Topic: Good Computer For SS08? (Read 5438 times)

NLHOBDAY · « **on:** March 09, 2008, 18:23:19 »

Hi all,
I am thinking about buying a new system so i can run this game properly.
Any recommendations regarding desktop PCs that will be good for gaming but also good for everyday use?
Please advise prices!
Regards

Chris-S1 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 09, 2008, 18:31:43 »

Compaq Presario SR5219

grate we computer runs ss no problem we bit of lag when on multy plair so i upgrade ram and put a ati radon 700x 1gb graphis card wich i picked up for Â£20 and 4gb of ram off ebay for Â£30 but it would realy only need anuther gb.

we link for u

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0360211450.1205083652@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccdkadedhjljddjcflgceggdhhmdgmi.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=022890&category_oid=

TerryRussell · « **Reply #2 on:** March 09, 2008, 18:43:04 »

Quote from: NLHOBDAY on March 09, 2008, 18:23:19

Hi all,
I am thinking about buying a new system so i can run this game properly.
Any recommendations regarding desktop PCs that will be good for gaming but also good for everyday use?
Please advise prices!
Regards

Take a look at the Novatech site:

www.novatech.co.uk

I've been using them ever since they started. Excellent prices, fast delivery or collection, etc.

I've bought about 10 PCs off them so far this year (for private and business use). For Ship Sim and other games, you could look at something with a dual or quad 2.66GHz processor, 3-4 Gb RAM, 500Gb hard disks, etc.

They still have XP disks available! (Big hint!)

The onboard graphics cards on the ones I'v ebought recentyly have been Nvidia 8600GT chipsets and have been excellent for Ship Sim.

Suggest having a poke around their site. They have so much stock that for anything I suggest, you may find a better fit for your needs.

Good luck.

NLHOBDAY · « **Reply #3 on:** March 09, 2008, 18:59:25 »

Hi Chris, i have thought of buying dome more RAM. But that still leaves my graphics card to sort out!
Thanks for the link Terry - will look now!

Chris-S1 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 09, 2008, 19:03:08 »

well depending on what other games u whant to play then have a look on ebay pc world and http://www.crucial.com thats were i got my memort xtreemly fast i payed for it at 9pm at night and it was in my computer at 4pm the next day

NLHOBDAY · « **Reply #5 on:** March 09, 2008, 19:08:04 »

Mainly simulation games, flight etc. But ship sim is the top at the moment!
It also needs to have internet & things for everday use.
I will shop around, if i cant find a decent one i will look toward to buying more memory.
- NLHOBDAY

Chris-S1 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 09, 2008, 19:11:06 »

good luck i suppos ur pc is xp? well when buying a new pc most are vista not all but! but just about ivrything runs on vista with the right drivers !

NLHOBDAY · « **Reply #7 on:** March 09, 2008, 19:13:41 »

My laptop is vista.....
To be ohnest i have little trouble with vista. Just the internals i have probs with!

Chris-S1 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 09, 2008, 19:17:04 »

well thats what i dont like about laptops!!! the compinents can be a real fidel!!

NLHOBDAY · « **Reply #9 on:** March 09, 2008, 20:40:41 »

Thats the main reason i am going for a desktop this time! My laptop has been in repairs 2 times with 3 differant problems. Thats why i am not to keen on buying extra RAM for it as it will probably go wrong!

Agent|Austin · « **Reply #10 on:** March 09, 2008, 20:44:02 »

I got a dell inspiron 1720 with upgraded gcard ram and hdd and it runs ship sim fine with no problems on the system itself.

(GeForce 8400)

I also have a HP Pc but it dosn't run it that great with only a 6 Series something. But Do your research before you buy.

NLHOBDAY · « **Reply #11 on:** March 09, 2008, 21:29:00 »

How much was the system and the upgrade. At the moment i am looking at Â£499 system.

Agent|Austin · « **Reply #12 on:** March 09, 2008, 21:33:51 »

Well I bought it (customized from dell) for about $1200 after there sale and rebates.

Your are the LUCKY topic owner of my 700th POST!!! *WHOOO*

TerryRussell · « **Reply #13 on:** March 09, 2008, 22:40:19 »

For comparison, one of my PCs is a Compaq Pressario 2109UK, with an NVIDIA 8800GTX video card, 4Gb RAM. PC cost me 120 quid from PC World (ex-demo, but mint condition), card was from Novatech. I installed XP Pro on it.

