I finally got my new computer

[infowars]

I hope I made the right choice.  I bought a circuit city box computer.  One of the higher end ones I believe.  I was wondering can you guys give me tips on my AH install. 

I also was wondering with this machine will I be able to run AH at full power?  The high res for example.

Thanks...  here is a link of what I bought.

http://computers.pricegrabber.com/desktop/m/83913054/details/st=product_tab/

[drdeathx]

You have onboard video. The reviews and benchmarks for this chip weren't the greatest.

[BaldEagl]

The GeForce 9500M GS is a middle class graphics card from the GeForce 9000M series and the successor of the  8600M GT GPU. Benchmarks show an average 10% increase of frame rates in all games because of internal optimizations (compared to a 8600M GT with the same GPU and memory clock). According to Nvidia the card should also have a lower current consumption.

The card offers full DirectX 10 hardware acceleration, but is not fast enough to render DirectX 10 effects of demanding games, like Crysis, fluently.

The particularity of this video card are the "Unified Shader". Pixel- and vertex-shaders do not exist any more but 32 of the so called stream processors do the graphic work (which up to now pixel- and vertex shaders did).

Manufacturer NVIDIA
Series GeForce 9000M
Codename G84-50
Pipelines 32 - unified
Core Speed * 475 MHz
Shader Speed * 950 MHz
Memory Speed * 700 MHz
Memory Bus Width 128 Bit
Memory Type GDDR2 / GDDR3
Max. Amount of Memory 512 MB
Shared Memory no
 
DirectX DirectX 10, Shader 4.0
Transistors 289 Million
technology 80 nm

Nvidia product page:  http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_9500m_gs_us.html

Try high game settings with hi-res textures.  If it doesn't work turn the settings down slightly or go to 512 textures.

[drdeathx]

So whats with the comparison to 8600???? He wasn't asking this and the rest is common knowledge but thanx for the info/ I think Challenge is just trying way too hard. The 9500 is OK for most applications and games(Although the performance is not there compared to newer technology). Your manufactuer used this chipset because the got a real great deal and the supplier has an overabundance of them.

When you buy these "prebuilt" systems, the manufactuers build them with slightly older technology to get rid of lets say motherboards, cpu's and video chips that suppliers have an overabundance. The overabundance comes from new technology and higher performance. In this case, the 9500 was a dog a really never sold great. It may perform better than some 8xxx. They get real good deals on these items and offer the consumer a good value. They are somewhat current technology but sometimes not the latest and greatest.

If you decide to play newer graphically challenged games, a simple investment in a newer(current) video card will not be expensive. Great deals in the past week between $80 and $175. The ATI 4650 is priced at $80 which is a real good card and the 9800GT is now priced at $175. These cards will give you much better performance in gaming depending on what you run. If you run strictly Aces High you are good to go but if you decided to run Crysis, COD or new games soon to hit the market, an upgrade will be simple and inexpensive.

[BaldEagl]

I just copied an article from newegg to give him a better idea of what kind of video chip he had rather than your insightful post of:

The reviews and benchmarks for this chip weren't the greatest.

[Chalenge]

infowars its should be fine for AHII.

[1701E]

From what I remember when I bought my GPU, 7900=8600, so if 8600=9500, or there about it would be a good card for AH.
My 7900GS runs Highest settings, Hi-res pack, with AA and AsF, and keeps about 50-72 frame rate.  There should be no worry about it running the game.

[infowars]

Thanks guys...  I was playing with 10-20 frame rates with all graphics turned down.  I imagine this should improve immersion.

[drdeathx]

See Rule #5

[drdeathx]

See Rule #5

[1701E]

I was simply stating from Eagl's post ". . . from the GeForce 9000M series and the successor of the 8600M GT GPU", unless the 8600M is something completely different from the GeForce 8600 I know of.  I was saying "About" the same, meaning if a 7900 can run the way it does, a 8600 runs it the same, thus a slightly better 9500 should have no trouble.

Was not saying that a 9500 is exactly a 8600, quote: "so if 8600=9500, or there about".  Was just letting Infowars know a 9500 should run the game fine, which was the original posted question.

[BaldEagl]

8600/9500 bench 5% apart.

Even if you're right, a 5% difference is going to be undiscernable to the user.  Instead of frame rates of 50 for instance, they will be 48.  Instead of a frame rate of 30 it will be 29.

1701, the 8600M is the mobile version of the 8600.  It's used in laptops and for on-board video rather than being a discreet card.  It's also designed to reduce power use for the laptop environment.  Other than that it's pretty equivalent to a standard 8600.

drdeath, what is it with you running around the BBs telling people they are basically stupid for buying what they can afford?  Even if it's not the latest greatest thing it's still going to run AH a world better than what he had and likey, he'll be able to run high settings without issue.  Why don't you take your benchmarks and go shove them up your avitar.

[Chalenge]

Yeah two video card upgrades ago I was using 7950s and they gave me 60fps at native resolutions. No need for much more then that for AHII.

BE you ever play foxhunt? Everyone gets together at a marshaling area and one guy (or group) leaves with a radio and goes to a random point and then gives regular broadcasts while the other players use their radios to foxhunt. Its a great game. You can even have variations and prize winning... if you know what I mean. 

[TilDeath]

This is a "retired" system... once stock levels are gone they are no longer for sale.  Reason its retired..... old old technology in most of the components.

[JTs]

am i so far behind the times that a quad core with 6 gigs of ram running vista 64 is retired technology. slap in a better video card and sound card and its fine