new pc hardware

[pizzakid13]

just ordered a refurbished dell since my 4 yr. old pc is on its final legs. the new pc has a p4 2.4, 512 ddr and 128 radeon 9800. i wanted to get one that had a top video card. so with hl2 and doom3 coming out, is this enough? i can add ram obviously. how good will the games released in the last year perform? shooters only of course.

[Renzatic Gear]

just ordered a refurbished dell since my 4 yr. old pc is on its final legs. the new pc has a p4 2.4, 512 ddr and 128 radeon 9800. i wanted to get one that had a top video card. so with hl2 and doom3 coming out, is this enough? i can add ram obviously. how good will the games released in the last year perform? shooters only of course.

With that Radeon 9800 in your rig I doubt that you'll have much to worry about over the next couple of years.

A bit more ram couldn't hurt, but as for now it's not anything you need to worry about.

[pizzakid13]

thats what i wanna hear.

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\">just ordered a refurbished dell since my 4 yr. old pc is on its final legs. the new pc has a p4 2.4, 512 ddr and 128 radeon 9800. </div>

You ordered up a great gaming system! ;)
What was your old system specs?

Out of curiosity, did purchasing refurbished from Dell save alot? [more or less than 10%?]
The warranty is same as new units also, yes?

[pizzakid13]

my old pc is a p3 500, 128 ram and 64 meg radeon

the refurbished are much more affordable. i could not have gotten that kind of stuff for under 1200. i paid 797 plus 99 for shipping.

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\">my old pc is a p3 500, 128 ram and 64 meg radeon

the refurbished are much more affordable. i could not have gotten that kind of stuff for under 1200. i paid 797 plus 99 for shipping.</div>

Thats nearly the same system I just [5 months ago or so] replaced with my new P4 2.66, 512rd, G4128mb ti system.

Wow, what a savings! Betcha cant wait to get it.......

[pizzakid13]

it will be nice not having the internet explorer crash every ten secs. and also be able to play new games. i have played SOF1 4-5 times out of boredom and not meeting minimum standards of newer games. yaaaaaaaaay!

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\">it will be nice not having the internet explorer crash every ten secs. and also be able to play new games. i have played SOF1 4-5 times out of boredom and not meeting minimum standards of newer games. yaaaaaaaaay!</div>

Assuming you didnt have XP on old system, you'll find the stability greatly improved for gaming [crash to dektops are unusual now, for me]. Aside from the video card upgrade, I think Xp was the biggest improvement of gaming fun. Of course, you'll get the benefit of MUCH faster frame rates too. Sounds like you have a lot of gaming to catch up on! ;)

[pizzakid13]

i have heard that about xp. my explorer crashes almost every time now. as far as a good game to start with, what should i look for to maximize this new system? i only play shooters on pc. i have SOF2 already and didnt really like it. not just because it didnt run well but it lacked in comparison to SOF1. something i can get cheap now.

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\">i have heard that about xp. my explorer crashes almost every time now. as far as a good game to start with, what should i look for to maximize this new system? i only play shooters on pc. i have SOF2 already and didnt really like it. not just because it didnt run well but it lacked in comparison to SOF1. something i can get cheap now.</div>

There is an abundance of reduced price FPS for PCs:
[1] Splinter Cell
[2]Vietcong [may take another week or two for price drop]
[3]Return to Castle Wolfenstien
[4]Medal of Honor; Allied Assault [+ two expansions]
[5] Unreal: Awakening [If you played the original & liked it, get this one].
[6]Hitman2

I'll stop here, cause Id like to hear where you stopped buying games [what year/titles etc] For example, did you play Deus Ex, Half life etc...

Your new Dell system is considered middle-to-upper end system. It will play 95% [if not all] of whats out there now just fine. ;)

[pizzakid13]

i bought SOF2 last year because my pc met the minimum. i loved the 1st SOF. #2 did not play real well. i also played No One Lives Forever2. that played ok. there have not been many games in the last 2 years or so that my pc could handle. i played avp2 which was ok. i started with HL back in 99 and loved it.

i just went to target and they had battlefied 1942 for 20. they also have those other games you mentioned. unreal 2 looks kinda cool. i thought splinter cell was 3rd person? i definately like the plot driven single player shooters. NOLF has a great storyline. i dont have a fast connection to play online. i used to play unreal tourney which was awesome but its just a fun shoot 'em up free for all. that gets old after a while. the graphics were great though. i made sure that the system i bought had the radeon 9800. i plan on upgrading the ram to 1024 also.

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\">i bought SOF2 last year because my pc met the minimum. i loved the 1st SOF. #2 did not play real well. i also played No One Lives Forever2. that played ok. there have not been many games in the last 2 years or so that my pc could handle. i played avp2 which was ok. i started with HL back in 99 and loved it.

i just went to target and they had battlefied 1942 for 20. they also have those other games you mentioned. unreal 2 looks kinda cool. i thought splinter cell was 3rd person? i definately like the plot driven single player shooters. NOLF has a great storyline. i dont have a fast connection to play online. i used to play unreal tourney which was awesome but its just a fun shoot 'em up free for all. that gets old after a while. the graphics were great though. i made sure that the system i bought had the radeon 9800. i plan on upgrading the ram to 1024 also.</div>

Sounds like youre ready to move on from what I read [re:"Unreal..gets old after while.."].

Have you consider FPS squad based tactical shooters?
Great buy can be had on Ghost Recon & expansions too!
A very easy to learn, relatively new squad based shooter [FP] is Vietcong, & its lotsa fun w/atmosphere.

[apologies for suggesting 3rd person games, lol!] :D

Did you play the Alien vs Predator series, both 1 & 2?

That ram upgrade will be nice, but for most apps, overkill IMO. :)

[pizzakid13]

i have heard that vietcong is pretty good. i have never played a squad based fps. i kill alone. avp2 was the only one i played. it was pretty good.

[Suicides-by-Steve]

<div class=\"smallfont\">i have heard that vietcong is pretty good. i have never played a squad based fps. i kill alone. avp2 was the only one i played. it was pretty good.</div>

If you are interested in a Squad-based tactical shooter and still want to go in solo, you may want to think about picking up Ghost Recon. It's one of the best FPS's released ever (IMO).

[Aku]

<div class=\"smallfont\"><div class=\"smallfont\"></div>
I'll stop here, cause Id like to hear where you stopped buying games [what year/titles etc] For example, did you play Deus Ex, Half life etc...

Your new Dell system is considered middle-to-upper end system. It will play 95% [if not all] of whats out there now just fine. ;)</div>

There's no reason to stop buying games, or keep playing the same game over and over because your system is old. Don't waste an old system! All you need to do is adjust the kinds of games you play. When my P3 600 started getting long in the tooth, I started playing less and less FPS kinds of games and more and more strategy and rpg games, most of which are designed to run on slower systems. Don't ever deprive yourself of the dozens and dozens of great games out there because you're hung up on the eye candy games your machine can't play! I got five good years out of my old pc because I simply changed the kinds of game I played. And I'm still playing older games on my new pc that I never finished, like H+D (which I just finished the main campaign last night, and I'm on the second Devil's Bridge mission now).

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\"><div class=\"smallfont\"></div>

There's no reason to stop buying games, or keep playing the same game over and over because your system is old. Don't waste an old system! All you need to do is adjust the kinds of games you play. When my P3 600 started getting long in the tooth, I started playing less and less FPS kinds of games and more and more strategy and rpg games, most of which are designed to run on slower systems. Don't ever deprive yourself of the dozens and dozens of great games out there because you're hung up on the eye candy games your machine can't play! I got five good years out of my old pc because I simply changed the kinds of game I played. And I'm still playing older games on my new pc that I never finished, like H+D (which I just finished the main campaign last night, and I'm on the second Devil's Bridge mission now).</div>

Good advice AKU.
Experimentation w/other genres can extend systems usefullness, not to mention your gaming fun.

