Frame Rates

[Busher]

I am not sure if my system can handle the new game. Max 30fps with many features off. about 20 with default settings.

[bustr]

I have a GTX 760 and Win7 64bit with 8G ram. With the defaults I mostly run 50-60 FPS with exceptions like the TT terrain in the middle of NDilses.

Talk to Skuzzy but, your issue may be that you only have 2G of system ram.

From your DXdiag

Memory: 2048MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 2010MB RAM
          Page File: 1286MB used, 2734MB available

[Busher]

ya thanks Bustr...kinda figured that might be the issue. Old MB and that's all I can fit.

Hopefully AH2 stays up until the good weather returns.

[Kazaa]

I noticed significant decrease in FPS when the ack-ack is firing (from 170+ to 30-40). I also noticed that there seems to be much more ack-ack than I can remember.

Intel 260 I7 @ 4.0Ghz
Nvidia 780GTX
6Gb Ram
1920-1080p

[JimmyD3]

One thing for sure, game play will change.

[Chilli]

You might ask a professional, but that 2 GHz CPU chip may be able to overclock and help.  I suggest google, since I am curious, I will take a look also.

I do not suggest that you follow this video, but it is just an example of how it could be done.

[Busher]

I really hope that the computer requirements associated with the new game don't make the game unplayable for a noticeable number of subscribers.

[Bizman]

I'm not sure whether your motherboard allows for overclocking much, don't know the Q33 chipset specs and am too lazy to study it...

Instead you could get a second hand E8500 processor running 3.16 GHz at stock clock. Mine runs 3.8 GHz at the moment... I paid about €80 for it a couple of years ago and sold my E6450 for €50 so the price wasn't something to be explained to the wife. Also, 2 GB of RAM is way too little for a 64 bit OS. I went from 4 to 8 when I upgraded to Win7 and the difference was huge. Cost me €80 for a set of 4x2GB Corsairs, second hand.

I suppose those improvements would support your video card better, the GTX 680 is quite a good card.

[Dragon]

I am not sure if my system can handle the new game. Max 30fps with many features off. about 20 with default settings.

Running 30 or under also with settings reduced to almost minimum and eye candy turned off.

[Peanut1]

I really hope that the computer requirements associated with the new game don't make the game unplayable for a noticeable number of subscribers.

im guessing we will lose at least 50% of long time players.

[Scca]

im guessing we will lose at least 50% of long time players.

Hopefully you're wrong. Time can't stop in 1990. At some point, you have to upgrade.

[Gman]

I really hope that the computer requirements associated with the new game don't make the game unplayable for a noticeable number of subscribers.

Quote from: Peanut1 on Today at 08:44:24 PM

    im guessing we will lose at least 50% of long time players.

Hopefully you're wrong. Time can't stop in 1990. At some point, you have to upgrade.

IMO it's a complex issue - HTC being caught between the rock and a hard place.  Having large numbers of customers clamoring for a new updated game, while also having large numbers that could be at risk of being alienated by being priced out of the product BY that updated product. 

Obviously there could be some attrition, in this economy right now, those with older PCs probably aren't using them just because they are "fond" of them, it's because spending even 450$ on a fairly cheap PSU and a 970 to just get to the low end of the faster cards isn't possible for them. 

IMO it comes down to how many new players will be attracted to the game.  HT has said on a couple occasions that the long term customer isn't all that critical to HTC's income/business model, and that it relies on constant turnover in the 2 ish +/- (I forget exactly the years he used but IIRC it's something like 1 to 3 so I'm guessing in the middle) year players.  If that's the case, I don't think from an equation/math standpoint losing people due to their old PCs not being able to handle the new game, nor being able to upgrade for whatever reason, is going to factor out to making much difference to them, even in the short term, much less long.

If you really want to play the game, IMO you can find a way.  I have an old i7 920 (I think it is) with a 5770 (I know it is) card which was one of the "great" performers of its day 6 or so years ago.  I could play the new beta on it by switching some stuff off, no problem.  I can find such PCs like this HTPC for 300$ locally, and that is about 200$ USD, and is for the entire PC, not just the video card/PSU.

Based on this, I think it'll be only a very, very few that are left behind, or are going to be really upset and unhappy. 

[Chalenge]

That's just a slight exaggeration. Busher's cpu is a 2007 product, as is the baseline GTX 9800 GPU. The problem that I see with his system is a limited memory profile, which then requires a lot of page file access. It just cannot work well with AHIII without more memory, faster HDDs, and even a better GPU (although the 680 is still viable). With all of that change it would be more sensible to move into a new barebone system at minimum.

Unfortunately, no one saw the economic issues of today lasting this long, and possibly growing worse (and Gman beat me to the punch). All I can say is, buy oil while it's low!

[Gman]

Agree re Busher's PC - I had 2 680 4gb in SLI when they were the fastest cards you could buy, before the 690 came out.  They ran AH (SLI off as the AH profile is....) at max at 144fps with all but reflections cranked no trouble.  GPU Boss and other comparison sites show that the new 960 GTX is pretty much on par with the 680 GTX in terms of performance (close enough).  IMO that card with a bit of PC work would be fine.  It smoked my 5770 and by turning stuff off I can get it to playable.

[Chalenge]

Yeah, just to be clear my answer was in response to Scca. The "exaggeration" comment was in response to the "1990" one. Gman must have hit post just as I decided to reply to Scca.