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Need a little help after my computer quit!

goatman_74goatman_74
edited November 2009 in Tales of Monkey Island
Hello everyone, firstly may I apologize for writing this here, I'm not sure I'm in the right place!

Recently, I had the disappointment of having my computer break down, and now I'm unable to play TOMI, as my laptop isn't powerful enough.

I looked on Ebay for a cheap computer, anything really so I could play it again. I'm not very technical, and would be most grateful if someone would be kind enough to tell me if this computer would be sufficient?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HP-Desktop-Computer-Tower-PC-Pentium-4-HT-2-8Ghz-XP-Pro_W0QQitemZ150384510859QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_DesktopPCs?hash=item23039d878b

Many thanks for your help.

Best wishes,

Philip

Comments

  • SilverwolfpetSilverwolfpet
    edited November 2009
    Hey dude,

    I'm in the middle of buying a new PC, so I kind of got used to technical stuff. Not advanced, just the basics. :)
    I couldn't see any specification regarding the video card. That's not good, because it may mean that it is incorporated thus very weak.
    Generally it is ok, but the RAM memory (1 GB) is not enough to fully enjoy ToMI. I have 1,5 GB of RAM and a 512 RAM GeForce Graphic card and STILL I cannot play the game on a higher setting than 4 (9 is Maximum).
    Basically, get a PC with at least 2 GB of RAM and a good Video Card, preferably GeForce of at least 512 MB.

    Hope this helps, but don't take my word for it 100%, ask around some more :)

    Cheers!
  • goatman_74goatman_74
    edited November 2009
    Thank you very much Silverwolf. Greatly appreciated. :)
  • MatakuMataku
    edited November 2009
    any current computer you buy today, even one of the cheapest ones, will be able to run TMI. but just to be on the safe side, you should buy one with an actual DirectX supported graphic card, and not a built-in graphic processor.
    Generally it is ok, but the RAM memory (1 GB) is not enough to fully enjoy ToMI. I have 1,5 GB of RAM and a 512 RAM GeForce Graphic card and STILL I cannot play the game on a higher setting than 4 (9 is Maximum).

    I have 512 of RAM and a 256MB graphics card and i'm able to run at graphic mode 8. so you should really look into what's bottle necking your computer, because it sure ain't the RAM.
  • goatman_74goatman_74
    edited November 2009
    That's good to know Mataku. Thank you for replying!
  • goatman_74goatman_74
    edited November 2009
    Well, I just asked the seller and he says it has onboard graphics (unfortunately!) which can be alloted up to 128mb. Would this worK hen with TOMI?
  • MatakuMataku
    edited November 2009
    probably not. you can still buy a separate graphics card that will override the onboard one.
  • Javi-Wan KenobiJavi-Wan Kenobi
    edited November 2009
    Generally it is ok, but the RAM memory (1 GB) is not enough to fully enjoy ToMI. I have 1,5 GB of RAM and a 512 RAM GeForce Graphic card and STILL I cannot play the game on a higher setting than 4 (9 is Maximum).
    Mataku wrote: »
    I have 512 of RAM and a 256MB graphics card and i'm able to run at graphic mode 8. so you should really look into what's bottle necking your computer, because it sure ain't the RAM.

    Neither of you said what resolution are you playing. Maybe Silverwolfpet plays at high resolution (i.e. 1440x900), so he has to reduce graphic settings; and Mataku is playing at low resolution (i.e. 800x600), so he can increase the graphic settings.
    Anyway, besides RAM and graphic card, look at the main CPU proccesor. If you have a lot of RAM and a top graphic card, but you have a slow, single-cored CPU, then THAT IS the bottleneck
  • Armand1880Armand1880
    edited November 2009
    Silverwolf - chances are that your processor might be a bit behind if you can't play ToMI above 4. 1.5 GB of ram and a 512 MB video card should be more than optimal on that end, so I can only guess the processor is holding you back.

    In response to the original question, that computer is a bit behind the times: would do you well if you were looking to do some light gaming of older games. but as someone mentioned above, with no mention of a video card you'd want to buy one to get some gaming in. I doubt ToMI would run - but as Mataku said, you could probably just get another graphics card - probably pretty cheap. But for that processor speed, you probably shouldn't get anything over 256MB, because it probably wouldn't take full advantage of anything bigger (from the picture, it looks like it would be an AGP card, but I'm not sure - those are cheap nowadays - heck I've got an old one I'm trying to sell). So that computer is good for running SCUMM VM and some older games that aren't graphically heavy. If you're looking for something good to surf the net on and do some business type stuff, that would work.

