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please look at these PC specs...

post #1 of 14
2/17/10 at 7:09pm
Thread Starter 
My buddy bought a PC last June not planning on playing video games. Well I bought him COD:MW2 and a console type controller for christmas. First issue is that even with the resolution set at 640x480 he is getting very bad frame rates, basically unplayable. Second issue is that we can't figure out how to get the Logitech console type controller to work. He is used to playing the PS2 and he doesn't have an 360 or PS3... Are controllers supported in MW2? Below are the specs, should there be an issue with this PC? Thanks!

Hewlett-Packard a6720y
NVIDIA GeForce 9100
AMD Phenom(tm) 9550 Quad-Core Processor 2.20 GHz
6.0 GB Ram
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post #2 of 14
2/17/10 at 7:50pm
That integrated Geforce 9100 is KILLING him.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...=3856272&lang=

That machine has an open PCI-ex16 slot that you can drop a discrete graphics card in for much better gaming performance. A faster processor wouldnt hurt but assuming COD has some multi-threading optimizations it probably isnt required.

How much can he spend to get better gaming performance? A 9800GT, 250 or higher, or comparable ATI card will do the game more justice...

As for the controller there is probably some minimal configuration required to get it to work in game...I can't answer for sure since I dont have that game.
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post #3 of 14
2/17/10 at 7:57pm
Here's the latest comparison chart of graphics cards for gaming while playing Far cry 2. That 9100 would be about a full page below the bottom of the chart shown below...

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/g...ry-2,1676.html
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post #4 of 14
2/17/10 at 8:32pm
I would be careful as to which video card you choose for that computer. Most 9800 GT cards require a 500 Watt power supply. I'm sure that computer has no more than a 300 watt version. Nvidia does have a set of video cards they have released that don't require as much power. You might want to look at a GT240 such as one of the ones listed here.
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post #5 of 14
2/18/10 at 5:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cplcarlman View Post

I would be careful as to which video card you choose for that computer. Most 9800 GT cards require a 500 Watt power supply. I'm sure that computer has no more than a 300 watt version. Nvidia does have a set of video cards they have released that don't require as much power. You might want to look at a GT240 such as one of the ones listed here.

True that. Good call....

On the specs page it does call it out as a 300W PSU so that's another piece that might need some refreshing unless you go with a low power card.
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post #6 of 14
2/18/10 at 5:29am
Thread Starter 
Like many people these days money is tight and more importantly the wife probably wouldn't be happy if an upgrade was made just for gaming. He is not really that picky graphics wise, he just want to have some fun in MW2. I was very surprised to see how crappy it ran at 640x480, some graphics cards must be made with no intentions of gaming? Honestly if he could get the game to run smooth at 640x480 he would probably be happy with that. Is there any used cards that would work for him? It would seem like there would be people with boxes full of used stuff from upgrading to the best of the best all the time?
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post #7 of 14
2/18/10 at 1:27pm
My recommendation would the HD5670: but since his wife calls the shots my actual recommendation is that he just gives up gaming.
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post #8 of 14
2/18/10 at 1:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by William Mapstone View Post

Like many people these days money is tight and more importantly the wife probably wouldn't be happy if an upgrade was made just for gaming. He is not really that picky graphics wise, he just want to have some fun in MW2. I was very surprised to see how crappy it ran at 640x480, some graphics cards must be made with no intentions of gaming? Honestly if he could get the game to run smooth at 640x480 he would probably be happy with that. Is there any used cards that would work for him? It would seem like there would be people with boxes full of used stuff from upgrading to the best of the best all the time?

A low powered video card such as his computer has now is really only there to display normal desktop activities (internet/productivity/email), movie codec decoding, and casual gaming. It would work for games like Braid, Trine, The Sims, etc... It is not made to play the latest 3D accelerated games like MW2, Left 4 Dead, Battlefield series, etc...

As far as a cheaper video card upgrade, MW2 requires at least a 6600 GT or better (Nvidia) or a 1600XT or better (ATI). According to the chart from www.tomshardware.com , there are several cards that will fit the bill. Again, the determining factor here will be to buy a low power card (doesn't require a PSU upgrade) that still does the trick.

You could find a used card at ebay, but you need to make sure that before you purchase it, do a google search on its power requirements to make sure the 300 Watt PSU will be enough. Do you have a budget for this? If I knew how much money he was willing to spend, I could provide a better answer to you.
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post #9 of 14
2/18/10 at 3:03pm
I agree with what everyone has said. Needs a better graphics card and you need to be careful with wattage.

