Girl Gamer in distress!!!
By
Alt_AKA_Joe,
Posted on: 2009-05-12 09:04 in ALL ACCESS Gameplay Technical Issues Bugs
Rubberbanding, lagging and crashing aren't just issues with one's PC lately. My system can run with max resolution and graphics settings (and it's two years old) but the game itself has a few problems with lag lately... especially in zones like Atlas Park, Talos and Perigrine Island for Heroes, and Cap Au Diable for Villains on the moderately to heavily populated servers.
As far as what rig is good to get "today" that will run fine with the next huge expansion (mentioned in the Announcements), I'd see what the tech minded players who are up to date with gear have to say.
Getting at least two gigabytes of system ram as well as an Nvidia graphics card (of the GT or GTX variety) also with at least one gigabyte of ram on the card itself (four months ago) really improved my current system.
Edited to add:
My old desktop system had a 2.8gigahertz single core CPU with 1.7gigabytes of ram. The video card was an ATI Graphics card with 512 megabytes of ram on the card. With this system, I couldn't run the game with full graphics without turning it into a slideshow. Loading was slow when moving between zones and when entering/exiting missions.
I think I now have a dual core 3.0gigahertz CPU with 2megs of ram. I recommend 4 megs but that might force you into using Window Vista as an operating system.
Check out Tigerdirect's website for their "deals" and then compare their prices with similar rigs at your local Bestbuy, Fryes, or what have you.
Don't forget that this game now runs on certain flavors of MacIntosh, however I don't know any Mac owners who play CoX.
Anyone else got ideas?
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Building a new rig is waaaay out of my league, so any help identifying a complete set up would be greatly appreciated.
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I will just say that this is a very common misconception. My 62 year old mother built her own PC in 4 hours with parts she ordered online. Pretty much anyone that can follow basic step-by-step instructions, can do the same.
There is more effort involved in deciding what combination of parts to use, than the actual physical process of putting them together into a functioning unit.
Proposed budget?
While I tend to agree with the notion that building yourself is not nearly as daunting as you would think, I also completely sympathize with the desire not to do so.
That being said, giving us a proposed budget will allow us to make better recommendations.
Let me take a different tack here, what to avoid in store bought PCs.
"Slim line" cases as they don't take standard size video cards.
Less than 2GB of memory.
Vista Basic.
Integrated Graphics from Intel, nVidia, or ATI.
Intel CPUs that start with E2xxx or E4xxx.
AMD Phenom processors (not Phenom II) that end in 00 like a 9100.
Narrow down the systems you are considering and come back and ask our opinion on what's left.
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$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components
Tempus unum hominem manet
I think the best solution would be to buy yourself a new computer and give him your current one (assuming you're not having the problems your son is complaining about). 
I got my son a refurbished computer from Dell Outlet about 2 years ago (when his old Celeron would no longer function well enough to get by on), and it still runs CoH very well. $400. Look for ones around that price point, get a video card and at least 2 GB of memory and Vista Home Premium and see what you can get.
1st Budget or your son might end up with a computer better than yours.
I am sure the systems post last year are still good, but if you lost the specs then it falls backs to budget
I was able to pull a Quad Processor system with 12Gigs of ram for less than 700.oo (using some old parts)
Lead Squirrel at Dr. E Spider robotic site #643
Nothing saids its your spot like an ourob. Portal dropped on the ground.
Okay, I played around on the Dell website for a bit and this is what I have come up with...what do you think?
Inspiron 530.........$569
Intel® Pentium® dual-core processor E5200 (2MB L2, 2.5GHz, 800FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Service Pack 1
Microsoft Works 9.0
1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
3GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 DIMMs
320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
No Monitor
ATI RADEON HD 4670 512MB
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
Dell USB Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse
No Floppy Drive Included
No Modem Option
Dell 1505 Wireless-N PCIe Card
Inspiron 530.........$669
Intel® Core 2 Duo Processor E7400 (3MB L2 Cache,2.80GHz,1066 FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit
Microsoft Works 9.0
1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 4DIMMs
500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Dell S1709W 17" Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor
ATI Radeon HD3650 256MB
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
Dell USB Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse
No Floppy Drive Included
Studio Desktop.............$759
Intel® Core 2 Duo E7400 (3MB L2, 2.8GHz, 1066FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit
Microsoft Works 9.0
1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
Dell S1909WX 19 inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 2DIMMs
500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
nVidia GeForce 9800GT
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Dell Consumer Multimedia Keyboard and Laser Mouse
Integrated 16-in-1 Media Card Reader
Dell 1505 Wireless-N PCIe Card
omg seriously, if u buy a dell i'm going to cut my big toe's nail off, seriously dell has the worst parts ever, and the worst customer service in the history of customer service.
don't ever do alienware as well they are owned by dell.
seriously the best thing you can really aim for is an imac. they come with boot camp so u can install windows on a partition so he can still run windows based games on the mac natively.
but even if u don't come to your senses and go mac, just for the love of all things alcohol, sweet, spicy, sour and musical do not buy dell. i'd seriously have second thoughts about even receiving a dell as a gift, thinking is there a bomb inside or rat poison boiled into my beer? dell=devil
Yes, because Macs have no crappy parts issues (I repaired Mac Laptops/Desktop systems.) Seriously, Dells aren't the top of the PC chain, but they aren't the bottom either. I have a friend that games on an older Dell system, and its had no Major issues. (HDD Crashed once but turned out it was his fault). Don't believe all the hyperbole you hear Roxona.
