Can this computer be sufficiently upgraded to take over the world?
September 28, 2010 7:12 AM Subscribe
I have this computer. Will I ever be able to play Civilization V on it?
I downloaded the demo on Steam, and while it technically ran, it was a chore to play - reaaaallly slow screen redraws, lag on clicks, etc. I'm not up to date on under-the-hood PC stuff, so I don't know if a new video card would make it a smooth-as-butter experience, or if the dual core thing forever stymies this machine as a gaming box. Would a killer video card do the trick, and if so, which one should I get?
I downloaded the demo on Steam, and while it technically ran, it was a chore to play - reaaaallly slow screen redraws, lag on clicks, etc. I'm not up to date on under-the-hood PC stuff, so I don't know if a new video card would make it a smooth-as-butter experience, or if the dual core thing forever stymies this machine as a gaming box. Would a killer video card do the trick, and if so, which one should I get?
Civilization V Specs
Your video card is the only thing not meeting the minimum requirements atm. I have no suggestions for what to replace it with.. but it can't hurt to try a new graphics card.
It won't ever run awesomely because of your dual-core processor.. but it should still be able to play it.
posted by royalsong at 7:29 AM on September 28, 2010
Your video card is the only thing not meeting the minimum requirements atm. I have no suggestions for what to replace it with.. but it can't hurt to try a new graphics card.
It won't ever run awesomely because of your dual-core processor.. but it should still be able to play it.
posted by royalsong at 7:29 AM on September 28, 2010
Looking at the system requirements, I suspect your integrated graphics card is really not going to be up to the task more than the CPU. Something like this is right on the low end of the "reccomended" range and should make it playable, although Im sure you realize that system is never going to set and 3Dmark records.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:30 AM on September 28, 2010
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:30 AM on September 28, 2010
One of the machines I'm running it on is a laptop with 2GB RAM, a slower CPU (dual 2.20 GHz) but a better graphics card. It runs passably with the graphics settings on low.
So, agreeing with those that say a better graphics card should help you take over the world.
posted by Gomez_in_the_South at 7:34 AM on September 28, 2010
So, agreeing with those that say a better graphics card should help you take over the world.
posted by Gomez_in_the_South at 7:34 AM on September 28, 2010
You're going to have to be careful, though - this could easily open a can of worms. If you get a card that's too beefy, you're going to find you out-pace your power supply very easily. Your machine only has a 300W PSU. Many discrete graphics cards (almost all, today) require "external" power from the PSU, and depending on what you end up with - so watch for that. You may end up footing the bill for a new power supply and a new video card depending.
For example, if I was getting a top of the line GTX480 or whatever the newest Nvidia thing is, I would want a minimum 750W - 1000W PSU.
posted by kbanas at 7:37 AM on September 28, 2010
For example, if I was getting a top of the line GTX480 or whatever the newest Nvidia thing is, I would want a minimum 750W - 1000W PSU.
posted by kbanas at 7:37 AM on September 28, 2010
The 5750 or 5770 is about the same amount of performance (a little worse) and about the same money with lower power draw. Depending on how good the power supply that comes in there is, might be worth thinking about. It also comes with DX11, which may be useful in the future. The 5770 is kinda long and might not fit in the case, check the physical dimensions.
I agree that this is very likely the OP's problem.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 7:43 AM on September 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
I agree that this is very likely the OP's problem.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 7:43 AM on September 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
You can use the free diagnostic tool on SystemRequirementsLab.com to find out whether your machine is up to the task and, if not, exactly what you'll need to upgrade to run the game. (It looks like my laptop fails even the minimum requirements on the CPU, RAM, and video card counts, which I was not expecting -- though that may not be a bad thing, productivity-wise...)
posted by Rhaomi at 7:44 AM on September 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Rhaomi at 7:44 AM on September 28, 2010 [1 favorite]
Er, I mean 86W for Radeon5750 vs 160W for Radeon4870.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 7:45 AM on September 28, 2010
posted by a robot made out of meat at 7:45 AM on September 28, 2010
Response by poster: Kbanas, that's exactly what worries me - whether this would be the first purchase that touches off a chain reaction of more, and it ultimately would have been better to just buy a new machine. Am I better off just saving up and buying something like this?
posted by jbickers at 7:46 AM on September 28, 2010
posted by jbickers at 7:46 AM on September 28, 2010
Kbanas, that's exactly what worries me - whether this would be the first purchase that touches off a chain reaction of more, and it ultimately would have been better to just buy a new machine. Am I better off just saving up and buying something like this?
