SB PRO

[armytanker]

i reallized my system will not meet the criteria to run SB PRO and im kinda upset now because i wont be able to play it .. i just recently bought sb1 and now no one will be on it and i dont have the cash to just throw out for a new puter this really SUX :(

[Ssnake]

Well, I certainly understand your frustration. But by today's computer game standards, SB Pro's system requirements are rather moderate. Compare it with FarCry (recommended: 3 GHz CPU, Radeon 9800, 512 MByte RAM, ...), Doom 3, or Half-life 2 and you'll see that 1.5 GHz CPUs, GeForce 4 Ti, and 128 MByte RAM (for Windows 98/2000 users) isn't really steep. Polygon based high resolution render engines offer great looks, but there is a price to pay here. I'm sorry, but we can't help it.

Maybe your computer offers some upgrade options (e.g. replacement of CPU and graphics card) that could lift it above the threshold. Care to list your current technical specs?

[fxman249]

Not everyone here will have a computer system yet able to run Pro PE, including myself. And another thing is that Pro PE will only allow up to 8 MP players at a time. I think the guys (and girls) here will still be here playing SB1 for a while, especially for the larger games with 12+ MP players.

[armytanker]

its old lol umm im not sure the speed its graphic are weak im not a puter whiz but i know its old wife says a pentium 2 but i thought it was a 3 but i guess i was wrong lol i want the new game but it sux that i have a wife a kid and 2 more due in january i dont have cast to get a computer i just wished that for once theyed keep us poor folk in mind lol keep same standards just make bigger and better

[Ssnake]

OK, from what I can read out of it, upgrading doesn't seem to make much sense. At least SB1 should run adequately, and I guess it'll still be around for a while.

[armytanker]

yea but my VR will be in pro

[Ssnake]

VR?

[fxman249]

One option you have AT is go to www.pcpitstop.com and run the anonymous full system test. At the end, the summary will tell you every detail about your computer, including processor, video and sound cards, hard drive, all of it. It's also a good way to check your system for any issues that you might like to fix.

Once you know the specs, you can post them here and maybe one of us can help you later to decide if upgrading is possible, or to recommend a good discount company for a new pc when you will desire to buy one.

[armytanker]

System Intel Pentium II, 350 MHz
Memory 128MB RAM
Disk Drive C
Video ATI 3D Rage Pro (atir3)
Internet MSIE 6.0
Windows Windows 98 SE

[Ssnake]

Like I suspected. No, I don't want to raise hope that a sufficient upgrade here was possible. I don't remember that there were chipsets that allowed to upgrade from a PII-350 to even just a PIII with 1 GHz (which was about the last processor model of the III-line). It just doesn't make any sense. You'd have to replace the mainboard, CPU, RAM, and graphics card - at which point you can just as well buy an entirely new one.

[armytanker]

exactly my point im aonly a sergent lol i dont make jack shit lol

[fxman249]

Another site you can check out is http://www.tigerdirect.com/ which has some great pc deals. Depending on your credit, you can also try AFEES. There is a payment plan option with the PX that you can get a cheaper pc and they just deduct it from your pay. But the computers through Tiger Direct are better and cheaper but payment plan there requires better credit than with AFEES, and the PX sells some that are more expensive in the end than what they are worth.

When you do decide you want to look into a new computer, just let me or one of the other techs know and we'll help you decide which one is best that fits your needs and budget. You can get some decent models for around $300-$400, much less that what you might have been thinking.

[sbrocker8]

Or you could build one. Sounds rough, but it's really not that bad with today's plug and play technology. I put a lot of work into my computer after I got it, sound and graphics card and more memory. Consider that all you really need to do is plug some stuff in, screw some stuff in, and fire it up... You can also save some serious money doing this if you;re after a top-end system...

