Hi all,
I think Ive posted about this before but Ive been having problems with Civ for some time now and I think Im addicted enough to at least consider an upgrade to my computer.
The problem is my computer is 5 years old now. Its a dell dimension 8300; Pentium 4 2.8 GHz, 1 GB RAM, Nvidia 5200 FX, 270/300 GB remaining, Windows XP.
I play standard size maps, 7 Civs, all settings as low as possible, no videos, no unit animation, etc. The game really struggles when the screen scrolls due to a city finishing a build and asking for the next build option. It also seems like the more units I have, the worse it gets. Generally, everything except the land tiles will disappear as the game freezes, sometimes this forces the program to close. My computer will be switched to an 800 x 600 resolution and the color scheme will be changed to lowest (4 bit). Then I have to restart.
What I'm wondering is:
How will an extra GB of RAM affect performance? If it will help, what kind should I buy? I know I have 2 512 MB RAM cards right now. I'm not sure if you can overload your computer with RAM...will I be able to upgrade to two GB's?
I'm sure my graphics card is an issue; I believe its an AGP and I havent been seeing that type in the stores. Do I have any options, or would I have to buy a new motherboard and a new card?
Any other suggestions/options out there?
I think Ive posted about this before but Ive been having problems with Civ for some time now and I think Im addicted enough to at least consider an upgrade to my computer.
The problem is my computer is 5 years old now. Its a dell dimension 8300; Pentium 4 2.8 GHz, 1 GB RAM, Nvidia 5200 FX, 270/300 GB remaining, Windows XP.
I play standard size maps, 7 Civs, all settings as low as possible, no videos, no unit animation, etc. The game really struggles when the screen scrolls due to a city finishing a build and asking for the next build option. It also seems like the more units I have, the worse it gets. Generally, everything except the land tiles will disappear as the game freezes, sometimes this forces the program to close. My computer will be switched to an 800 x 600 resolution and the color scheme will be changed to lowest (4 bit). Then I have to restart.
What I'm wondering is:
How will an extra GB of RAM affect performance? If it will help, what kind should I buy? I know I have 2 512 MB RAM cards right now. I'm not sure if you can overload your computer with RAM...will I be able to upgrade to two GB's?
I'm sure my graphics card is an issue; I believe its an AGP and I havent been seeing that type in the stores. Do I have any options, or would I have to buy a new motherboard and a new card?
Any other suggestions/options out there?