No. I wouldn't buy that, but that's just mean. It's only a marginal upgrade over your present system, and I'm not sold on those Phenom chips. The new Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 chips are where I would look for a new PC... but that said, I think you *can* come to an economical solution here and get a few more years out your machine if you carefully consider which parts to buy.
Let me take a look at NewEgg and see what I can do.
posted by kbanas at 7:54 AM on September 28, 2010
No. I wouldn't buy that, but that's just mean. It's only a marginal upgrade over your present system, and I'm not sold on those Phenom chips. The new Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 chips are where I would look for a new PC... but that said, I think you *can* come to an economical solution here and get a few more years out your machine if you carefully consider which parts to buy.
Let me take a look at NewEgg and see what I can do.
posted by kbanas at 7:54 AM on September 28, 2010
Am I better off just saving up and buying something like this?
You should only really have to worry about your power supply if you upgrade to a new graphics card. You can pick up a nice 650w supply for around $80. I consider those good upgrades, as you can swap out the motherboard, cpu and memory if you really want to upgrade (you already have a case and drives).
posted by geoff. at 7:55 AM on September 28, 2010
You should only really have to worry about your power supply if you upgrade to a new graphics card. You can pick up a nice 650w supply for around $80. I consider those good upgrades, as you can swap out the motherboard, cpu and memory if you really want to upgrade (you already have a case and drives).
posted by geoff. at 7:55 AM on September 28, 2010
Yeah, if I were you I would go with an Nvidia GTS 250 card. This will put the price point right around $150. Check it out.
I prefer Nvidia over ATI. This is kind of a personal preference thing (Coke vs Pepsi) so you could obviously get one of the ATI cards linked above, but it's just what I like.
And, unfortunately, I think you'll need to bite on a new power supply. I just don't think there's a way around it. I think you pay for what you get when it comes to power supplies. You can get them incredibly cheap. Don't. Don't, don't, don't.
I like Antec for my power needs. Check out this guy.
Again, these two parts give you at least a good 2 - 3 years more of life out of your machine. They are the definite weak links.
posted by kbanas at 8:05 AM on September 28, 2010
I prefer Nvidia over ATI. This is kind of a personal preference thing (Coke vs Pepsi) so you could obviously get one of the ATI cards linked above, but it's just what I like.
And, unfortunately, I think you'll need to bite on a new power supply. I just don't think there's a way around it. I think you pay for what you get when it comes to power supplies. You can get them incredibly cheap. Don't. Don't, don't, don't.
I like Antec for my power needs. Check out this guy.
Again, these two parts give you at least a good 2 - 3 years more of life out of your machine. They are the definite weak links.
posted by kbanas at 8:05 AM on September 28, 2010
Ugh. Maybe I'm full of shit.
The GTS 450 seems to be cheaper than the GTS 250 and supports Direct X 11.
Oh, fuck, I don't know.
posted by kbanas at 8:12 AM on September 28, 2010
The GTS 450 seems to be cheaper than the GTS 250 and supports Direct X 11.
Oh, fuck, I don't know.
posted by kbanas at 8:12 AM on September 28, 2010
Are you playing the DX11 or DX9 version? I have a piece of shit laptop and it was really, really choppy even with all settings switched to minimal/low on the DX11 version, but I loaded up the DX9 version and it ran smoothly and looked pretty damn decent with all the settings on medium.
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 8:42 AM on September 28, 2010
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 8:42 AM on September 28, 2010
Like said, you should only need a new graphics card. The 5770 is the best bang for your buck and probably won't need a PSU upgrade. If you can afford it, go for the 58 series (5850, 5870) but it may require a more powerful PSU.
posted by dozo at 9:22 AM on September 28, 2010
posted by dozo at 9:22 AM on September 28, 2010
I bet that with the lower-power consuming cards (5700 series) you won't need more power. If you get the GTX 460 and need more power, a high-quality 430W to 500W power supply runs $50-70. Don't buy cheap no-name PSUs.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 9:55 AM on September 28, 2010
posted by a robot made out of meat at 9:55 AM on September 28, 2010
I don't have Civ5 but there's some talk online asserting the whole game is playable in the flat 2D "strategic view", which doesn't look much more taxing than Civ2. But I can't find anything on whether anyone's doing that to play on an old system and is happy with the results.
posted by Zed at 10:48 AM on September 28, 2010
posted by Zed at 10:48 AM on September 28, 2010
I respectfully disagree with most of the suggestions above. Your power supply most likely does not have a 6-pin PCI-E power connector. In fact, you'll be lucky to have any spare Molex connectors coming off of your PSU (you need two Molex connectors to run one 6-pin PCI-E connector). The 5750 and all higher ATI cards require at least one PCI-E 6-pin connector. The nVidia GTS 250 and higher require at least one PCI-E 6-pin connector.
