is 256k enough RAM for current games? - Page 2

lord of the mark · August 6, 2003, 10:13

Quote:

Originally posted by LotC

Well, Dell isn't really a name brand. They actually only assemble parts into complete computers; in fact they manufacture absoulutely no parts of their own. The only thing Dell, Gateway, et al really sell is the service of gathering the parts and building the PC (usually in godawfully cramped and hard-to-take-apart cases).

As far as the quality of the parts, I think you would be unpleasantly surprised to see that a lot of them are lower grade. Pop open you case and check out the power rating on your power supply. Less than 300W? No name brand? Probably.

If you want good name brand RAM, i suggest Hyundai, Corsair, or Micron.

If you want a good next computer, I suggest getting all of the parts yourself and spending a few hours putting it all together. It's actually easier than it seems, and you will get to know your computer much better than if you buy a pre-packaged one from Dell. You will also save a hell of a lot of money (did I mention that the OEM manufacturers mark up their prices ridiculously?).

good point about Dell - this can help me argue queen of the mark into another brand. Doubt i can get her to accept the idea that i build it myself, appealing though that concept is to me.

MattH · August 6, 2003, 12:27

For people who aren't serious techies/gamers, I would suggest buying namebrand. You get what you want for slightly less, and you know it will work when it shows up at your front door. No real hassle.

However, if you want to easily upgrade processor, RAM, etc. , build it yourself and know what's in your machine.

centrifuge · August 6, 2003, 12:38

Quote:

Originally posted by MattH

However, if you want to easily upgrade processor, RAM, etc. , build it yourself and know what's in your machine.

I just finished building my first PC...(lightening fast

)

From this point, I swear that I will never again buy a pre-assembled PC. Nothing beats knowing exactly "what is under the hood". The only downside that I can think of is the lack of manufacturer warranty, but all of the parts are individually under warranty, so there is still a safety net.

Panag · August 6, 2003, 13:48

hi ,

since most people want fast games , and to be able to do a load of things at the same time , get whatever you can , make sure you can expand also , .....

just watch out as to what you have , sometimes two times 512 is cheaper then four times 256 , etc , ......

its intresting to see how most people feel that 256 is all that you need , ......

have a nice day

rah · August 6, 2003, 14:18

Quote:

Originally posted by panag
its intresting to see how most people feel that 256 is all that you need , ......

It all depends on what you your machine for.
My father has only 256, and it more than he needs. The only games he plays are like FreeCell.

Panag · August 6, 2003, 14:25

Quote:

Originally posted by rah

It all depends on what you your machine for.
My father has only 256, and it more than he needs. The only games he plays are like FreeCell.

hi ,

okay , he does not need more then that , ......

héy Rah , he does not play civII mp , like his both sons , ...

a general Q ; do you look at the type of ram when you build or buy your comp , ......

have a nice day

MattH · August 6, 2003, 15:26

Quote:

Originally posted by panag
general Q ; do you look at the type of ram when you build or buy your comp , ......

Most new computers/mobos support most DDR, so not really. I'm not willing to pay the extra $$ for a tad more speed, rather spend it going up a processor level.

Nubclear · August 6, 2003, 20:57

512. Definately.

Urban Ranger · August 6, 2003, 22:47

Quote:

Originally posted by MattH
That may be the case, but compare RON to AoE I and II, or the rainbow 6's, or even Civ II to Civ III in complexity of rules, graphics, and AI... I think it's warranted.

Neither rules nor AI takes up much room. Graphics shouldn't, either.

Sarxis · August 6, 2003, 23:45

Is 256 enough? Short answer: No.

Long answer: No.

But it depends on what speed the memory is, and what the game is. 512 of PC2700 has done wonders for me so far in conjunction with my Geforce3 vid card.

Operating system also is a factor.

Harry Seldon · August 7, 2003, 13:47

Just get as much as you can afford as often as you can until your board is full. RAM is the best upgrade you can do for a machine without rebuilding the whole damn thing.

rah · August 7, 2003, 14:25

Quote:

Originally posted by panag

héy Rah , he does not play civII mp , like his both sons , ...

CivII MP doesn't require much memory at all.
I'm tempted to teach him the next time I'm down there, so there's something we could kick his ass in.

lord of the mark · August 7, 2003, 14:33

Let me clarify the situation.

Queen of the Mark acknowledges the need for a new PC - the old one is, well real old. The hard drive is close to full. Even Queen of the mark, who never plays games, has some software she wants that wont run on it.

Princess of the Mark is counting on us passing the old dinosaur 'puter to her when we get a new one. (she doesnt get much on the way of electronics

so this is a big deal) She is also hoping that the new 'puter will play The Sims

Queen of the Mark has never accepted the concept that you buy hardware for games. A budget PC with 256MB would satisfy all those needs, as well as all the games i would be likely to buy for the next year or two. Realistically I dont buy more than 6 or so games a year.