It runs Ship Sim and Train Sim and a number of others perfectly. It also runs MS Office and a load of programming programs, all with no problems.

NLHOBDAY · « **Reply #14 on:** March 09, 2008, 23:39:06 »

Terry, you seem to be the oricle around here, do you think this computer is up to it?
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0090463481.1205102206@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccdfadedhjediefcflgceggdhhmdgmj.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=519230&category_oid=

TerryRussell · « **Reply #15 on:** March 10, 2008, 09:59:33 »

Quote from: NLHOBDAY on March 09, 2008, 23:39:06

Terry, you seem to be the oricle around here, do you think this computer is up to it?
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0090463481.1205102206@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccdfadedhjediefcflgceggdhhmdgmj.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=519230&category_oid=

Thanks. I've never been called a database before

(ORACLE, get it? No? Oh well, just me, then

)

To be honest, it doesn't look to be wonderful value for money. Money aside, with the specifications it shows, it is around minimum spec to run SS08 on Vista. Also, Vista will give it a mediocre performance score and will work against you with many games (it tries to downgrade quality of some games based on its own calculations of your system's abilities). Not sure about the video capabilities since they don't seem to describe them in the link. But it's condemmed by the rest of the specs I think.

I'd suggest something with a faster processor (2.4 or 2.6GHz), more memory (3-4 GB RAM) and a larger hard disk (500 GB at least). Otherwise, I think you'll outgrow it fairly quickly.

I have to say that in my experience, even with our Business discounts PC World are not generally the best value for money. Sometimes they have something good but this doesn't seem to be one of them.

NLHOBDAY · « **Reply #16 on:** March 10, 2008, 13:14:01 »

Hi Tony, thanks for the review.
I will look around somemore! If you see anything please apply a link!
This one looks good! http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1189406236.1205152094@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccdadedhjedhjdcflgceggdhhmdgmj.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=024068&category_oid=
Thanks, NLHOBDAY

TerryRussell · « **Reply #17 on:** March 10, 2008, 15:04:13 »

I'd suggest getting another Gig of memory, as SS08 needs a minimum of 2G for Vista and with future upgrades it can only need more.

The ATI Radeon X1550 video card installled looks to be good enough, also. There are faster cards around, but I think this one should be OK, unless anyone has had any bad experiences with it (please post responses below...)

PS Who's "Tony"? Not my dreaded evil twin, surely?

Quote from: NLHOBDAY (not really. Evil Twin Strikes again)

And don't call me Shirley!

NLHOBDAY · « **Reply #18 on:** March 10, 2008, 15:30:55 »

Ha ha ha, oops!
I might get that system and get a xtra GB stick.
I will look into deeper when i have counted the coppers!
Thanks for the help TERRY.
- NLHOBDAY

TJK · « **Reply #19 on:** March 10, 2008, 16:00:10 »

Quote from: TerryRussell on March 10, 2008, 09:59:33

I'd suggest something with a faster processor (2.4 or 2.6GHz), more memory (3-4 GB RAM) and a larger hard disk (500 GB at least). Otherwise, I think you'll outgrow it fairly quickly.

No use for more and 3 MB ram if you run a 32 bit system Windows 32.bit cant handle more, but you have 64 bit the motherboard sett stop then you can hawe tetrabits of mem

TJK

TerryRussell · « **Reply #20 on:** March 10, 2008, 17:48:18 »

Hi TJK.

That's not correct. Windows can see more than that. It can't see all of the 4GB but it can see more than just the three. Here's an extract from my DXdiag on a PC with 4GB:

Memory: 3582MB RAM

In fact the CPU can access the extra so some software can bypass Windows and access the "spare" memory directly. Similar trick the old DOS memory managers which accessed memory beyond 640K (remember those days?).

Dave M · « **Reply #21 on:** March 10, 2008, 21:51:52 »

Quote from: TerryRussell on March 10, 2008, 17:48:18

Memory: 3582MB RAM

In fact the CPU can access the extra so some software can bypass Windows and access the "spare" memory directly. Similar trick the old DOS memory managers which accessed memory beyond 640K (remember those days?).

