I'm unsure really what the issue is. And I know nothing about PC/hardware so bare with me! My PC is about 6 years old but it runs like a champ. No real issues. I've changed out the graphics card about a year ago and upgraded the power supply.
But there are a few areas in game (ffxi) that makes me lag really bad or even crash. Arrapago Reef,Sky/Ru'Aun Gardens), Windurst Waster [S] and MMM areas. My friend suggested turning all the options off in the FFXI config, and guess what? I had no lag in those areas mentioned about. But the graphics was really bad. So it seems my setting are set too high? I want the game to look decent and I really don't want to have to log all the way out each time before entering those areas. Guess my question is to replace Graphics card or not?
My HP pavilion PC runs on:
Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 3
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3200+
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS
1g Memory
Not really sure what else info to give out! But if I did leave something out I'll try to find it >.<. I so know nothing about PCs!!
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Ok since you did have the old video card upgraded was it done at a shop or was it a friend? I ask because either one can probably tell you what type of interface the card is useing. I am betting it is either pci or agp. Either way a 6yr old pc is one you have gotten your moneys worth out of. I have done some checking on a couple of vendors sites. Sadly none are selling agp type video cards at least those that can compete with what you have. try and find out what type of card you have in your hp, is it a pci or agp.
It was done at Best Buy but I do believe it's AGP. Because I remember the spot where I connected my monitor switched.
Edited, Dec 3rd 2009 11:52am by Sancha
Edited, Dec 3rd 2009 11:52am by Sancha
Ok another thing. I decided to update my drivers for the card. Since then I've been getting this error "NVIDIA Control Panel Application, 2.1.270.00 has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.". I've done some googling and it was because of the update. The fix is to uninstall the card and reinstall. Problem is I can't find the CD that came with it. I found the box...no CD in there. I'm looking all over now and can't find the CD!
ok it sounds like you have a pci type card. at least that's what it sounds like, let me know if you have a tower or a desk top and we will be sure. But here is the best pci card i have found on a fast search.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814139046
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187084
either would work, an you have to uninstall and reinstall the drivers not the card itself at least i believe is what they mean. You could look for updated drivers through google or post here if you aren't comfortable with that and I will look for you.
better yet this is what i have found that should help
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=1385
Edited, Dec 3rd 2009 2:34pm by satrn
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814139046
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187084
either would work, an you have to uninstall and reinstall the drivers not the card itself at least i believe is what they mean. You could look for updated drivers through google or post here if you aren't comfortable with that and I will look for you.
better yet this is what i have found that should help
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=1385
Edited, Dec 3rd 2009 2:34pm by satrn
anytime, glad I could help. But I would most certainly start saving towards a newer pc. An i7 or i5 would be my guess atm but they move so fast that in 6 months time the i5 could be yesterdays lunch. Two sites i use often and recommend are Ibuypower.com and cyberpowerpc.com . Or if you are considering building your first
computer go look over at tomshardware.com I believe that is the website, they have an entire section dedicated to helping people build their first pc. You could also come and ask for advice here as building a pc is infinitely cheaper than buying one.
Edited, Dec 6th 2009 12:18am by satrn
computer go look over at tomshardware.com I believe that is the website, they have an entire section dedicated to helping people build their first pc. You could also come and ask for advice here as building a pc is infinitely cheaper than buying one.
Edited, Dec 6th 2009 12:18am by satrn
First, the presence of an AMD 64 chip (likely 939 Chipset) in the HP Pav says enough to suggest this is a PCIe system. I'm also assuming from the use of a GS series card, that it's a low-volt system that's running the older PCIe x16 slot and not PCIe 2.0.
Second, the cards satrn pointed out are overpriced (no offense), and in no way worth the money, along with being absolute overkill for your system and the game you're playing.
I would suggest the following. From my experience with HP Pav's, you likely have a two-slot SDRAM configuration for memory. I'm going to suggest looking up the model number of your HP Pav and find out what size SDRAM slots you have and upgrade to 2 GB of memory. This is sometimes a more important step than upgrading your video card, and can be much less costly.
Since I'm guessing that your system is not using PCIe 2.0 and is using the older PCIe x16 that was popular with DELL and HP systems back at that time (check the manufacturers model # on your PC to determine the from the specs what the slot is for sure before you buy anything), I'm going to recommend This Video Card, which runs about $50 after the rebate. Keep in mind, this card is even overkill, and you can probably go down to a mid 8000 series card like This Card, which runs around $30, and run FFXI like a champ.
