Geek Squad needed

[Moonfire]

I remember doing the benchmark WAY back when it first came out and I didn't remember my score being bad. However when I played beta I experienced some very fluctuating FPS as low as 5 at times and almost 50 at others. I turned down the graphics but that didn't seem to do much if anything. Out of curiousity I performed the benchmark test again and got 1920. So it is evident that at least some of the problem is with my PC. My questions are:

 

1) Is there a way to improve this without upgrading my PC? (I already turned the graphic settings down. Resolution maybe?)

 

2) How would I figure out what exactly with my PC is causing the issue? I don't want to just assume it's my video card because it is a fairly good one, but who knows.

[Varus]

What video card are you running?

 

Also, turning down the resolution might help. Another idea: If you are playing in a Windowed-Mode (Windowed or Borderless Windowed), try running the game in Full-Screen. Playing in Full-Screen will definitely increase your performance, but make it harder for your computer to shift tasks, because your computer has to unload and reload the game every time you alt-tab.

 

EDIT: After reading through the benchmark settings, I suggest you DISABLE AMBIENT OCCLUSION IF YOU HAVE IT ACTIVE! I guarantee over9000+ points to your performance if you do so.

[Moonfire]

This is probably more than you need:

 

Video card info

 

Primary Adapter

Graphics Card Manufacturer Powered by ATI

Graphics Chipset ATI Radeon HD 4870

Device ID 9440

Vendor 1002

 

Subsystem ID 2441

Subsystem Vendor ID 1682

 

Graphics Bus Capability PCI Express 2.0

Maximum Bus Setting PCI Express 2.0 x16

 

BIOS Version 011.013.000.001

BIOS Part Number 113-BA0706-101

BIOS Date 2008/12/09

 

Memory Size 1024 MB

Memory Type GDDR5

 

Core Clock in MHz 750 MHz

Memory Clock in MHz 900 MHz

Total Memory Bandwidth in GByte/s 115.2 GByte/s

---

 

EDIT: After reading through the benchmark settings, I suggest you DISABLE AMBIENT OCCLUSION IF YOU HAVE IT ACTIVE! I guarantee over9000+ points to your performance if you do so.

I will try that on Friday. I may have already, not sure.

[Varus]

AH your video card is pretty old. It's a few steps down from mine, and I can barely run the game at max settings (virtually unplayable), so I understand your issue. Unfortunately for you and I, there's really not much we can do with outdated video cards except cutting down on our graphic expectations.

[Moonfire]

Also some other info

 

I have onboard sound. Not sure how to find info on that.

 

System Rating is 5.9 which is my processor. Video is 7.4

 

Processor info:

Intel Core2 Duo CPU E6550 2.34 GHZ

---

AH your video card is pretty old. It's a few steps down from mine, and I can barely run the game at max settings (virtually unplayable), so I understand your issue. Unfortunately for you and I, there's really not much we can do with an outdated video card except cutting down on our graphic expectations.

Alrighty thanks. Those things get outdated so quickly  I was worried it was my processor.

[Varus]

Also some other info

 

I have onboard sound. Not sure how to find info on that.

 

System Rating is 5.9 which is my processor. Video is 7.4

 

Processor info:

Intel Core2 Duo CPU E6550 2.34 GHZ

---

AH your video card is pretty old. It's a few steps down from mine, and I can barely run the game at max settings (virtually unplayable), so I understand your issue. Unfortunately for you and I, there's really not much we can do with an outdated video card except cutting down on our graphic expectations.

Alrighty thanks. Those things get outdated so quickly  I was worried it was my processor

X.x your processor is outdated too lol! Mine sits at 2.60 ghz, but computers now have like 3.40 ghz or something.

[Moonfire]

Well time to play the "Well you just bought a PS3" card and talk my hubby into getting me some CPU upgrades. 

 

8-)

[allgivenover]

Ah yeah, I would've recommended that you just upgrade the video card, but your processor is from the summer of 2007, we're talking six years behind the times, an eternity in the PC gaming world.

