Upgrade or tweak - your opinion please!!
 

I need an opinion on my hardware platform.
Current config is:
Dell Dimension 8100
P4, 1300 mhz
384 MG
Radeaon 7500 - 64 mg
swap file - 384Mg

Problem:
MOHAA Spearhead runs like a slideshow.

Solutions include:
Tweaking system - dunno how
Buy Radeaon 9700
Add RAM
New system????

You suggestions please.

Re: Upgrade or tweak - your opinion please!!
 

Try playing it on my P3 550MHz... cry:

I dunno what you could do other than lowering the video settings in-game. Did you run the auto configure exe that comes with the game? That might help.

Might wanna try running a scandisk and a defrag too.

Good luck.


Zone

there are tons of things you could do, mohaa runs well on my machine on just a tad bit lower settings(not too low that could ruin the environment), and I have half the RAM you do

If you've got the money upgrade everything. Why not. If money is a concern than I would start with your memory.[img]http://mohaa.cact-sd.org/aasigs/War.jpg[/img]

Yeah, memory is your main problem. You coulddo a full defrag like Zoner sid, and uninstall a lot of programs you dont need/use.

Thanks -
I've already did a full defrag and optimize. I reset the swap file min and max to 384, and started from a boot: still a slide show.

It's virtually unplayable.

Hmmmm...... I'm stuck.

This a bit of a long shot, but it screwed me up once - go into multiplayer options and make sure you have your connection set to the proper setting. When mine got changed somehow to 56k, it gave me the slideshow effect, especially with the firing. Your pc should be able to run it fine, but you cannot have your video settings turned up. If that doesnt help, turn all your video and andavnced setting as low as they can go and then turn them up one at a time until you get frame rate hits again. Good luck.

check to see what programs you are running in the background

Yea, and if there are NO other programs running in teh background, and you have some cash... Buy a new computer. =) I hear P4, 1.8Ghz is good.

You could also see what your snaps are set at. Mine got messed up somehow (mod i think). When u start up mohaa, type this in console w/o quotes "snaps 25". Might be yur prob

Your swap file should be about 2.5 times your RAM, so if you have 384 MB, then your swap should be 960 MB. You should also let it adjust a little: so set min to like 956 and max to 960. Try to put it in its own partition if you can.

That might help. I noticed Spearhead swaps out a lot, and when my swap was on my main partition, and I let windows control it, Spearhead barely ran when it got to swapping.

I'm having some choppy shit happening also. I know it's not my computer.
I recently reinstalled MOHAA and I think that 56k setting could be the culprit. My question is this, if the connection setting is set at 56k and not cable would that effect my pings in the game. I'm piinging 70 and all the sudden it's jumping to 150 and choppy. Now this is my clan's server and this has never happened to me before and I don't believe it's happening to anyone else. I won't know the setting until I get home tonight. If it is set on cable then I'm back to square 1. What is this snap setting your talking about?

If you get new comp, go AMD :)

But for now, I recommend a new video card.

just pick up a cheap G4 Ti4200 and OC it.

OK, I sorry, but I really don't suggest all the advice you guys gave. Not all of it, but most.

1) P4 1300mhz - This can be upgraded. Most likely, the CPU slot is the older 478 which only runs at 400mhz FSB. The newer slot, 423, runs at 533mhz FSB, and uses a different processor chip. I would suggest a new motherboard, either by Asus, Intel, or ABit, that has a 533FSB/Socket 423 P4 slot, and get a P4 chip of about 2Ghrz. The standard today is about 2.2Ghrz, so whichever you want. The highest is 3.06, but thats $700. For about $250, you can get a 2.5Ghrz chip.

384 MG - I'm guessing you mean MEGS, MEGS of RAM. Well, most Intel-based boards come with DDR slots for RAM now, but I still prefer the RDRAM. Rudedog and I both use this, except his runs at PC-1066 and mine is PC-800 (Rich bastard! lol) Anyways, the only DDR RAM that matches the speed of PC-800 RDRAM is the DDR 3500, which is reletively new. (about a month or two old). If you can afford it, or 1066 RDRAM, go for that. Otherwise, stick with PC-800 RDRAM. If you cannot get that, get the DDR. 256MB is good, 512MB is plenty.

RADEON 7500 64MB - Good card, but you can do better. biggrin: I would defineatly start by using a card with 128MB of RAM. Now, if you decide to stick with RADEON, I would up to at least a 8500. If you decide to go NVidia, I would get at least a GF3. See, alot of people don't know this, but the GF3 Ti 200 is actually worse than the original GF3. The order goes "GF3 Ti 200 -- GF3 -- GF3 Ti 500" If you can afford a GF4, go for it. But whatever you do, stay away from MX.

Until then, you can do small things to up your system. Increase ur virtual memory to 2X ur physical, then round it off to the nearest 100. (384 X 2 = 762 rounded = 800. Make the Minimum 800, and the Max 850.

Try to defrag your hard drive about once every other week.

If you have a registry cleaner (http://www.jv16.org), run that once about every other week also.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

Yes. I had this happen after I did a complete reinstall, and forgot to set this setting. Sometimes it would jump up to 400 ms.

After changing the setting, those ping spikes went away. You can find the setting in Multiplayer Options.