Updated 530S and still having problem

thirdeye00

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I knew this was probably a waste of time, but this is what I did and I'm running slow in game.

After playing the new game: Star Wars: The Old Republic. I decided to update my system alittle since it was running bad in game. Here is what I started with.

From ATI Radeon 2400 to a Nvidia Geforce 9500 gt
From 250w power supply to a 400w ps

After installing that with the updated drivers. The game did not run any better if not worst. So i figure it was bottlenecking thru the cpu.

When a from intel e2200 2.2ghz to a e6700 3.2ghz (probably could order alil better one from online, had this one cheap at the store down the road, figure it would do the job.)

After upgrading the cpu, the system seem faster but in game didnt change the performance at all.

Any advice???

thanks!
 
Solution
Ohhhh, slim case. Can you get a full size video card in the case? If not that explains the 9500GT.

If you keep the slim case look at a $90 Radeon HD 6670. Like this one in low profile: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161397 or this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102958 If you look at the video card hierarchy chart http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fastest-graphics-card-radeon-geforce,3085-7.html you can see the 6670 is a lot higher up (three tiers below the 6770, eight tiers above the 9500GT.) It can game "Exceptional 1680x1050 performance in most games, 1920x1200 in most games with lowered detail" and will run great with the PSU in your slim system. A 6670 maxes at...

thirdeye00

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Im playing a new mmo Star Wars: The Old Republic. [swtor] I was thinking dealing with the lower power supply and this having a small case. If thought i would be a decent cheap fit. And by the way I had 5gb of ram.
 

thirdeye00

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Im just trying to play it at lowest setting. Seems like before i install the new g. card it was ok/playable to a extent. But with the new card its not even really playable at all.
 

thirdeye00

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Will do. But I decided im going to do a fresh os(xp) install with new driver all round. And going to double check the bios make sure the correct pci slot is running. Will check back after.
 

thirdeye00

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After fresh os install and updated drivers, game is still bad. I figure this system is still ok, figure i will sell it on craigslist. And just build me a new pc.
 
Trouble is with the 9500GT. This is a marginal gaming card at best, and is right at min spec for SWTOR.

Min spec is:
ATI X1800 or better
nVidia 7800 or better

As you can see from this hierarchy chart, the 9500GT is at min spec.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fastest-graphics-card-radeon-geforce,3085-7.html

With the power supply you installed spend $100 on an HD5770 or HD6770. Or look in the above reference for a card that hits your price point. Building a new PC is fine fun, but adding a $100 video card should get you going with your current rig.

Aside: sometimes games set graphics defaults up based on the video card installed. SWTOR could have changed the video specs to make your old video playable. It may not be doign that for your new 9500gt. Suggest you play with video specs. The 9500GT should be better than what you had even though it's barely playable.
 

thirdeye00

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This is a slim case dell, and since i could only find a slim psu at 400w i went with the 9500gt thinking it would be enough.

I have a bigger dell case laying around, i could switch the case around. If i went with the HD5770 or HD 6700. What gsu do you recommend?
 
Ohhhh, slim case. Can you get a full size video card in the case? If not that explains the 9500GT.

If you keep the slim case look at a $90 Radeon HD 6670. Like this one in low profile: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161397 or this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102958 If you look at the video card hierarchy chart http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fastest-graphics-card-radeon-geforce,3085-7.html you can see the 6670 is a lot higher up (three tiers below the 6770, eight tiers above the 9500GT.) It can game "Exceptional 1680x1050 performance in most games, 1920x1200 in most games with lowered detail" and will run great with the PSU in your slim system. A 6670 maxes at only 65 to 70 watts so heat in your case shouldn't be an issue. You'd need to make sure that the case will hold the card, maybe by comparing the length/height of the 9500gt card to the 6670 card.

Here are some benchmarks with SWTOR: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/star-wars-gaming-tests-review,3087-5.html

Looks like a 6670 would have no trouble with Low Detail, No AA at 1920x1080, and would struggle a bit at High Detail, No AA same resolution. HD5770 (and HD6770) would be OK at High Detail, No AA.

The same article on CPU says "When it comes to platform requirements, the game is much more forgiving. Really, any quad-core chip will suffice. Or, you could go with a dual-core processor running faster than 2.5 GHz." So your E6700 looks good to go.


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re: "i could switch the case around. If i went with the HD5770 or HD 6700. What gsu do you recommend?" The hd5770 and Hd6770 are the same card renamed, both have TDP of roughly 105 watts. A good quality PSU of 350 watts would drive the video and an E6700 without effort. Maybe an antec earthwatts 380. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033 Maybe someone else can post a few suggestions. Get a larger PSU to at more money to give you more future flexibility.

How big is the PSU currently in the Dell case? A 250 watt PSU is no good. A 300 watt PSU has a chance of working (the E6700 peaks at 65 watts, the video at 105, the MB takes some too so reasonable max 12V would be 150 to 200 watts. A 300 watt PSU could put out 200 watts of 12V). A 350 watt PSU Dell original would work with the HD6700. -- One warning: A few of the older DELL Pentium II and Pentium III PSUs had a non standard power pinout in a standard connector. Very bad. The connector would fit in your MB, then fry it. Google the model Dell that came in the larger case if it was originally a PII or PIII and make sure the PSU in the case has a standard pinout. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Dell_non-standard_power_connector
 
Solution

thirdeye00

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Dec 22, 2011
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Yup the old slim case. I regret it all the time. Anyways. No those cards wont fit with the case on. I have dell with pentium 4, and the psu it at 350w. But one in my current slim case is 400w.

I think i will go with the HD6770 gpu. and switch to the bigger case. And I think that setup should last for alil while i save for up a build.

Thanks for the great information