Doomlord

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Further question:..Hypothetically, how smooth do you think this card would run with the setting pumped up to Max?..And the Nvidia cards dont have much of a problem with the jagged edges.Correct?..Or is that universal? o.o

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A 9600GT should run City of Heroes/Villains full blast without issue. The "jagged edges" issue has to do with the ATI drivers sucking at OpenGL support - something you won't have to worry about with an NVIDIA card.

That'll do.

If you just want to play City of Heroes, I would recommend looking at the 9600 GT. That should be plenty of hoursepower for the settings you're running at, I think.

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Hello all, Currently I am running on a XPS 410 with a Radeon X1300/1550 series graphics card. I was considering updating to a higher end card, but I have no ideas..I'm hoping something that can run CoH without the nasty Jagged edges effect ATI cards seem to cause with Coh..And something that can run the game at max(Or near max) with 1650x1050 resolution...and keep a stable frame rate...I'm hardware retarded here, so...Help me out please?

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Yeah, you're due for a graphics card update. Post a DirectX diagnostic report (instructions in a sticky in this forum) and we can go from there.

Your system chokepoint is, by a large margin, your CPU. The good news is that it's upgradeable - you can at least stick a 1066MHz FSB Core 2 Duo in it. Newegg has only two such processors still for sale, but either of them will fit the bill:
Wolfsdale E7400 (2.8 GHz)
Wolfsdale E7500 (2.93 GHz)

On the flipside, you have a bunch of garbage running in the background that eats up CPU cycles, so getting rid of them will help a bit. You can, without question, get rid of Spybot. Uninstall it - it's obsolete as far as scanning is concerned. The other major you might consider getting rid of is McAfee. If this is your dedicated gaming rig and your don't surf the web on it, McAfee is just slowing you down. If not, McAfee is somewhat of a resource hog (although there's worse out there) and you might replace it with something less so, such as NOD32 or BitDefender.

You can also use HijackThis to clean out some the other junk in your system. Here's what you can "fix" for sure:
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O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HP Software Update] C:\Program Files\HP\HP Software Update\HPWuSchd2.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\QTTask.exe" -atboottime
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [iTunesHelper] "C:\Program Files\iTunes\iTunesHelper.exe"

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O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Adobe Reader Speed Launcher] "C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 9.0\Reader\Reader_sl.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] "C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jusched.exe"

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4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MSMSGS] "C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe" /background
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Google Update] "C:\Documents and Settings\Charles\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe" /c

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O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Fraps] C:\FRAPS\FRAPS.EXE

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There are a few more things you might be able to "fix" depending on how you use them, but even if you're not comfortable messing around in HijackThis, the general rule of thumb is to uninstall it if you're not using it anymore

Edit: Found the motherboard model in the DirectX report. Shut up, it's late.

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As for the Rosewill PSU, I'm having second thoughts based on it's review over at JonnyGURU. JonnyGURU was one of the first sites on the web that actually did extensive load testing on PSUs and not just stuck it in a box and looked at what the BIOS said the voltages were. They also tear down the PSU and look at the quality of parts inside.

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Rosewill is Newegg's house brand and, like most rebranded merchandise, quality will vary greatly from individual product to individual product. If that review was for the specific PSU the OP is considering buying, all well and good, but otherwise, I'd still be wary of Rosewill.

First thing: skip the E8200. You're much better off performance-wise with an equivalently priced dual-core. If you want to go quad, you really have to bite the bullet and get something with a little more kick. I would also look for a better brand in Power Supply. Antec, PC Power and Cooling, and Thermaltake are good ones (there are others, but that's a start). Western Digital "Caviar Black" series hard drives are a good bet for better performance and reliability, although they have a higher pricetag. For the pricetag of that terrabyte drive though, you could set up a couple of smaller WD drives in RAID 0 if your motherboard supports it - that would be a major jump.

As far as your other questions:

Find a motherboard that's SLI-ready and stick with the NVIDIA-based cards if you want to play City of Heroes/Villains and actually be able to turn all the high-end eye candy on. If you like Asus, here's the approximate equivalent: the P5N-D. Personally I skipped out on SLI or Crossfire for this generation of build and just got the regular P5Q - I'll probably upgrade my processor at least once before multi-GPU setups are worth the entry price in terms of real-time performance.

As far as RAM is concerned, 32 bit operating systems can only address 4GB total of "stuff" (2^32 bytes = 4GB), including system memory, video memory, and some other miscellaneous things. If you have 4GB or more of RAM in your system, a 32-bit version of Windows will given what's left of that addressing space to system memory after you take out video memory and the rest of it. In your case, you'd actually have a bit more than 3 GB to use. I would strongly recommend getting a 64-bit OS. XP Pro x64 is workable but a bit lacking in driver support, so double check for all applicable hardware. Vista x64 is quickly becoming the default for those that want to use a large amount of memory (it's what I use, actually - works fine for City of Heroes for me, and that annoying driver issue is fixed in Service Pack 2 for good).