 

Here is a very, very helpful budget guide for building or buying a new PC: http://www.logicalincrements.com/.

 

For A Realm Reborn you really won't need anything more expensive than the "Great" category in that list and honestly you could probably get by very well on the "Good" category stuff if your budget is limited.

 

Personally I like to push the AMD FX processor series over the Intel i5s and i7s, while they are irrefutably the best processors out at the moment the power/price ratio of the AMD FX line is ridiculously good.

 

I know my way around this stuff pretty well, so feel free to ask more questions if you need too, here or in PM.

[Varus]

Ah yeah, I would've recommended that you just upgrade the video card, but your processor is from the summer of 2007, we're talking six years behind the times, an eternity in the PC gaming world.

 

Here is a very, very helpful budget guide for building or buying a new PC: http://www.logicalincrements.com/.

 

For A Realm Reborn you really won't need anything more expensive than the "Great" category in that list and honestly you could probably get by very well on the "Good" category stuff if your budget is limited.

 

Personally I like to push the AMD FX processor series over the Intel i5s and i7s, while they are irrefutably the best processors out at the moment the power/price ratio of the AMD FX line is ridiculously good.

 

I know my way around this stuff pretty well, so feel free to ask more questions if you need too, here or in PM.

I'll second the recommendation on the AMD FX processor series. For the price tag, it's really good. Any higher and you might as well by an i5 or i7.

 

Also, for upgrading your CPU, you'd normally have to buy a whole new motherboard along with the CPU, since most CPUs are thermally glued onto the motherboard.

[GuruNation]

I'm not too skilled on Raedon's, but if I must recommend anything it is not to buy the MOST expensive of everything. Get too pricy a graphics card and it'll short circuit. It helps to find a balance and to cement how much power it will need (meaning buying a healthy power supply).

 

I was a little stupid in my decision of getting a good graphics card (Nvidia GTX 465) and I suppose I was lied to when I purchased my power supply (700 watts) because it wasn't enough to power it; and I had to literally remove and replace things; and it got a little ridiculous

 

Worst case scenario, you'll play on a PS3; but at least you have options :-)

[Blade]

Biggest problem you'll run into with upgrading the processor is that if you're going to make it a worthwhile increase, you're going to need a new motherboard, which tends to lend itself towards just buying a whole new machine.

 

Graphics card is probably the lowest budget option you have at the moment as a means to upgrade. Just make sure your power supply is good for it.

 

I had something similar to your configuration not too long ago. Honestly it came to getting a new machine, but you can probably get a decent amount of a performance boost from a graphics card upgrade. Unfortunately, changing your processor can require that you change a lot of things regarding your computer.

 

I know people who have even i3s (the 'very good' category on www.logicalincrements.com) that run the game fine. It really depends on how good you want the game to run. If you want to power through the game at max settings with a FPS greater than 45 on average, that's probably going to set you back the cost of a much more modern machine. Thankfully, A Realm Reborn isn't designed to require the best machine to play at max settings, but you're probably going to want to get an i5 or i7 and a graphics card in the superb or excellent tier on Logcal Increments.

 

But yeah, it really just depends on the experience you want. The game can perform very well at lower settings on less decked out machines. It depends on just how much you care about FPS and graphic quality.

---

I'm not too skilled on Raedon's, but if I must recommend anything it is not to buy the MOST expensive of everything. Get too pricy a graphics card and it'll short circuit. It helps to find a balance and to cement how much power it will need (meaning buying a healthy power supply).

 

This a hundred times. Buying the best of everything isn't ever a good plan. Logical Increments is very useful for this because it helps you see in relative terms what's the biggest bang for your buck. Getting the best stuff makes you marginally better than significantly cheaper options at significantly greater prices, with money that could've been saved and spent on other ways to improve your experience for greater impact (more RAM, for example.)

