Can't run Empire Total War

[gab_th]

Hello, I need help with this: I had a PC with XP, and I bought empire total war, but my pc couldn't run it because of the RAM, processor, etc. so I bought a new one with 4GB RAM, 3.5 dual core processor, 256 MB graphics card and Windows 7 Home basic, but it still didn't work, so I assumed it was because of windows 7, but I searched in forums and the compatibility center, and it turns out that empire IS supposed to run well on windows 7, so now I'm thinking it's because of the graphics card. I need to be sure what the problem is before I buy something, so if you have any clue tell me please. The game requirements are: 2.4 Ghz processor Singel Core
256 MB video card
1 GB RAM XP / 2 GB Vista
15 GB hard disk space.
Note: I have already tried with the Compatibility mode (which in my opinion is absolutely useless).

Thank you.

 

[ericpol]

Win 7 home basic? Sounds to me like you may have integrated graphics not a stand alone card.

 

[ksampanna]

Yes, are you sure that it is a 256 MB discrete graphics "card" that you've got, & not onboard graphics? IMO, if someone has sold you a 256 MB gfx card, they've badly conned you.

 

[Mithness]

i think he means its like a intergrated graphics card with 256 vram, like the ati radeon hd 3200 (most pc have that)

 

[Herr_Koos]

Please give us the exact model of graphics in your system.

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

I would definitely say check your graphics card. Because I have an older system with less memory than you have, and I just got napoleon total war and it runs great on my system. I have the AMD Athlon 5200+ x2, which is a 2.6 ghz processor. 2 gb of ram, and 320 gb hard drive. But for my video card, I've got a 512 mb nvidia 9600gt.

How much are you looking to spend? This should give you about the same performance as my 9600gt, but it's not too expensive. However, 9600gt is getting to be an older card as is this one. But I think you would not need to upgrade the power supply for this card, maybe someone else can provide more feedback here.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125277

But this card is cheap, as I said though, maybe someone else knows a better deal than I do. Another thing, the reason I did not recommend an nvidia card to you is because for one, you may need to upgrade the power supply for better nvidia cards, the ATI card above, I don't think that was the case usually. Also, as I said, I'm playing recently Napoleon Total War, and I seemed to have some driver issues with it. I had to fall back to drivers from about February of last year to get things running correctly. Kinda thinking the next card I get will be an ATI card, as the newer drivers should work better in my opinion.

 

[RickyT23]

+1 to the Radeon 4670 or 4650 even. The 4670 is better - fast cards (for the price and power requirements). You would probably nort need to replace the PSU to run one of those cards.

 

[gab_th]

Hello, I need help with this: I had a PC with XP, and I bought empire total war, but my pc couldn't run it because of the RAM, processor, etc. so I bought a new one with 4GB RAM, 3.5 dual core processor, 256 MB graphics card and Windows 7 Home basic, but it still didn't work, so I assumed it was because of windows 7, but I searched in forums and the compatibility center, and it turns out that empire IS supposed to run well on windows 7, so now I'm thinking it's because of the graphics card. I need to be sure what the problem is before I buy something, so if you have any clue tell me please. The game requirements are: 2.4 Ghz processor Singel Core
256 MB video card
1 GB RAM XP / 2 GB Vista
15 GB hard disk space.
Note: I have already tried with the Compatibility mode (which in my opinion is absolutely useless).

Thank you.

Sorry, I was wrong about the processor. The processor is: Pentium (R) Dual-Core CPU E5300 @ 2.60 GHz.
As to the graphics, I could only find this: Intel (R) G33/G31 Express Chipset Family.

 

[Herr_Koos]

Sorry, I was wrong about the processor. The processor is: Pentium (R) Dual-Core CPU E5300 @ 2.60 GHz.
As to the graphics, I could only find this: Intel (R) G33/G31 Express Chipset Family.

On-board Intel graphics = absolutely useless for gaming. You will need a proper discrete GPU to play this game.

 

[gab_th]

Which one do you recommend? also: where can I find find it and how do I install it?

Thank you.

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

How much do you want to spend?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125277

That should get you by. You may wish to check with the manufacturer of the machine and make sure it has a pci express slot. Though any modern PC should.

Also, I reccomend the above card because it's relatively cheap, but it's a decent card, should be close to same as my 9600gt for performance. But usually does not require you to upgrade other parts.

