Help me configure my graphics.

[Jaugust]

Hi all, this is my first time here and my first time playing TA:S. I have a (I think) low-end computer and have had trouble configuring the graphics. I really do not know anything about computers, so I do not know what specs you need/ where to get the specs in order for someone to help me. I have a Pentium(R) 4 cpu 2.00 GHz with 640 mb of RAM according to the control panel. It seems that other similar posts also include graphic cards and the like, but I do not know where to find that info or if I even have one.

So basically, either tell me that my computer is too slow to run Spring, tell me what/ where other specs are that you need in order to help, or help me configure my graphics. I know it seems as though I'm asking a lot, and I do not mean to come across as whiny, but I'm a computer newbie and need a lot of help.

Thanks in advance.

[Peet]

The easiest way to find what graphics card you have is to right click on the desktop and hit properties, and then switch to the Settings tab. The drop down menu under the monitors diagram will have "<Monitor> on <Graphics card>".

[Jaugust]

Ok, thanks. That means that my graphic card is:

Intel(R) 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller

Since that does not say Nvidia in front of it, I'm assuming that I'll have to run on the lowest settings, right? Is this game even worth playing then? I'm not much of a graphics guy (My fave game being Soldat), but I would like to be able to distinguish Units.

Also, my computer runs games like Age of Mythology fine, and I was wondering if I could run Spring as a partial 3-D (isometric-like view) so that my computer does not have to render the entire 3-D.

[Peet]

I ran that graphics processor for a few years, on a similar cpu and more ram...and I never got more than 15 fps. Lowest possible settings and low resolution (no more than 1024x768, preferably less) are your only bet to even approaching the threshold of tolerable performance.

[Jaugust]

I just finished d/ling and you were right, even under the lowest settings my fps is atrocious. Do you know of any other good RTS games that I could run on my set-up? It would be nice if they were free, seeing as I do not want to buy a game that won't even run on my computer.

[Peet]

The C&C games (up to Tiberian Sun or so; Generals was much too slow), AOEII, Empire Earth (1 only, 2 ran too slowly), TA, SC, WCII, and Glest are the RTSes that I remember running well on that setup, though there were plenty that I didn't try. You'll seriously want to consider upgrading if you're particularly interested in non-masochistic gaming.

[rcdraco]

You can buy a cheap nvidia 5800 video card I believe they're PCI only, if you have a pci-express slot, go up to 6800 or 7800, 8 series currently has issues, and I've seen better performance on my 6800gt then on my current graphics card.

Geforce FX 5200, it's $60 including shipping, should boost your fps, but if you don't have $60 you should save up.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814150270