How well will it run?

[Razzman]

Just had to buy a new pc as the old one died on me. Had a few problems playing tdu to any great standard on the old machine as the graphics card I had struggled. The old specs were 3ghz pentium 4, 2gb ddr ram, and a GeForce 6200 256mb gpu, running on xp sp3. It ran on this (just) but was often slow and skippy going through built up areas or of there was lots of traffic which left it largely unplayable.

 

The new machine has an intel core i3 540 processor, 3gb ddr3 ram and an onboard intel GMA HD gpu which i think said it was 256mb running on windows 7. It should run quite a bit better on this should it not? I dont want to install tdu only to find its not any better than before so though I would ask here.

[SlashtheTexan]

not really. Most driving games require a better GPU than a good CPU. Even an old 256meg 8600GT would work better than onboard video. I know, I ran with one for years. Couldn't run HDR at 1680x1050 (monitor's native res), but now I have a 512meg 9800GT and I can run HDR now, everything else on full/max.

 

The XFX 9800GT was the only card that would fit in my 5 year old case. I was in the open beta Saturday, though, and had to turn down my res for it. The 9800 ran slow at 1680x1050, but it was still OK. So, for TDU2, you're gonna' need something a whole lot more powerful than onboard video . . . .

[Razzman]

Gonna get TDU2 for my ps3 so got no worries there, just wanting to know what standard the original will likely run at on that set-up. Will it be playable to any decent standard or will I have invest in a new graphics card? It doesnt need to be running at the highest settings I just want it to run at a reasonable frame rate so it looks smooth and doesnt skip and jerk all the time.

[Andreas¹]

The easiest would be to just install the game and try, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. I'm not even sure if TDU supports on board graphics. Even if it did, you wouldn't get much of a framerate with it.

[Razzman]

Ok thanks man I'll try it and see what happens. Is there any card in particular you would reccomend? Something that could capably run TDU and other similar games (GTR Evolution etc.) maybe even some slightly newer stuff like NFS: Shift? I'm on an pretty tight budget and will probably end up looking to ebay for it so the cheaper the better, anything around or under the £50 mark is ideal but might be able to stretch a bit further.

[Andreas¹]

For £50 I'd probably go for something like a nVidia 8800, but that depends on if you find them on eBay or buy them from a store. I'd wait for computer wizards Sponge and Mellors to give you more detailed insight on that though. :D

[Sponge]

Integrated graphics won't run TDU at all. You'll just get a black screen.

 

Cheapish card I'd recommend is an 8600GTS. It runs TDU1 at relatively good settings. It can run Gears of War at 1650x1080 on maximum.

 

I only got rid of it as I built a new computer later that year.

[Razzman]

Ok I'll look at that. I know absolutely nothing about GPU's so any help is much appreciated. Came across this whilst searhing ebay:

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NVIDIA-GEFORCE-8400GS-1GB-PCI-EXPRESS-GRAPHICS-CARD-/260407723972?pt=UK_Computing_Computer_Components_Graphics_Video_TV_Cards_TW&hash=item3ca18287c4

 

Is it any good or would I be wasting my time and money on it?

[Ryzza5]

No, an 8400 GS is basically for running two monitors together, not for gaming.

 

The first number in the nVidia model line tells you the series. The 8xxx series is about 3-4 years old now. Then there was the 9xxx series, then the 2xx, and now the 4xx series.

 

The second number indicates how well it performs. x4xx is low-end. You'd be much better off with at least x6xx.

 

I would recommend a 9600 card or better (i.e. 9600, 9800, 260 or higher, or 460 or higher).

 

This, for example: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Inno-3D-1024MB-DDR2-GeForce-9800GT-DVI-VGA-HDMI-/280552698765?pt=UK_Computing_Computer_Components_Graphics_Video_TV_Cards_TW&hash=item41523e738d

 

I might cost twice as much as the 8400GS but it's more than twice as good and will last you a while, esp if you do most of your gaming on the PS3. As far as gaming goes, the 8400 is no better than the onboard chip you already have (I've borrowed one before and it could only play TDU on the lowest settings).

[AustinDB9]

Ryzza is 100% right. When it comes to games, the 8400GS is a load of junk (It is just like your integrated card but with 2 times the memory) It was my last card and in TDU, I couldn't get any resolution over 1024x768, Medium detail level and no hope of getting even 0.001xAA. I'd really recommend getting something a tad higher.

 

Good Luck finding one ;)

[Razzman]

Thanks for the advice guys, much appreciated. I ducked in to my local independent computer shop today and the guy there reccomended me one of these:

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/graphic-cards/asus-eah5450-di-1gd3-lp/details/

I've looked around and the reviews seem really good. Its around about what I was planning to spend too and as I said I'm not going to be playing anything that will push it too hard. Does this look alright to any of you?

[iLLGT3]

Since we're here, how about 4GB and a 256MB HD3650? (mobility) :(

[Ryzza5]

Thanks for the advice guys, much appreciated. I ducked in to my local independent computer shop today and the guy there reccomended me one of these:

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/graphic-cards/asus-eah5450-di-1gd3-lp/details/

Based on the quick searches I've done - it's still only good for Medium quality settings at a medium resolution (i.e. 1280x1024).

 

While I'm not expecting you to be playing Crysis on the PC, these benchmarks show the low FPS rating when playing the game at medium-low settings. The ATi HD 5670 on the other hand scores much better, so I'd happily recommend that.

[Razzman]

Thanks man. The 5670 looks great but not sure I can stretch that far money-wise. Cant find it for much less than £100. Mostly play racing sims on the pc (Race 07, GT Legends, Nascar 2003 etc.) as well as stuff like Broken Sword, GTA (3, VC & SA) and older stuff like that so not sure its worth me spending that much.

 

TDU is the only game I have for my PC which struggled with my old set-up of the GeForce 6200 256mb and 2gb ddr. I dont plan on buying many games which are much more demanding as I do most of my gaming on my PS3 or my flatmates 360. Mainly just want a card which will let me play TDU at a decent level so I can enjoy it properly without all the jerkiness it had with the 6200. Do you think the 5450 I mentioned could manage it ok?

 

Thanks for all the advice guys it's very much appreciated.

[Ryzza5]

Honestly, no I don't. My guess would be Medium settings at a resolution of 1280x1024. You might just get away with High settings with no AA, but the FPS might be less than optimal.

 

I also had a 6200 once. Considering the minimum requirement for TDU was a 6600, it was quite understandable why TDU would play at around 10 FPS at 640x480. The 5450 is obviously much better than the 6200, but not much better than the 8400 GS, which we have already established to be bad for gaming.