Hi all, I've recently begun upgrading my PC so I can play EQ 2. =) Everquest was my first MMORPG and uh, well I guess calling it a "magical experience" puts me in the dork catergory, but if the shoe fits...
Anyways, I was looking through the beautiful screenshots, as well as the slightly ambiguous system reqs, on the official website, and I began to worry about my graphics card. Currently I'm running a nVidia GeForce FX 5500, and while it has the pixel and vertex shading requirements that FAQ states as being necessary, it's not exactly "cutting edge." Will this card suffice for decent image quality (IE, not on minimum settings) or should I be looking into upgrading?
I had my eye on a ATi Radeon X800 Pro, but I'm not entirely convinced my card is old enough to justify another $250 tossed into my rig.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.
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Graphics CardFollow
Try the trial of the isle and you won't be out anything. By the way, does the card you currently have run EQ? I am updating my son's computer with a newer mother board and various things. I had bought GForce 5500 so I decided to put it in. I am still downloading all of the patches so it will be a while before I know if it will work. If you did play EQ was there anything special I need to know to tweak it?
8 posts
It might also depend on how much ram your card has.. My 5500 has 256mb so its quite big and works fine. But so long as it has the options that the system requirements say it should have then you should be alright.. Just try not to max out all the settings and go on a raid with the whole guild..
Scholar
30 posts
I didn't know about the trial of the isle. :) Thanks for recommending it, I logged in today, and these were the graphics I was seeing on the high quality setting:
Hi, my name is link.
Not sure how that compares to the average user, but it seems fairly decent to me.
Oh, and I'm on a 128MB (didn't know there was a 256 in the 5500 series) but, I'm able to run EQLive very nicely. It's a pretty old game, and I think 32MB is the minimum req for it?
[BTW, the other three pics in that album were done at Very High Performance, so don't judge the card's power by those.]
Hi, my name is link.
Not sure how that compares to the average user, but it seems fairly decent to me.
Oh, and I'm on a 128MB (didn't know there was a 256 in the 5500 series) but, I'm able to run EQLive very nicely. It's a pretty old game, and I think 32MB is the minimum req for it?
[BTW, the other three pics in that album were done at Very High Performance, so don't judge the card's power by those.]
My system is athlon 2500 xp with 512-333mhz ram geforce 5200 with 128mb ram. Vid card is about 2 years old and up until about 6 weeks ago it was working great. Since then I have been getting system reboots and lockups. Sometimes I can play for 3 hours sometimes it s 10 minutes. A friend of mine who has nearly identical systems and with the exact same card (including brand evga) was having the same problem. He replaced his with a geforce 6200 256 ram AGP and now no issues at all. We have narrowed this down to one of a few possibilities:
1 a heat problem: This is what we thought the issue was a first. The symptoms were very typical of this issue. My friend did not try any fixes related to his cooling but I have by directing a large house fan into the case blowing on the vid card. This keeps the card at a decent operating temperature, warm to the touch, not hot. This has done nothing to end the crashes. I have pretty much ruled this out as a possibility as I have now begun to experience crashes in other games as well such as NWN.
2 direct x / driver issue. IN live update #7 a number of things were introduced. It is possible that the code for eq2 is tapping into parts of dx9.0c that it was not before and this is causing over heating. It is also possible that the 5200 cards are not fully 9.0c compatible, causing the crashes. Again, I have mostly ruled this out since I have started to experience crashes in games other than eq2 (a symptom that my friend also experienced) but is something worth noting for if it were a driver issue it could apply to the 5500 series as well. (This could use further testing against a brand new 5200 card, something I did not do.)
3 My vid card died. I have come to the conclusion that my vid card is dieing. It is 2 years old (bought it when I joined swg beta). I run my computer hard and play a good number of vid games and other graphic intense programs. My fiend and I bought our cards within 2 months of each other and they both started to exhibit symptoms about the same time (which is what led to the earlier conclusion that number 2 above was at work).
