A Graphics Card for MW

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu May 27, 2004 8:57 pm

Why a GeForce 2 video card, in particular? Why not a high end Radeon? Or any reasonable card, for that matter? After all, Morrowind is 2 years old. It's visuals are beautiful, but dated. It's poorly optimized as a game--meaning that it needs memory thrown at it, and processing power. But a great graphics card? I don't know you'd get out of a higher end one, and I'm genuinely curious why you think it's important.

Gwalchmai · Post by **Gwalchmai** » Thu May 27, 2004 9:52 pm

Originally posted by dragon wench
I don't get snacks but I do things like folding laundry...

LOL! Yeah, I've also been known to organize bills, put kids to bed, and load the dishwasher during the long loads!

Really, I was able to double my RAM for only $40 (after the mail-in rebate) so I didn't see any reason not to. Its all good.

i4v02v95i5p09k9 · Post by **i4v02v95i5p09k9** » Thu May 27, 2004 9:55 pm

Beware with these Nvidia Geforce Cards.. mine seems to be very picky with Direct X, now im limited to Solitare and Minesweeper on my poor PC..

Ares2382 · Post by **Ares2382** » Thu May 27, 2004 10:23 pm

Originally posted by fable
Why a GeForce 2 video card, in particular? Why not a high end Radeon? Or any reasonable card, for that matter? After all, Morrowind is 2 years old. It's visuals are beautiful, but dated. It's poorly optimized as a game--meaning that it needs memory thrown at it, and processing power. But a great graphics card? I don't know you'd get out of a higher end one, and I'm genuinely curious why you think it's important.

read my previous post in this thread, I am not saying the vid card is the ONLY thing you need, I'm just saying that before I got GeForce 2 there were certain effects that I was not able to see (like the pretty water effects) because the older cards did not support it, and I am not saying you shouldn't get Radeon, I'm just using GeForce cause of personal experience with it, by all means feel free to get Radeon if you like it. Also I didn't say get GeForce 2 I said "post GeForce 2" meaning anything that came after it is good.

fable · Post by **fable** » Fri May 28, 2004 7:52 am

Originally posted by Ares2382
read my previous post in this thread, I am not saying the vid card is the ONLY thing you need, I'm just saying that before I got GeForce 2 there were certain effects that I was not able to see (like the pretty water effects) because the older cards did not support it, and I am not saying you shouldn't get Radeon, I'm just using GeForce cause of personal experience with it, by all means feel free to get Radeon if you like it. Also I didn't say get GeForce 2 I said "post GeForce 2" meaning anything that came after it is good.

I did read your previous post--the part where you wrote "but it won't help you with getting all the eye candy that this game can be, unless you have a post GeForce 2 vid card." I wasn't attacking this view; I was just seeking reasonable arguments backing it so I could make an informed decision for a possible upgrade. At this point, I currently have a Radeon 9600, and I'm thinking about price, and value. Hence, my question.

Gwalchmai · Post by **Gwalchmai** » Fri May 28, 2004 9:16 am

Originally posted by i4v02v95i5p09k9
Beware with these Nvidia Geforce Cards.. mine seems to be very picky with Direct X, now im limited to Solitare and Minesweeper on my poor PC..

I've never had a problem with mine. Updating the drivers is always a good idea from time-to-time....

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Fri May 28, 2004 9:25 am

Originally posted by Gwalchmai
LOL! Yeah, I've also been known to organize bills, put kids to bed, and load the dishwasher during the long loads!

Really, I was able to double my RAM for only $40 (after the mail-in rebate) so I didn't see any reason not to. Its all good.

Well I'm thinking I will have to investigate more RAM in the next few days. I was thinking though, it's a telling statement about the game that people are prepared to put up with the long loads and instability just to play Morrowind.

As far as a graphics card goes, well I'm really cautious. It's not something I can spend a lot of money on right now, so unless I can get a really good deal somewhere I'm getting the sense it isn't particularly worth it, not on my current machine anyway. It will probably make far more sense to get the additional RAM and then just buy a new computer when circumstances allow. *sigh*

No doubt I am missing out on some of the eye candy the game has to offer, but that being said, this is still one of the most visually appealing games I have played, so for me it is still pretty good; largely it were the load times that were getting to me, and if that can be fixed with just more RAM, hey I'm happy!

Ares2382 · Post by **Ares2382** » Fri May 28, 2004 11:00 am

Originally posted by Ares2382
read my previous post in this thread, I am not saying the vid card is the ONLY thing you need, I'm just saying that before I got GeForce 2 there were certain effects that I was not able to see (like the pretty water effects) because the older cards did not support it, and I am not saying you shouldn't get Radeon, I'm just using GeForce cause of personal experience with it, by all means feel free to get Radeon if you like it. Also I didn't say get GeForce 2 I said "post GeForce 2" meaning anything that came after it is good.

I was reffering to an even earlier post by me, it's on the first page. The one that I talk about my personal experience. It's about the 3rd one from the bottom of the first page.

Fallowmar · Post by **Fallowmar** » Sat May 29, 2004 3:17 am

The problem with DW upgrading her memory is that if she plans on getting a new system in the near future, the memory won't be compatible. The standard right now is DDR (double data rate) for all of the new systems, usually about PC 3200. If her system is that old, I doubt it would use DDR ram, in which case whatever she buys she is stuck with for just that system.

My current system is an Athlon 1.4 gig with 768megs of DDR ram and a geforce 4 ti4400. Not the best of systems by far, but it runs the game fairly well. I still get lag in some places but oh well, I can live with it for now. I want to get a laptop before I upgrade my home system.

