Help with graphics setup please

[nuschler22]

I searched and really couldn't make sense of anything. Specifically I'm wondering if I should enable vertex processing.

I'm running the game on a Gateway DX4831 i3 version (I believe that may be important since looking it up, the Gateway site says i5). I bought it new from Best Buy last year about this time.

Anyway, I've tried multiple settings and everything seems kind of slow. Just wondering if there was a way to speed it up. I just installed the most recent (3/10/2011) display driver.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Revoran]

According to google these are the specs of your pc:

Spoiler pc specs :

Processor: Intel Core i3-530 Processor (2.93GHz, 4MB L2 Cache) with Intel Hyper-Threading Technology
Operating System: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Memory: 6GB 6144MB DDR3 Dual-Channel 1333MHz Memory
Hard Drive: 1TB 1000GB SATA hard drive (Green Product - variable RPM)
Video: Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD
Audio: High Definition Audio with 7.1-channel Surround Support
Available Expansion Slots: 1 - PCI-E x16, 1 - PCI-E x4, 2 - PCI-E x1
External Ports: (10) USB 2.0 ports (4 Front, 6 Rear), IEEE 1394a, (2) eSATA, VGA, (2) PS/2 Ports, HDMI, (5) Audio Ports, Optical S/PDIF
Media Card Reader: Multi-in-One Digital Media Card Reader with Photo Frame Button
Memory Capacity: Expandable to 8GB
Motherboard: System board with Intel H57 Express Chipset
Network: 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 port)
Optical Drive: 16X DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti Drive
Power Supply: 300W Power Supply
Dimensions: 15.98" (H) x 7.09" (W) x 16.26" (D) or 406mm (H) x 180mm (W) x 413mm (D)
Product Type: Recertified

I have bolded your problem.

Integrated graphics means your computer uses the small graphics card included on the motherboard rather than a separate graphics card which you would attach to the PCI-E slots on your motherboard. This is a big no-no for Civ 5 and gaming in general as integrated graphics cards are not powerful enough for the high end graphics of games like Civ 5. Your best option would be to buy a medium-high end gaming graphics card like Nvidia's GeForce GTX 460 1GB (i can personally vouch for this card). This would also allow you to make full use of Windows 7's DX11 capability. Alternatively you could try turning all the graphics down to low and using the DX9 client for civ 5, but this client has been known to cause crashes on Windows 7.

If you do decide to upgrade your graphics card you may need to get a bigger power supply such as a 500w one rather than the 300w one your pc has. You may want to use an online store when buying your card as brick and mortar places are usually overpriced. Eg: PC Case Gear Australia or http://www.newegg.com/

 

[nuschler22]

Well that just sucks.

Thanks for the help.

I'm guessing that's a few hundred bucks easy.

 

[The_Quasar]

Well that just sucks.

Thanks for the help.

I'm guessing that's a few hundred bucks easy.

I, too, can vouch for the card described above.

This card has dropped in price some recently, so you may be pleasantly surprised!

 

[Revoran]

If you're in the continental US or Canada:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2055&cm_re=460_gtx_1gb-_-14-162-055-_-Product - GTX 460 graphics card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...m_re=500w_power_supply-_-17-148-027-_-Product - 500w power supply

Total not including shipping: $220 USD

If you're in Australia, the price from PC Case Gear is about $135 - which is surprisingly good considering Aussies usually pay more for the same thing even when our money is at parity for you.

Not sure about UK, New Zealand or Europe, sorry.

This card should be able to run Civ 5 at maximum settings (DX11 client) on a huge size map. Late game on a huge map you may want to turn a couple of settings down to medium, but most could stay on high.

 

[Shurdus]

The suggested vga card is fine, the power supply unit Revoran suggested is not.

Using a low quality psu is usually a bad idea, since cranking up the graphics settings makes the vga card grow more power hungry. In these cases you need a psu that can deliver steady amounts of power on the 12volt rails.

Mediocre psus are notorious for listing their peak wattage as their power level, while in reality those units can only deliver that amount of power for a short period. Using a unit like that can cause instability of your system and even damage to components.

Good psus are more expensive, but in the end worth it. If you have a decent system like that, you need a solid psu.

