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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:10:45 PM EDT
[#1]
you need to determine what kind of video card he has.
helpful to know how much RAM he has as well. eta: the cable that goes from the monitor to the computer, does it plug in vertically or horizontally? (will help determine if he has onboard video or video card) eta again: www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000258.htm edited yet again: what game is he trying to play? |
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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:13:17 PM EDT
[#2]
Vertically. How do I tell what his sytem has? Patty |
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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:15:51 PM EDT
[#3]
ok, that probably means he has onboard video. (this may be part of his problem) right click "my computer" -> properties it should show the processor speed and the amount of RAM in bottom right, what does it say? also, what game is he trying to install? |
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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:19:17 PM EDT
[#4]
Who makes the comp? Some use screwy case sizes and wont fit a regular card, if it even has an AGP or PCIX slot to begin with.
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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:20:49 PM EDT
[#5]
This will get you started-Control Panel-System-Hardware-Device Manager-Sound and Video
You should be able to determine what Video Card the machine has at this point. Some of the games require the most recent version of Direct X also. Is the computer up to date?????????? The requirements for the hardware should be in the games instructions. I would check that out also. |
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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:23:35 PM EDT
[#6]
What game?
How old is the computer? what exactly happens when trying to play the game? (might have nothing to do with hardware specs) what OS? What brand computer? What model number of computer? |
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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:24:41 PM EDT
[#7]
Probably already covered but just in case....
On the side of the box the game came in there is a couple lists: Required and Recommend for Game Play. It might say something like "Required/Recommended Hardware". You get the idea. It will list what is required of your computer to make the game work. If his computer does not meet the Required for Game Play attributes then he needs to upgrade or bring the game back (good luck). If it does meet the attributes, then, well... that's something we'd all need to know as well. Good luck! |
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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:27:38 PM EDT
[#8]
Download Everest Home Edition (free), install it and it will give you complete specs on that computer.
OS, Processor, Memory, Video card/chipset, Ect… Then we can tell you. Follow the link below and click link for Everest Home Edition. http://www.lavalys.com/ |
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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:28:43 PM EDT
[#9]
Thank you guys. The computer is a week old. Its a compaq. I'll check out the details. The game is "Star Wars Republic Commando"
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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:32:20 PM EDT
[#10]
from the readme on the republic commando cd (which was already in my cd drive)
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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:32:48 PM EDT
[#11]
system requirements:
eta: his computer should be able to run it, so don't give up hope. |
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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:34:56 PM EDT
[#12]
from the troubleshooting guide on the cd
edited to only show the winxp list since a week old consumer computer is likely to have xp home edit again: that list doesn't seem to be all inclusive. I have a GeForce 6200 which I don't see listed, yet it runs RC fine with all the highest settings |
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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:34:57 PM EDT
[#13]
I would have thought so.  Patty
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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:37:04 PM EDT
[#14]
Can you put this in words a slightly inebriated blond could understand? Patty |
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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:41:47 PM EDT
[#15]
once the video card in his computer is determined, if it is on the list then that should be ruled out as the problem (although not being on that list doesn't necessarily mean it won't work, my card's chipset isn't on the list). That list will probably be more useful to me and other other nerds
 . to see what video card it has right click the desktop, select properties. then click the settings tab, then the advanced button, then the adapter tab and it will say what card it is |
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Posted: 8/28/2005 8:43:17 PM EDT
[#16]
I play Republic Commando on an old GeForce4 MX440se 64Mb 4x AGP.
Doesn't drop frames - but doesn't do the fancy Pixel shading. Problem is if his system is setup to use onboard graphics it may only have 4mb shared memory. That Compaq should also have an AGP slot. Its a simple matter to pop in a decent card. A low end bargin card would be a Nvidia 6200 - supports all the bells and whistles but not at super high frame rates... |
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Posted: 8/28/2005 9:00:09 PM EDT
[#17]
Bump for Patty!
 Has he ever updated his windows? Top of Explorer page - (tools) (windows update) (express) I didn't have the newest direct X (or a lot of things) until I updated it. ********Stealth runs away again.... ********** |
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Posted: 8/28/2005 9:01:47 PM EDT
[#18]
Thanks Stealth, I'll try that now. Patty |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 5:33:51 AM EDT
[#19]
btt
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Posted: 8/29/2005 5:37:49 AM EDT
[#20]
click the start button go to run. type dxdiag..... press enter, click yes if needed, then click on the display tab it will tell you what video card is installed
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Posted: 8/29/2005 5:50:45 AM EDT
[#21]
IntelR82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphic controller |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 6:43:32 AM EDT
[#22]
you never said what it did other than doesn't play. could you tell us what the machine does. Can he not install, or does it drop out when he trys to launch?
