[poll] FPS Issue/Question

N

Neodymium

I made one post
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May 3, 2008
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6
I am getting only about 20-30 fps on average and I was wondering why that this is with my PC?

Here are some specs of it:

  • Dell Dimension C521

    OS: Windows Vista 32-bit
    Memory: 3GB DDR2 SDRAM (2 x 512MB each and 2 x 1GB each)
    Graphics Card: Visiontek Radeon X1300 Pro Video Card - 256MB DDR2, PCIe, low-profile
    CPU: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 3800+
    MOBO (maybe???): NForce 430 chipset with the AM2 socket I think it is ASUS?
    PSU: 280 Watt DC Power Supply (low profile)
    Audio: Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor: Dell E207WFP 20" Wide Screen Flat Panel Monitor

    Dimensions & Weight
    H: 15.8" (40.13 cm)
    W: 4.5" (11.43 cm)
    D: 14.2" (36.07 cm)
(If I am missing any specs I can give them, if it will help with the advice.)

So I was wondering what I can do to improve my performance. I am really limited by the low profile slim case.... I was also wondering if it is possible to just move my comp to a new case and how hard it would be?
 
What settings are you using in game? I'm not particularly familiar with the Radeon series, but I'm using a 40 dollar X1050 for my second monitor- is the X1300 much higher up the chain? If not, that could easily be your issue.
 
Just glancing at your configuration the graphics card and power supply seem to be the weak links. The power supply wouldnt matter unless you started upgrading your video card and other things though. This is a link to the Toms Hardware Guide VGA Charts as they apply to your card. Toms usually has the best hardware info on the net in my opinion.

http://tinyurl.com/4lsh73 (URL shortened by Flippy for sanity's sake)

I know this is a huge link, but copy and paste it all in. Make sure you click view all products at the bottom and choose a revelant benchmark (overall games fps).

If you look at the bottom of the 20ish compared cards, your card is unfortunatly at the very bottom... My old computer has a ATI X850 in it and chugs on TF2, especially with all of the medics lately, and the x850 does about twice as well in overall FPS as your card. It looks like its time for an upgrade my friend! If your curious about that there is another link off the main Toms page that goes to the best cards for the money for May. Its a great read! As far as the low profile case goes, graphics cards can get huge... Its like comparing a laptop to a desktop, more size, more heat, more power. I would look into a new case for some more room.
 
The X1300 is comparable to the 7300 from nVidia. PRO versions of ATi cards are usually the entry-level versions or the 'lol not as good as the XT' versions. The XT's are meant for gamers.

I also noticed that your power supply is, well, lacking power [output]. Really, the four-letter brand of computers aren't really that great for gaming unless you get the 'three-letter series from that four-letter brand.'

[link=http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/desktop-vga-charts/overall-all-games-fps,572.html?p=1591%2C1598%2C1597%2C1601%2C1596%2C1589%2C1600%2C1602%2C1599%2C1581%2C1579%2C1574%2C1577%2C1594%2C1578%2C1592%2C1593%2C1595%2C1614%2C1612%2C1615%2C1613%2C1616%2C1583%2C1573%2C1586%2C1572%2C1580%2C1576%2C1590%2C1642%2C1643%2C1570%2C1637%2C1636%2C1640%2C1641%2C1582%2C1635%2C1634%2C1568%2C1571%2C1632%2C1575%2C1639%2C1631%2C1587%2C1588%2C1633%2C1562%2C1569%2C1638%2C1630%2C1560%2C1604%2C1567%2C1566%2C1647%2C1629%2C1627%2C1628%2C1646%2C1585%2C1609%2C1561%2C1610%2C1611%2C1645%2C1559%2C1644%2C1625%2C1626%2C1565%2C1624%2C1623%2C1619%2C1620%2C1607%2C1608%2C1558%2C1622%2C1621%2C1603%2C1564%2C1557%2C1606%2C1618%2C1563%2C1617%2C1584%2C1605]This is Krizpy's link.[/link]

For future reference, just click the hyper-link button in the control panel below the text box next time you post a link.
 
You might want to upgrade the video card. The rest of the stuff seems alright for gaming. 3 gigs ram is all you need and that processor isn't terribly bad.

Depending on how much money you can spend, you can get a lot with $100 or so these days.
 
IMHO, before you buy a new comp, try and upgrade (maybe). don't look at any high-end gpu's - their two big (long) to fit in your case and your psu is too weak. you could probably fit an ati x1650xt (DX9) in there, or a newer ati 3850 (DX10). both of thoses cards are ::middle:: gamming cards that don't need the special power supply connector that the high-end cards need. anybody else have any thoughts?
 
upgrading your power supply....or almost anything other than your video card...is going to be a pain because that series of Dell still uses proprietary parts (if i remember correctly), which means you'll have to purchase through them, or find a company who sells parts that fit in the machine. I think that frame rate is pretty low for TF2, though - even with that machine. What else is running in the background? How hot is your system running? And...do you have XP? Because if you do, you may want to dual-boot and run your games from that version of windows...Vista is a terrible OS, but specifically it's really bad with gaming.
That being said, your PSU is definitely a weak point - you should have at LEAST a 400watt PSU. So, check out some prices from Dell and decide if sticking with that system is important to you. You may want to start pricing other machines or look into building your own if you have the extra cash, though.
 
So I know that everyone likes to upgrade hardware, but I will (as long as I'm on this forum) always tell people to look at their connection to the server or their ISP in general, first. Here is an excellent link to a CS forum explaining the command console options for finding your connection to the server.

http://www.fishtankclan.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.44

I would check this first to make sure that you are connected well (read fast) before upgrading. Although, with your current setup, if it is within your budget, I would consider the upgrades posted.
 
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