[Tigger]

Armytanker you can get the same system or better than i have at Arrons on bi weeklypayments of about 60 per week. Or 110 per month.Also doesn'tArmy have a emergency thing called AER or somethinglike that my brother did that and only paid like 60 bucks a month back and borrowed 1000.All he did was tell them he had to pay some bills and stuff like that .They made him get a letter from his CO and show his rent,car payment,and utilities. They allowed for car insurance and groc., gas and such. offered him like 1200 but he only need 1k to get the computer he wanted.(But he told them he needed it for other bills. Ilisted them .Just a idea.

[sbrocker8]

Integrity check...

[Tigger]

Just out of curiosity is my system good enough or will i and AT be SB1 buddies forever.
Heres what i was given from PCPITSTOP link:

Intel Celeron, 2400 MHz
Memory 256MB RAM
Disk Drive C
Video Intel(R) 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller
Internet MSIE 6.0; AOL 9.0; SV1; Hotbar4.5.3.0; .NET CLR 1.1.4322
Windows Windows XP SP2

[Ssnake]

It's the Intel graphics controller that will give you headaches. I can't say if your mainboard has an AGP slot (it should, but you never know unless you actually take a look), but if it has, then you should be able to buy a reasonable graphics card and boost the performance to the required levels.

[fxman249]

Also, even if it has no AGP slot, you can find a decent PCI video card. Little harder to find and not as good, but it's an option if you have an older system. You can check out that Tiger Direct link for video cards to see the average prices.

[Chaplain]

I tried using the PCI version of the nVidia 5200 128. While it helped a lot in Unreal II - The Awakening, it did not help the least bit with Flight Simulator - Century of Flight. The big question is whether or not the CPU shares the burden of the video card. If so, then a PCI video card will do little to help, as the data-transfer between the card and the CPU is strangled by the PCI bus. On the other hand, if the video card does all the work, then a PCI video card might do the trick.

I'll let the eSims folk say how SB Pro PE falls on that continuum.

[fxman249]

Right. What I suggest is if you do have an AGP port, 100% go with AGP. If you are one of the unlucky few (such as me) who have no AGP port on your board, a decent PCI card will allow you to run Pro PE. As Chaplain mentioned, look into the card well before you get one, make sure it has good reviews.

[9erRed]

Greetings all,

Ref the lack of a AGP slot: Look at the new cards arriving on the scene, the PCI Express series. About as expensive as the mid series of AGP cards but will plug into the PCI slots.

PCI Express is a new Intel bus architecture that doubles the bandwidth of the AGP 8X bus, delivering over 4 GB per second in both upstream and downstream data transfers.

For an example of what these cards can do here's a link for "Tiger Direct" here in Canada. The prices start at around $110. to $300. Cdn dollars. Although I'd stick with a Generic nVidia PCB running their architacture and components, as it seems ...for now... that nVidia has a better edge into the "Express" market. IMO

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1086139&CatId=1559

That link is for the XFX GeForce 6600 Video Card @ $215.99 CDN, and you can check out all the express cards avail from there.

Later ..... 9erRed

[Viper-3]

AT please dont run a scam on AER. Thats in place for soldiers and their families who REALLY need it. Even with a child and two on the way, I find it hard that after your stated deployment you are still hard up for cash. Anyway, there are plenty of optioins at your feet to aquire some extra cash. And as a Non-Commissioned Officer you should know them. How could you ever counsel your soldiers who may be in a tough spot if you your self cant climb out of a hole.

Newegg and as others suggested Tigerdirect have pretty good prices on barebone systems. Just add your existing monitor and other accessories and there ya go. Happy SB2'ng.


Viper

[Bluewings]

9erRed : Look at the new cards arriving on the scene, the PCI Express series. About as expensive as the mid series of AGP cards but will plug into the PCI slots.


Wrong .

You need a dedicated PCI Express slot .
The old PCI slot can deliver 16 watts only while todays cards can suck up 60 watts (!) and the bandwith is 32 time smaller than the dedicated PCI Express slot .

