought it"..

company: Nvidia.
name: Vanta LT.
power: ??MB this is what i need to know.

Garfield_ · Apr 17, 2005

My computer is magical, it gave me access to Bill Gates lover .D

min requirements are 700 mhz, 256 mb ram, and a gfx card with 32 mb

SenorDingDong · Apr 17, 2005

im assuming you have the graphics set to the worst possible, and lowest resolution...

HL2Fans_MoleX · Apr 17, 2005

no graphics were nice... maybe medium i dont know...

Dumb Dude · Apr 17, 2005

Uhh, yeah, hate to break it to ya, but that card you have is not DX9. You are running HL2 in DX7 therefore you get no bumpmaps, no model shadows, no grass, ugly water, and the like. Thats why you run it so good.

DiSTuRbEd · Apr 17, 2005

Dumb Dude said:
Uhh, yeah, hate to break it to ya, but that card you have is not DX9. You are running HL2 in DX7 therefore you get no bumpmaps, no model shadows, and the like. Thats why you run it so good.

Yep, you are correct.

Dumb Dude · Apr 17, 2005

For a comprehensive breakdown on what you are missing out on, check this out:
http://gear.ign.com/articles/567/567437p2.html

E-2k5 · Apr 17, 2005

LMAO when i was playing HL2 i had to set it all LOW , including resolution... then i tried to set in on medium, and guess wot! it freezed!

Dumb Dude · Apr 17, 2005

It does that, I would recomend you change ALL settings before you begin the game. Also, if you have the dynamic menu map thingy enabled, type "disconnect" in the console so that you can make changes without the game having to apply them immediatly.

poseyjmac · Apr 17, 2005

some people think card tricks are real magic, but they are easily impressed and it doesn't take much to please them.

HL2Fans_MoleX · Apr 17, 2005

wow nice comparison... i will try on buying a DX9 card.. can you give me good refference but not about 150$ please

the_lone_wolf · Apr 17, 2005

9600pro, runs fine at 1280x1024 with all settings high or super fast on 1024x768 with 2xAA, but i suspect your CPU/RAM will drag a decent video card's performance down a lot

HL2Fans_MoleX · Apr 17, 2005

Chipset/Core Speed: nVIDIA GeForce FX5500/270MHz
Memory/Effective Speed: 256MB DDR/400MHz
BUS: AGP 4X/8X
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub) + TV-Out (S-Video) + DVI
Support 3D API: DirectX 9, OpenGL 1.5
Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048X1536@85Hz
Cable/Accessories: S-Video Cable, Manual, Driver CD
Retail Box (See pics for details)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-164-017&depa=1

what do you think about this card here?

J_Tweedy · Apr 17, 2005

HL2Fans_MoleX said:
Chipset/Core Speed: nVIDIA GeForce FX5500/270MHz
Memory/Effective Speed: 256MB DDR/400MHz
BUS: AGP 4X/8X
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub) + TV-Out (S-Video) + DVI
Support 3D API: DirectX 9, OpenGL 1.5
Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048X1536@85Hz
Cable/Accessories: S-Video Cable, Manual, Driver CD
Retail Box (See pics for details)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-164-017&depa=1

what do you think about this card here?

Man, i wouldn't bother unless you can upgrade your cpu and ram. Your performance in hl2 will actually get worse once you're in dx9. Also check that you have agp8x on your motherboard, agp4x will work but you're wasting your money on a agp8x if you've only got a 4x mobo

Dumb Dude · Apr 17, 2005

Yeah, a video card update is not somthing that will help you out, becuase like Tweedy said, performance will get worse. Recommendation (a bit extreme): Save up for a new computer. Alternative: Buy the Xbox version if you own an Xbox.

Or, play it the way it is now, if you say it runs fine, then you have no problems. Hell, I passed HL2 with a DX7 card myself the first time around.

DiSTuRbEd · Apr 17, 2005

HL2Fans_MoleX said:
Chipset/Core Speed: nVIDIA GeForce FX5500/270MHz
Memory/Effective Speed: 256MB DDR/400MHz
BUS: AGP 4X/8X
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub) + TV-Out (S-Video) + DVI
Support 3D API: DirectX 9, OpenGL 1.5
Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048X1536@85Hz
Cable/Accessories: S-Video Cable, Manual, Driver CD
Retail Box (See pics for details)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-164-017&depa=1

what do you think about this card here?

You basically need a FULL computer upgrade. Just the gfx card won't help you.

