Specing a PC for MTW,MTW2 and RTW

[King Kurt]

In the near future, I am looking to get a new PC to replace our old one at home - it has been upgraded so much that only the case is the original!! I have beeen playing MTW for over 2 years and love the game to bits, but would like to be able to play RTW and MTW2 on the same machine as well as MTW. I have seen much debate about this in various threads, but wondered if there was a graphics card which can handle all 3 games - ideally with the same drivers. Any thoughts??

[Husar]

If you current card can't even handle RTW, you won't find a card that plays M2TW and allows you to keep the driver.

If you could tell us what you currently have, that might help, otherwise I would suggest you get a completely new computer.

[King Kurt]

Sorry if it wasn't clear - I am specing a new PC, not trying to upgrade my current one. I am comfortable with most aspects - I am looking for at least a Gig of RAM, big hard drive, good processor etc - it was just the card I am unsure of. I have a friendly IT guy who will source the rig for me - as opposed to Dell etc - but I would like to say which card to go for. The only other thing I was thinking was that I was tempted to stick with XP as opposed to changing to Vista.

[Judge]

welcome Kng Kurt, what name do u go by in mtw in mp??

firstly graphics card, i know ppl that can play mtw and mtw2 using gefroce 7600GT 7900GT 7900GS, aslong as u have at least 1gig ram and a good processor like a Core 2 duo E6400.

but those that have gone for the big card 8800gts, can not seem to play the original mtw/vi,

personally i will be going for one of the above as i always play mtw/vi on fridays as its revival night :)

[Lemur]

It was just the card I am unsure of. I have a friendly IT guy who will source the rig for me - as opposed to Dell etc - but I would like to say which card to go for. The only other thing I was thinking was that I was tempted to stick with XP as opposed to changing to Vista.

I've been using a card very similar to this one, and I've yet to find a game that it chokes on. DX9 only, but that's not a huge issue for a while. Most of the DX10 titles coming out in the next two years will also support DX9; notable exception being Halo 2, but that's not worth getting sweaty about, now is it?

I would recommend you stick with XP for now. Historically, Microsoft has always needed at least 3 tries to get something right. Service Pack 2 is usually the time to jump into one of their technologies. (And it's worth noting that some tech-heads are already referring to Vista as Windows ME II.)

[Gawain of Orkeny]

but those that have gone for the big card 8800gts, can not seem to play the original mtw/vi,

Hey you dont have to rub it in

Id go with my previous card, a 7950GT512 or if you prefer ATI a 1950.

[King Kurt]

Thanks for all the useful info guys - I might be back when I get nearer to buying the machine. The world of graphics cards is preety bewildering and you can pay a lot of money so want to get it as right as possible. Personaly I am more interested in the game as opposed to how it looks - hence my addiction to MTW.

Judge - sadly I do not play MP MTW - I struggle to find the time to play single player!! - If you are interested in my exploits, I reguarly post in the Pics and History thread in the Main Hall - see

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showp...04&postcount=5

for example.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Hey heres a great little deal I found for just under $1000 that should run MTW2 fine though you may want to eventually upgrade the vid card and power supply.

Micro Express MicroFlex 66B



This includes everything shown.

Micro Express MicroFlex 66B
This model may be priced as a cheap system, but its components make it a performance powerhouse.

When it comes to performance, the Micro Express MicroFlex 66B ($999 as of November 6, 2006) is a winner: It managed an impressive WorldBench 5 score of 148. The MicroFlex 66B carries a speedy 2.4-GHz Core 2 Duo E6600 processor and 2GB of memory--the only system in our roundup to do so. It also came configured with an ATI Radeon X1600 graphics card. This system produced the best graphics performance of any cheap PC on our gaming tests, making it a good choice as a versatile, low-cost gaming system.

The large, imposing case has plenty of room for expansion, with five open externally accessible drive bays (one of which is a 3.5-inch bay) and one open internal bay. The system's construction improves on previous Micro Express models: Cables are tidily bundled inside the case with reusable ties that prevent them from blocking fans and airflow.

Our only major complaint involves the system's paltry 380-watt power supply, which could become overloaded if you add several hard drives or optical drives.

The MicroFlex 66B came with a 17-inch ViewSonic VP720b LCD monitor that rendered graphics adequately but produced text lacking in sharpness and rather difficult to read at smaller font sizes. Peripherals include a comfortable wireless keyboard and mouse from Microsoft.

Micro Express describes the system as Vista-capable and offers Vista upgrade information on its site.

The fastest cheap PC we reviewed, the MicroFlex 66B is a great value. It's well worth considering if you're on a tight budget and need to perform intensive tasks like video or graphics editing.

-- Richard Baguley

Features
Very Good: 80
Basics
CPU 2.4-GHz Core 2 Duo E6600
System Memory 2048
Video & Display
Graphics Adapter ATI Radeon X1600
Graphics Board Type PCI Express
Graphics Board RAM (MB) 256
Graphics Board RAM Type DDR2
Monitor Model ViewSonic VP720b
Monitor Type LCD
Monitor Size 17
Storage
Hard Drives 1
Total HD Size (GB) 250
RAID Type none
Optical Drive Type DVD±R DL/DVD±RW
Optical Drive Speed 10
Other Storage Four-in-one media-card reader
Expansion
PCI Slots 3
PCI Express Slots 4
Open PCI Express X16 Slots 0
Open PCI Express X1 Slots 2
Open Slots 4
External Drive Bays 7
Open External Drive Bays 5
Internal Drive Bays 3
Open Internal Drive Bays 2
Ports
Serial Ports 1
Parallel Ports 1
Front USB Ports 2
Rear USB Ports 4
Front FireWire Ports 1
Rear FireWire Ports 2
Other
Audio Adapter Model Integrated Realtek HD
Audio Channels 7.1 surround
Network Adapter gigabit network adapter
Case Type Midsize tower
Operating System Windows XP Home
Other Included Hardware S-video cable
Included Software CyberLink DVD Solution, Power DVD, Nero Express
Support & Reliability
Labor Warranty (years) Four
Parts Warranty (years) Four
Weekday Support Hours 24
Saturday Support Hours 24
Sunday Support Hours 24
Toll-Free Support Yes

[x-dANGEr]

Core 2 Duo 6600.
Pro 1950 XTX (Whatever is it) 512 MB GDDR3. (I'm not sure if it is GDDR 3 or 4)

[x-dANGEr]

Core 2 Duo 6600.
Pro 1950 XTX (Whatever is it) 512 MB GDDR3. (I'm not sure if it is GDDR 3 or 4)

[x-dANGEr]

ERmmm what happened! I was writing my post and it suddenly did that!!

[Beirut]

Hey heres a great little deal I found for just under $1000 that should run MTW2 fine though you may want to eventually upgrade the vid card and power supply.

Micro Express MicroFlex 66B

PC Gamer looked at a few of their rigs and they got very good reviews.

[King Kurt]

Gawain - nice looking machine - but sadly only available in the USA I think.
I will have to work up a spec on the basis of what you kind folks have been telling me and see what my local friendly IT guy can come up with. Thanks for all your help.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Well heres a little something from another thread by Tosa that maybe of more help.

Hello YAKOBU,

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/pcranges.html
Note that the monitor and speakers are optional and not included.