IN short, if you are not having problems running the trial on the isle intro thing than that card should work fine though you will find that you may need to put your settings on extreme performance for raids and other heavy load scenes. If you are having crashing issues than I would suggest upgrading to no less than a geforce 6200 (they are under $100 on pricewatch.com).
Edited, Mon May 30 05:20:04 2005 by grishnak
1 a heat problem: This is what we thought the issue was a first. The symptoms were very typical of this issue. My friend did not try any fixes related to his cooling but I have by directing a large house fan into the case blowing on the vid card. This keeps the card at a decent operating temperature, warm to the touch, not hot. This has done nothing to end the crashes. I have pretty much ruled this out as a possibility as I have now begun to experience crashes in other games as well such as NWN.
2 direct x / driver issue. IN live update #7 a number of things were introduced. It is possible that the code for eq2 is tapping into parts of dx9.0c that it was not before and this is causing over heating. It is also possible that the 5200 cards are not fully 9.0c compatible, causing the crashes. Again, I have mostly ruled this out since I have started to experience crashes in games other than eq2 (a symptom that my friend also experienced) but is something worth noting for if it were a driver issue it could apply to the 5500 series as well. (This could use further testing against a brand new 5200 card, something I did not do.)
3 My vid card died. I have come to the conclusion that my vid card is dieing. It is 2 years old (bought it when I joined swg beta). I run my computer hard and play a good number of vid games and other graphic intense programs. My fiend and I bought our cards within 2 months of each other and they both started to exhibit symptoms about the same time (which is what led to the earlier conclusion that number 2 above was at work).
IN short, if you are not having problems running the trial on the isle intro thing than that card should work fine though you will find that you may need to put your settings on extreme performance for raids and other heavy load scenes. If you are having crashing issues than I would suggest upgrading to no less than a geforce 6200 (they are under $100 on pricewatch.com).
Edited, Mon May 30 05:20:04 2005 by grishnak
I have two systems at home for EQ2. Both have 512 MB DDR main system memory, 2.4 Ghz Intel CPU/533 FSB, and Ultra DMA 66 or 100 for the hard disk (depending which system I look at).
The system I expected to be faster (true P4, AGP8x) is actually the weaker system with many video issues I've tied to Nvidia 66.xx drivers. Replacing with the 71.xx drivers cleared a nasty corrupt display while tradeskilling. I had recently added the .NET drivers via windows update, so I might blame that on reducing my effective memory.
Anyway, a GForce 4200-TI AGPx4 128 MB DDR works well for me;
but a GForce 4200-TI AGPx8 64 MB DDR hangs badly after first zone. In my opinion therefore, be sure you have 128 MB for stable use, regardless of the published minimum specs.
I am always on during light server loading, in fact their dratted daily reboot cuts through my pre-work primetime here in Bulgaria. Grrrr. But lag is negligable, even with 512 MB system RAM. The video is certainly an issue; both systems run at extreme performance setting. I'd be satisfied with raw text if the system didnt hang; graphics are for small children. But hung systems -- now THATS for the birds!
The system I expected to be faster (true P4, AGP8x) is actually the weaker system with many video issues I've tied to Nvidia 66.xx drivers. Replacing with the 71.xx drivers cleared a nasty corrupt display while tradeskilling. I had recently added the .NET drivers via windows update, so I might blame that on reducing my effective memory.
Anyway, a GForce 4200-TI AGPx4 128 MB DDR works well for me;
but a GForce 4200-TI AGPx8 64 MB DDR hangs badly after first zone. In my opinion therefore, be sure you have 128 MB for stable use, regardless of the published minimum specs.
I am always on during light server loading, in fact their dratted daily reboot cuts through my pre-work primetime here in Bulgaria. Grrrr. But lag is negligable, even with 512 MB system RAM. The video is certainly an issue; both systems run at extreme performance setting. I'd be satisfied with raw text if the system didnt hang; graphics are for small children. But hung systems -- now THATS for the birds!
