Will my system be OK : GEForce 2 & 512MB RAM

[pompeynunn]

I have a system that is starting to show its age - a Compaq P4 1.8GHz machine with an NVidia GE Force 2 graphics card and 512MB of RAM. That should supposedly be enough to meet the minimum requirements for Civ 4, but from what I have read on the forums, the two biggest hogs seem to be the graphics card and memory, both of which I'm on the borderline of.

Has anybody else got experience of running the game on a similar spec machine - I'm especially interested in the experience of other GEForce 2 graphics card users who are short of memory.

Having just gained another tiny mouth to feed in the family, for some reason the wife doesn't think upgrading the family PC just to play *quote* "Those stupid games" *unquote* is a high priority!

 

[Bast]

I think you'll have problems on larger maps but on smaller maps should be ok.

I have AMD 1.3Ghz, half your RAM and GeForce 440. So we're similar and I can run smaller maps fine.

 

[Mattholz]

I have a P4-1,6, 512 MB RAM, and a Geforce 4 MX (basically an overclocked GF2), I play only small maps (I would anyway)
and the gaming experience is quite ok. The intro and some wonder movies stutter and I have the "tiles show only bread bug"
in the city screen. No big deal IMO, I skip the movies and let the comp run the tiles. Apart from that everything's dandy.

 

[theprivateer83]

You need a high end vid card, fast CPU and HEAPS of ram to run this S*!% of a game.

I am convinced this is a programming bug, because it uses all of my page file. I will see what more ram does but I am not hopeful.

Damn you evil corporate execs releasing this game early, i really want to play this game without bugs!

 

[zsc]

You need a high end vid card, fast CPU and HEAPS of ram to run this S*!% of a game.

With my current specs, the game can be played at an enjoyable level. True, the minimum req listed is out of whack, but many people have listed their systems' specs as lower than mine and are able to play the game.

 

[Thracius]

You DON"T need a high end card! Why would you? This isn't a Doom-type game. As long as you havd T&L, you should be ok. Most people are having trouble anyway with high-end cards.

My specs:
AMD 2700+
GeForce2 MX400 64MB
1.0 GB 3200 RAM
Onboard sound

Game runs fine for me with high graphics settings (1024X768) on standard maps. I'm playing a large map now, but only in 1000 AD.

I only have sound issues during intro and wonder movies. But, other than that gameplay has been great!

Pompeynunn, if anything, I would up your RAM to 1.0 or 1.5 GB. It's most cost-effective upgrade anyway.

 

[rucknrun]

I also have a Geforce 2 with a 1.8 and 1Gig of RAM. I had to buy a new video card. I keeps crashing.

 

[Senor Soup]

OK, so my 128 MB GeForce 4 Video Card with 768 megs of RAM using a 1.2 GHZ AMD processer should be OK to run the game if I buy it. I started a thread asking for the minimum requrements but it seems to have been lost in the shuffle, so thank you for maybe helping me.

 

[Eerazor]

It CAN be ok but it is not guaranteed.

GeForce 4 Ti series supports pixel shader 1.2 and not 1.4.

 

[civspain]

You DON"T need a high end card! Why would you? This isn't a Doom-type game. As long as you havd T&L, you should be ok. Most people are having trouble anyway with high-end cards.

.

you are 100 percent right it is not that you need a high end card to run this game just people who have one are saying that cause they have that,as long as it has t&L support you should be fine,people keep geting this idea that massive slow down is because of people who have weak cards,but it is not someone i know has a geforce 7800 and is having a lot of slow it is a major memory leak that can only be fixed by a patch,some of the people in these forums are complete and utter braggers and idiots

 

[pompeynunn]

Many thanks for the replies - I guess the best approach is to go out and buy the game and 'hope for the best'. I can afford the game, a new graphics card, or some more RAM, but not 2 of the 3 at once.

If I have problems, I'll probably try overclocking the video card first.

 

[Clown2TheLeft]

Wait for the patch, then see if it'll work for you...


Later!

--The Clown to the Left

 

[Citizen Philip]

When selecting a video card you want to confirm its DIRECT X COMPLIANCE, a video card with Direct X version 9 compliance is topshelf and will last you a good while. I believe Direct X version 7 compliance implies TnL capabilities, but to be sure, I would look for TnL specifically on any potential purchases nd stick with Direct X 8.0 compliance and above.

A base line:

Radeon 8000 and above = Direct X 8.1
Radeon 9500 and above = Direct X 9
Geforce 3 and above = Direct X 8.0*
Excluding MX### cards, which are Direct X 7.0
Geforce 5200 and above = Direct X 9.0

I would avoid MX cards altogether.

 

[zsc]

avoid the 5200's, a lot of problems, for some the game works, but lags. if you have the money, try 6600+, 6200 is the slowest of the 6 series, might not be worth it. That's only if you getting an nVidia, I dont know anything about ATI.

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