Most of the time I just explore SL, but when I go to gatherings(Like the Radio 1 event, which was really fun) I get a lot of lag and my fps drops down to the 7-5 range. Bad, I know. What I don't know is video cards, I haven't really been keeping up with the latest info on them.
I'm running an AMD Athlon XP 2200+ with 512MB of ram. My video card is a GeForce FX 5200 AGP. Its been a faithful card since the day I got it, but now it looks like I need to upgrade it. But to what? I've got a small budget, $100 is my limit.
I did find on newegg a $60 Leadtek Geforce 6200 128MB card. But then there are lower priced FX 5500 cards too. I'm not much for PC games, but having to have my settings in SL at the very bottom isnt that great.
To use the cliche, which will give the most bang for my buck?
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Which card to buy |
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Yatima Meiji
Registered User
Join date: 23 Apr 2005
Posts: 9
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05-13-2006 15:36
_____________________
Being intelligent is not a felony, but most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor. ~ Lazarus Long
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Ketra Saarinen
Whitelock 'Yena-gal
Join date: 1 Feb 2006
Posts: 676
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05-13-2006 16:29
Most bang for alimited buck will be more RAM. Your current video card is far and away enough for SL, even for 1.9.1. The reason why framerates are so low is because SL doesn't use the advanced features of today's video cards which can reduce the load on teh rest of your system. SUbsequently, SL leans heavily on your CPU and RAM. Going to 1GB or 2GB of RAM will be a large improvement. Upgrading your CPU to a 3000+ or better will help as well. But I think upgrading just your video card will result in disappointment.
Also, as for video card choice, a 6200 is not reccomended. It's the bottom of the line for the 6 series. I reccomend at least the 6600 or higher. But again, I reccomend upgrading the core of your system first. _____________________
J: You've been to the Factories? DW: Once J: Well they're gone now, destroyed. Main reactor went critical, vaporized the lot. DW: Like I said: Once. There's a banana grove there now. I like bananas. Bananas are good. Robot Lords of Tokyo, smile, Taste Kittens! |
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Thili Playfair
Registered User
Join date: 18 Aug 2004
Posts: 2,417
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05-13-2006 17:50
Recommended min 6600 card, and above wont do much for now.
Agree with above poster, SL > 1024 ram 3ghz+ cpu |
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Sparkle Skye
Second Life Resident
Join date: 27 Oct 2004
Posts: 1,016
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05-13-2006 20:21
I have to disagree I was running a bfg 5700 ultra with 128 mb of ram and a gig of ram, but sometimes in crowds it was a bit slow. it did well for the most part. I had been eyeing BFG's 5900 for a while, I finally too the plunge and got it and it was worth every penny and then some, my partner has a 5700 with 256 ram same amount of ram in the system and now I consistently run 10 t0 15 frames faster then he is. It was pricey and hard to find in stock and I cant say that its everyone experience but certainly worked for me.
http://www.bfgtech.com/5900u_redux.html] _____________________
Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder...Always hold Beauty
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Thili Playfair
Registered User
Join date: 18 Aug 2004
Posts: 2,417
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05-13-2006 20:43
o.O prices where i live 6600 is cheaper then a 5900, prob cause that cards hardly selling anymore 3-4 years old now.
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Yatima Meiji
Registered User
Join date: 23 Apr 2005
Posts: 9
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05-15-2006 12:40
Thanks for the info everyone, I'm going to buy the ram but also am going to save up for a eVGA Geforce 6600LE.
_____________________
Being intelligent is not a felony, but most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor. ~ Lazarus Long
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