Still trying to get the GeForce 5500 card to work. It is 256 card. My system has 512 RAM. In the EQ options I can run 30 player graphics. I have removed and reloaded the graphic driver. I had also read about the issue with the DirectX 9.0c so I unistalled that and installed the 9.0b. I keep getting the same issues. I get the character screen, make my selectiong, get the next graphic page, then it's usually the black screen or a reboot. I am logging in the character though. I checked with a different system and the character I am loggin in is right there in PoK. Oh, the hard drive is a 20gb and has 11gb free space.
When I first reformatted the hard drive I had only installed EQ and it seemed to run fine. When I installed Office and some of the updates the problem began. I have since unistalled Office and all those updates. Did you know that after most of those Windows updates you have to restart your system? You have no option. That was a Windows rant, sorry.
So, does anyone else have any suggestions? My son has informed me that he bought an 80gb hard drive and a CD-RW drive and will be dropping those off tomorrow. I get to do this again. I would like to not run into the same problem this time around.
When I first reformatted the hard drive I had only installed EQ and it seemed to run fine. When I installed Office and some of the updates the problem began. I have since unistalled Office and all those updates. Did you know that after most of those Windows updates you have to restart your system? You have no option. That was a Windows rant, sorry.
So, does anyone else have any suggestions? My son has informed me that he bought an 80gb hard drive and a CD-RW drive and will be dropping those off tomorrow. I get to do this again. I would like to not run into the same problem this time around.
BTW. I am only trying to get this system to run EQ and not EQII. So the graphic needs are even less. I shoutld intall the Trial of Isle and see what happens. I just caught the tail of the original post so no need to flame.
2 posts
Hi him new here and i want to say you dont need have a very good graphics card too play but your going to lag lol and i me comp is http--www.alienware.com-Images-product_detail_page_images-Aurora_ALX-51_enlarge_open_chassis.jpg lol him new i dont going to to do a picture of me and my comp hahahahahah hum and him still paying this damn computer
Edited, Thu Jun 2 08:06:42 2005 by AOACLOUD
Edited, Thu Jun 2 08:06:42 2005 by AOACLOUD
32 posts
First, let me begin this post by saying I am insane.
That aside, when I downloaded Trial of the Isle originally, my graphics card was fairly laggy. I don't remember precisely what I had...it was some GeForce FX 5*** series card with 128mb. Couldn't tell you which card precisely off the top of my head.
So I went out and dropped a big fat wad on a GeForce 6800 Ultra 512mb. And lemme tell you, EQ2 is very pretty with this card. I can turn the settings up pretty high and face only minimal lag, and even then it doesn't seem video-related (I have 1GB of ram, I'd probably eliminate lag entirely if I stuffed another GB in there).
So if anyone's thinking of getting a new card, shell out the cash for this one. It's pricey, but it'll last you a long time.
That aside, when I downloaded Trial of the Isle originally, my graphics card was fairly laggy. I don't remember precisely what I had...it was some GeForce FX 5*** series card with 128mb. Couldn't tell you which card precisely off the top of my head.
So I went out and dropped a big fat wad on a GeForce 6800 Ultra 512mb. And lemme tell you, EQ2 is very pretty with this card. I can turn the settings up pretty high and face only minimal lag, and even then it doesn't seem video-related (I have 1GB of ram, I'd probably eliminate lag entirely if I stuffed another GB in there).
So if anyone's thinking of getting a new card, shell out the cash for this one. It's pricey, but it'll last you a long time.
I've had my own experiences on this subject.
For the longest time I'd been playing EQ1 on an ATI Radeon 9600. Almost immediately after my girlfriend installed EQ2 I started getting blank screens and lockups. Apparently EQ2, DX9c and Radeons don't get along. So she got me the same card she had just gotten herself, a GeForce FX5700 256mb. Works very well, and was really cheap (if you know where to look online, ie. Pricewatch.com).
