Second Life Forums Archive - Computer Hardware Question

Carolyn Crosley

Born from the Mind

Join date: 19 Oct 2006

Posts: 332

10-25-2006 04:53

Would a high end Video card make a substantial difference in the viewing quality and detail in SL?

And;

What difference would I see if I had a gaming machine rather than a standard Pentium PC?

Thanks in advance for you responce and time.

Thili Playfair

Registered User

Join date: 18 Aug 2004

Posts: 2,417

10-25-2006 10:06

Anything above nvidia6600/7600 (dont ask me about ati)
nope not a squat diffrence in SL.

SL want cpu, alot of it,
gaming pc would prob have 1 gig ram 3ghz 7x00 card
normal pc i guess 512 ram 6x00/7x00 card

Ram Ram Ram 2gig is prefered now as SL eat 1 gig easy, and performance is crud on 512.

WannaPiEcE Crabgrass

Clearwater Beach, Florida

Join date: 13 Aug 2006

Posts: 93

10-25-2006 18:21

I used to play a MUCH more demanding video game

SL is cake compared to it

Yes Thilli, a 256mb Video card would make a difference in just how clean or fast the textures look and load it will take less strain off your CPU and RAM.

And yes RAM is also a good idea...

My Specs: Intel Xeon P4 1.6ghz - 512mb Rhambus ram - 256mb Nvidia AGP - 4mbs DSL Connection and I run SL just fine!

_____________________

Carolyn Crosley

Born from the Mind

Join date: 19 Oct 2006

Posts: 332

10-26-2006 04:11

Thanks for all of the information!! I'll try and upgrade my machine as suggested.

Feynt Mistral

Registered User

Join date: 24 Sep 2005

Posts: 551

10-26-2006 10:09

Reports from friends state that 1-2 gigs of RAM will make SL glide, even with a 128 meg video card. At the very least it won't look that choppy and your system should be pretty responsive.

_____________________

I dream of a better tomorrow in SL!
You should too. Visit, vote, voice opinions.
Support CSG! Tell LL how much it would mean to subtract one prim from another!
Prim Animation! Stop by and say something about it, show your support!

Lee Ponzu

What Would Steve Do?

Join date: 28 Jun 2006

Posts: 1,770

10-26-2006 13:55

From: Carolyn Crosley

What difference would I see if I had a gaming machine rather than a standard Pentium PC?

Thanks in advance for you responce and time.

A "gaming" machine is really just a "standard" machine pre-configured to be good for gaming. Of course, there are really extreme examples of this, that cost thousands of dollars.

One good approach is to find a PC customizer. Use Google, and search for something like

PC gaming custom <insert your location here>

Buzzer Kyger

Registered User

Join date: 1 Oct 2006

Posts: 29

10-26-2006 15:53

Hi, All -

I thought I'd piggyback my question on Carolyn's since it's similar to hers. I’m planning to upgrade my pc in order to maximize my SL experience.

Current system: Dell Dimension 8400
- Pentium4 CPU, 3 GHz
- RAM 512 MB, 2.99 GHz
- 128 MB graphics card

Planned upgrades:
- Memory: 1 GB Module
- GeForce 7300 GT 256 MB DDR2 PCI Express Graphics Card

Would appreciate any comments/advice on my plan as it relates to performance in SL.

Thanks –

Buzzer

Carolyn Crosley

Born from the Mind

Join date: 19 Oct 2006

Posts: 332

10-27-2006 03:41

Any comments for Buzzer??

CJ Christensen

Secondlife chilled GURU

Join date: 23 Dec 2005

Posts: 122

10-27-2006 04:49

id say 1gb of ram and any 256mb grafix card at least would show improvement.

also your dsl speed makes a difference and is often overlooked.

Frowning Shark

Registered User

Join date: 9 Feb 2005

Posts: 3

10-29-2006 11:26

SL relies mostly on CPU and RAM.
3ghz is probably fast enough for a smooth frame rate.
1.5gb+ of RAM is a must for a smooth-ish run.
Gfx cards do not make much difference yet, until Havok 2 comes in. 128mb+ card would do just fine. Since SL does not use Gfx cards like other (normal) games. SL does not have pre-mapped textures and such. Everything is done on the go, so CPU takes 70-90% of the pressure.

Hope this helps.

Teeny Leviathan

Never started World War 3

Join date: 20 May 2003

Posts: 2,716

10-29-2006 12:43

From: Carolyn Crosley

Any comments for Buzzer??

The 7300GT will do the job, but if Buzzer's budget can stand it, go for a 7600. Also, have at least a 400w power supply if you upgrade the video card.

Buzzer Kyger

Registered User

Join date: 1 Oct 2006

Posts: 29

10-29-2006 14:01

Thanks, all. I went with the 7300 and 1gb mem. Haven't installed them yet so I don't have anything else to report.