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Posted: 8/29/2005 6:48:12 AM EDT
[#23]
patty that means that you have a onboard video card. Its really not made for playing games. the maximum memory that will have is 64mb of shared memory. gaming video cards today have a average of 256mb. So you will need to find out if the computers has any type of video expansion capabilities. ..... AGP or PCI Express
let us know if you need more help, im sure we can recomend a good video card if you are going to go that route
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Posted: 8/29/2005 7:18:43 AM EDT
[#24]
Great, he buys a computer to play his games and it doesn't work!  Can you let me know how to tell if its an AGP or PCI Express? When the game is loaded to play it shuts down. Patty |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 7:24:15 AM EDT
[#25]
AGP:
 PCI-e 
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Posted: 8/29/2005 7:39:34 AM EDT
[#26]
Egads, tear the thing apart? Patty
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Posted: 8/29/2005 8:12:02 AM EDT
[#27]
just take the side of the case off is all we need
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Posted: 8/29/2005 8:15:46 AM EDT
[#28]
Tearing open the case is the best way. A second option is to check the user manual ... it should say what expansion slots are supported.
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Posted: 8/29/2005 8:27:54 AM EDT
[#29]
look on the front and find the model number/letters and we can do a search |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 9:06:10 AM EDT
[#30]
Compaq Presario SR1503EM |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 9:20:34 AM EDT
[#31]
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Posted: 8/29/2005 9:29:34 AM EDT
[#32]
So what's that mean? Patty |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 9:31:59 AM EDT
[#33]
Hmm ... I note it's PCI (not PCI-e or PCI Express). Most of the new cards are going AGP or PCI-e.
If I recall correctly, ATI makes a Radeon 9250 (256MB) PCI card that might be compatible. It should go for around $125 or so. Check out Newegg.com for more details. But double-check the card with the compatibility info on the back of the game to make sure it will work! I don't have that game so I can't tell you for sure. |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 9:35:20 AM EDT
[#34]
It means not good. Can't upgarde the video part. *Technicaly yesOne course of action is to take the thing back. He might be able to find a different model, or spend his dollars on a different vendor's product. Two course of action:
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Posted: 8/29/2005 9:39:52 AM EDT
[#35]
Oh no, its going to break his heart. Patty
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Posted: 8/29/2005 9:41:31 AM EDT
[#36]
she CAN upgrade... she is just very limited. She can't get a AGP she can only get a PCI video card.... like jthuang said PCI is available at newegg three pages worth |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 9:56:20 AM EDT
[#37]
*cough* I fixed the orginal post earlier
 ATI' radeon 9250 with a pci interface should be able to play the game (according to specs on page 1 of thread )and install in the system in question. My idea, and I don't knwo how well this will work, would be to take system back, get cheaper system with a slower CPU* and smaller harddrive, but has an AGP slot, then get a proper video card. (system where money spent is shifted from CPU to graphics) *System's cpu seem more than enuf for the game. |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 10:07:53 AM EDT
[#38]
you can get a PCI video card, probably for about 50 bucks for a 64mb wouldn't you say guys. Should play on that. (You have to make sure the card is for PCI, not AGP..and should say so on box. I have seen these at like CompUSA, walmart even)
This sounds like a computer they had at wallyworld not long ago (but I could be wrong). Most of the less expensive computers they sell at big chains don't have graphics cards or good ones anyway (IMHO). Hope it works out for you patty. Essayons |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 11:23:54 AM EDT
[#39]
if it was me, and I wanted to be able to play games I'd build my own
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Posted: 8/29/2005 11:26:39 AM EDT
[#40]
Before you go out and buy a PCI video card, maake sure it will fit in the case. Some mfrs has skinny cases.
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Posted: 8/29/2005 11:29:33 AM EDT
[#41]
We're a little [okay a lot] limited with funds and capabilities. He did buy it at Wally World and we were hoping it would be a good system for him for online classes and games. Patty |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 11:50:26 AM EDT
[#42]
From what I gather, it looks like a standard ATX case. Should be no problem with a PCI vid card. |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 11:57:54 AM EDT
[#43]
well if you have to keep the computer...
I checked newegg.com and you can get a PCI interface 64mb graphics card for as little as $36 shipped to you. I would recommend nothing less than 64mb if you intend to game with newer games. Wish I had an extra to send you..i can look around the parts box for sure though. There has to be some computer gurus here who have upgraded from these. Essayons |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 12:08:51 PM EDT
[#44]
How long ago was the computer purchased? If possible, I would exchange it for another one that fits the needs a little better. It doesn't have to be expensive to play games, just a little different from the one you have now. Games are one of the most taxing applications to use a computer for. Online classes need the most basic computer. Ordering the PCI graphics card would be the easiest solution though.
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Posted: 8/29/2005 12:30:50 PM EDT
[#45]
already addressed
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Posted: 8/29/2005 1:41:13 PM EDT
[#46]
No AGP or PCI Express slot...oh, the pain...the pain...