[GuruNation]

Biggest problem you'll run into with upgrading the processor is that if you're going to make it a worthwhile increase, you're going to need a new motherboard, which tends to lend itself towards just buying a whole new machine.  

 

Graphics card is probably the lowest budget option you have at the moment as a means to upgrade.  Just make sure your power supply is good for it.  

 

I had something similar to your configuration not too long ago.  Honestly it came to getting a new machine, but you can probably get a decent amount of a performance boost from a graphics card upgrade.  Unfortunately, changing your processor can require that you change a lot of things regarding your computer.

 

I know people who have even i3s (the 'very good' category on www.logicalincrements.com) that run the game fine.  It really depends on how good you want the game to run.  If you want to power through the game at max settings with a FPS greater than 45 on average, that's probably going to set you back the cost of a much more modern machine.  Thankfully, A Realm Reborn isn't designed to require the best machine to play at max settings, but you're probably going to want to get an i5 or i7 and a graphics card in the superb or excellent tier on Logcal Increments.

 

But yeah, it really just depends on the experience you want.  The game can perform very well at lower settings on less decked out machines.  It depends on just how much you care about FPS and graphic quality.

---

I'm not too skilled on Raedon's, but if I must recommend anything it is not to buy the MOST expensive of everything. Get too pricy a graphics card and it'll short circuit. It helps to find a balance and to cement how much power it will need (meaning buying a healthy power supply).

 

This a hundred times.  Buying the best of everything isn't ever a good plan.  Logical Increments is very useful for this because it helps you see in relative terms what's the biggest bang for your buck.  Getting the best stuff makes you marginally better than significantly cheaper options at significantly greater prices, with money that could've been saved and spent on other ways to improve your experience for greater impact (more RAM, for example.)

 

Whew, I'm glad I didn't make myself sound stupid :-D

[Moonfire]

Thanks guys! I knew my processor was old but I was holding out as long as I could with it  Looks like it's reached it's limit though.

[allgivenover]

CPU's are not thermally glued to motherboards, the reason you will need a new motherboard is because the socket the CPU fits into is structurally different from the socket your current motherboard has. What you're thinking of Tyonis is the thermal paste used to transfer heat from the CPU die to the heat sink.

[Myavar]

The trouble with computer upgrades, and why my other computer is going to stay exactly the way it is until I can afford a new one, is that one part always depends on -all the other things- in the rig.

 

You want to upgrade your processor? Make sure you know what motherboard you have, and exactly what types of processors it can house. If you don't get a new motherboard, you've got to remember to buy a new tube of thermal paste to replace the old stuff.

 

Oh, you want to go ahead and upgrade the motherboard too? Sometimes rigs are too small, or too big, to house this lovely new board. Gotta look into a new one of those.

 

Graphics cards require motherboard compatibility and a power supply strong enough to handle the card as well as powering everything else in the rig.

 

etc. etc. :dazed: It's no big deal for people familiar with the process, or who are really good with parts, but some of us get "tech induced headaches".

 

I also noticed that you've got 1g of RAM, and this can pose a problem as well for running games. It's the video card, processor, and RAM that have to work together to process all the information that is being sent through the computer. From the sound of it the three of them are very old secretaries dying under a mountain of papers.

 

When my husband wanted to get a new gaming computer it took me -years- to get him to stop trying to buy factory rigs and having me upgrade them with whatever parts those dinky things could hold. Eventually he listened and went to iBuyPower.com. We watched for sales, took our time, and were able to build him a really awesome rig for $1200. It doesn't have "the best" parts, but they're plenty good enough to play FFXIV:ARR on fully maxed settings with no lag.

 

I have no idea what kind of budget you guys are looking at, but I would suggest for a long term rig to save as much to the side as possible for flexibility in terms of rig accessories (keyboard/mouse/monitor/speakers/headphones/etc.) and shipping charges.

[allgivenover]

You could build a rig that will eat ARR alive without breaking a sweat for $700, but that does require some know-how. ibuypower is pretty good actually for a prebuilt store.