There are several games that WOULD run on the current 'puter that i am interested in and dont yet have. Baldur's Gate, Myst, a flight sim, at least one wargame. Then theres Age of Kings, which should run on the current 'puter based on specs, but doesnt cause of a conflict between the MS copy protection and our brand of CD drive. so thats like 5 games. Then theres The Sims (which i will play too, not just Princess of the Mark) Thats 6. Then add in Medieval:TW, EU2, and probably another wargame. That gets us to 9, even without RON, Civ3, another RPG or adventure game, etc. So we're probably up to over 18 months of "gameplay" before we even begin to need the 512MB. So it would seem that a 'puter with 256 MB and room to expand to 1 gig or more would be just fine. Unless a case can be made that Windows XP simply doesnt work on a 256MB machine period.

Cookie Monster · August 7, 2003, 14:41

Just doubled my memory from 256mb to 512 in my dell p4 1.7ghz laptop.

Running XP.

did not notice an improvement in game speed loading times but I did notice an improvement in XP bootup and shutdown times.

Urban Ranger · August 7, 2003, 22:38

Quote:

Originally posted by lord of the mark
Unless a case can be made that Windows XP simply doesnt work on a 256MB machine period.

XP has problems with some of the older games, particularly DOS ones.

Nikolai · August 8, 2003, 07:59

Be sure! The simulation of older Windows versions seldom work...

But the system is the best Windows to this date!

rah · August 8, 2003, 08:38

Quote:

Originally posted by lord of the mark
Queen of the Mark acknowledges the need for a new PC - the old one is, well real old. The hard drive is close to full. Even Queen of the mark, who never plays games, has some software she wants that wont run on it.

Princess of the Mark is counting on us passing the old dinosaur 'puter to her when we get a new one. (she doesnt get much on the way of electronics

so this is a big deal) She is also hoping that the new 'puter will play The Sims

When we got our new machine last year we passed on our older one to our little princess. It only had 128. For the next month all we heard was how SIMs played too slow on her machine and she continued to try to monopolize the new one. So we juiced her's up a 256 and while there was some improvement, she now claims that since she can't CHAT on her machine (since we didn't allow an internet connection in her room) she still tries to cut into DAD's civII MP gaming time.

FrustratedPoet · August 8, 2003, 08:41

Quote:

Originally posted by rah
(since we didn't allow an internet connection in her room)

Wise move.

lord of the mark · August 8, 2003, 08:53

Quote:

Originally posted by Urban Ranger

XP has problems with some of the older games, particularly DOS ones.

Yeah but we'd be keeping the old Win 98 machine. So when princess of the Mark wants to play the sims (instead of doing kidpix and other art programs) she would use the "grown-ups" computer. If i feel a desire to play Simearth, or whatever, i would load it on her 'puter.

lord of the mark · August 8, 2003, 08:55

Quote:

Originally posted by rah

When we got our new machine last year we passed on our older one to our little princess. It only had 128. For the next month all we heard was how SIMs played too slow on her machine and she continued to try to monopolize the new one. So we juiced her's up a 256 and while there was some improvement, she now claims that since she can't CHAT on her machine (since we didn't allow an internet connection in her room) she still tries to cut into DAD's civII MP gaming time.

Yup, she'll have to use the new machine for the Sims, and we dont plan on her having a net connection in her room either.

Nikolai · August 8, 2003, 09:23

Torturists...

Think of how dependant you are of the net/poly/other page for your daily life!

lord of the mark · August 8, 2003, 09:31

Quote:

Originally posted by Nikolai
Torturists...

Think of how dependant you are of the net/poly/other page for your daily life!

she can still go on the net - just has to do it under supervision

Nikolai · August 8, 2003, 09:45

Then I am with you!

Lots of bastards at the net, looking for innocent girls...brrr!

My little sister has encountered some of them. Naturally, I cut the connection!

lord of the mark · August 8, 2003, 10:43

Quote:

Originally posted by Nikolai
Then I am with you!

Lots of bastards at the net, looking for innocent girls...brrr!

My little sister has encountered some of them. Naturally, I cut the connection!

so far shes mainly just interested in a few kid oriented websites (something about "neo-pets") and she has one friend who likes to IM and email her.

MattH · August 8, 2003, 12:01

Oh, god. Neopets

Nikolai · August 8, 2003, 12:09

What's that?

You seem to know...

FrustratedPoet · August 8, 2003, 13:52

http://www.neopets.com/

Quote:

Neopets® is the greatest Virtual Pet Site on the Internet. With your help, we have built a community of over 50 million virtual pet owners across the world! Neopets has many things to offer including over 140 games, trading, auctions, greetings, messaging, and much much more. Best of all, it's completely FREE!

The pets kind of look like Pokemon.

MattH · August 8, 2003, 14:23

Quote:

The pets kind of look like Pokemon.

More like pests. What an annoying waste of time!

Verto · August 8, 2003, 18:18

I have 768 mb of RAM(I've only got a 1.3ghz processor), and really think that 512 is the minimum you should have. You can get by with less, but that's no fun.

rah · August 9, 2003, 19:30

Quote:

Originally posted by lord of the mark
she can still go on the net - just has to do it under supervision

Exactly. Even though we allow her on when we're not there. There is only so much you can do, and they do need to make some decisions for herself. (she's almost 16)