Now, make sure you check and are sure of the slots. The best way to get the specs on your PC is to get the model # (on an HP Pav, should be on the front face at the bottom, such as a335w, a popular bundle model from back during the 2003 holiday season. Google the model number, and look for reviews or system specs for that model. Specifically, you want to know what video slot it has (either AGP x8 or PCIe x16) and the SDRAM slot size (ie. 184-pin DIMM). This will give you the information that will allow you to purchase the new hardware needed to update your machine.
The bad news is, your processor is aging, and HP's motherboards (like Dell's) don't allow for a ton of expansion. Eventually you're going to just want to buy a new system, and they're getting cheaper and cheaper. For under $600, you can build a new system from scratch with monumentally better specs than your current system, as well as toss in a new monitor. Use sites like NewEgg.com to price & purchase the parts, and don't be afraid to ask questions here or elsewhere on every step you make to make sure you're doing things right.
Good luck!
Second, the cards satrn pointed out are overpriced (no offense), and in no way worth the money, along with being absolute overkill for your system and the game you're playing.
I would suggest the following. From my experience with HP Pav's, you likely have a two-slot SDRAM configuration for memory. I'm going to suggest looking up the model number of your HP Pav and find out what size SDRAM slots you have and upgrade to 2 GB of memory. This is sometimes a more important step than upgrading your video card, and can be much less costly.
Since I'm guessing that your system is not using PCIe 2.0 and is using the older PCIe x16 that was popular with DELL and HP systems back at that time (check the manufacturers model # on your PC to determine the from the specs what the slot is for sure before you buy anything), I'm going to recommend This Video Card, which runs about $50 after the rebate. Keep in mind, this card is even overkill, and you can probably go down to a mid 8000 series card like This Card, which runs around $30, and run FFXI like a champ.
Now, make sure you check and are sure of the slots. The best way to get the specs on your PC is to get the model # (on an HP Pav, should be on the front face at the bottom, such as a335w, a popular bundle model from back during the 2003 holiday season. Google the model number, and look for reviews or system specs for that model. Specifically, you want to know what video slot it has (either AGP x8 or PCIe x16) and the SDRAM slot size (ie. 184-pin DIMM). This will give you the information that will allow you to purchase the new hardware needed to update your machine.
The bad news is, your processor is aging, and HP's motherboards (like Dell's) don't allow for a ton of expansion. Eventually you're going to just want to buy a new system, and they're getting cheaper and cheaper. For under $600, you can build a new system from scratch with monumentally better specs than your current system, as well as toss in a new monitor. Use sites like NewEgg.com to price & purchase the parts, and don't be afraid to ask questions here or elsewhere on every step you make to make sure you're doing things right.
Good luck!
Quote:
It was done at Best Buy but I do believe it's AGP. Because I remember the spot where I connected my monitor switched.
Notice he did at one time upgrade a card, and that he "thinks" it is agp and it is 6 yrs old, that puts it in agp 8x agp pro territory.
I also dont play FFxi and said so, hence I havent a clue as to sys req. but I want to say I heard a new patch/upgrade etc. was coming out soon.
I advised him based on what he told me. an agp card unless it is ebayed and he knows ecactly what slot type he has really wont help him.
A pci card though more expensive and not quite as quick as it's agp or pcie counterpart can still provide someone with a decent card that may last a year or 3.
I do agree more ram would help, but I also recommended a better system upgrade. If you are going to sink 200 or so dollar into an allready over the hill pc, apply
money into an upgraded pc. Notice I also asked him to check onto tom's hardware if he wanted to try and build his own, as it is infinitely cheaper to go that route.
I am not upset by not knowing that you are more learned on any HP, but the advice I gave based on what I was told is sound. The card I found for him, would have
indeed worked whether pcie or agp and not have left him hanging onto a card he couldnt use. Hopefully you see a bit of why I recommended what I did.
satrn wrote:
I am not upset by not knowing that you are more learned on any HP, but the advice I gave based on what I was told is sound.
Relax, I never said your advice wasn't sound. The only reference directly to your post(s) was that I thought the cards you selected were overpriced (approx. $90) compared to cheaper, more adequate versions ($30-$50 range).
I agree with you, I aslo aknowledge that I dont know hp very little. But id much rather see him get a 90$ card he can use than a 50$ he cant. Since I wasnt positive and know that the pci cards were in his budget from what he said, I steered him in that direction. Haveing you come afterwards to explain what wasn't totally correct about my advice, and what would save him more money only served to help me. I should have said thankyou but was at work at the time and kind of rushed to answer. So Thanks for giving both he and I more information on his pc.
Just to touch back with you. I found out what the problem was. Seems my sound drivers were out of date and only way to update also seems like I have to pay for it. So I'll build a PC after Christmas sometime! Thanks for the advice and help :) Happy Holidays guys^^
Why do you think that, and what sound card do you have? Who made your sound card?