Cheers . :3starSK:

[armytanker]

im gonna get one i looked at yesterday for 1200 bucks at 100 bucks a month its a 3.6 ,160 gig HD , 128 grafix, cd/dvd, 21 in. monitor , keyboard, mouse and a new printer... im not a scammer friend just alot of bills but i dont spend anything without discussing the wife 1st and if she says no i have no go but things been tight but im not destitute nor starving to death so settle down ill figure something out, but i do have 2 car payments etc, but i do take into consideration of extra mouths to feed and i am somewhat a tightwad that was a lil F**KED up to say but oh well
PeAcE n ChIcKeN GrEaSe

[Ssnake]

Don't stare at the RAM figure of the video card. Even 64 MByte can be plenty. The really important point is what kind of video chipset it uses. The merchants try to obscure the very fast from the pretty slow types by using only minor variations in the type label (e.g. it's a huge difference to have a Radeon 9500 Pro or a 9500 LE, a GeForce 4 Ti vs GeForce 4MX, or a Radeon 9600XT vs GeForce FX 5700 XT). The slower versions of the graphics card chipsets usually are not worth their money, so you should pay close attention here.

[armytanker]

its an onboard video

[Ssnake]

Ouch... those are usually not really great. If I were you, I'd skip the new monitor, and go for a different graphics card. The old monitor may be a pain, but maybe you can find someone later who's willing to sell a used one in replacement for a new LCD. That's bound to happen at an increasing rate in the future.

Another point: Why the big harddisk?
I mean, seriously: I have about 80 Gigabyte installed on my computer, about 50 of that filled with all kinds of development related stuff. But it's really difficult to blow up the volume of data significantly beyond that. If you're not into filesharing and heavy video processing, then 40 Gigabyte will be way more than enough for your needs.

[ShotMagnet]

Why the big harddisk?

Sometimes it's offered as part of a package.

You might not buy it otherwise, but it comes with the rest of the system, so you settle for the over-compensating HD. I have one of those, it's 160GB and I never would have asked for it, but it came with the system and the system had everything else.

I therefore accepted having enough storage space to compute the nine billion names of god.


Shot

[Chaplain]

AT, that sounds like a showroom special - they have bulked up on things like the big monitor and harddrive, but skimped on the insides (and they expect that the kind of people who buy a package deal won't notice).

If you go to the Dell Outlet, right now you can get a Dell 8300 with 3.0 Pentium 4, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB HD, Radeon 9800 Pro and a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 for $1,099. That would be a far better computer for SB Pro PE.

That one won't last long, but if you check that site out a couple of times a day, you'll get a comparable machine for a comparable price.

Start here:

http://outlet.us.dell.com/Dispatcher?target=InventoryPage&action=filter&lob=DIM&tgtSeg=B&srcType=xml&srcDetail=offer

That will help get you started. Pick Dimension 8300 under Model, click Submit Search, and then click on the column head for Price (to sort by lowest price first).

[sbrocker8]

I personally recommnd AMD Athlons over Pentiums. And yes, put some thought into your graphics card, it's possibly the most important component in a gaming PC.

As for folks who got midrange graphics cards, try getting new drivers. I recently downloaded the newest drivers for my nVidea GeForce fx5200 after not updating in over half a year and I was amazed at the difference.

[Ssnake]

AT, that sounds like a showroom special - they have bulked up on things like the big monitor and harddrive, but skimped on the insides (and they expect that the kind of people who buy a package deal won't notice).
Obviously, yes. Well, no computer dealer can work wonders. If, for a given budget, you get a printer, big harddisk, fast CPU, and a large monitor, they must save money elsewhere - where the effects aren't immediately obvious, but essential for good performance. Avoiding these typical pitfalls requires a minimum of computer know-how - just like buying used cars does.
It's like that steal of a used Corvette that still looks great, and the dealer tells you that they can offer it for this too-good-to-be-true low price because they are "more efficient" in their administration and logistical chain. Yeah, right. :twisted: