Does the processor matter in regard to playing games like BGII?

for bg2.. no.. old dos games are based on the processor speed but the later games now are more based on the windows compatability, video and stuff.

of course you do need to meet the minimum requirements for the processor to play bg2.. which is pretty low in a p4 world [img]tongue.gif[/img]

edit: spelling and word phrasing

[ 02-09-2005, 09:38 PM: Message edited by: Harkoliar ]

I think you'll be fine as long as you're about what it asks for. You may have to tone down some of the settings, if you're below though. I'd wait for someone like Andrewas to answer though (or at least someone with more computor know-how than I do.)

Well, I'd say that gaming experience in BG is at least partially dependant upon PC processor speed.

I know for a fact that the game is clunky when played with minimum specifications (struggles to handle pathfinding and scripts) compared to anything of about 700MHZ or above, which plays the game much smoother.

I wouldnt recommend below 128mb of RAM to play the game though, there is just too much going on in-game to get a smooth experience otherwise.

Additionally, some modern games are still heavily CPU dependant (UT2K4...) and others rely very heavily upon a good graphics card (Half Life 2, DOOM 3...).

I think that a game of BG is probably best enjoyed with a 600mhz+ processor, 128mb RAM, a 3d graphics card of any sort and a full hard disk install. That would run the game adequately for most (though some of the uber overpowered tactics scripts may cause holy hell on your system if you ever run them!).

128mb of RAM worked fine on my computor. Hardly any choppiness.

Yes it matters a whole lot. You need at least a modern enough cpu with built in 3D code instructions on chip. It needs at least 64K+64K L1 cache, and some L2 cache. A Celeron [img]graemlins/1puke.gif[/img] could run it, as could a Duron, but it'd be pretty lame. Now an 8088 or 8086 would not run it. However, an x386 or 486 based machine would be a challenge.

On the brighter side, If your pushing at least an AMD 650, with 128MB Ram, and a good 3D card, you can smoke it.

Are you makin' fun of my Celeron? ;)

Btw, is it better to have a graphics/sound card than not? Does it make much of a difference?

I would never make fun of the Wintel folks!

Graphics cards are non questionable. Either you have one or you don't. If you don't, then you have a built in, "On-Board" graphics port. For without graphics, you have no image to produce on your monitor.

On board is good for internet, e-mail, and Granny.

A powerful 3D card http://ati.com/products/radeonx850/specs.html is for gaming. Some GPC's have more power than some computers(hmm, cost more too), but for people who enjoy in your face, right now, full screen, with no delay, 3D, they must pay the piper!

I'm unfamilar with a graphics/sound card. But 'some' on board sound cards are adequate enough. If not, a good sound card compliments the system.
I use my built in sound card."Realtek ALC650 6-channel audio." However, I don't do the DVD thing on my rig.

Ok, just wondering, since I have just built in stuff, and was thinking if I should get some better cards.

Onboard graphics range from dire (the intel extreme) to the barely acceptable (The Geforce4MX, and I'm pushing the definition of 'acceptable' here).

If you have an intel extreme, sell elderly relatives if thats what it takes to get a better graphics card, because its one of the worst performing pieces of hardware you'll see.

If you have the G4MX, then you might want to ugrade to something with DX8 or DX9 features, otherwise you wont get the best effects in modern games. Water especialy looks almost real (as long as you dont look at the edges or where anything is interacting with it) on a DX9 card, and pretty good on a DX8 card, but its a translucent texture on DX7.

However, if the game was not written to take advantage of the new shaders, it wont make any differencem so whether you want an upgrade depends on what you play.

Onboard sound is better though. The soundstorm on an Nforce motherboard is acceptable for most people. 5.1 sound, and the quality is good enough for most people. My hearing being what it is, I cant actualy tell the difference between Soundstorm and hundreds of quid worth of soundcard.

What mobo do you have anyway?

Actually, some Mobos come with better-than-acceptable graphics cards. Mine comes with a GeForce 4 Ti 4200 for example. Onboard sound cards are very good, high quality and all, but they use the system RAM, which can be a let-down if you don't have a bunch of megabytes in there [img]smile.gif[/img]
And BGII is mostly processor-dependant than anything else(graphics, sound, memory). RAM comes second. I'd recommend taking something good for that. 256 MB, and a cheap Athlon 1500+ would do the trick.

Yup. You do need a processor. Without a processor your computer is just a dead box with wires in it. You can't play BGII wiht a dead box with wires in it, can you?

To actually answer your question, I don't know.

I have an Intel something... not sure if it's an extremem or not though... [img]tongue.gif[/img] How much do decent graphic cards cost?

Since your from the North lands, just drop by and check out their....

Canada (ATI Headquarters)
ATI Technologies Inc.
1 Commerce Valley Drive East
Markham, Ontario
Canada L3T 7X6
Tel: 905 882 2600

I have intel extreme grphics 2 and i can run GTA vice city on it.

<span style="color: lightblue">You can run it, sure, but can you play it?

Since intel make no good GPUs I am aware of, you really need to replace that. But, post which motherboard you have anyway. In fact, post as many specs as you can find on your PC. Some graphics cards will just go to waste if your CPU cant keep up with them.

A GeforceFX 5200 will set you back £25. As you can tell from the fact that mast people over the age of 5 can lay hands on enough money for one, this is not a good card. Although not as bad as anything Intel.

The GeforceFX 5900XT is another story. £120, which is pretty decent, its a DX9 card and will perform well for most purposes.

Theres also the newer Geforce6 series, but I've heard somewhat mixed reports about them. Since I havent bought a new GPU in years, I havent done any proper research though. You want to know about them, then head to www.tomshardware.com .

Oh, and don't get an GeforceFX 5800 unless you want your pc to sound like a jet engine. They really had a problem with noise.