The only other thing I would say is, why the hell would you use a controller versus mouse and keyboard for a shooter???? There is simply no substitute for the mouse it terms of ease of use and precision for FPS's. Platformers or other games, sure a controller is better, but FPS's were meant for mouse and keyboard.
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post #10 of 14
2/18/10 at 4:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomfoolery_79 View Post

I agree with what everyone has said. Needs a better graphics card and you need to be careful with wattage.

The only other thing I would say is, why the hell would you use a controller versus mouse and keyboard for a shooter???? There is simply no substitute for the mouse it terms of ease of use and precision for FPS's. Platformers or other games, sure a controller is better, but FPS's were meant for mouse and keyboard.

Yeah, I failed to address this as well. There is NO substitute for mouse+keyboard in FPS games. If there is ever widespread cross platform gameplay between consoles (with controllers) and PC's, the console gamers will get absolutely demolished by the PC gamers. (I know there are a few games out there that this works with, but you have to have a Games for Windows Live account, and most people don't have one.)

I will say that when I first started playing video games on my PC, the mouse+keyboard took a little getting used to. I can remember scraping across walls while I walked all the time looking at the ground, but it doesn't take long at all to get used to.

If you must use a controller, all you have to do is download the driver for it. I have an XBOX 360 guitar controller that I use for Frets On Fire and Guitar Hero 3. Also the XBOX 360 standard wired controller is great for use with sports games (Madden/NHL/NBA) and fighting games (Street Fighter IV).

I believe you can use PS3 controllers as well as long as you download the correct drivers for them.
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post #11 of 14
2/18/10 at 5:50pm
I don't really know how this morphed into yet another assault on the humble gamepad, it seems that if anyone ever dares mention it in public (in the same breath as PC) they are guaranteed to be derided.

But there's no way I'm sitting on my couch (or bed) with a keyboard and mouse on my lap. Yes, technically speaking, KB/M is more accurate and faster, but that doesn't mean it's at all practical for the environment that the PC is set up in (eg HTPC). It's also true that certain games even work better with a gamepad, but I don't see the gamepad folk getting stuck into the KB/M crew under those circumstances. While it is absolutely true to say that if you are playing online then a gamepad is like a guaranteed handicap, this assumes the person using the gamepad is actually playing online. I'd say 99% of the time this assumption is completely wrong and in my case the only online games I play are via my Xbox 360, so it's a complete non-sequitur.

You would think that people would be allowed to make their own choice of input device without being told, over and over again, what is so damn obvious.

lastly, lets add a HD4670 to the mix, that's another low power card that could probably be picked up on ebay at a sharp price.
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post #12 of 14
2/18/10 at 6:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quidam67 View Post

I don't really know how this morphed into yet another assault on the humble gamepad, it seems that if anyone ever dares mention it in public (in the same breath as PC) they are guaranteed to be derided.

But there's no way I'm sitting on my couch (or bed) with a keyboard and mouse on my lap. Yes, technically speaking, KB/M is more accurate and faster, but that doesn't mean it's at all practical for the environment that the PC is set up in (eg HTPC). It's also true that certain games even work better with a gamepad, but I don't see the gamepad folk getting stuck into the KB/M crew under those circumstances. While it is absolutely true to say that if you are playing online then a gamepad is like a guaranteed handicap, this assumes the person using the gamepad is actually playing online. I'd say 99% of the time this assumption is completely wrong and in my case the only online games I play are via my Xbox 360, so it's a complete non-sequitur.

You would think that people would be allowed to make their own choice of input device without being told, over and over again, what is so damn obvious.

lastly, lets add a HD4670 to the mix, that's another low power card that could probably be picked up on ebay at a sharp price.

I ♥ my Xbox360 USB gamepad for **some** of my PC gaming. It's great!
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post #13 of 14
2/19/10 at 6:22am
Thread Starter 
thx everybody!

it would take me awhile to get used to a keyboard and mouse. I tried playing K/M at his house and was lost.
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post #14 of 14
2/19/10 at 4:28pm
Yep, as mentioned a 1 gig Radeon 4670 is a good bet (with low power consumption), it will run most games just fine up to 720p (some games will even run at 30 frames @1080p).

As far as I know none of the more recent COD games offer controller support but there is a program called Xpadder than can be used in place of KB/M to map the controls to a controller.

Jason
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