I would say if you have one from creative or one in a pci slot it can be disabled while playing wow, at least while you are playing, and should allow you to play. If you decide to build though I and the rest of the people here will be happy to suggest hardware etc. and help in any way possible.
Btw Merry Christmas, Happy New years to you as well :)
I would say if you have one from creative or one in a pci slot it can be disabled while playing wow, at least while you are playing, and should allow you to play. If you decide to build though I and the rest of the people here will be happy to suggest hardware etc. and help in any way possible.
Btw Merry Christmas, Happy New years to you as well :)
satrn wrote:
Why do you think that, and what sound card do you have? Who made your sound card?
I would say if you have one from creative or one in a pci slot it can be disabled while playing wow, at least while you are playing, and should allow you to play. If you decide to build though I and the rest of the people here will be happy to suggest hardware etc. and help in any way possible.
Btw Merry Christmas, Happy New years to you as well :)
I would say if you have one from creative or one in a pci slot it can be disabled while playing wow, at least while you are playing, and should allow you to play. If you decide to build though I and the rest of the people here will be happy to suggest hardware etc. and help in any way possible.
Btw Merry Christmas, Happy New years to you as well :)
Well I did some googling and someone with the exact problem as me found out after disabling their sound the problem no longer persisted. I did the same and also did the workaround on my brother's laptop and now we both can go to sky and be lag-less.
It's within the replies of this post http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/db/areas.html?farea=103&page=1&howmany=50#m11485795631296
Looked around BG and Killing Infit the same areas were mentioned to have lag but no where else in the game.
But the sound driver is called Realtek Ac'97 Audio. (If that's the driver) But when I went to the site (Realtek's) it scanned my PC and said it was out of date but I had to pay to update it.
Yeah am familiar with we have your audio driver ype bs and for only 19.95 or what ever their price is they calim to be able to get the driver you need.
What I would like you to do, is right click your my computer icon, look at the tab called hardware, click on the box named device manager. It will open a box with all your system devices(by the way it can also be accessed through your control panel under the system device name) and under sound expand that device with the + sign. You should now know what the audio device's name is whether realtek or creative etc it should carry a name. once you have the name either google the device and see if you can find the latest driver for it, or come back and tell me what it said, and Il do my best to help.
What I would like you to do, is right click your my computer icon, look at the tab called hardware, click on the box named device manager. It will open a box with all your system devices(by the way it can also be accessed through your control panel under the system device name) and under sound expand that device with the + sign. You should now know what the audio device's name is whether realtek or creative etc it should carry a name. once you have the name either google the device and see if you can find the latest driver for it, or come back and tell me what it said, and Il do my best to help.
Ok after I clicked that this came up.
-Audio Codes
-Legacy Audio Drivers
-Legacy Video Capture Devices
-Media Control Devices
-Realtek AC'97 Audio
-Video Codecs
So I google Media Control Devices?
-Audio Codes
-Legacy Audio Drivers
-Legacy Video Capture Devices
-Media Control Devices
-Realtek AC'97 Audio
-Video Codecs
So I google Media Control Devices?
Realtek AC'97 is your hardware, google that.
People don't like to be meddled with. We tell them what to do, what to think, don't run, don't walk. We're in their homes and in their heads and we haven't the right. We're meddlesome. ~River Tam
Sedao
Sedao
Since realtek is part of a motherboard normally, you might look at hp's website for your particular pc model number. You havent mentioned if it is pci or onboard sound so you might check for your model number to see what it came with originally. If it was onboard I am thinking Hp will have the driver you need. If not get me the model number of the pc and I can try to look it up for you. easiest way am thinking is to submit something like HP pavillion model 2200 or the like into google or the hp website and you should get decent results.
ok, for the sound drivers goto your computer manufacturers website and look up your EXACT model of computer then goto drivers and downloads and you will find HP drivers for your motherboard. and they should be FREE.
I would also be curious to know who9 made your video card (not just that it's an nvidia but if it was made by pny, evgam, bfg, asus etc.) . because Im betting it is an AGP like you thought.
you can get older drivers here.
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/Find.aspx?lang=en-us
and specifically I would suggest these drivers here.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_181.20_whql.html
hope some of this helps you.
I would also be curious to know who9 made your video card (not just that it's an nvidia but if it was made by pny, evgam, bfg, asus etc.) . because Im betting it is an AGP like you thought.
you can get older drivers here.
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/Find.aspx?lang=en-us
and specifically I would suggest these drivers here.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_181.20_whql.html
hope some of this helps you.
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