Hey all, in a bit of a pickle here, hope you guys can help out! I was thinking of getting GTA IV for my computer, but I don't have one of those super computers or whatever, so I found a site (Can You Run It?) that's supposed to test whether you can run games they have on a list. For GTA IV, it says that I have over the required things needed (like, I have 6GB of RAM, when I only need about 3.) except for my video card. Yet, when I tested my computer for games I've already played (and played near perfect i.e. no lag etc.) it told me the same thing. My graphics card is an "Intel(R) G45/G43 Express Chipset" Should I be good? If not, would lowering the settings on the game itself, or tinkering with settings on my computer help at all? I'm not about to buy an expensive ass graphics card or anything. Thanks for any help!
It sounds like your computer is underpowered for GTA4... For the price of the video card and RAM you would need to run the game, you could buy a PS3/XBOX and the game itself... Plus, I have heard that GTA4 for PC is really buggy and broken for a lot of people. EDIT: Sorry, it sounds like you have the RAM available. But do you have a fast enough processor?
You tell me. Processor is "Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU E5300 @ 2.60GHz 2.60GHz" Whatever all that shit means. EDIT: And yeah, I'm actually getting a 360 in February (gotta love income taxes. ) but I've been pretty bored lately. XD
It's not the worst processor you can have for gaming, but GTA4 is a beast for computing power. If you plan on getting a console, I suggest just waiting. You'll have a much more enjoyable experience. Can I ask what factors make you want to go for a XBOX rather than a PS3 (curious)?
You've got an Intel graphics "card". Intel doesn't make graphics "cards". Intel makes CPUs, sometimes with onboard graphics processors as a "well, it has to have one, so throw it in" option. Most of yesteryear's computers came with graphics processors on the chipset (as in your case). Any way you cut it, it's integrated graphics, not a graphics "card" or "adapter", although the computer can't tell the difference at first glance. Basically, your computer has a built-in graphics adapter that's designed for one purpose: put things on the screen. It doesn't have any decent amount of 3D graphics power other than that needed to run the most basic 3D applications, something Grandma might find on Facebook. And it's perfectly acceptable for that. Hell, my primary PC has two graphics adapters: the one built-in on the CPU (mobile i5), and an on-demand GeForce GT 325m, which only turns on (literally) when I fire up a demanding 3D app. You don't really want a ballsy 3D graphics processor running all the time when you're just sitting there typing out a post here on GC, or watching a little YouTube video. Too many transistors on a chip producing heat, consuming power, getting nothing done. If you don't need a dedicated graphics chip for gaming or multi-monitors (or Windows 7 aero - definitely worth it), I always recommend leaving the integrated graphics alone. You've only got the built-in graphics adapter, no dedicated 3D card. It would probably be beneficial for you to go grab a cheapie 3-series card from nVidia or something... nothing too expensive (a 3D card with about 10 times the power of your onboard chip will run you maybe $60). You only need one of those overpriced dual-slot monstrosities if you have like, dual 60" HDTVs at 1920x1200 running Crysis. They're just fucking overkill. Which one to buy? Check out this post: http://forum.grasscity.com/silicon-v-alley/687726-want-purchase-radeon-hd-5770-a.html#post8713498
Integrated graphics built into your cpu/motherboard. So no, you have a bottleneck in your system which is only the graphics card. Just buy one for about 130 bucks and you will have a graphics card that can run almost any game.
Take it from this guy he knows his shit, and thats the graphics card I have and recommend for you. Though you might also need to increase your power supply because I had to and I had a 2008 XP. Also don't get gta4 for cpu its almost as buggy as Stalker.
I like the choice of games better. Plus most of my friends have one, so I'll have people to play with. And thanks guys! Looks like I'm just gonna have to wait till I get the console version.
For the average gamer a console is perfect... hardcore gaming is reserved for pc gamers. GTA4 is awesome with mods though, whole nother game.
I dunno, I think there's quite a few people who could be considered "hardcore" console gamers. The modding community for most PC games though is freakin' amazing. One of the reasons I wanted the game on PC.
Yeah, it's really a shame that consoles have really taken over the online community. If you can, and your pc and support it, get the game on pc. But then again, most people's friends like mine only play xbox. So it's always a tough decision when buying a game. But yeah, hardcore console gamers are the one's that play like halo only. If you play COD competitively on console (or even pc) then that's just stupid.
I can hardly even stand gaming on a console... FPS on a console just never feels right. I'm hardly a gamer at all... I think the last game I fired up was Chime on my laptop a few weeks ago. But when I game, I want the luxury of a mouse, not some foreign stick-pushing action on a controller... so yeah, I think there's plenty of grey area in PC gaming for novice gamers as well