If I had DW's system I would seriously consider just getting a whole new comp. The reason I say this is because you can get a much better computer for about 300-400 dollars if you don't need a monitor. But if you upgrade that one you are looking at about $150 for a new video card and memory... maybe more as I haven't checked current ram prices. Anyways, that is my 2 cents, add a dollar and you can buy a pack of gum.

-Nate

Fallowmar · Post by **Fallowmar** » Sat May 29, 2004 3:17 am

ok, double post and it wouldn't let me delete one of them

-Nate

fable · Post by **fable** » Sat May 29, 2004 6:57 am

Originally posted by Fallowmar
If I had DW's system I would seriously consider just getting a whole new comp. The reason I say this is because you can get a much better computer for about 300-400 dollars if you don't need a monitor. But if you upgrade that one you are looking at about $150 for a new video card and memory... maybe more as I haven't checked current ram prices. Anyways, that is my 2 cents, add a dollar and you can buy a pack of gum.

What kind of PC system can you get for $400 that can play Morrowind well?

Fallowmar · Post by **Fallowmar** » Sat May 29, 2004 7:14 am

Friend of mine just bought a emachine with a celeron 2.8 gig and 512 megs of DDR for $450 with a $100 mail in rebate. It also had a DVD burner and a 40gig HD. No monitor though and the video card was onboard, but still $350 after rebate isn't bad. I personally just build my systems, but if you want something that has a warranty past 90 days, I would suggest a prebuilt.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Sat May 29, 2004 9:39 am

Originally posted by Fallowmar
The problem with DW upgrading her memory is that if she plans on getting a new system in the near future, the memory won't be compatible. The standard right now is DDR (double data rate) for all of the new systems, usually about PC 3200. If her system is that old, I doubt it would use DDR ram, in which case whatever she buys she is stuck with for just that system.

f I had DW's system I would seriously consider just getting a whole new comp. The reason I say this is because you can get a much better computer for about 300-400 dollars if you don't need a monitor. But if you upgrade that one you are looking at about $150 for a new video card and memory... maybe more as I haven't checked current ram prices. Anyways, that is my 2 cents, add a dollar and you can buy a pack of gum.

I know you can get some decent deals out there on computers if you are lucky. However, I'm not a techie, so it is more difficult for me to know if I really am getting a good deal. I have friends who have been lured by cheap options and regretted it immensely, so I suspect it is something of a crapshoot.

As I stated, I really would like to get a brand new computer with all the trimmings but this is not an option at the moment. Besides, I also need (well, maybe want

) a new monitor. Also, I'm in Canada... it's a bit pricier up here.

I've decided against a new video card, in favour of getting extra RAM. From what I have read here and in Fable's thread, I sense this will make a significant difference, and I can pick some up relatively inexpensively. Okay, I won't be able to use it when I do upgrade, but it is not as though the investment will have been that huge.

Given the age of my machine I'm actually surprised the game runs as well as it does. It rarely crashes, and the graphics still look fine. My only real problem is the lengthy loads, and it really does sound as though RAM will ameliorate this.

fable · Post by **fable** » Sat May 29, 2004 1:53 pm

Originally posted by Fallowmar
Friend of mine just bought a emachine with a celeron 2.8 gig and 512 megs of DDR for $450 with a $100 mail in rebate. It also had a DVD burner and a 40gig HD. No monitor though and the video card was onboard, but still $350 after rebate isn't bad. I personally just build my systems, but if you want something that has a warranty past 90 days, I would suggest a prebuilt.

The problems I'm finding are that prebuilt machines are essentially cheap when they're just a core, and I doubt my skills at moving my hard drive, CD drives and floppy drive over. I also have concerns about compatibility once that's done, and no way essentially of checking or maintaining this.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Sat May 29, 2004 7:58 pm

Well I have installed some more RAM, and I decided to initially go with just a total of 386 MB. Wow! I'm glad I kept it at just that, I scarcely notice load times and the game does not stall or freeze for any longer than about a second. Prior to this it could take 5 minutes or more simply to enter a new cell...

So where RAM is concerned.... size *does* matter!

owlsight · Post by **owlsight** » Sun May 30, 2004 10:05 am

I'm really glad the extra RAM helped you! Enjoy your shorter load times!

cheesewiz6 · Post by **cheesewiz6** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 9:40 pm

Man my old P.C. had about the same specs. I had to scrap it because I tried to play this game and it was so hard on the system that it killed my computer no joke. Now I have an athlon xp 3200 1 gig ram and a bfg 5900 over clocked video card (this card rocks). Morrowind is the best game ever now that I can run it full speed.

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 9:58 pm

We've decided to go with a new CPU, sound card, motherboard, and 1 GB RAM. Probably 2-4 weeks ago, though.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 10:00 pm

Hmm... I'm beginning to think I must have really lucked out with this old beast of mine.. all I need to do is give it more RAM and the game runs like clockwork

With the additional RAM I was even able to max the resolution, distance, shadows and effects ... I was totally blown away by the difference. All the colours and textures have much more depth and intensity.

No doubt a new computer would make it all that much better, but I can't afford one right now so I'm making do

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Jun 03, 2004 10:59 pm

We're combining the drives from the old one, with some high-end new things--a 4 GHz, 64-bit Athlon CPU, 1 GB RAM, etc. The idea is to be fully ready when Gates releases his latest OS, which my job will require material on. Being able to play MW in the meantime with everything loaded is just icing on the cake...and a very nice cake, at that.