Typically to install it, you will need to take the side off of the case, the slot it would go in is usually toward the top, it can only fit one way, just don't try to force anything. But you will probably need to remove a metal slot cover on the back, though that is pretty simple usually. You just remove that, and put the card in the slot, and it should snap in.

Once you do that, if the machine starts, use the cd that comes with the card and put the software on your computer, then you will probably want to go to ati.com, and then download and install the latest drivers.

Reinstall Empire, and then hopefully everything works. Pretty cool game btw, I just picked it up myself.

 

[gab_th]

Do you know where I can get this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814125277 ? Because I'd prefer not to buy it online.
And one more thing: do I have to unable the Intel chipset in order for this to work or can they work at the same time without trouble? Thanks.

 

[gab_th]

Now that I think about it, it would be better if you recommended me a card from a known brand, like nvidia, for example, because I'm planning on buying it in Mexico, and there's not a big variety of products. Also because I used to have a 512 mb nvidia card in my old computer and it worked very well, and I'm not quite sure about that Chinese brand.

 

[thampton415]

Thats an ATI card. Third-party manufacters will produce the ATI and Nvidia designs. Also, Gigabyte is a pretty reputable brand.

Im sure somebody else on these forums could help you out a little more when it comes to the manufacturer/developer link. The above is pretty much the limit of my knowledge base when it comes to this matter.

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

Yes, basically with ATI and nvidia, they provide the chipsets, but other companies like Gigabyte, etc. put their own stuff on the cards. However, it's an ATI card. I think I've heard ATI and Nvidia may actually send the bare boards to the manufacturers and they can add memory or cooling, etc. But I do know when you buy motherboards for example, they are one of top brands you can buy. I've got an old Gigabyte motherboard myself that is going toward 3 years old, and not a hiccup out of it, except when I flashed the bios, and had to back it down again, but not a huge deal. I've been very pleased so far.

The other thing about the nvidia cards...I've got a 9600gt that I play empire with, but I'm still using drivers from like last february, I think with empire the newer nvidia drivers may not work. I tried a couple of other fixes, but when I played napoleon, I'd play an hour or so, and the game would crash. Once I backed down my drivers, and a couple of other workarounds, it worked. But you could have potential driver issues with nvidia cards.

 

[gab_th]

I decided I'm going to buy the nvidia 9600gt. Do you know if I can install it on an hp Pavillion p6200la? if not, where can I find out?

Thanks.

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

Uhm, you might, but it can be a big card. I'd still look hard at the 4670. Reason is because it will most likely not require you to upgrade the power supply. And should have similar performance to the 9600gt.

 

[gab_th]

What do you mean by "upgrade the power supply"?

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

The power supply is what provides power to your pc. It's the part of your computer where you plug the power cord into. With a 9600gt, it may require you to upgrade that part of the computer.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008

This is an example of what a power supply might look like. Generally, when you upgrade video cards, you must also upgrade this part. However, the reason I recommended the ATI 4670 video card for your computer is because it's a very reasonably priced card, it should give you about the same performance as the 9600gt card you wanted, and since it does not consume much power, you may not have to buy another power supply.

 

[gab_th]

And how do I know if my power supply is good enough?

 

[Carc369]

If you were running a stocked computer with integrated graphics, chances are 99/100 times you don't have a strong enough power supply to run that video card.

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

If you open up your case, the power supply should have numbers on the label, hopefully. There should be one number that says something like 12v+ and there should be a number beside that, something in the neighborhood of 17, 20, etc. Please let us know so we can get a better idea what your system can handle.

 

[tyrtruion]

Carc396 "If you were running a stocked computer with integrated graphics, chances are 99/100 times you don't have a strong enough power supply to run that video card. "
I bought an HP Pavillion about 5 years ago and put in an ATI x1600 pro. psu seemed to be just fine for that... was I that 1%?

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

I can't speak for everything, but I am fairly certain a 4670 does not require a power connector and is a lower power consumption card, so the op may be able to get away with that. For a cheaper option, might look at a 4650.

 

[gab_th]

I was just reading the feedback on the Gigabyte card, and it happened to a lot of people that after about 4-6 months the card stopped working. And it makes sense, because it's about half the price of the Nvidia one. Is there some other way to check the specifications of the Power Supply?