 

[Revoran]

Mediocre psus are notorious for listing their peak wattage as their power level, while in reality those units can only deliver that amount of power for a short period

Wow I didn't know that, - shouldn't that be illegal or something? Has anyone sued them? I suppose if it's a crap PSU it's only $20 - $60 though.

 

[tokala]

The funny thing is, you can actually get a decent PSU in the $40-60 range, but below $40 anything is suspicious.

e.g. Silverstone 400W
Silverstone 500W
Seasonic 380W
Antec 380W

Those will typically outperform and/or outlast "el-cheapo" PSUs with 1.5-2 times their rated wattage.
For reference: Your system should draw between 200-250W on the primary side as a peak load with a gtx460. A decent 300W PSU should be able to handle that, but for a bit of headroom a 350-400W PSU might be a better idea. If you plan some serious overclocking, maybe even 500W.

And as long as you don't play on 2560x1600 with high AA settings, a 768MB GTX460 will only be marginally slower than a 1024MB one.


@Revoran: each time hardware sites/magazines with access to professional test equipment test "cheap" PSUs, at least one of those "no-name" brand parts fail spectacularly somewhere between 50% and 80% of their nominal capacity

 

[Bibor]

Gateway? Seriously?

If you don't mind breaking the warranty (considering Gateway's reputation no harm done there, but... it's your choice), there are some very good brands out there for both PSUs and Graphics cards.

If you want to be running state-of-the art graphics (meaning, not neccessarily the most powerful, but rather a recent GFX card) I suggest buying an at least 500W one. I paid for it 120$ so that should be around 60-70$ in US.
The thing with power supplies is pretty simple: Your drives eat up around 10W each, probably even less. Your Motherboard eats up around 40W and your graphics card eats up the rest. I bought an nVidia GTX 480 and I couldn't power it with my 420W Tagan PSU (which is/was a very respected brand). So I had to go for 520W. This should give you a rough estimate of how much power you need (or don't need). Any PSU manufacturer that wants to stay on the market for more than two fiscal quarters will never list PSUs peak power output.

Also, any decent GFX card test will list the power requirements. So check out those before deciding on your GFX card.

As for Graphics Cards, I suggest not-going below 200$. Yes, you'll be able to play the game with a cheaper one, but lest be honest, this won't be the last game you'll want to play in the next few years.

A very important thing: If you decide upon a decent and recent GFX card that uses dual 6-pin/8-pin PCI-E power connectors, make sure the PSU has these. It should be listed something like this:
Connector M/B 24 Pin x 1
CPU 4 Pin x 1
CPU 8 Pin x 1
PCI-E 8 Pin x1
PCI-E 6 Pin x 2

 

[Zyxpsilon]

This is what you need Minimum. Not only because of price & quality but also solid electrical specs on the array.
As for GTX460+, they all pin at 6x2 over here -- i've yet to see such an 8-pin(6+2) connector in North-America.
But it's available on the TR2-600W above, so.

 

[Shurdus]

That PSU does indeed seem sufficient and decent.

I typically pick a corsair for their solid durability, silent cooling and dependable 12v rails. Seasonic is steller in reputation, and antec has a decent reputation too.

 

[tokala]

Aeeh guy, what about some reality check
While that 600W Thermaltake and a GTX 480 are certainly good pieces of hardware, I think nuschler22 was more interested in some reasonably cheap possibility to run Civ5 decently. We are not talking enthusiast level hardware here. The reference is a IGP

So, your reasonable options start with a HD5670 for $60, no new PSU required, good enough for medium and a bit above settings on normal sized displays

The already debated GTX460, good enough for maximum settings up to 2560x1600 for $120-150, new $50 PSU required

For anything more than that you hit the law of dimishing returns, hard.
(rough estimates for power and performance compared to GTX460-1024MB)
GTX560 Ti, 25% faster, 25% more power requirement, $230 + $60 PSU
GTX480, 60% faster, 80% more power, $370 + $80 PSU
GTX580, 70% faster, 80% more power, $500 + $80 PSU

The 460 and faster/more powerful cards will produce much more heat than the rest of your system combined, so you have to make sure that heat gets out of the case. Get a card where the airflow is directed mostly out of the case (e.g GTX460 reference design) and/or additional case fans, if that is at all possible for that Gateway case.

 

[Revoran]

Funnily enough that thermaltake 600w is what I have in my pc