This is my computer, will Rome work for me?

[Inuyasha12]

I have a e machines computer.
It's got an 2.80 intel celeron processor
80 gb hard drive
512mb DDR SDRAM
56K modem
Extreme graphics 3D(im guessin that's the graphics card)

Anyways when it comes to computers im a dope, im reading this all of the sticker im my comp

Anyways will Rome total war run well on my computer??

Just gimme an answer ,anyone ,please!, then you can lock this thread if you want. Im just worried i'll buy it and i wont be able to play it well.

Thanks

[crazyviking03]

Everything seems fine, i would just get a new graphics card, as emachines done come with very good cards in them.

[Inuyasha12]

What do you recomend(prefferably something cheap)

[Sjakihata]

I am very satisfied with my radeon 9700pro, it is fairly cheap now. You can also go for 9600pro which is very cheap!

[Leet Eriksson]

A nvidia fx 5600 is pretty decent too, its cheap and almost as good as its Ati counterparts.

[crazyviking03]

Yeah, I always go the Nvidia route, because they are usualy cheaper, work well, and since the most demanding game graphics wise that I play is Call of Duty. Though Rome and Half-Life 2 may demand more, I am very confident in Nvidia and its abilites to kick ass still.

[Inuyasha12]

What's the price range of those?

I mean i only plan on buying one if my RTW is too slow, or bad on my comp.

Also how are they installed?, is it too complicated?

Again im a dope on computers, and installing new hardware is like going to mars for me.

[crazyviking03]

You can get a good Nvidia card (is use 5200 and it works fine for me) for 90-120 dollars. They are easy to install, just pop it in the slot and run the driver cd. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE PCI OR AGP!!!I have installed cards on 3 different comps, and each time I bought the wrong kind, and had to take it back and look like a noob at the service desk...

[SeveredSoul]

LOL

I've been there man....standing there in line and thinking

"God...they are gonna' think I'm a moron. But really I'm not....no really!"

Think a Nvidia 4200 would run it??
I think it should.


-Soul

[Red Harvest]

Ugggh, "Extreme Graphics." Intel's graphics are a serious curse on the industry. Does it have an AGP slot? If it does then you are in luck, otherwise you are SOL. Stay away from FX5200's and anything with MX in the name--you could do much better things with the money. You need to pick a budget though before people can really help you on picking a card.

[Inuyasha12]

MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE PCI OR AGP!!!

??????????

ummm i don't know what that is.
How do i find out?

And what do you mean by slot?
Do i have to unscrew the computer up or something?
Or is it back there and im just too dumb to see it

[crazyviking03]

Yeah, you have to open up your comp. AGP and PCI are different types of slots in the comp (i dont know what they technicaly are) but tha tis all that matteres to you when putting in a card. You should be able to look either under properties for your system, or direct X diagnostic, and it shoudl tell you if you have agp or pci. You just open up your computer, pop out the original card, and pop in the new one, its really easy, you just have to be gentle in there. If you are lucky, your comp my have an extra unused slot, that way you just pop it in what ever is unused. (I am not explaining this very well, maybe some one else can chip in)

[discovery1]

Don't you have to uninstall the old drivers also? Or am I just ignorant.

That aside, it's pretty simple to install. Just open up the case, remove the od card, replace with new, close case, and plug in. Although with high ends, you will need to hook it up to the power supply.

[CrackedAxe]

Is it worth upgrading grfx cards yet or waiting until this new PCI-Express comes out? The industry seems to be saying that AGP is on its way out. anybody know anything more about this?

[Red Harvest]

PCI Express graphic cards will require a new motherboard. They only make sense when you are ready to upgrade your system (not just the graphics card). These are just now entering the market, and you can expect teething pains. AGP isn't dead by a long shot. It will be phased out for newer cards a year or two from now, but AGP cards are not going to disappear for years. AGP slots are available on most home machines today (except for many Intel integrated graphics chipsets -- junk machines that businesses buy primarily.) There will be a market for them for years.

PCI Express and PCI are different critters. PCI cards just use an existing PCI slot. You can't find modern vid cards in PCI format, because PCI has been dead end for many years. There are some old graphics cards still made for PCI, but they are slow and about three or four generations old now.

Performance wise PCI Express will probably not offer much boost over AGP for some time. The increment from PCI to AGP was small for awhile as well. The current AGP bus at 8x is not really heavily used. You will barely see any difference from setting your AGP at 2x, 4x or 8x. The reason is simple, traffic over the AGP bus (and PCI Express) is still much slower than traffic on the card itself. So game and card manufacturers keep the AGP traffic to a minimum anyway.

The original poster needs to either check with his vendor, or find some documentation of his motherboard, or look at some other motherboard reviews to find images of what an AGP slot looks like. None of us can see it, so we can't tell him what he has. If he can find the model of the motherboard chipset, someone can probably track it down for him. Documentation and "help" on these pre-built systems are hard to come buy (not his fault.) When I mess with them I often have to open the cover to figure out what is really in there.

[Inuyasha12]

Anyways the only reason i will get a new one if is Rome doesn't work on mine.
So im keeping my fingers crossed that it works well


So wadda ya think will rome still work fine on it?
Will i 'need' a new card?
I need opinions here people. gotta keep my hopes up

[CrackedAxe]

Seems like a fairly decent machine,Inuyasha, badly let down by lack of a serious graphics card. You can pick up the Radeon 9800 or the Geforce FX 5900 for about £150 ($200) now. i'm hoping to be able to run RTW ok, with an Athlon 1900XP (may upgrade this, mobo will take up to 3000) 512 DDR, and Geforce FX 5600. Not a particularly powerful system, but judging from the specs thread at the .com, it should be fine. I imagine then, with a little investment in a grfx card, you'll have no problems at all.

Anyways, dont you want a new card for all the stunning looking games due out this year?

And thanks for the comprehensive answer, Red Harvest.

[Inuyasha12]

Yes thanks to everyone who helped me and others alike who are a bit ignorant in this matter

[RTKLamorak]

i dont think the battle map will even load with integrated intel graphics, or if it does i reckon less than 5 frame per second, even that is being optimistic ;/

Take Red Harvests advice, and do NOT get a 5200 or any MX series Geforce4!!!

To be honest, i havent much looked into the use of directX 9 features in RTW. If it is going to be using directX9 features, and you want to see the extra eye candy get nothing less than a ATI 9600pro (do NOT get ANY GeforceFX series of cards if you plan to use Dx9 effects) ... otherwise, get a Geforece 4 4200ti 128mb or above for Dx8 play , or any Geforce FX card over a 5600ULTRA , or ATI card over a 9600pro.

Sadly, a celeron with its castrated cache will struggle with the computations necessary for large scale battles in RTW, and i think 1gb RAM will be essential for stutter free gameplay. But.. i havent been following RTW very closely as of yet (it will come round quicker that way ;) ) ... so am not entirely sure of the requirments needed for "good" gameplay (usually doubling the minimum specs given will give a nice level of play.. but we shall see).

I reccomend ANYONE who is thinking of upgrading for RTW to make a thread in The Apothecary and let us make sure you are getting the right kit