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BigSung. Your problem is that your video card is bottom of the line. It's really not suitable for this game except on the very lowest graphics settings. This latest update through the Magic pack added several intense graphical features in the form of the new costumes and powers. Odds are that your card is simply being pushed beyond it's limit.

And even if the card can still play in minimal graphics mode your drivers for it are 3 years out of date which makes a big difference.

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I noticed the issue on the driver, so I have gone and updated that one with the latest. As for video card, I might have to look into a new one. Any video card that you recommend that doesn't cost an arm and leg?

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Since "an arm and a leg" can mean different things to different people, I would look here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...-gtx,2270.html

To the OP: Your card is almost certainly overheating. Get yourself a can of compressed air and clean the dust out of your case, if you haven't done so already. If the problem doesn't go away, you should figure out a way to improve the cooling capacity of your system, although given the fact that it's an HP, this might be a challenge.

If the card is physically damaged (blown out capacitors, burn marks, warping, etc.) then you should get yourself a new one to avoid further damage to your system.

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Yes, you both, indeed, are correct. Now where can I buy one of those... Without ordering it online? I would just run down to Circuit City, but.. Ya'know.. They're closed.. T_T the economy strikes again!

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MicroCenter if they are in your area. Some of the smaller computer stores have the Odd cables over BuyMore type stores.

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On the off chance that there's a TigerDirect outlet nearby, they'll have it too. Sometimes I feel damn lucky to have one within ten miles of me.

At this point, my honest recommendation is to save a bit of money and suck it up and buy a new system. Anything you upgrade on your current machine means sinking money into parts that won't be compatible when you inevitably do go for a complete rebuild. You can build a decent budget gaming machine for about $500.

The Pentium 4 isn't going to help much either. Post a HijackThis and DirectX Diagnostic report so we can take a look. EDIT: You are defragging regularly, correct?

[Censored].

Yeah, HijackThis log would be the next thing to look at.

First we need to know what you mean by "lag". Do you mean your framerate is diving to a slideshow speed, or are you talking about connection lag (i.e. rubberbanding and mapservering)?

Also, the reports says you have Service Pack 3 already on the system. You were aware of this, correct?

This goes without saying, but in both your cases you should check for physical damage to your video card just to be sure. As Miuramir said, blown caps dictate that you should replace the card as it may cause damage to the rest of your system if left alone long enough.

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Hm. I updated my drivers, but had to roll back because my card stopped working. I guess the new NVidia driver doesn't run a 7600GS.

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Odd. According to NVIDIA's website, release 182 (the latest) still supports the 7600 GS. Try uninstalling your drivers, running Driver Sweeper, and then installing the drivers. Make sure you have the appropriate version of the drivers for your operating system and card (which will be listed under the GeForce 7 Series).

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Yeeeeah. Nvidia Geforce 4 MX?
After the Graphics update a few issues ago, that card JUST BARELY meets minimum requirements. In fact, I think they may have even removed it from thier list of compatible hardware.

I'm guessing you have an AGP system (since I've never heard of a 4 MX in PCI-Express) I suggest an upgrade. go here and pick out a graphics card. EVEN THE LOWEST PRICED one in that list is better than the 4 MX.
Of course, this one is probably the best bang for the buck and it will even fit if you have a low profile case.

Trust me, skip a night or 2 of take-out or pizza for dinner and use that money to get a graphics card. You won't regret it!


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Well, one review says that MMOs like WoW get blue screened.. Are you sure this is a good card/ do you use this card?

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Asus hardware in general is really good on quality. That reviewer probably installed his drivers wrong or something.

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It only began after the last patch. Actually I played all last night without any problems, but the night before I crashed 4 times while pretty much just standing around.

Again, it's possible that damage was there beforehand, and maybe it's just superficial, because my card is still running fine, even on CoH, I have no framerate issues or anything like that, just occasional texture glitches that can be fixed by changing my World/Character texture settings and then clicking Apply to reload the zone, as well as the computer lockup crash.

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If you have blown caps, it's probably going to be random like that. The bottom line is still that you have a bad card and the fix is to get a new one. And City of Heroes is NOT the culprit here - the capacitors' manufacturer is.

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I think it's an EVGA GeForce 7600 GT. The physical damage is that two of the components, look like little batteries, were blown out the top, some chemicals inside kind of foamed up through the top.

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Blown capacitors? Yeah, replace the card. Still odd that only City of Heroes gives you issues, but if your card died tomorrow it wouldn't surprise me too much (not likely though).

Depending on what your other needs are, this might be a good replacement:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130424

I know it's EVGA, but if you register with them you get a 2 year warranty for the card, which is pretty good.

