Recommend a PC game.

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RikkiGT-R

RikkiGT-R

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IamValhalla
I've just realised that despite my PC being fairly good, I've never actually played a modern game on it. I've played Sim City 3000 and 4 Deluxe (both very old), as well as a Microsoft Flight Sim of some sort, but again that was old and the graphics were awful.
I've also played every Football Manager from 07 onwards, but graphics aren't really the point of that game so it makes no difference.

Could you recommend a PC game that my machine could handle?

The main specs are:

Intel i3 @ 2.96GHz
8 Gb DDR3 RAM
1 Gb NVIDIA GeForce 210 (Stereoscopic 3D capable)

I know that's hardly spectacular specs, but I'm sure there are some modern games that would look good on my PC. I just don't know which ones I could get away with.
The reason I've so much RAM is because I use music production software like Cubase, Reaper, Mixcraft etc...

Note - I've never really been a PC gamer, I would just like to push this PC before I change it. I've never actually made it sweat.
 
I think you will struggle with any modern PC game with your video card being the major bottleneck in the system. I recently replaced a 1.5g NVidia 250 out of my brothers machine because of the slow performance.

Think circa 2007 and do a search for games released around that time period for starters.

You may get away with some of the MMORPG's as they are typically dumbed down for the masses. World of Warcraft, Starwars The Old Republic, etc.

Of course it is all subjective. If you want to lower the resolution down to lego-esk pixals, the rest of the machine may be able to pickup the slack for some better frame rates.

I guess I would download some demo's and see how they perform.

That's my 2 cents worth anyways.
 
There's loads of awesome old games, modern games tend to trade gameplay for graphics anyway... Try BF3 though, I ran it on low with a 512MB ATI 4870 and it still looked respectable.
 
I'm not even sure I would have considered that card entry-level for gaming back when it was released.

Search for gt 210 reviews and you can see what you can expect in various games at different settings. Here's one:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/inno3d-geforce-gt-210-and-220-review/
And another:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gt-220,2445.html

It looks like Crysis would be a no go.

neema_t
There's loads of awesome old games, modern games tend to trade gameplay for graphics anyway... Try BF3 though, I ran it on low with a 512MB ATI 4870 and it still looked respectable.
Click to expand...

I doubt it would fare well. The 4870 is significantly more powerful.
 
Damn it :grumpy:

It really is that bad huh?
Well if I replaced the graphics card for something superior, would it make a difference? Or is my processor still on the low end for gaming? I'd just like to see what a good PC game looks like.
If replacing the G210 would make a difference, then recommend a good graphics card? :sly:
 
just go on steam and download some demos and see how well it really works. What kind of games do you like to play? There are great PC games for any genre of game you are looking for.
 
That's the thing, I have no real preference.
I was hoping one of you guys could look at my specs and say "Game X will be fine on your rig"
But since the first couple of replies I've read a few reviews and as far as my GeForce 210 goes, it seems I might as well not have a graphics card :(
 
Half-Life 2 Demo
Portal 1 and 2
Serious Same (shooter, oldie but goodie)
Diablo 3 my handle it, certainly Diable 1 and 2.
Any of the older Call of Duty or Medal of Honors.


That should get you started.
 
RikkiGT-R
Well if I replaced the graphics card for something superior, would it make a difference? Or is my processor still on the low end for gaming? I'd just like to see what a good PC game looks like.
If replacing the G210 would make a difference, then recommend a good graphics card? :sly:
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The processor is good enough. Depending on your budget:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

You could try the FEAR demo, though that game came out in 2005. Tropico 4 might also work, but I'm not completely sure. Same for Starcraft 2.
 
Rollercoaster Tycoon 2.

I'm not joking either, you can get it for about £5 with all of the expansion packs and it's still ludicrously addictive. I spent 4 hours on it the other night when I've got loads of modern games I could have been playing instead.

Sometimes simple, addictive gameplay is all you need. I also happen to think the basic isometric graphics are perfect. If you download a sandbox level with all of the user-built items already included you can build your own park in an insane amount of detail.
 
Portal 2 is a great shout. Bioshock 1 & 2 would look good also.
 
I can't launch Bioshock from Steam, it just keeps giving me an error. :( It's not like my system can't handle it either so god knows what's wrong.
 
NR2003 and Grand Prix Legends are both great games, but you'll need a wheel.
The newer Flight Simulators are really good and for WW2 combat nothing beats IL-1946.
 
I went to that "Can you run it?" site, just picked a random game from the drop-down menu. Look at my result for FIFA12 for example:


Run it by RikkiGT-R, on Flickr

EDIT - although I've just tried Diablo III and it's a different story altogether :D
There's a minimum specs red bar and a recommended green bar; I'm just left of the middle.
 
I would not be suprised if the HD2000(if the i3 has it) iGPU has more power than the 210GT.
 
Grayfox
I would not be suprised if the HD2000(if the i3 has it) iGPU has more power than the 210GT.
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I've been looking through TechRadar's "the best 15 graphics cards in the world today". They have 5 budget, 5 mid-range, and 5 state of the art listed.
I'm currently trying to decide which to order.

The AMD Radeon HD 6950 looks to be the best value + performance.
 
