Empire Total War Video Card

[benbo]

I don't know if there are any PC gamers out there. I'm not, but my kid is. I want to upgrade our video card for Empire Total War. Between the NVIDIA 9800 GT and GTS240 - will they both play the game reasonably well?

 

[Dexman PE]

I'm assuming you've already checked to see what's compatible with your current system (power supply, motherboard, software, etc.)?

Most video cards are about even these days if you compare class to class (ie. DDR5's). A great place to shop for these components online is www.newegg.com They have great spec pages which make it easy to figure out what the cards are capable of doing as well as what they are compatible with. They also have good user reviews to help split hairs if you're torn between similar cards.

 

[benbo]

I'm assuming you've already checked to see what's compatible with your current system (power supply, motherboard, software, etc.)?
Most video cards are about even these days if you compare class to class (ie. DDR5's). A great place to shop for these components online is www.newegg.com They have great spec pages which make it easy to figure out what the cards are capable of doing as well as what they are compatible with. They also have good user reviews to help split hairs if you're torn between similar cards.

I'll check it out.

My current desktop doesn't have enough power for any of these newest video cards, so I am probably just going to buy a new set up. We get a big discount on Dell computers through my work, and I'd end up paying about the same for a new video card and power supply as I would for a new, better Dell with the same components. I just want to know which video card to order

 

[Santiagj]

I have the Nvidia 9600 GT installed at home and it rocks. Total War will run fine. I used to play that game on 6800 GT so I'm sure the 9800 will work.

 

[benbo]

I have the Nvidia 9600 GT installed at home and it rocks. Total War will run fine. I used to play that game on 6800 GT so I'm sure the 9800 will work.

THanks.

I think he's got a 7-something NVIDIA in there now and he says it's slow and he can't play maximum setting, so it looks like this should do the trick. All his other stuff (RAM, processor, etc.) exceeds the system requirements pretty much. But after he chips in his Christmas money it'll only cost me around $150 to get a new backup for my laptop (I only use the desktop in emergency)

If it comes with Windows 7 that should still play the game? As you can see, I know zero about video games except between this and X-Box I spend a lot of money on them.

 

[Santiagj]

I have the Nvidia 9600 GT installed at home and it rocks. Total War will run fine. I used to play that game on 6800 GT so I'm sure the 9800 will work.

THanks.

I think he's got a 7-something NVIDIA in there now and he says it's slow and he can't play maximum setting, so it looks like this should do the trick. All his other stuff (RAM, processor, etc.) exceeds the system requirements pretty much. But after he chips in his Christmas money it'll only cost me around $150 to get a new backup for my laptop (I only use the desktop in emergency)

If it comes with Windows 7 that should still play the game? As you can see, I know zero about video games except between this and X-Box I spend a lot of money on them.

Hmm well it also depends on the memory that the video card has. More Ram never hurts. I try to max out the ram if possible. I don't think I maxed out the settings when I used to play that game. You have to be careful with windows 7 though. I think Empire Total War might have been made for XP and Vista. I'm running XP 64. Staying away from windows 7 until one service pack comes out and I am avoiding vista like the plague. I think I bought my 9600 GT for under a hundred.

I also believe that AMD run games better. Especially games that have alot of moving objects. IE first person shooters. The processor is able to handle more functions at a time then the intels.

I wonder how everyone else feels. Ive stuck with AMD ever since I bought a K8 processor.

 

[RevMen]

Right now ATI video cards are kicking the crap out of Nvidia for price/performance and performance in general. Take a look at the ATI 4890 cards if you want something a little older. If you want the latest and greatest, the 5850 is probably the best bang for your buck in video-card land, even though prices were raised around Christmas time by $50.

If you're considering an Nvidia 9800 GT, look at the 9800GTX+. For a few dollars more you get a good deal more performance. That's what I have in my machine now while as I wait for my 5850 to be delivered from Amazon.

 

[humner]

PC gamers? Aren't there any more board gamers out there?

 

[Dexman PE]

PC gamers? Aren't there any more board gamers out there?

Of course I still play board games. I used to play monopoly on my computer all the time.

 

[benbo]

Right now ATI video cards are kicking the crap out of Nvidia for price/performance and performance in general. Take a look at the ATI 4890 cards if you want something a little older. If you want the latest and greatest, the 5850 is probably the best bang for your buck in video-card land, even though prices were raised around Christmas time by $50.
If you're considering an Nvidia 9800 GT, look at the 9800GTX+. For a few dollars more you get a good deal more performance. That's what I have in my machine now while as I wait for my 5850 to be delivered from Amazon.