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Login Screen changer (OS X/Windows/*nix)
Web based Base designer
SO/DO Enhancement Standardization Pack
CoH Community Mods Installer
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I think the best solution would be to buy yourself a new computer and give him your current one (assuming you're not having the problems your son is complaining about).
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LOL!
This is my computer (except with Windows XP, instead of Vista):
XPS M1730
Intel® Core 2 Duo T9500 (2.6GHz/800Mhz FSB/6MB cache)
Sapphire Blue
Microsoft® Office Small Business 2007-includes Publisher + Outlook2007
2Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
Speed: 500GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) with Free Fall Sensor
CD / DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW Drive)
NVIDIA® SLI Dual GeForce® 9800M GT 1GB GDDR3
Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965a/g/n Mini Card
Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR)
Dell Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Bundle
85 WHr Lithium Ion Battery (9-cell)
High Definition Audio 2.0
My ex bought this one for me a couple of years ago when it was new technology.
I don't think I should give my son this one...do you?
Intel® Core 2 Duo T9500 (2.6GHz/800Mhz FSB/6MB cache)
NVIDIA® SLI Dual GeForce® 9800M GT 1GB GDDR3
Yes. If he doesn't want it I'll take it! 
(The laptop I used to play on is about 1/4 that... I quit playing CoH on it a while back.)
Victory Wiki
Login Screen changer (OS X/Windows/*nix)
Web based Base designer
SO/DO Enhancement Standardization Pack
CoH Community Mods Installer
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omg seriously, if u buy a dell i'm going to cut my big toe's nail off, seriously dell has the worst parts ever, and the worst customer service in the history of customer service.
don't ever do alienware as well they are owned by dell.
seriously the best thing you can really aim for is an imac. they come with boot camp so u can install windows on a partition so he can still run windows based games on the mac natively.
but even if u don't come to your senses and go mac, just for the love of all things alcohol, sweet, spicy, sour and musical do not buy dell. i'd seriously have second thoughts about even receiving a dell as a gift, thinking is there a bomb inside or rat poison boiled into my beer? dell=devil
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Wow! Sounds like you had a terrible experience with Dell! I've been using my laptop for a couple of years now, and the couple of times I had to call for tech support, I always got someone knowledgeable and surprisingly easy to understand (The last time I called their tech support was in the Phillipines). I really like the fact that I could call them 24/7 whenever I had a problem.
dell is ok.. I have 2 lets tops from them and my GF uses the low end one to play the game on.
personal I would say looking at what you posted 3 systems. Last one is the best but I dont like the all in one solutions.
advice:
64bit windows
2gigs Ram is fine, if you want more buy it from the Egg for better quality
Video card you will want 512M memory at least. (I have a 4650 card in one of my spare machines and the CoX splash screen makes it look like the game crashed with video problem - rest of the time it works like a charm).
reason ppl have issues with dell is they use refurbished parts. If you have to have something replaced it will be refurbished (new laptop drive died on me the 2nd day, replacement was a refurb drive .. I replced the drives with my own since then).
Lead Squirrel at Dr. E Spider robotic site #643
Nothing saids its your spot like an ourob. Portal dropped on the ground.
Hmmmm. I wonder how the yet to be released Expansion Pack - Going Rogue -- will affect your computing experience.
I have an old Dell desktop, XP operating system, with an old AT video card with drivers that haven't been updated for years ... but did add memory so that it has 4megs of ram. It now runs everything fine - except for the animations that are supposed to show when creating MArcs. So I have no idea how Rogues will affect me. (Yet a low end HP laptop with shared video memory that works fine with 2megs of ram.)
Isn't it horrible to have to buy something today that has to work with the changes coming tomorrow?
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I think the best solution would be to buy yourself a new computer and give him your current one (assuming you're not having the problems your son is complaining about).
[/ QUOTE ]
LOL!
This is my computer (except with Windows XP, instead of Vista):
XPS M1730
Intel® Core 2 Duo T9500 (2.6GHz/800Mhz FSB/6MB cache)
Sapphire Blue
Microsoft® Office Small Business 2007-includes Publisher + Outlook2007
2Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
Speed: 500GB SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) with Free Fall Sensor
CD / DVD Burner (DVD+/-RW Drive)
NVIDIA® SLI Dual GeForce® 9800M GT 1GB GDDR3
Intel® PRO/Wireless 4965a/g/n Mini Card
Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR)
Dell Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Bundle
85 WHr Lithium Ion Battery (9-cell)
High Definition Audio 2.0
My ex bought this one for me a couple of years ago when it was new technology.
