Good Frame Rate?

[Randy1]

I read through the stickys but did not see an answer to this question.  I did follow the video tips and CPU resources are good at 1%-2%.

What is the frame rate that one would consider not game binding and be competitive but below the eye candy level?

The frame rate in the tower seems to be a good, steady, repeatable reference point for comparison.  Mine runs 25 in the tower, online at a quite base.  That is using the emachines NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE 430 which I understand from the Hardware forum is good but minimal

I want to use the number as a guide  for future computer upgrades.  If 25 in the tower is a reasonable number that will keep me competitive in AH then I can delay a video card upgrade now then plan for a new computer later.

Thanks for your time.

[blazer65]

What frame rates are you getting while fighting normally?  Cuz thats really the frame rate that matters to your gameplay.  25 in the tower isn't great, but if you are getting 25 also while fighting, and it doesn't seem slow or laggy to you, then 25 is good enough.  But thats getting down close to the minimum, in my experience.  

What graphics/video settings do you have on, or what are they set at?  If you turn down the texture size in the video settings, for example, it will help with your frame rates.  Play with the other settings as well, you may be able to increase that frame rate without upgrading anything.  Although, this will lower the amount of eye candy, its usually a worthwhile trade off.

[The Fugitive]

As a bench mark, the tower at an empty base is good, as you said it's repeatable.

As a game play number....not so good. As you add more and more to the screen your frame rate will drop. 1 or 2 planes might not drop it much, but add in the smoke from a flaming hanger or two and it will drop pretty quick.  Turning down the eye candy can help you hold out longer until you can get a new computer. Emachines are NOT gaming computers and are more built for browsing the web or playing flash games on facebook. 3d games.... not so much.

The human eye can see between 20-30 frames a second. Slower it becomes a slide show, faster, you don't notice. Upgrading an Emachine is  a bit of a waste, you fix one thing and something else becomes the problem. Also, each thing you "fix" doesn't help much. Save your money a build a killer computer. It will last you a few years.... in which case you've saved up enough money for a better one   

[Randy1]

I choose the tower frame rate because in the air it jumps 20 to 50.  The tower seems to represent a base line to compare since we all are seeing the same image albeit at different texture levels.  It seems like a reasonable point of reference to me anyway.  I know the lower the number in the tower the worse it will be with a hanger fire as you noted.

I do see the two of you point that it really only matters in the air.  I do take that to heart.

What I can take away too is that the human eye frame rate detection is 20-30 frames a second.  That really is a strong reference point for me judge in those high graphics situation.  I think 95% of the time I am good to go.

I have dropped the texture rate down to 512 and went through and turned off all the eye candy settings including the skins.  I followed Waffle's video setting in the sticky and the helpful tips.

The video card seems to be the strangle point

As always I ask a question and y'all are quick to respond with solid information that really helps.

Thanks to you both.

[Bizman]

You don't tell about the specs of your emachines too much... As Fugi said, Emachines aren't gaming computers, but you might be able to give some first aid with some 2 digit upgrade...

I have a six (6) years old rig with an Intel E8500 two core CPU and a Radeon HD3870/512 plus 4 GB RAM, running WinXP. I can max all the basic viewing distance sliders with HiRes textures, getting a solid 60 most of the time, but the environmental bump mapping is a big no-no for me.

What I'm trying to say, is that you *might* get a boost with a better second hand video card, the SE series being among the weakest. It depends on, however, if your PSU can handle the extra power draw. You might like to use the Power Supply Calculator, first to see how much your current setup takes and then which GPU would fit into the same slot power consumption wise. The next step of course would be to find a suitable second hand GPU for zilch.

And of course the best alternative would be a totally new computer built according to your gaming needs.

[Randy1]

I will start a new thread in Hardware and post my machines spec there.

Thanks for all the information.