    I built my own computer about 8 years ago, and have done major upgrades twice since then. I just finished my latest build and getting ready to make the jump to Windows 7.
  • tmsmyth4tmsmyth4
    edited November 2009
    I bought this to play Telltale games (mainly to avoid waiting around for the Wii version)

    http://www.ebuyer.com/product/176488

    You'll need a graphics card-I bought a radeon 4670 for £50 from the same site and it runs all telltale games on full graphics settings. You'll also need an OS. Its been an excellent, reliable PC which runs most modern games. bargain for £300
  • jmmjmm
    edited November 2009
    First: Get the fastest RAM the motherboard can handle. If it handles 800Mhz, so be it, but if it can handle faster modules do it (unless you're short of cash. In that case save for the GPU)
    2 Gb for 32 bit systems is the minimum I can recommend. For 64 bit systems, 4 Gb.
    GPU: Get a real card, those pesky integrated cards are no good (plus they use some of your RAM too!)
    You need to look at a few things: core speed, memory speed (e.g.: 400Mhz), memory width (64 bit, 128 bit, etc.). Number of shader cores.
    If you have multiple options, take the one with the fastest core and greatest memory bandwidth (Important note: a 128 bit memory running at 400 MHz is faster than a 64 bit memory running at 800MHz since it can transfer the same data with less wait time). If you're still tied, go for more shader cores (or pick any and use the saved cash on faster RAM) Any GPU with 512 MB or more is fine (Cooling is Important! Be aware that cheaper models only include thermal dissipators: you need at least a thermal dissipator and a decent fan or another kind of advanced cooling solution. Saving a few bucks here is not recommended)
    CPU: Any recent CPU with two or more cores will do. Check if the motherboard can match the CPU speed and if possible if it can support faster chips (so you can upgrade later)
  • goatman_74goatman_74
    edited November 2009
    Thank you all for replying. Very useful information. I'm sure I'll come up with a solution soon. In the meantime, I am at least able to run it on my wife's computer, albeit at low settings. Better than nothing though!
  • eskimoeskimo
    edited November 2009
    The machine you've linked to is a used machine, probably off-lease and in the 3-5 year old range.

    It'll cost a lot more, but it's better to buy something new, you'll get more distance out of it.

    Anything with:
    A Core 2 Duo Processor or better (Core 2 Quad, Core i5, i7)
    2GB Ram or more
    Dedicated graphics

    Will run the games very nicely.

    My laptop has a Core 2 Duo, 4GB Ram and integrated graphics, and it plays nicely at 1280x600 with 4 for quality.

    My desktop is a Core 2 Quad with 6GB Ram and a radeon 3650. It runs nicely at 1920x1080 with a 7 for quality. Looks gorgeous.

    I don't know the market in the UK, but over here in Canada you'll usually get what you pay for, so avoid the bottom of the barrel and the top end, and go somewhere in the middle for your best value.

    EDIT: But whatever you do, make sure to get a real graphics card. That's the thing that's holding my laptop back the most is the integrated graphics card. It's the most important feature for gaming.
  • eskimoeskimo
    edited November 2009
    tmsmyth4 wrote: »
    I bought this to play Telltale games (mainly to avoid waiting around for the Wii version)

    http://www.ebuyer.com/product/176488

    You'll need a graphics card-I bought a radeon 4670 for £50 from the same site and it runs all telltale games on full graphics settings. You'll also need an OS. Its been an excellent, reliable PC which runs most modern games. bargain for £300

    Like I said in the post above, I don't know the european market very well, so take all of this with a grain of salt:

    In Canada you could do better than the machine posted above. The price converts to ~$400. To buy Windows 7 here costs $225, which puts the apples to apples comparison at $625 and both computes still needed a graphics card.

    For $680 you can get a machine with Core 2 Quad, 6GB ram, 640GB storage and a radeon hd4350. That converts to ~ £392.

    I don't know if the prices in Europe might be off, but that's what I'd be looking at anyways. Good luck!
  • LeakLeak
    edited November 2009
    eskimo wrote: »
    In Canada you could do better than the machine posted above. The price converts to ~$400. To buy Windows 7 here costs $225, which puts the apples to apples comparison at $625 and both computes still needed a graphics card.
    Well, we here in the EU are lucky, since Microsoft has to allow vendors to sell the OEM versions to the general public - thus allowing you to get Windows 7 Home Premium for around 80 EUR, which is about 120 USD...

    np: Zomby - Tarantula (5 Years Of Hyperdub (Disc 1))
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