HL2Fans_MoleX · Apr 17, 2005

I have my computer upgraded and still in work... and
my motherboard can take AGP4x ... i would like to upgrade the CPU but im not sure how much it will cost me for that and also about how much Hz should i at least have"minimum"...

Dumb Dude · Apr 18, 2005

You can't do that. I'm going to assume that this is a fairly old computer (say about, 4-5 years old) and you can't just put new stuff in it. Thats why I said that you should just save up to build yourself a nice little computer like I did. Using existing things from my 5 year old computer (optical drive, hard drive) I was able to make a nice computer that now runs Doom 3 and HL2 flawlessly. The cost? About 500ish, but since then I have chunked the old hardware with new ones.

In short, forget about upgrading your current one. Its just not gunna happen.

Asus · Apr 18, 2005

The highest you could go with that board would probably be a 1.2-1.4Ghz with a bios update. ebay I'd save up and buy a new CPU/Motherboard/Ram personally.

As for a gfx card, stay away from the FX cards. If you do get one, get a 9600(Pro/XT). You can get them for around 100$ give or take. The 9600 cards handle HL2 really well and give you those fancy graphics. Just stay away from the 9600SE.

EVIL · Apr 18, 2005

upgrading is not going to work on your case. Get a whole new pc thats the best advice I can give you and pelase dont settle with a grappy one that will give you the minimum settings, because the minimmum settings in DX 9 will still give you worse performance then your current setup. and 4x AGP? man those mainboards are from the stoneage. and CPU wise you cant just put in a new CPU its alot more complicated. we now deal with sockets. wich means you cant put an INTELL chip in lets say a socket 939 mainboard

so please, get youself a new fat rig from 2000 dollars or up, anything below is not worth your time. trust me

HL2Fans_MoleX · Apr 18, 2005

dammit... lol i will only get about 550$ to spent at the end of this week.. 2000$ is out of my personel budget

[edit]
do you think i can maybe ask a pro to make some modification for about 500$ to my computer?

Dumb Dude · Apr 18, 2005

With $550 you can make a really decent computer. Perhaps somthing like:

AMD Athlon XP 3000+
1gb RAM
80-120gb HD
6600gt

Thats a very decent computer and I am sure that if you just use the same monitor and keyboard/mouse as you are now, 550 is well enough for that.

HL2Fans_MoleX · Apr 18, 2005

finaly some good news! thank you dude... i will try finding a good place for that

Dumb Dude · Apr 18, 2005

Well here are a couple of links:

PROCESSOR: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-381&depa=0

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-440&depa=0

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-152-011&depa=0 OR http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-152-010&depa=0

VIDEO CARD: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-130-220&depa=0

MOTHERBOARD: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-455&depa=1

All this totals 557.99 (with the 160gb HD) with all the shipping. Of course, you dont have to get these, and you still need a case and power supply, but you can get some cases that already come with a powersupply. And that boils down to personal prefrence.

Another thing, this resembles my computer, only difference is that my comp only has 512 ram, and its a differnt motherboard, other than that, its pretty identical. And like I said, my comp can run HL2 with high everything and I can run Dooom 3 on high aswell, they all run smoooth.

HL2Fans_MoleX · Apr 18, 2005

i will try getting my self a bonus 100$... get it all at the end of the week

J_Tweedy · Apr 18, 2005

shit that's good value Dumb Dude! In NZ tht'd cost around 1500NZD, or about 1100 US. Oh man i wish newegg shipped down under.

HL2Fans_MoleX · Apr 18, 2005

ok chek this out....

AMD Duron 1.6GHz Socket A processor : 41.99$ ->48.29$
ship:$1.99
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=19-104-159&depa=1

Rosewill nVIDIA GeForce FX5500 256 DX9: 72.99$->83.94$
ship:4.99$
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-164-017&depa=1

Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200 - OEM : 86.67$->99.67$
ship:4.33$
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-211-005&depa=1

total: 231.90$
shipment: 11.31$

total +:243.21$ with all tax included...

i will by the motherboard about 1 or 2 weeks after i get those... what do you think?

duffers20 · Apr 18, 2005

hmm that CPU isnt the fastest, and also your gfx card is pretty slow, I would recommend a 9600XT/PRO at least for hl2, and for the CPU, a mid to high end Athlon XP would be a good choice. If you can afford it, a AMD64 3000+ and a 6600/GT would be a good setup with half a gig of ram.

Dumb Dude · Apr 18, 2005

That list is pretty good (if you're not going with the links I provided), the only thing I see wrong with it, is that Duron. I'd recommend a 2000+ or higher.