I ran your computer through the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator Lite v2.5. You will go over the 300W limit with a GTS 250 (300-345W) or 5770 (275-325W).
I have two suggestions, one ATI and one Nvidia. ATI 5670 or Nvidia GT 240 with GDDR5. Price-wise they are both around US$100 on newegg. Both perform similarly. IMHO, I would go with the ATI as it has DX11 (very slight future-proof) and ranks one tier higher on the current Tom's Hardware Graphics Hierarchy. Both cards will run on your system without overloading the power supply (total consumption between 225-275 for both). Lastly: both the GT 240 and 5670 will be sufficient to run Civ V at lowered resolution and AA settings.
As for continuing upgrades to this computer. The only other upgrade you really should consider is a memory upgrade. It wouldn't be a terrible idea to get to 3GB memory (4GB is a waste, likely a 32-bit system). After that, it's new system time.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 11:52 AM on September 28, 2010
I ran your computer through the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator Lite v2.5. You will go over the 300W limit with a GTS 250 (300-345W) or 5770 (275-325W).
I have two suggestions, one ATI and one Nvidia. ATI 5670 or Nvidia GT 240 with GDDR5. Price-wise they are both around US$100 on newegg. Both perform similarly. IMHO, I would go with the ATI as it has DX11 (very slight future-proof) and ranks one tier higher on the current Tom's Hardware Graphics Hierarchy. Both cards will run on your system without overloading the power supply (total consumption between 225-275 for both). Lastly: both the GT 240 and 5670 will be sufficient to run Civ V at lowered resolution and AA settings.
As for continuing upgrades to this computer. The only other upgrade you really should consider is a memory upgrade. It wouldn't be a terrible idea to get to 3GB memory (4GB is a waste, likely a 32-bit system). After that, it's new system time.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 11:52 AM on September 28, 2010
My box has an AMD quad-core (95W TDP) and a Radeon 5750 running off a (high quality, Seasonic) 330W power supply.
Anything lower-performing than a 5750 isn't worth it, IMO. Newegg's had them for as low as $90 recently. Nvidia's new-ish GTS 450 is another good option.
posted by unmake at 2:33 PM on September 28, 2010
Anything lower-performing than a 5750 isn't worth it, IMO. Newegg's had them for as low as $90 recently. Nvidia's new-ish GTS 450 is another good option.
posted by unmake at 2:33 PM on September 28, 2010
I had the exact same problem, and I fixed it by installing a card based on the ATI Radeon HD 4350 chipset. There's nothing special about that chipset (it's just what I had lying around), but it will definitely work. According to Google, you should be able to get one for $40-50.
posted by shponglespore at 3:29 PM on September 28, 2010
posted by shponglespore at 3:29 PM on September 28, 2010
running off a (high quality, Seasonic) 330W power supply
Having worked for a different but similar computer manufacturer than Gateway, with 99% certainty I guarantee that the Gateway does not have a high quality power supply.
My main reason in suggesting the GT240/5670 is in that they will perform without extra power supply connections.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 4:32 PM on September 28, 2010
Having worked for a different but similar computer manufacturer than Gateway, with 99% certainty I guarantee that the Gateway does not have a high quality power supply.
My main reason in suggesting the GT240/5670 is in that they will perform without extra power supply connections.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 4:32 PM on September 28, 2010
The only other upgrade you really should consider is a memory upgrade. It wouldn't be a terrible idea to get to 3GB memory (4GB is a waste, likely a 32-bit system). After that, it's new system time.
The OP's link specifies that the machine already has 4GB and 64 bit Vista (and no free slots for more RAM anyway.)
posted by Rhomboid at 7:48 PM on September 28, 2010
The OP's link specifies that the machine already has 4GB and 64 bit Vista (and no free slots for more RAM anyway.)
posted by Rhomboid at 7:48 PM on September 28, 2010
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You've got an PCI-E x16 slot in there where you could throw in a nice discrete card. Do you have a budget in mind? Could you drop $150? $200? I can recommend a card.
Your processor, while not the best thing ever, is adequate. I feel confident saying you're facing a graphics card bottleneck.
posted by kbanas at 7:27 AM on September 28, 2010