Conquest of the Horde

Among other things.



That's my computer properties right there. 1 GB of RAM and a super crappy Intel card. In order for me to run WoW faster than 0 fps, I have to close down my anti-virus, instant messaging (besides Skype, but occasionally that too...) and other minor processes to free up at least 90% of physical memory... and that only makes my framerate in-game to go at least 20. This is on a good day with low ping, which I average below 50.


Now, as horrible as this is, I have a high enough patience to deal with low FPS and a super dated graphics card. Sure, I can't play a majority of my Steam games... I can't run Team Fortress 2, Portal, or even Half-Life 2. Even my Popcap games like Plants vs. Zombies and Insaniquarium have a low frame-rate, and I can't run more than one at once. And the worst of it all? It an barely support Paint Shop Pro 8, a 2003 raster/vector editor program that is my bread and butter to digital coloration and effects. How do I know this? Every time I get into great detail in color and effects, the data becomes too much for the computer to handle and freezes up, even crashing at times. See thse piece of crap?


Before you go "Wow, that's actually pretty good," bear in mind that the source image of the background--which I drew via vector lines using a real-life reference photo image--was far more detailed and that I intended to add those details, specfically in wall and ceiling decor and some furniture on the side. There were also some shadows in the background to indicate a sense of presence in other people. However, I only went as far as drawing the freakin' rug when the computer started lagging and blinking, and the tool could not handle the "enormous amounts of data". Apparantly, if the original working file exceeded in 1 G in data (which is that image you see 3x its current resized... size), the computer crashes altogether. I had to opt out on leaving out the necessary details to a passable background of vague shapes, poor lighting effects, and subpar shading.

This isn't so much the restriction of skill as it is simply crippling it altogether.

I just made a little video experiment with Camtasia 7 in which I hoped to demonstrate steps on which I draw, ink, edit, and color a picture. Tragically, what was supposed to be a 30 minute process of draw-ink-edit-base color-shading process was cut off with constant lagging, a disappear cursor, processes freezing altogether, and a near computer freeze. You can see the video here:

So... yeah. Any suggestions on what I can do? Besides increasing RAM, I know for a fact I at least need to improve my graphics card. Sadly, I am seeing some cards that are much more expensive than a new carlock, so... a cheap model is far higher preferrable. I would like to be able to play games made in 2007 at the oldest.

Well, how much are you willing to spend on a graphics card?

No more than $150.

Breast size! Anthropomorphic animals!


Seriously though, I can see why you want a better computer. With all you're doing on it, maybe you could further talk yourself into it by saying "I do so much work on it! It's almost mandatory.", Then install WoW and other games being content that the computer has other purposes too?

64-bit systems work pretty well too, and allow for more capacity on your RAM.

Do you have a sufficient power supply?

Also: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6814121434

Be sure to see if you have a strong power supply before buying, otherwise you'll have to buy a new one too!

I have a Nvidia Geforce 8500 that costed me $45 and which isn't THAT high-end, but it works decently and isn't overpriced. It works fine with a 32 bits Windows 7 and 2 GB of Ram, so you might wanna increase it too.

Found it on eBay too. You might have some luck and find something similar.

(05-28-2012, 02:54 PM)Saetik Wrote: [ -> ]Do you have a sufficient power supply?

Also: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6814121434

Be sure to see if you have a strong power supply before buying, otherwise you'll have to buy a new one too!

That's an excellent card for the price.


I would suggest having at -minimum- a 550wt PSU with any modern GPU. I personally use 620wts on a Geforce GTX 560 Ti 448 Core.

(05-28-2012, 04:42 PM)Clovis Wrote: [ -> ]I would suggest having at -minimum- a 550wt PSU with any modern GPU. I personally use 620wts on a Geforce GTX 560 Ti 448 Core.

I sadly do not know what you're talking about. Do you mean how much wattage a card can provide itself?

If you wish to avoid having your Graphics Card die, you need to make sure your Desktops PSU (Power Supply) can provide a decent wattage.

A decent Graphics Card requires at least a 550wt Power Supply. Imho.

Hrm... Something about that picture reminds me of Swat Kats...
I think its the eyes.

Still, if my looking around to see if anyone wanted my old 2GB laptop RAM when I upgraded late last year...
I don't think it would hurt to ask around and see if anyone has a couple one or two GB RAM sticks they aren't using. RAM isn't that expensive nowadays, but if someone just has them lying around, its free, faster than shipping and RECYCLING. You mention it in the OP, so I take it you're comfortable with dealing with making sure you have the right kind of RAM?

