Pyat - now in technicolour

[pyat]

I bought a graphics card today. My computer is about 3 years old, but it is relatively beefy still, and was sufficient to run any new computer game... save for the fact that it had "integrated video memory." Which is to say, no video card of any kind. This was not a terrible problem, because we tend to play older games, and the integrated memory was enough, most of the time.

I only noticed it when playing Second Life. While other people had this crazy graphically intense wonderland of customization, I was navigating at about 0.3 frames per second, and could not see obstacles more than 6 inches in front of my face. I'd walk into invisible walls and fall off cliffs. I'd teleport to a new place, go to bed, and come back to find that about 1/3 of the room had been loaded.

Now, I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.

I also noticed the lack of card when playing Neverwinter Nights 2, which ran like a crippled duck. Naturally, though, I can now no longer find my copy of the game to try it again. I can find Full Throttle, for crying out loud, and a host of other games that have been collecting dust since the late 90s, but not the one I bought earlier this year. Sigh.

Oh, and I also hit the FLGS's Boxing Day sale and picked up the new Elric of Melnibone RPG for $14.95, a Werewolf GM screen (you never know!) and the latest edition of Champions for $9.95.

Comments

[madmanofprague.livejournal.com]

Man, Full Throttle is cool.

Sigh.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

"I thank the La-oooord each day... for the Apocalypse!*

[dronon.livejournal.com]

Hee! I think I have an mp3 of that somewhere, if you're interested. As I recall it's pretty short, with only one verse and then goes instrumental.

[thebitterguy]

BTW: did you mention a few days ago that you'd bought The Sims? Because I have a crapload of expansions for the game I'll never use, if you'll give them a good home.

BTW2: You're in SL?

[catsarah.livejournal.com]

Yes he is! Me too :)

[thebitterguy]

Cool. I am Justen Mokeev. Look me up sometime.

[catsarah.livejournal.com]

I looked, but you were gone! ;)

[pyat.livejournal.com]

She is! She has furry avatars, if you can believe it. Weirdos.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

That was not me! I am Simless!

I've been on SL for ages - like, since 2004. But I have barely touched it since 2005, when the graphics requirements became such that it ran like epileptic molasses. I"m Pyat Poutine!

[doc-mystery.livejournal.com]

I'm in the same situation you are in, an older machine with only an integrated video card.

I really need to get a decent one, as I have a hankering to 1) play BioShock and 2) have images load faster on my much larger LCD monitor.

What did you eventually get?

::B::

[pyat.livejournal.com]

I got an ATI Radeon 2600 512 MB PCI-E, for $40 at a Staples Boxing Day sale. They had 256 MB ones on for $29.99. Hardly top of the line, but it really made a difference.

Do you know what interface your computer uses for the graphics card?

[doc-mystery.livejournal.com]

Hmm...I'm not certain.

What I have now is an Intel 82865G Graphics Controller, which appears to be the one on my ancient ASUSTek P4P800-MX Rev 1.xx mother board.

I imagine I could plug in nearly anything and have my display be enhanced.

::B::

[doc-mystery.livejournal.com]

And looking at my display settings, I currently have allocated a whopping 64 MB of memory.

::B::

[pyat.livejournal.com]

There are a number of different formats for the cards - PCI, PCI-X, AGP, and PCIe. PCIe and AGP are most likely candidates. PCIe is the newest, and you computer probably has it if you bought it after 2004.

[doc-mystery.livejournal.com]

Alas, I only have PCI.

Time to upgrade my motherboard!

::B::

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Attack ships off the corner of Luskwood?

[pyat.livejournal.com]

C-Clamps glittering in the moonlight off her.... NEVERMIND.

[relee.livejournal.com]

Huh, I didn't think you played video games Mr. Mouse!

Yeah, Neverwinter Nights 2 is a very graphically intense video game. My previous computer could barely run it, and even my new super ultimate computer can't quite handle it at full power.

What sort of video card did you get? Did you install it yourself or get someone else to? How well does SL run now? You may have gotten 'a' graphics card, but it might not be the kind of graphics card that can make NWN2 run properly.

Oh, actually, you should be able to try this! A friend of mine showed it to me before, it's a website that scans your computer and tells you how well certain programs will run.

http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest

[pyat.livejournal.com]

I play some video games! I'm just not very good at them.

I got an AT Radeon 2600 512 MB PCI-E card, and installed it myself - I just snapped it in, plugged in the monitor, and it was working.

[relee.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you just need practice. ^.^

Good luck Mr. Mouse!