Cheers -

b

Computer Hardware Question
Carolyn Crosley Born from the Mind Join date: 19 Oct 2006 Posts: 332	10-25-2006 04:53 Would a high end Video card make a substantial difference in the viewing quality and detail in SL? And; What difference would I see if I had a gaming machine rather than a standard Pentium PC? Thanks in advance for you responce and time.
Thili Playfair Registered User Join date: 18 Aug 2004 Posts: 2,417	10-25-2006 10:06 Anything above nvidia6600/7600 (dont ask me about ati) nope not a squat diffrence in SL. SL want cpu, alot of it, gaming pc would prob have 1 gig ram 3ghz 7x00 card normal pc i guess 512 ram 6x00/7x00 card Ram Ram Ram 2gig is prefered now as SL eat 1 gig easy, and performance is crud on 512.
WannaPiEcE Crabgrass Clearwater Beach, Florida Join date: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 93	10-25-2006 18:21 I used to play a MUCH more demanding video game SL is cake compared to it Yes Thilli, a 256mb Video card would make a difference in just how clean or fast the textures look and load it will take less strain off your CPU and RAM. And yes RAM is also a good idea... My Specs: Intel Xeon P4 1.6ghz - 512mb Rhambus ram - 256mb Nvidia AGP - 4mbs DSL Connection and I run SL just fine! _____________________
Carolyn Crosley Born from the Mind Join date: 19 Oct 2006 Posts: 332	10-26-2006 04:11 Thanks for all of the information!! I'll try and upgrade my machine as suggested.
Feynt Mistral Registered User Join date: 24 Sep 2005 Posts: 551	10-26-2006 10:09 Reports from friends state that 1-2 gigs of RAM will make SL glide, even with a 128 meg video card. At the very least it won't look that choppy and your system should be pretty responsive. _____________________ I dream of a better tomorrow in SL! You should too. Visit, vote, voice opinions. Support CSG! Tell LL how much it would mean to subtract one prim from another! Prim Animation! Stop by and say something about it, show your support!
Lee Ponzu What Would Steve Do? Join date: 28 Jun 2006 Posts: 1,770	10-26-2006 13:55 From: Carolyn Crosley What difference would I see if I had a gaming machine rather than a standard Pentium PC? Thanks in advance for you responce and time. A "gaming" machine is really just a "standard" machine pre-configured to be good for gaming. Of course, there are really extreme examples of this, that cost thousands of dollars. One good approach is to find a PC customizer. Use Google, and search for something like PC gaming custom <insert your location here>
Buzzer Kyger Registered User Join date: 1 Oct 2006 Posts: 29	10-26-2006 15:53 Hi, All - I thought I'd piggyback my question on Carolyn's since it's similar to hers. I’m planning to upgrade my pc in order to maximize my SL experience. Current system: Dell Dimension 8400 - Pentium4 CPU, 3 GHz - RAM 512 MB, 2.99 GHz - 128 MB graphics card Planned upgrades: - Memory: 1 GB Module - GeForce 7300 GT 256 MB DDR2 PCI Express Graphics Card Would appreciate any comments/advice on my plan as it relates to performance in SL. Thanks – Buzzer
Carolyn Crosley Born from the Mind Join date: 19 Oct 2006 Posts: 332	10-27-2006 03:41 Any comments for Buzzer??
CJ Christensen Secondlife chilled GURU Join date: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 122	10-27-2006 04:49 id say 1gb of ram and any 256mb grafix card at least would show improvement. also your dsl speed makes a difference and is often overlooked.
Frowning Shark Registered User Join date: 9 Feb 2005 Posts: 3	10-29-2006 11:26 SL relies mostly on CPU and RAM. 3ghz is probably fast enough for a smooth frame rate. 1.5gb+ of RAM is a must for a smooth-ish run. Gfx cards do not make much difference yet, until Havok 2 comes in. 128mb+ card would do just fine. Since SL does not use Gfx cards like other (normal) games. SL does not have pre-mapped textures and such. Everything is done on the go, so CPU takes 70-90% of the pressure. Hope this helps.
Teeny Leviathan Never started World War 3 Join date: 20 May 2003 Posts: 2,716	10-29-2006 12:43 From: Carolyn Crosley Any comments for Buzzer?? The 7300GT will do the job, but if Buzzer's budget can stand it, go for a 7600. Also, have at least a 400w power supply if you upgrade the video card.
Buzzer Kyger Registered User Join date: 1 Oct 2006 Posts: 29	10-29-2006 14:01 Thanks, all. I went with the 7300 and 1gb mem. Haven't installed them yet so I don't have anything else to report. Cheers - b

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