EDIT: That processor you have there is an OEM one. It does not come with the HeatSink/Fan. But like I said, just go for another one, thats still too low.

Asus · Apr 18, 2005

HL2Fans_MoleX said:
AMD Duron 1.6GHz Socket A processor : 41.99$ ->48.29$
ship:$1.99
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=19-104-159&depa=1

Not much improvement over what you have. Look to the Sempron's. You will get much better performance with them.

HL2Fans_MoleX said:
Rosewill nVIDIA GeForce FX5500 256 DX9: 72.99$->83.94$
ship:4.99$
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-164-017&depa=1

Take a look at this graph and compare the FX5500 vs the FX5700. Ok
Now look at this graph and cross compare the FX5700 vs the 9600 Pro. Also note that the first link was not on full detail while the second test was on Very High Quality.
9600Pro

HL2Fans_MoleX said:
Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200 - OEM : 86.67$->99.67$
ship:4.33$
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-211-005&depa=1

That isn't the same product. hehe
Your board would use DDR memory, correct?

HL2Fans_MoleX · Apr 18, 2005

AMD Sempron 2800+ 2.0GHz, 333MHz FSB, 256KB L2 Processor : 89.99$ ->103.49$
ship:$1.99
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-104-213&depa=1

Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200 - OEM : 86.67$->99.67$
ship:4.33$
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-211-005&depa=1

total: 203.16$
shipment: 6.32$

total +:209.48$ with all tax included...

i have changed CPU for a 2000+ like you recommanded ...

Specifications:
Model: AMD Sempron 2800+
Core: Thoroughbred
Operating Frequency: 2.0GHz
FSB: 333 MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/ 256KB
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket A
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, 3DNOW!, 3DNOW!+
Warranty: 3-year MFG
Packaging: Retail( with Heatsink and Fan) <---

it also comes with the heatsink and fan ^.^ and i will try finding the 9600Pro at a lower price. except that if theres anything else you recommand please tell me.. thank you guys

Ikerous · Apr 18, 2005

You could save about 20 bucks on ram if you just baught 2 512 sticks seperately :/

HL2Fans_MoleX · Apr 18, 2005

let me see if i can... but i like it better 2 in 1 box ^.^ but cheaper is better.

and also by the way i found ATI Radeon 9600 Pro on ebay but i will only buy it when the time comes cause for now they all have like 22hours left so when i will have the money i go on buynow and get it ^.^

Dumb Dude · Apr 18, 2005

I highly recommend my links, as it has a 6600gt which OWNS the crap out of a 9600 pro.

Just in case you forgot:

Well here are a couple of links:

PROCESSOR: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-381&depa=0

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-440&depa=0

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-152-011&depa=0 OR http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-152-010&depa=0

VIDEO CARD: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-130-220&depa=0

MOTHERBOARD: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-455&depa=1

All this totals 557.99 (with the 160gb HD) with all the shipping. Of course, you dont have to get these, and you still need a case and power supply, but you can get some cases that already come with a powersupply. And that boils down to personal prefrence.

Asus · Apr 18, 2005

Just make sure you get the Memory with timings of 2.5 and not 3. There is a pretty good difference in performance and not in price. 2.5 3

Also, you could get a 2600+ Sempron instead of the 2800+ and then put that money toward a 9600Pro or other card. I'd play with different parts and see what fits in your budget. He's right, the 6600GT kills the 9600.

FYI when linking to Newegg you can't use 'search' links or something that would be only linked on your machine (in a cookie) but only to the product directly. I can't see any of the products you just linked to.

Dumb Dude · Apr 18, 2005

Oh wow, that sucks.

EDIT: I know why they didn't work. I copy and pasted from my old post which adds those "..." in between. They work now. And I think it would be a nice computer for him to have, he said he will have $550 to spend on the weekend anyways. But then its still missing a case, psu, and of course, Windows XP (if he is actually buying it (as if anyone does :naughty: ))

Asus · Apr 18, 2005

Rather than the XP 3000+ and board that you linked, why not A64 2800+ and Epox Board?

HL2Fans_MoleX · Apr 18, 2005

i will try going trough all this... my head hurts already ho well im going to sleep guys..

Dumb Dude · Apr 18, 2005

Asus said:
Rather than the XP 3000+ and board that you linked, why not A64 2800+ and Epox Board?

Thats not bad at all. He should go for that perhaps.

holydeadpenguins · Apr 18, 2005

You should get a 6600gt it's a lot better than the 9600, but you can find a 9600 pro for around 60 dollars online. You could probably find the 6600gt for around 160 dollars. But you could probably afford something better.

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