SUGGESTION for "easing" into other genres would be BattleZone2. With this [older] game, you get to experience RTS elements w/FPS element. Its more than a shooter, it has history/storyline. You also get the option of piloting various vehicles/armed defensive positions. Building & controling large quantity of units adds/challenges your "shooter" experience.
The game also offers third person perspective option.
B2 will play fine on old system, looks/performs fantastic on powerful one!
I place B2 in my top ten favorites of aprox 90 games. :D

B2 is inexpensive [you may have to hunt for it.]
I'll see if I can grab a link of screens for you on B2.

AKU: how did the main campaign in H&D finish?
Seen anything new in "Deluxe" segment yet?

[pizzakid13]

i have to admit though that i am a shooter only. anything else, i go to my xbox. i used to be a console gamer for many years in the 90s. sega genesis was great. then ps1 came along. then i was shown the wonderful world of fps on pc. i was blown away and pretty much stopped playing ps1. then i got an xbox last year and i love it but dont play nearly as much as i used to. shooters on consoles are weak. but racers and sports rock. my dell just came 2 minutes ago!

[Suicides-by-Steve]

<div class=\"smallfont\">but racers and sports rock.</div>

The only problem I have with racers on consoles are the fact that the physics seem a little off. Realistic crash damage is never portrayed properly, and the cars always seem to float or slide around corners rather than act as the would in the real world. There's some racers I have played on the PC that are simple incredible in terms of the way a vehicle would realistically act when getting in an accident, or turning. Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed, Rally Trophy, and EA's F1 series are notible in those regards.

[Aku]

<div class=\"smallfont\"><div class=\"smallfont\"></div>
AKU: how did the main campaign in H&D finish?
Seen anything new in "Deluxe" segment yet?</div>

Deluxe just lumps all the campaigns from the original and the expansion together. When you finish the last mission of the last original campaign (the big airport mission), you get the first Devil's Bridge campaign unlocked in the main menu. Pretty anti-climactic. It doesn't say "Devil's Bridge", it just looks like more campaigns like the ones from the original (except the three Devil's Bridge campaigns are on the right, the others are on the left of the menu). It's really just the same game, but the infamous peninsula mission that choked my old pc ran as smooth as glass this time (their fix to have the Germans turn into backpacks when you killed them - to save on the processing with over a hundred of them on the screen at once - looks really weird, though, like you just zapped them with a magic wand or something). Of course, completing that mission successfully was another matter. It was the hardest one for me to get through.

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\"><div class=\"smallfont\"></div>

Deluxe just lumps all the campaigns from the original and the expansion together. When you finish the last mission of the last original campaign (the big airport mission), you get the first Devil's Bridge campaign unlocked in the main menu. Pretty anti-climactic. It doesn't say "Devil's Bridge", it just looks like more campaigns like the ones from the original (except the three Devil's Bridge campaigns are on the right, the others are on the left of the menu). It's really just the same game, but the infamous peninsula mission that choked my old pc ran as smooth as glass this time (their fix to have the Germans turn into backpacks when you killed them - to save on the processing with over a hundred of them on the screen at once - looks really weird, though, like you just zapped them with a magic wand or something). Of course, completing that mission successfully was another matter. It was the hardest one for me to get through.</div>

"I LIKE IT! :D
H&D will always have a place in my gaming, it moves along @ just the right pace to enjoy. [now if I would only make time to play it]

[pizzakid13]

after this post i will be hooking up the dell. hopefully, all goes well. i have settled on battlfield 1942 for my game. it is on sale for 20 at target. any probs with this game? i will re-connect after install. as for racers, i have to admit i am not the biggest sim fan. i like the stuff in the middle. half arcade half sim. madden is too in depth for me. just like gran turismo series. my fave racer so far is sega gt on xbox. tons o fun. be back soon with guns blazin!