As for the video card, well... I haven't tried at building computers in what, six years? I'm not too sure I'm much help there.

You see.. it might infact not be graphic card's fault but the OS. The thing about Windows 7 is that it is ment for more RAM memory... let's say 2-3 GBs, while your PC got only one. If I was you I'd run XP with that much RAM, there is barely any difference besides the graphics and the fancy options in performances between XP and Windows 7. I have a friend that had XP for years with 1.5 GB or ram or something along those lines and everything worked nicely with no problem. Then he made the genius move to switch to Windows 7, his PC now can't run most of the things and if they do they lag hardcore. I say all this from personal experience. And by friend I mean IRL friend, not some person on the internet.

On another note the power of the processor and the RAM affects your FPS more than your graphic card performances. I run a Nvidia 8600 for.. about three years or so and I can't complain at all. I had to change it once because the fan broke and I wasn't home, my sister decided to randomly use my PC and the graphic card fried.
ON ANOTHER NOTE (I am stopping here): For the 8600 users, if you notice your graphical card getting hotter than other graphic cards you had when playing there's no reason to worry, the 8600 version tends to get really hot but it is still alright, in my opinion one of the best Nvidia product for it's price. Oh and, if it heats up and makes a strange sounds then -that- is a reason to worry.

That's pretty much all I know from experience, I hope I was of help. Sorry for the long post.

(05-29-2012, 02:03 AM)Sorum Wrote: [ -> ]You see.. it might infact not be graphic card's fault but the OS. The thing about Windows 7 is that it is ment for more RAM memory... let's say 2-3 GBs, while your PC got only one. If I was you I'd run XP with that much RAM, there is barely any difference besides the graphics and the fancy options in performances between XP and Windows 7. I have a friend that had XP for years with 1.5 GB or ram or something along those lines and everything worked nicely with no problem. Then he made the genius move to switch to Windows 7, his PC now can't run most of the things and if they do they lag hardcore. I say all this from personal experience. And by friend I mean IRL friend, not some person on the internet.

On another note the power of the processor and the RAM affects your FPS more than your graphic card performances. I run a Nvidia 8600 for.. about three years or so and I can't complain at all. I had to change it once because the fan broke and I wasn't home, my sister decided to randomly use my PC and the graphic card fried.
ON ANOTHER NOTE (I am stopping here): For the 8600 users, if you notice your graphical card getting hotter than other graphic cards you had when playing there's no reason to worry, the 8600 version tends to get really hot but it is still alright, in my opinion one of the best Nvidia product for it's price. Oh and, if it heats up and makes a strange sounds then -that- is a reason to worry.

That's pretty much all I know from experience, I hope I was of help. Sorry for the long post.

Derp, now I feel silly for not realizing this after being all fussy over upgrading my OS and RAM. On my OS, Snow Leopard, (granted, its a Mac) when I'm running WoW, Firefox and a drawing program, my total use of RAM for all the system things can be around 700 MB, but it was designed with systems of at least 3 GB in mind.

Sorum's totally right, though if you switch to WinXP, you should note that it has a relatively small limit on how much RAM it can use. So either switch to XP, Switch to XP and upgrade to 2GB of RAM, or keep Vista and get however much RAM you'd like.

I started with Windows XP when I returned from the Philippines and came back home here in the US. I still had computer performance issues then, and I still couldn't run my Orange Box games because the CPU didn't meet the system requirements at all. I requested that I get a new video card, but instead, I got a whole CPU/OS upgrade.

Apparently, it wasn't enough.

I may try just upgrading my RAM first, seeing how it's not that expensive. I'll probably drop by a Best Buy or discount electronics store and see if that works first. I may go for 3 GB RAM.

Dae Wrote:Hrm... Something about that picture reminds me of Swat Kats...
I think its the eyes.

They were inspired by Swat Kats, yes, but primarily StarFox. My namesake RP character went through a lot of phases XD.

You didn't really tell us if your PC is clean soft-wise. Fragmentation is the bane of good performances, deframentation can help with that problem aswell even if it might take a while.

I would also suggest having CCleaner, it is a very small and -very- easy to use software that helps you keep your PC in a good software shape, it got pretty much everything anyone would need from such a software. And more important, it's free!

Good luck with your plan tho. Let's hope there will be some nice sales for RAM memory!