THanks. I'll look into it.

Do you happen to know if my kid will have problems running Empire Total War on the latest versions of Windows 7? I see conflicting information - but I'm thinking that was an early problem with the operating system. Since I don't want to risk updating my old desktop (one of the 10 worst models of all time) when I can get a great deal on a new computer. But they all come with Windows 7.

 

[RevMen]

That specific game, I don't know. But I'd be surprised if he had much trouble, if any. I'm loving Windows 7 and I've been able to run everything I've tried so far, including a fairly old version of Pirates! I dug up for nostalgia.

 

[Santiagj]

Revmen, Ive got some serious brand loyalty for Nvidia. The first pc build I did when I a freshmen in college I bought an Nvidia. I've never had any problems like over heating or other issues so I've stuck with the brand. 10 years later and Ive never bought an ATI.

Kinda the same thing for motherboards. Other than maybe on one instance Ive always bought Gigabyte boards. Im a little stuck in my ways but I would rather spend a little more money on a product that I'm sure will work than take then the risk of it not working to try to save a bit of money.

 

[Supe]

That specific game, I don't know. But I'd be surprised if he had much trouble, if any. I'm loving Windows 7 and I've been able to run everything I've tried so far, including a fairly old version of Pirates! I dug up for nostalgia.

Hmm, I may have to try some of my old LucasArts games to check for compatibility!

On a side note, I have NOT been impressed with Windows 7 otherwise, nor am I impressed with their crappy media player scheme, or how complicated it can be to find some of the advanced features/settings due to their oversimplification of menus making navigation rather difficult at times.

 

[Dexman PE]

The thing with windows 7 you have to consider: 32 bit vs 64 bit. my FIL uses 64 and has compatability issues with random software. I believe 32 bit is compatable with more programs, but the resolution is lower (but not by much, and it also depends on your video card & monitor capabilities)

 

[Flyer_PE]

I just ordered a new work machine and went with 32-bit. I use a couple of analysis programs that require USB hardware keys. The keys are incompatible with 64-bit operating systems. Also, and this is the big one, there is no 64-bit compatible adapter for updating the database for my GPS (new cycle every 28 days).

 

[Santiagj]

I'm running XP 64 and I have compatibility issues as well. There just is not a lot of software out there that can run on 64 bit systems. It doesnt really affect me much since I use my home pc mainly for gaming and using the interweb. The one thing that is annoying is that Itunes does not have a 64 bit version out there yet. I have gone about 5 months without being able to change anything on my Ipod.

 

[RevMen]

Revmen, Ive got some serious brand loyalty for Nvidia. The first pc build I did when I a freshmen in college I bought an Nvidia. I've never had any problems like over heating or other issues so I've stuck with the brand. 10 years later and Ive never bought an ATI.

I see where you're coming from, I usually prefer Nvidia cards myself, but right now the ATI cards are clearly better for the money. Nvidia put off the release of their Fermi core once again, so they've slipped even further behind the curve.

Both of my HTPC builds have Nvidia graphics and they're giving me trouble with the drivers that have been released in the last year. For some reason Nvidia cards refuse to allow LCD TVs to be treated like monitors over an HDMI connection. It's an option that used to exist but has been mysteriously removed. The result is overscan on some TVs, including the 2 TVs I use. Luckily there are workarounds, but it's kind of frustrating that something that should be so easy is so hard.

I'm surprised to hear you don't like Windows 7, Supe. Pretty much everyone I've heard from loves it. I'm running three 64-bit builds and they're all fast and stable. Except for playing Modern Warfare 2 on one of the machines, but I'm pretty sure that's a compatibility issue between my motherboard and my memory. It turns out the Gigabyte motherboard I chose is very finicky about memory.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

I'm running XP 64 and I have compatibility issues as well. There just is not a lot of software out there that can run on 64 bit systems. It doesnt really affect me much since I use my home pc mainly for gaming and using the interweb. The one thing that is annoying is that Itunes does not have a 64 bit version out there yet. I have gone about 5 months without being able to change anything on my Ipod.

This is purely a Windows issue. Macs have had 64-bit processors ever since they switched to Intel processors, but all old 32-bit software works fine on MacOS. The wonderful world of Microsoft fails again.

 

[Santiagj]

Hey!

Well .... I can't think of anything to say about Macs other then I hate them....

You guys and your single mouse button.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

Hey!

Well .... I can't think of anything to say about Macs other then I hate them....

You guys and your single mouse button.

Wow...great argument...except for the fact that any 3rd party 2, 3, ..., 8 button mouse will work with any Mac. I hate when stuff works the way it's supposed to too.