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My CPU idles at around 28 and hits about 40-45 playing CoH. I'm not sure about my GPU since Speed Fan can't find my graphics card, but none of my internal temps go over 50. I guess it's possible it isn't overheating, but there are signs of physical damage on the card, but I guess that could be old (not sure when it'd be from though, I don't think it'd be overheating, it isn't a huge clunky card and my case is properly cooled). Again, this isn't happening during times of extreme stress on the card. It's happening at the exact opposite times, when I'm standing around doing nothing or sitting at the character select screen even. Changing the graphic settings seems to have no effect. The texture glitches I am getting correspond with glitches you'd receive if your card was overheating, so naturally I'd think it was overheating. And, to boot, it happened with my old drivers, so I updated them to see if it would help, and it didn't.

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What signs of physical damage are we talking about, exactly? You MIGHT just have a failing card that's shooting itself in the foot somehow, either from faulty hardware on the card itself or an improperly installed or malfunctioning cooler. Again, though, it would be strange for it to only crash when CoX is running, but perhaps (this is just a stab in the dark, mind you), the particular way City of Heroes (or more precisely, OpenGL's instructions to the NVIDIA drivers) utilizes the hardware resources or something obscure in that regard is what causes the issues to rear their ugly head.

Long and short of it is to get yourself a new card unless your current one's under warranty (and then you instead have your card's manufacturer get you a new card). If it shows signs of physical damage, it's probably damaged and said damage subsequently probably is the source of your problems. I always recommend buying hardware from manufacturers with a good reputation (EVGA and Asus will be good examples in your case) who don't skimp on specs for exactly this reason.

I have to admit though, this is a rather odd issue if you can't replicate it at all in anything outside of City of Heroes. If you can tell us what card it is (manufacturer and all) I suppose someone else on the forums might be able to mimic your configuration and see if anything odd happens.

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It isn't. It's a CoH issue. I'm having the same problem. The card overheats during CoH, and only CoH. My temperatures read normal outside of and in CoH. Something in CoH causes the card temp to rapidly rise and freeze the computer or cause texture glitches.

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In theory, if your graphics card is properly cooled, nothing software-side can actually overheat it, even if it keeps the GPU at 100% utilization from here unto eternity. Unless the software is modifying hardware settings (and I don't think that you'll find City of Heroes OCing your GPU), there's no way any software should be able to force your card to overheat unless the card isn't properly cooled in the first place. This isn't necessarily true in your case, but I frequently see people adding big fat graphics cards into prebuilt PC cases that have a cooling system that isn't designed to support it (I'm looking at you, HP and Acer. And Dell. And... yeah, I could go on a while) or building their PC in a cheap, generic case because they couldn't see the point in spending more money on the one with the shiny lights and extra fans. Then they get upset when their card starts failing (and frequently ask me to "fix it").

/endnerdrant

Or it could be a bizzare driver/game engine issue. I find that more likely, since you aren't having problems with other games (and if any game is going to make your graphics card cook, it's Crysis). Are you monitoring your temperatures while playing CoH? If so, I'm curious what exactly they're hitting when/right before you crash.

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Alright, stupid question time, actually it's a two parter.

1.) How can I tell if my graphics card is low profile?
and
2.) Does it matter if it's a low profile card or not?

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The only difference is that the card is physically a lot slimmer. Some computer cases are designed to only handle low-profile cards. If your computer case is standard-width (which is likely) then either a slim or normal card will work fine.

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well if its going ... its lived a long life ... still going "Wow a gForce 4 MX, thats like so OLD'

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I discovered that I had one of them in a drawer with a bunch of other old expansion cards. It has a passive aluminum cooler on it. Yeah, old school.

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Yeeeeah. Nvidia Geforce 4 MX?
After the Graphics update a few issues ago, that card JUST BARELY meets minimum requirements. In fact, I think they may have even removed it from thier list of compatible hardware.

I'm guessing you have an AGP system (since I've never heard of a 4 MX in PCI-Express) I suggest an upgrade. go here and pick out a graphics card. EVEN THE LOWEST PRICED one in that list is better than the 4 MX.
Of course, this one is probably the best bang for the buck and it will even fit if you have a low profile case.

Trust me, skip a night or 2 of take-out or pizza for dinner and use that money to get a graphics card. You won't regret it!


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Wow, I didn't realize the selection of AGP cards had gotten so piss-poor. Agree with the recommendation, although I wish the NVIDIA equivalent was still around.

EDIT: It takes a Molex, just to clarify. He'd have to already have his system quite stretched, power-wise, for this to be an issue, I think.

You request vacation time at work for Double XP weekend.

Arc Name: Ghosts of the Brass Crusade
Arc ID: 9340
Faction: Heroic
Creator Global/Forum Name: I'll give you a dollar if you figure this one out.
Difficulty Level: Challenging. Bring a well-composed team or expect to feel some pain.
Synopsis: Learn about the origin of the Doomlords. Unravel a Nemesis plot. Beat the [censored] out of stuff! Lose 10 pounds instantly! (Results not typical)
Estimated Time to Play: 1 to 1.5 hours