It's still doable though by getting a PCI-based graphics card that has enough horsepower to do the job (gaming is one of the hardest jobs for PC's today...well...gaming and Beekeeper's SQL server where he keeps track of each and every single bee in real time..and he names the bees after arfcom members...but I digress...) PCI card recommendations: * GeForce 5700LE - this is currently the fastest PCI card out there that I'm aware of. * GeForce 5600 - some say it's clocked a little higher, but I couldn't locate a single PCI-based card for sale * GeForce 5500 - also clocked slightly higher than the 5700LE and it has a 128-bit memory interface. One could make a valid argument that this 5500 is faster than the 5700LE (lame edition) above. And they might be right. Until a side-by-side test is done, we won't know. The 5500 runs on the NV34 chip and the 5700LE on the NV36. Both score middling on most tests out there. Both will play any game from a year or two ago, but if we come to today's cutting edge games such as Battlefield 2, then only the 5700LE will "play" but at lower levels. BF2 isn't supporting the NV34(5500) video card for it at this time. In addition, the 5700LE can be overclocked a tiny bit...maybe 10-15% but it's most likely not worth it. The 5500 is reported to not be a good overclocker. So it's going to depend on which games he's looking at and even then, he'll lower his quality settings a tad which typically isn't much of a big deal at all. Cards I don't recommend: * ATI 9200/9250 - won't play the latest games, let alone the games coming out this Christmas/next year. * GeForce 5200 - this one's interesting, they added in all the DX9 capability for it, but the engine is so slow that it's painful. If somebody has this card, load up 3DMark 2005 (270MB download) and run through the tests...some of which give you a whopping one-frame-per-second. The ATI 9200/9250 above card won't even attempt the 3DMark 05 test. * ATI 7000/9000...slower than the 9200/9250. * ATI 9600...I don't think they made them in PCI..if they did, this would be my top choice. I'm not making this stuff up and just browsing the internet for it, I actually run a number of these video cards on machines in the house here (with the exception of the GeForce 5500) * 5200 - one on the Home Theater PC and another on a Linux box..they're great for that * 9250 - on the wife's computer, she likes Need for Speed III (she also wears out the tires on our van rather quickly...hmmm...maybe there's a connection there :) ) * 5700LE - I wanted the fastest card for a "low profile" case I built * For gaming there's the 9600XT, X800 Pro, and GeForce 6800 Last (repeat after me) "Memory is a measure of capacity, not speed" The graphics-processor-unit (GPU), the memory type, the bandwidth of the bus (64-bit, 128-bit, 256-bit) are the types of factors that contribute to speed. Some manufacturers market some lower end graphics cards such as the 9250 and 5200 with 128MB or even 256MB of memory. This won't hurt anything but your wallet. But this does not make these cards faster. In fact, in both of these cases the mathematics work out that neither of these cards will be able to fully render a full 128MB of information, they just don't have the horsepower. It's like trying to tow a 35' boat with a Chevy LUV pickup. Sure, it can be done, but nobody will want to ride to the lake with you as they can ride their bike faster. |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 1:57:58 PM EDT
[#47]
Thank you Robbie, I'll check into it. He bought the computer new for $400. I doubt he'll be able to find another computer for that price [we searched and searched] and I doubt he'll want to take it back. I'm not even sure they'd take it back if the only reason was "it won't play my games?"
I wouldn't mind buying a new card for him if it was under $50 bucks. I can probably swing that in a few weeks. Patty *ETA* lol about the beekeep! |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 4:29:17 PM EDT
[#48]
Patty,
The unfortunate facts are that those ultra-cheap computers are designed for web browsing and MS Office-like tasks, which are fairly simple. The reason these computers are cheap is because they are VERY limited as far as features and upgrade possibilities. Most modern 3D PC games are the second-most demanding application for PCs (3D animation being #1), and often require the latest high-end hardware to run (or at least, to run well). It is not at all uncommon for folks to pay more than $400 just for the video card alone for a gaming PC. A "good" gaming PC is usually going to cost more like $1,000 minimum, and a great one is more like $2,500. A top-of-the-line Alienware gaming PC can go for well over $5,000, just for some perspective. This particular PC is a uniquely lousy PC for 3D games. The video card is built on to the system board instead of being a separate, replacable item, and the system board does not have either an AGP or PCI-e slot that is necessary for high-performance 3D video. A standard PCI card will work, kind of, but performance will be lousy due to the slower PCI interface and the selection of 3D video cards for PCI slots is very limited and overpriced, since so few are made. Another issue is that modern 3D video cards require a LOT of power to run them and a lot of air movement in the case to cool them. It would not be unusual for the stock power supply in this PC to be too small to power a good video card, and its unlikely that cooling would be sufficient. Both of these problems would, sooner or later, lead to system instability or outright system failure. For much the same reason that you can't buy a car off the Chevy showroom and drive it in NASCAR, you can't buy an entry-level office PC and get gaming-PC performance out of it. He really would be better off returning this PC if games are what he wants to do, because this one is never going to get him there, no matter what you do or how much you spend on it. -Troy |
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Posted: 8/29/2005 5:39:17 PM EDT
[#49]
Patty
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Posted: 8/29/2005 6:00:02 PM EDT
[#50]
What if I upgraded mine? Is my computer easier to upgrade? How do I find out? Patty
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