Poor Gaming Performance

[TacticalTimbo]

Well I've received my Rampage III and have to say it looks twice as nice in person. However there is one issue, this being the number of usb headers on the mainboard. Whilst I had read somewhere that it was lacking in this area, I didn't expect to get a threefold decrease in them! This means I will have to ditch two usb's on the front panel and my card reader. I feel this is a bit unforgivable on a board so expensive. I thought I might return it as it's unused and get another but trouble is almost all the top board don't have the three that I need with most only having two (including the big bang xpower).

Could anyone suggest a top board with 3?

 

[DeniqueCoelum]

I've another slight gaming problem that you kind ladies and gents might be able to help me with: games running slowly. Now, I'm a complete gaming novice, I've been devotedly attatched to good ol' Age of Empires 1 & 2 for years, and I've only just been having a look at the new games that are out there.

I tried to play Lord of the Rings Conquest, but I had to give up, because the gameplay was so abominably slow and jerky that I couldn't play it without getting a migraine and intensely frustrated.

Then I got Assassin's Creed. Now, that plays alright, but only on the lowest graphics setting, otherwise the video lags behind the audio somewhat. There's still a bit of lag with it on lowest quality graphics, but it's playable.

What I want to know is, what's causing this? Is it my processor, or my graphics card, or what? The tech spec is all on my profile, so please take a look and see if you can help me out. It's a brand new computer as well, so I'm going to be a wee bit disappointed if it can't run these newish games.

 

[SlackerITGuy]

I've another slight gaming problem that you kind ladies and gents might be able to help me with: games running slowly. Now, I'm a complete gaming novice, I've been devotedly attatched to good ol' Age of Empires 1 & 2 for years, and I've only just been having a look at the new games that are out there.

I tried to play Lord of the Rings Conquest, but I had to give up, because the gameplay was so abominably slow and jerky that I couldn't play it without getting a migraine and intensely frustrated.

Then I got Assassin's Creed. Now, that plays alright, but only on the lowest graphics setting, otherwise the video lags behind the audio somewhat. There's still a bit of lag with it on lowest quality graphics, but it's playable.

What I want to know is, what's causing this? Is it my processor, or my graphics card, or what? The tech spec is all on my profile, so please take a look and see if you can help me out. It's a brand new computer as well, so I'm going to be a wee bit disappointed if it can't run these newish games.

Your video card.

Integrated GPUs are completely useless when gaming.

Newer video games require dedicated video cards.

Your CPU is fine though, those i5 CPUs can flat out fly.

 

[DeniqueCoelum]

Your video card.

Integrated GPUs are completely useless when gaming.

Newer video games require dedicated video cards.

Your CPU is fine though, those i5 CPUs can flat out fly.

Thank you! Excellente. So, can I put a dedicated video card in my machine? And if so... (here's the big question) ... what brand or spec would you recommend?

 

[Solarstarshines]

Your video card.

Integrated GPUs are completely useless when gaming.

Newer video games require dedicated video cards.

Your CPU is fine though, those i5 CPUs can flat out fly.

Thank you! Excellente. So, can I put a dedicated video card in my machine? And if so... (here's the big question) ... what brand or spec would you recommend?

you can but what is the price range you looking for alot of descret cards can do the job and not cost you as much as the big guns suggest a range and we'll defently get back to you

 

[Wishmaster]

With a 300W PSU, you'll be a bit limited.

Something like a HD4650, 4670 Or maybe a 5000 series equivelant would probably be the best bet.
They draw thier power from the PCI-X slot, and are not that power hungry.

Although they may not be able to play all games at max settings, it would be a large improvement over the onboard you have now I think.

These can be had anywhere from $50-100, and you shouldnt need to worry about extra power.

Anything larger though & you'll likely need to look into a larger Power Supply as well to go with it.
Going this route will cost more, but offer better gaming performance as well.

 

[Solarstarshines]

yeah the psu has you kinda stuck there but there is always room for upgrade may i suggest atleast a 450 watt supply that will get you going on most decent cards and it shouldnt run you that much im sure you can get one pretty cheap online

by the way do you know how to install this on your own or do you need professional help this will make a big impact on what you spend becuase we are do it yourselfers here but i do understand not all of us have the abilities to do modifacations as suggested

 

[DeniqueCoelum]

Ahh, okay... well, I can fit it myself, no problem about that... the maximum amount I'd want to pay is £60-70. That's roughly $90-$100 at the current rate of exchange, I think.

 

[Solarstarshines]

for 80 to 90 bucks you can get a discret 5670 1 gb or for a little less the 512 version but atleast a 400 watt supply though

those cards dont need a power adapter they run off the pci slot with no added power supply i had it when i first built this rig i have then switch my card three times in the past year

 

[DeniqueCoelum]

I see! So, would something like this

SAPPHIRE RADEON HD 5670 1GB GDDR5 £63.61 - UK-computers.co.uk

be feasible? It says that it has low power consumption. Would I be able to get away with that without needing extra power, d'you think?

 

[WolfSoul]

HD5670:

400 Watt or greater power supply recommended (500 Watt for ATI CrossFireX™ technology in dual mode)

 

[Wishmaster]

This gets a little tricky. It may or may not be OK. (Hopefully someone has experience with a similar setup knows for sure)

By that I mean, It really comes down to how good your 300W PSU currently is, in specific the 12V rail itself.

To find out, open the side of the case and look at the label on the side of the PSU. There should be a listing for 12V and how many Amps it carrys.


If I was to guess, I would say if you have anywhere 16-20Amps you should probably be OK with that card. But it may be pushing it.
That of course is if you are not powering a LOT of extra things such as HDs etc.