I don't think I should give my son this one...do you?
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Haha wow, I didn't think you had a gaming laptop. Those tend to be pretty extremely expensive and you're not likely to find much of an upgrade in that market.
From the options you listed, the Studio looks to be the best bang for the buck, especially if you can drop the monitor in favor of re-using an older one.
That being said, don't be afraid to shop around. Newegg does sell complete systems. Here's one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883229090
The only thing you'd need with that is a monitor (I'm assuming he has one if he has a desktop now).
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Okay, I played around on the Dell website for a bit and this is what I have come up with...what do you think?
Inspiron 530.........$569
Intel® Pentium® dual-core processor E5200 (2MB L2, 2.5GHz, 800FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Service Pack 1
Microsoft Works 9.0
1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
3GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 DIMMs
320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
No Monitor
ATI RADEON HD 4670 512MB
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
Dell USB Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse
No Floppy Drive Included
No Modem Option
Dell 1505 Wireless-N PCIe Card
Inspiron 530.........$669
Intel® Core 2 Duo Processor E7400 (3MB L2 Cache,2.80GHz,1066 FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit
Microsoft Works 9.0
1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
4GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 4DIMMs
500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Dell S1709W 17" Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor
ATI Radeon HD3650 256MB
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
No speakers (Speakers are required to hear audio from your system)
Dell USB Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse
No Floppy Drive Included
Studio Desktop.............$759
Intel® Core 2 Duo E7400 (3MB L2, 2.8GHz, 1066FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit
Microsoft Works 9.0
1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
Dell S1909WX 19 inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz- 2DIMMs
500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
nVidia GeForce 9800GT
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Dell Consumer Multimedia Keyboard and Laser Mouse
Integrated 16-in-1 Media Card Reader
Dell 1505 Wireless-N PCIe Card
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If you could get the video card from either Option A or C and put them on Option B, I would go with Option B myself.
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Hmmmm. I wonder how the yet to be released Expansion Pack - Going Rogue -- will affect your computing experience.
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This is my thought as well. Once I saw the announcement this morning about the Expansion Pack, I knew I was going to have be more proactive in replacing my son's laptop.
...and that's the thing too. He has a laptop now, so I will have to get him a monitor, etc. I'll look at that link to NewEgg.
I agree the second build would be best if not for the video card, but unfortunately that was the best one offered with that particular package.
www.cyberpowerpc.com They have some good deals on gaming computers, better than equivalently priced Dells
Digital Storm Computers is a much better option than Cyberpower. You get quality parts that are tested to make sure everything works before it is shipped and you get a 3 year warranty.
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Let me take a different tack here, what to avoid in store bought PCs.
"Slim line" cases as they don't take standard size video cards.
Less than 2GB of memory.
Vista Basic.
Integrated Graphics from Intel, nVidia, or ATI.
Intel CPUs that start with E2xxx or E4xxx.
AMD Phenom processors (not Phenom II) that end in 00 like a 9100.
Narrow down the systems you are considering and come back and ask our opinion on what's left.
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Id like to add to this..
avoide the new Intel i7.
Yes, its their best and new processor, but Intel made (imo) a very bad move by stoping Nvidia from making compatable chipsets.
and also, avoid the next generation of AMD chips.
yes, I was a long time AMD guy. but thats changed, Intel and AMD made bad choices this year, From Intels desicision to stop Nvidia from making chipsets, to AMD outsourcing their manufaturing processes.
In english...
Litterly, this is the first time ever that buying the newest thing out there, isn't good.
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Litterly, this is the first time ever that buying the newest thing out there, isn't good.
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Pffffftttt.
That's been true for a loooooooooong time now.
Bleeding edge is for suckers.
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...and that's the thing too. He has a laptop now, so I will have to get him a monitor, etc. I'll look at that link to NewEgg.
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There's your problem. Laptops do NOT play high-end games well, as they usually (not always) have cheesy integrated graphics chipsets that use system memory.
Also, if he's rubberbanding, and has lag problems... what kind of connection do you have to the Internet? Who is it with, and how fast is it? Does that laptop use wifi to connect to the Internet, or is it connected via Ethernet cable?
Cos often these kinds of issues are more network-related than processor/graphics related.
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
You can get a very nice rig for about $300 online; that is including a decent video card (like an Nvidia 9800GT). If you would like more help, send me a PM and I'll throw something together for you to look at...
Happy hunting!
I need to buy my son a new computer, so he can play CoX without lagging, rubberbanding, freezing, crashing and screaming at me because his computer is a "complete piece of garbage, Mom!"
Would any of you be so kind as to recommend a reasonably priced desktop computer that will run CoX decently? I'm not looking for the cream of the crop, but I would like to find something that I'm not going to have a lot of problems with. Building a new rig is waaaay out of my league, so any help identifying a complete set up would be greatly appreciated.
I asked this questions last July or August, but I'm sure stuff has changed since then.
Thanks, all, for your help. You will make a 13 y/o boy very happy, and maybe I'll get a chance to enjoy the game instead of always trying to figure out what's going on with his computer.