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\">after this post i will be hooking up the dell. hopefully, all goes well. i have settled on battlfield 1942 for my game. it is on sale for 20 at target. any probs with this game? i will re-connect after install. as for racers, i have to admit i am not the biggest sim fan. i like the stuff in the middle. half arcade half sim. madden is too in depth for me. just like gran turismo series. my fave racer so far is sega gt on xbox. tons o fun. be back soon with guns blazin!</div>

Lucky you, nothing like the smell of unwrapping new electronics..ahhh.

I hear ya on sims,[some] flight sims can be a bit dry, though I hear MS's 2004 is good.
A good PC racer is Porche Unleased [older & cheap]. I like Nascars series too, though can get repetitive.

May the PC gods be w/you on boot up :D

[pizzakid13]

well, so far so good. i cant install my mouse hardware since it isnt xp capable. i wanna get the cordless explorer mouse and keyboard anyway. so whats the verdict on battlefield 1942? damn good or what?

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\">well, so far so good. i cant install my mouse hardware since it isnt xp capable. i wanna get the cordless explorer mouse and keyboard anyway. so whats the verdict on battlefield 1942? damn good or what?</div>

Check here:
http://www.pcgamereview.com/PRD_155012_1457crx.aspx

You may want to check the console boards also, Ive read different point of view there. Xbox board.
Check this thread, starting w/second reply: Tappy Tibbons:
http://forums.videogamereview.com/showthread.php?postid=6409#post6409

I havnt played PC version, many here have & will "enlighten" you.

Unless you can fly w/keyboard/mouse, you may need stick for BF'42.
You mention your mouse isnt Xp compatible.
Do you have a stick that is compatible? I ran into this w/my new rig. My MS Sidwinder Precision Pro was midi port [rig is Fire Wire/USB] & no software support. I bought a Saitek stick, very cool [& very broken].
Shopping for MS Precision Pro 2.

Get back to me w/YOUR opinion of the game pizzakid13. Since you are a gamer who enjoys FPS & some arcade, Id like to hear your view on BF. ;)

[Suicides-by-Steve]

<div class=\"smallfont\">well, so far so good. i cant install my mouse hardware since it isnt xp capable. i wanna get the cordless explorer mouse and keyboard anyway. so whats the verdict on battlefield 1942? damn good or what?</div>

Oh yeah, it's a good game all right. It just needs a patch badly now, because v1.45 broke the damn friggin' game. You should have an easier time of it, due to you owning just the game, but for those with expansions, it can be pretty sucky.

Oh yeah, if you have any troubles running it, just let me know, I'm a pro at trouble shooting the game.

[pizzakid13]

i dont have a joystick. i'd rather stick to ground patrol wasting people. NOLF2 had segments with snowmobiles which was cool.

[pizzakid13]

well i put in sof2 just to see the diff and wow. totally faster and more fun. video card handles everything effortlessly. the game loads so much faster too. all settings are pegged. when does HL2 come out?

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\">well i put in sof2 just to see the diff and wow. totally faster and more fun. video card handles everything effortlessly. the game loads so much faster too. all settings are pegged. when does HL2 come out?</div>

Try this:
http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/28497

This would be a good time to move game related topic to appropriate board, away from this SYSTEM ISSUES board. ;)

[my apologies for straying "off topic" here].

[pizzakid13]

SOF2 is running real nice. so this is what life is like with an updated pc. are there any other games that use the ghoul engine? i love the way you can shoot heads clean off. what about return to castle wolfenstein?

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\">SOF2 is running real nice. so this is what life is like with an updated pc. are there any other games that use the ghoul engine? i love the way you can shoot heads clean off. what about return to castle wolfenstein?</div>

Good news re: you new system. ;)

pizzakid23, PLEASE NOTE:
It would be useful to keep posts to this board ["SYSTEM ISSUES"] for just that, anything related to your PC software/harware/pripherals/emailetc.

Would enjoy your "Q's"/posts regarding games & any general game talk
at this location:
http://forums.videogamereview.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=27 This is General Discussion board/PC.
This would be a good time to post your "Q" regarding Return to Castle Wolfenstien there. [Yes, imo, its a good game, esp if you like FPS]

Feel free to post any SYSTEM ISSUES here :)

[pizzakid13]

how big a deal do you think it would be to double the ram from 512 to 1024? it has paired dimms so i guess i have to add 2 of the same sticks. is this thread in 2 forums now?