For the longest time I'd been playing EQ1 on an ATI Radeon 9600. Almost immediately after my girlfriend installed EQ2 I started getting blank screens and lockups. Apparently EQ2, DX9c and Radeons don't get along. So she got me the same card she had just gotten herself, a GeForce FX5700 256mb. Works very well, and was really cheap (if you know where to look online, ie. Pricewatch.com).
publiusvarus wrote:
we all know liberals are well adjusted american citizens who only want what's best for society. While conservatives are evil money grubbing scum who only want to sh*t on the little man and rob the world of its resources.
Wow! Deb, have you bought much from Pricewatch? How is their service and their shipping? They seem to have some very nice prices. I generally get most of my stuff from TigerDierct because they are only 40 minutes away. I have ordered from NewEgg but hate the fact that they use FedEd. Both have good service, decent prices, and fast shipping (discounting that with FedEx if you aren't home you are ****-out-of-luck and will add days and weeks).
Quote:
Wow! Deb, have you bought much from Pricewatch? How is their service and their shipping? They seem to have some very nice prices.
Pricewatch is just a centralized price listing place, they don't sell anything.
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
Hello:
the Nvidia FX 5xxx series mainly has a slow pixel fill rate, Nvidia specs the "value" (ie cheap) line FX at 81 Mpixels/sec
http://www.nvidia.com/page/fx_desktop.html
This would seem acceptable enough to play but actually its a slow figure compared to other cards, especially if they need to perform a lot of other calculations in parallel, as in EQ 2.
Another poster stated the Radeon 9600 didn't work out well, and on research I noticed that the 9600 could be the 9600SE (SE Special Edition, whats special is its 64 bit memory access, which means the card is about $9 to $12 cheaper to manufacture), and in any case note the difference in the Hyper-Z III and Smart Shader 2.0 stats from
http://www.ati.com/products/radeon9600/radeon9600pro/specs.html
Now compare to the improved value card ATI 9550
http://www.ati.com/products/radeon9550/specs.html
Theyve improved both the 3D engine ("Hyper Z III") capabilities and expanded the number of conccurrent instructions able to be executed by Smart Shader 2.0; in my country a Asus ATI 9550GE/TD with 256 MB DDR sells for best price $88 USD; it looks to be the best bet for true 9.0c support.
Notice the ATI 9250 series absolutely doesnt support DirectX 9.0c; it lists DX 8.1 support and for the $20 USD lower price its just not worth the money. My opinion, but I know what I look for, as a junior engineer.
I was looking at the under-$100 video cards, having noted that many people were having issues, and admitting my old 64 MB DDR GForce 4200-TI had too many problems on my minimal system (I have 3 to 5 computers I use, depending on how you count them). I must say I find 128 MB the minimum acceptable video; too much time paging textures in and out even with the performance set to extreme and manually turning off every feature I could find.
Bottom line: now that I am buying another video card, I'm spending the extra $19 USD to get 256 MB DDR video RAM instead of 128 MB, since video cards don't have incremental memory upgrades (no slots for video RAM DIMMs), and so might as well go 256 MB if I have to spend $70 anyway, now spending $90.
The game still runs well on my Nvidia Gforce 4200-TI AGPx4 128 MB DDR; for that PC all I need is more RAM on the motherboard, which looks to cost $42 to $51 per 512 MB module. Since the range in cost is so narrow, I'd recommend getting Kingston, Siemens, Samsung, or Toshiba RAM in the $50 range; the PQI, Hyundai, or no-name memory is good around $45. Try to get your PC store clerk to hold the memory only by the edges, so as to not static damage the memory. And good luck.
retired after 21 years as Tech support -- seen them come and go, still puttering with my 'puter.
the Nvidia FX 5xxx series mainly has a slow pixel fill rate, Nvidia specs the "value" (ie cheap) line FX at 81 Mpixels/sec
http://www.nvidia.com/page/fx_desktop.html
This would seem acceptable enough to play but actually its a slow figure compared to other cards, especially if they need to perform a lot of other calculations in parallel, as in EQ 2.