I remember those days, with the 20 megabyte 'Winchester Hard Drive' that cost an arm and a leg, (and selling the wife into slavery,

, that must have been when you picked up that habit

). In 1984 I started my love/hate relationship with computers, my first computer was the 'BBC Master 128', it had 64 Kilobyte of regular memory and another 64Kb of memory that could be paged in in 32 Kb pages, (the real programmers of the time could still produce great games like 'Elite', (a wire frame 3D space shoot em up/trading game), and even I could knock up a decent utility or two). Now I have no idea what my computer is up to. I had a power cut today, (due to the storms hitting the south coast, (by the way Terry, I hope you aren't affected to much, I heard that there is some flooding in Selsey), and when I started my computer up again something was taking up 50% of my processor time, I had a look at the task manager and stopped one of the processes, (I've no idea what it was doing, I just took a chance), everything looks OK now. Things were so much simpler in those days, you knew exactly what your computer was doing and it was easier to explain to the wife, (when you bought her back), why you had to sell her in the first place. I still have 2 'Master 128 boards' if anyone is interested, they used to be sought after for their input/output ports and ease of programming.

TerryRussell · « **Reply #22 on:** March 10, 2008, 22:18:56 »

Hi Dave.

The first version of DOS (1.17) was before Hard Disks. When they brought out the 4 Meg Winchester, I remember thinking, "huh, we'll never use all of that" ! ! !

Now that I have swept the Plaice out of the back garden, everything is fine. We're about 400 yards/metres from the beach, but on the South East, so actually not affected by today's weather. Because we run a business from here, I have UPS and standby generators etc, so generally not affected too much. (Fingers crossed for high tide tonight though).

My old mum rang me up a short while ago and asked how we were doing, to which I said "Do what?" as I had no idea Selsey was on the News. The bit they showed is always getting flooded. This side is OK.

But thanks!

Back to computers, I worked on the original Sinclair. The MARK 14. No-one has ever heard of that one. 128 bytes of RAM, 4 bit CPU.

Here's a bit of trivia. So far as I know, my wife is the only person to have a make of hard disk named after her. The "Bev". So called because it was a hard little worker. Seriously! She still has the marketing brochures somewhere.

Dave M · « **Reply #23 on:** March 10, 2008, 23:54:40 »

You must be near 'The Lifeboat' and the pub named after Patrick Moore, (Moongazer?), and even Patrick Moore himself, (as you can tell I'm quite interested in pubs).

"Here's a bit of trivia. So far as I know, my wife is the only person to have a make of hard disk named after her. The "Bev". So called because it was a hard little worker. Seriously! She still has the marketing brochures somewhere."

To have something named after your wife for those attributes, no wonder you married her!, mine on the other hand would probably have had the 'sloppy disc' named after her, (as you can tell we are not an item any more,

, otherwise I would not dare comment). I haven't heard of the Sinclair 'Mark 14', with that amount of RAM you could probably have 'Ping Pong' on it.

Anyway, to get back to the subject of 'Good computers for SS08', my computer is getting on a bit, it was good specification when my company bought it, (2.6 GHz Pentium), but when it was retired and given to me, (for business use as well as personal), it is starting to show its age. The only option for a graphics card is an AGP as I don't have an E-PCI slot. I have a GeForce 7300 GT AGP card with 512 Mb of RAM and when I am doing normal missions it copes well with wake and spray and it looks good. If I want to go for speed, (fast mission time), I have to lower the graphics, (from 'medium' to 'Low'), setting in the game. One of the things I make sure I do is to set the 'Automatic Update' for Windows to notify me rather than 'Automatically Update', it can use up a lot of processor time and make SS08 almost unusable. (Probably not recommended by MS). I have not had many problems with SS08 because I try not to have too many processes running when I'm in game. I have a fast ADSL connection which helps.

TerryRussell · « **Reply #24 on:** March 11, 2008, 00:15:11 »

Stargazer! It was renamed to "Manor House" a few years ago and then knocked down and a block of low-cost housing was built on the site about 18 months ago. That only leaves 27 pubs in the area which for a village/town of 6,000 people is nowhere near enough!

I not only married my wife (or she would have a different status!), but I paid to have an import license for her (She's American). Went to British Consul in New York, handed them a stack of used dollar bills and they said "welcome!". Or something lik ethat.

Probably the best gain in performance within ShipSim for the least visible dtrimental effect is to turn the ships wakes to player only. You'll probably not notice any difference in the graphic quality, but you will notice a big difference in performance. With that done, you may find that any other settings don't need to set low.

Your PC is basically good enough, so I suspect you may have some other issues. If you want to start a new thread in teh Technical Support Form, I'll be happy to wlk through it with you.

Author Topic: Good Computer For SS08? (Read 5438 times)

TerryRussell

TerryRussell

TerryRussell

TerryRussell

TJK

TerryRussell

TerryRussell

TerryRussell