[Renzatic Gear]

how big a deal do you think it would be to double the ram from 512 to 1024? it has paired dimms so i guess i have to add 2 of the same sticks. is this thread in 2 forums now?

First off, what version of Windows are you running? If it's 2000/XP then it wouldn't do any harm to go up to a gig, if you're running 95 and maybe 98 it'll actually run slower due to the fact that those 2 OS's have problems with large amounts of ram.

You won't see a huge improvment, but overall your system might run a tiny bit stabler. Also, with that much ram you can go ahead and disable the swap file, which will actually lessen the occasional framerate jerk you see in most games.

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\"> is this thread in 2 forums now?</div>

No, I've kept here whats been posted thus far.
[again, my apologies for continuing discussion on game topics here. This may have caused confusion. Game topics have appropriate boards listed under PC Gaming]

Your "Q" on memory applies here [thanks!]

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\"> if you're running 95 and maybe 98 it'll actually run slower due to the fact that those 2 OS's have problems with large amounts of ram.
</div>

Yeah, I learned that the hard way [$] on my old rig w/Win 98se.
I went from 256 to 512 & thought "wow", in game has improved. If more is good, then double is better [there is a point of diminishing returns on ram w/OS 98].

But, I belive pizzakid13 has XP...load up!

Im content w/512RD ram on my XP system [so far].

[pizzakid13]

i will keep that in mind about the swapping. although i am not too sure what that is. is it ok to ask hardware questions not pertaining to games in here? when HL2 comes out, i'll upgrade the ram.

[Renzatic Gear]

i will keep that in mind about the swapping. although i am not too sure what that is. is it ok to ask hardware questions not pertaining to games in here? when HL2 comes out, i'll upgrade the ram.

lol, yeah..I think its fine to ask hardware questions in general around here. E.T is just having fun being the new mod and probably won't come down too hard on you. ;)

Anyway, a swapfile is basically some space on your harddrive that's used to emluate ram. It's not as fast as actual physical ram, though, since its read from your HDD and the comp can't read info from it as fast. It'll slow your games or programs down when Windows accesses it, so it's good if you're on a machine with low amounts of ram...but if you've got about 512 meg and up it's a good idea to disable it since Windows will usually write to the swap file before hitting up the ram. You'll get a little performance boost out of it.

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\">i will keep that in mind about the swapping. although i am not too sure what that is. is it ok to ask hardware questions not pertaining to games in here? when HL2 comes out, i'll upgrade the ram.</div>

Yes pizzakid13, as indicted above, this is the System Issues board. Post any & all topics related to you PC system. :)
Hardware issues? Yes, any & all.
Software issues? Yes, any & all.
Email Issues? Yes, any & all.
Peripheral issues? Yes, any & all.

I may have missed other system issue topics, but if they are related to your pc, post them here.

Have you had a chance to look @ all the boards available for PC gaming here? They cover games by category. There is also a "Hints" board, "News & Rumors" board. There is a "General Discussion board, you can talk about most anything there, just keep it relative to gaming & in good taste.

Thanks! ;)

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\">lol, yeah..I think its fine to ask hardware questions in general around here. E.T is just having fun being the new mod and probably won't come down too hard on you. ;)

</div>

Yes, Im having fun here [on the pc boards].

I mention "off topic" posts as I have received two crticisms from members regarding the eclectic arrangement of posts.

At this point, it has been determined "off topic" posts will be tolerated to a degree. Its discretionary. :)

[pizzakid13]

i have checked them out. i intend on cruising the action board. what are the goin rates for upgrading to 1024 ram?

[E.T.]

<div class=\"smallfont\">i have checked them out. i intend on cruising the action board. what are the goin rates for upgrading to 1024 ram?</div>

Heres one source:

http://www.memorysuppliers.com/ddrpc.html