Just as a fyi, never assume that because you exceed minimum requirements that you can in fact run a particular title. My personal rule of thumb is the recommended specs are the minimum - I wouldn't want to try to run a game on anything weaker than the recommended. As an example, CYRI lists the BF3 recommended at a GTX 560/Radeon 6950 and the minimum at a 3870/8800GT; from playing the beta I can tell you that there's no way you'd be able to play BF3 on an 8800GT at anything above 30fps without the game looking like complete pants.

Then of course there's Metro 2033, which does this to even the most powerful graphics cards: http://imgur.com/r/buildapc/YX2r1 and has a recommended of a GTX 260...
 
I never assumed anything. There's no way I'd get Diablo III with my current rig, not when I'm just above the 'minimum specs' line (or any other game for that matter).
Definitely shopping for a new graphics card, I have more than enough RAM at an apparent 8.2Gb of DDR3, I'm just hoping my processor is good enough (i3 @ 2.93GHz) because I've no need for a new PC just yet.
I'm also not intending, just yet anyway, to get seriously into PC games - I'd just like to play a modern one to see what all the fuss is about.
 
Sharky.
Just as a fyi, never assume that because you exceed minimum requirements that you can in fact run a particular title. My personal rule of thumb is the recommended specs are the minimum - I wouldn't want to try to run a game on anything weaker than the recommended. As an example, CYRI lists the BF3 recommended at a GTX 560/Radeon 6950 and the minimum at a 3870/8800GT; from playing the beta I can tell you that there's no way you'd be able to play BF3 on an 8800GT at anything above 30fps without the game looking like complete pants.

Then of course there's Metro 2033, which does this to even the most powerful graphics cards: http://imgur.com/r/buildapc/YX2r1 and has a recommended of a GTX 260...
Click to expand...

I think game mfg's use minimum specs to determine what won't lock up the computer.

I would love to see a game developer play Crysis at 640x480 and everything set to low, with all shadows off, all textures almost no existent, all AA off.

But yes, I totally agree. There are minimum and then there are playable minimums. That of course, is completely subjective on the player. My bro can play BF3 all day at 35fps. I have to have 60+fps or what's the point. :)

RikkiGT-R,
A 6850 is a decent card for the budget and would be a pretty good match for your processor. There really comes a point where no matter how much video card you add, you just won't reap the benefits until the rest of the bottlenecks are addressed. If you want to see "what all the fuss is about" consider this. My bro was running a 2.2ghz dual AMD K64 with a GTS250 Nvidia graphics card, 4gb of ram. All of us were playing BG3 at time. He had to lower his resolution and turn all of the graphic effects basically off to play the game. I then built him a new rig with a GTX570, K2600, and 16gb of ram. Totally different machine. His game play went to 1920x1080 resolutions with every maxed at 50-70fps. I would just hear him laugh with excitement as things blew up around him. He would say, "I've never seen anything like this before, it never looked like that before.... WOW!" He is now playing the game the way it was intended, with all the extra effects and smoothness that makes a PC game worth playing.
 
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I know I mentioned this before, but you seemed to not do it. Why don't you go and download some demos and see what your current machine will run. Also download msi after burner and run it while your playing. If the game runs bad, but it has your GPU not doing 99% usage most of the time, then more then likely it's not your GPU that is the problem. Or don't even use msi after burner and just try and run some games. Demos are free and they could make you actually know what your system will run, instead of going off of what people on the internet tell you. Just download steam and give a few current games a try. It's free and would give you at least one of the asnwers that you are looking for without having to guess "can my system run this game or that game".
 
You could go with a 7770 as well for $100 CAD. Not sure what the price is over the pond but in another thread below titled "what video card should I get?" I posted a link to one on sale for that price which would dramatically improve your computer and it only sips on power compared to the 6xxx series. I'm not sure what power supply you've got though.
 
What bevo is saying and what I mentioned before that is you can actually try the games to see how they do on your computer.

Go to www.steampowered.com and download the steam client. Setup your account and start downloading demos.

You may find a demo that's really fun and plays nice even though we have not mentioned it here.

:cheers:
 
CMvan46
www.canyourunit.com

Just type in the game your wanting to try and it will use a plug-in to see if your computers specs will handle it.
Click to expand...

I just tested Metro 2033. It goes miles past the minimum and then almost half the entire bar over recommended. Which I imagine isn't true...
 
I just ran the test for diablo III on my laptop, and it shows mine clear to the right at the fast mark. I have to run it on my laptop with everything at the minimum setting to keep it from lagging.
 
OK I'll download a few demos!

I'll also mention in response to Pako that I've found a Sapphire HD 6850 2GB on Amazon for £136.97, which seems a good price.

But yes, I've already got Steam due to playing Football Manager, so I'll get a few demos this evening and see how it goes.

EDIT - downloading the Just Cause 2 demo now. Had a good look and that one seems to be the most demanding out of the list so my PC should have a digital heart attack.
 
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That extra 1GB of memory won't do much. You would be better off saving the money or getting a 6870.
 
Moglet
I just tested Metro 2033. It goes miles past the minimum and then almost half the entire bar over recommended. Which I imagine isn't true...
Click to expand...

It's not incredibly accurate but it's a nice tool to get the rough idea if your computer can run the game or not.
 
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