Another poster stated the Radeon 9600 didn't work out well, and on research I noticed that the 9600 could be the 9600SE (SE Special Edition, whats special is its 64 bit memory access, which means the card is about $9 to $12 cheaper to manufacture), and in any case note the difference in the Hyper-Z III and Smart Shader 2.0 stats from
http://www.ati.com/products/radeon9600/radeon9600pro/specs.html
Now compare to the improved value card ATI 9550
http://www.ati.com/products/radeon9550/specs.html
Theyve improved both the 3D engine ("Hyper Z III") capabilities and expanded the number of conccurrent instructions able to be executed by Smart Shader 2.0; in my country a Asus ATI 9550GE/TD with 256 MB DDR sells for best price $88 USD; it looks to be the best bet for true 9.0c support.
Notice the ATI 9250 series absolutely doesnt support DirectX 9.0c; it lists DX 8.1 support and for the $20 USD lower price its just not worth the money. My opinion, but I know what I look for, as a junior engineer.
I was looking at the under-$100 video cards, having noted that many people were having issues, and admitting my old 64 MB DDR GForce 4200-TI had too many problems on my minimal system (I have 3 to 5 computers I use, depending on how you count them). I must say I find 128 MB the minimum acceptable video; too much time paging textures in and out even with the performance set to extreme and manually turning off every feature I could find.
Bottom line: now that I am buying another video card, I'm spending the extra $19 USD to get 256 MB DDR video RAM instead of 128 MB, since video cards don't have incremental memory upgrades (no slots for video RAM DIMMs), and so might as well go 256 MB if I have to spend $70 anyway, now spending $90.
The game still runs well on my Nvidia Gforce 4200-TI AGPx4 128 MB DDR; for that PC all I need is more RAM on the motherboard, which looks to cost $42 to $51 per 512 MB module. Since the range in cost is so narrow, I'd recommend getting Kingston, Siemens, Samsung, or Toshiba RAM in the $50 range; the PQI, Hyundai, or no-name memory is good around $45. Try to get your PC store clerk to hold the memory only by the edges, so as to not static damage the memory. And good luck.
retired after 21 years as Tech support -- seen them come and go, still puttering with my 'puter.
32 posts
On the subject of Pricewatch, be wary buying there.
The website is an excellent reference, but you have no way of knowing whether or not the company listed on their site is reputable or not. I've had some very good experiences and some very bad experiences, so it's a mixed bag.
If it's a part you want to have right away, and it would inconvenience you greatly to have it arrive nonfunctional (and thus you'd need to mail it back and wait for a replacement), don't order from a company on Pricewatch. I'm not saying this happens every time, but it's occurred enough times that I'm wary.
If you are patient about the new component, however, then by all means use them. The prices are very good, and most of the companies are pretty reasonable about replacing components that arrived to you defective, provided you do it quickly.
Be absolutely certain that you speak to a representative of the company you're going to order from prior to placing an order with them, though, and get the full scoop on their return policy! Some of them are tough - like if they've got a 10-day return policy, and they ship the item to you UPS Ground, it could take 5-7 days for the item just to get to you. If it arrived bad and you had to send it back, guess what...now you're stuck paying for expensive priority shipping in order to get it back to them in time. So be careful and get all the info ahead of time.
The website is an excellent reference, but you have no way of knowing whether or not the company listed on their site is reputable or not. I've had some very good experiences and some very bad experiences, so it's a mixed bag.
If it's a part you want to have right away, and it would inconvenience you greatly to have it arrive nonfunctional (and thus you'd need to mail it back and wait for a replacement), don't order from a company on Pricewatch. I'm not saying this happens every time, but it's occurred enough times that I'm wary.
If you are patient about the new component, however, then by all means use them. The prices are very good, and most of the companies are pretty reasonable about replacing components that arrived to you defective, provided you do it quickly.
Be absolutely certain that you speak to a representative of the company you're going to order from prior to placing an order with them, though, and get the full scoop on their return policy! Some of them are tough - like if they've got a 10-day return policy, and they ship the item to you UPS Ground, it could take 5-7 days for the item just to get to you. If it arrived bad and you had to send it back, guess what...now you're stuck paying for expensive priority shipping in order to get it back to them in time. So be careful and get all the info ahead of time.
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