Now, if you want to play it safe & consider upgrading the PSU or you need to, to allow a bit more headroom:

Going by how typical OEM PSUs are-
Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Something like this should serve you well.

Also, a cheaper one:
Newegg.com - Antec Basiq BP350 350W ATX12V v2.01 Power Supply

The second one, although cheaper, will likely give a bit more power to the entire system to help out with the additional load.
However, you will still be limited in the expandability departments.

The first one would allow a bit more headroom.

These are just budget oriented PSUs, for smalller builds.
There are better, more powerful ones, but depending on your intended purposes, may be overkill for what you want to do.

Only you can decide that.

Personally, I prefer Corsair, but I Think Antec has the better options under 550W, since Corsair changed thier line-up.





Another option to go without swapping the PSU, one other to consider may be:
Newegg.com - PowerColor AX4650 1GBK3-H Radeon HD 4650 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

I know its a generation behind, and slightly weaker, but...
It requires a 350W PSU, so its a little less taxing. And, overall for what it is, Its a very good little light gaming card.

 

[DeniqueCoelum]

I think I'll upgrade the PSU, definitely, and go for a higher performance card. I don't want to be caught out if I suddenly need to run anything that's a bit more demanding in future.

I've had a bit of a look around, how does this strike you?

This card:

Kikatek.com | (HD-567X-ZNF3) XFX/ATI Radeon HD 5670 1024MB PCI-E 2.1 HDMI/Dual-Link DVI/DisplayPort Graphics Card

with the PSU you recommend, if Newegg.com ship to the UK.

if not, with this PSU:

CIT 700W Black Edition PSU 12cm Fan Dual 12v Rail.. | Ebuyer.com

Thanks for all your help by the way, it makes all this so much easier for a novice like me!

 

[Wishmaster]

Im not familiar with that PSU brand personally, so I can not comment on how good or bad it may be.

But I can tell you 700W is likely way overkill.

IMHO, the only reason youd need 700W of power or more is if you plan on running multiple GPUs, or a High end GPU and you have a LOT of hardware to run.

Even in my system, I have multiple HDs, and OCd Quad, 8Gigs of RAM, 6 fans w/leds, and a Power Hungey HD 4890. Not to mention a few extras like sound cards etc.

Even with all of that, my 650W Corsair has plenty of power to spare.



If you go with a good quality PSU, anything from 400-500W would be more than sufficient with power to spare.
This will also give you headroom for future upgrades.

Because, and this is a Rough estimate, many times the OEM 300-350W PSUs only do around 16A or so on the 12V rail. And, they aren't very efficient.

A good quality 400-450 will push around 30-35 amps on the 12V rail, and will be 80% eff. (Meaning using less power to create more, and run cooloer doing)

So, nearly double even though looking at the wattage it may not seem like it on the surface.


OH! 1 other thing to watch for when choosing a PSU.
Any time they avoid showing the specs, Wattage, Amperage on 12V Rail, and effeciency ... avoid them.
At least thats my opinion on the matter.


Im not sure the best places in the UK to purchase from either but Im sure someone has a good suggestion
NewEgg, if they do, would likely cost a great deal just in shipping. Im not sure on that though.

 

[DeniqueCoelum]

Excellent! So, 700W is overkill? I've decided to go for a 430W Corsair instead. I'm definitely a fan of quality over quantity, and if you've had good experiences with Corsair, that's good enough for me.

 

[stormy13]

In the case of that CIT power supply, it may not be overkill as you would be lucky if it performed as well as that 430W Corsair. Think of the power supply as the heart of the system and if it isn't up to the job, then all kinds of things can happen from stability issues, or worse dead components if/when the power supply dies.

Here's a couple of bits of light reading on what to look for and avoid,

Power Supply Information and Selection - Tech Support Forum

The Bargain Basement Power Supply Roundup Review

Just from the little info available on that CIT unit (most of it to avoid), just looking at what it lists for connectors,

Connections
20+4 Pin Main Connectors:1
P4 4-Pin 12V Connectors:1
4-Pin Molex Peripheral Connectors:5
SATA Connectors:2
Floppy Drive Connectors:1

I doubt that it even comes close to being a 700W power supply.

 

[Solarstarshines]

This is a great read which I already recommended 400 watt from the begining

but a 430 is very well indeed with more room for upgrade if needed but.....quality can come in many forms you can get a certified 80plus earthwatts that will save on your bill as well do the job with power

this is just my take if your not a big time gammer no need to go to overboard a simple card as suggested the 5670 1gb and a 430 watt suplly is a great combination

plus take in mind the size of a bigger psu and the room you are allowed to move in the case unless the case is a mid or full tower by the way sometimes the little things aren't mentioned

 

[DeniqueCoelum]

Okay, so definitely go for better quality, rather than a supposedly higher wattage.

I'm not a big gamer, probably the most modern and graphically demanding games I'd play would be Assassin's Creed or Broken Sword IV. I'm fine with running those on a lower quality setting, provided I don't have the gameplay lagging, which winds me up majorly!

The size is a good point, I was thinking about that. I think my machine's tower is fairly roomy, I'm not sure, not having had a chance to open it up yet. Here's a (not so great) photo of my machine, which might give you a better idea of the size:



H 14 in x W 7 in x D 14.5 in

 

[WolfSoul]

Only review that gives some decent quality info so far..

CiT 700UB Black Edition / 700W / PSU / Power Supply Unit - Computing at Play.com (UK)

 

[WolfSoul]

Corsair/Antec are safer bets either way