How much can games slow a PC?

[Mr. Boy]

Hi, all. I play Half-Life 2 on an average, 3.5 year old Dell PC (256MB RAM, 2.2GHz Intel Pentium 4, Video Card supporting DirectX 6.0). The game specs show that I need 512MB RAM, a 2.4GHz Processor and DirectX 9.0. I have DirectX 9.0c on my computer and all I need for a decent game experience is an upgrade in memory and a new video or graphics card supporting DirectX 9.0c. I've been playing this game since Christmas 2004 but haven't played it in several months.

Thing is though, my dad talked to a computer guy a few months back at a computer class, and he told my dad that video games like Half-Life 2 that require powerful PCs can slow down a system like mine dramatically. Can someone tell me if HL2 could still slow my PC even if I upgrade? (Note: My dad says he might upgrade the computer someday this year, but I'm sure he wouldn't put a hyper-expensive NVidia or ATI GPU in there.)

 

[the Interceptor]

What do you mean by "slow down"? You mean when you're not playing? I don't get it!

 

[CDailey]

I think he means it will really tax the system. If you have high enough specs, games won't see the slightest bit of slow down.

 

[the Interceptor]

Oh, so what Mr. Boy wants to know is if his system will still start lagging even if he upgrades it, right?

 

[CDailey]

I assume so.

I've got a P4 3.2ghz with HT, 1GB DDR3200 ram, and Nvidia 6600GT 128mb PCI-E and run HL2 at 1600x1200 with very high settings with no problem at all. Of couse, HL2 has that adaptive graphics engine thingo so the game will look good on any system that meets the miniumum requirements. Wether it runs great or not, that's a different story.

 

[the Interceptor]

Yeah, "running well" is a very elastic term. I think that HL2 can run well on your system Mr. Boy, but it really depends on what upgrades you get, what detail level and resolution you play at, and what your version of "running well" is. Still, I think you can play it with a satisfying speed on that system.

Regards
the Interceptor

 

[jammyozzy]

I guess it depends on the game. My old Athlon 1400 Thunderbird rig could run HL2 happily hooked up to an MX440 and 512Mb of unmatched DDR-RAM, albeit on the lowest graphics settings (1024 x 768 though )

Planetside on the other hand absolutely slaughtered that computer. Trying to build an MMOFPS on the same game engine as Everquest 2 and Age of Empires 3 probably wasn;t the smartest idea.

 

[Diego440]

Hmmm... I play Minesweeper all the time and my computer doesn't slow down.

 

[RobcioPL]

Hmmm... I play Minesweeper all the time and my computer doesn't slow down.

What graphics card are you using?

 

[Evolution.]

What graphics card are you using?

I knew a guy who had a computer that MS Pinball lagged on .

So did solitaire and freecell

 

[VT]

I knew a guy who had a computer that MS Pinball lagged on .

So did solitaire and freecell

Oh God!

 

[RobcioPL]

I knew a guy who had a computer that MS Pinball lagged on .

So did solitaire and freecell

Hahahahahahahaha, sounds impossible

 

[Evolution.]

Hahahahahahahaha, sounds impossible

Not if you have over 43,000 traces of spyware on your 950 MHz CPU, 128MB RAM, integrated video PC setup.

 

[CDailey]

What the flux? 43,000 traces of spyware? What in the flyin' saucer did he do to get all that?

 

[Evolution.]

What the flux? 43,000 traces of spyware? What in the flyin' saucer did he do to get all that?

*-.GTP INAPPROPRIATE COMMENT INSERTED HERE.-*

 

[CDailey]

Figures.

 

[tait]

I assume so.

I've got a P4 3.2ghz with HT, 1GB DDR3200 ram, and Nvidia 6600GT 128mb PCI-E and run HL2 at 1600x1200 with very high settings with no problem at all. Of couse, HL2 has that adaptive graphics engine thingo so the game will look good on any system that meets the miniumum requirements. Wether it runs great or not, that's a different story.

I kinda find that hard to believe. I've got the same setup, and I run the game at 1280x###. I still experience a bit of slow down under heavy stress, it sometimes drops under 60fps which is visually noticable and is really frustrating. I've seen people that remark their computer to "never slow down" yet I see their fps dropping to 30 and sometimes 20 with the game visually lagging and they still thinks it's fine. I guess it's a bit subjective, but I can't stand anything that drops under 60fps.

 

[HondaRacer]

If you wanna see a computer bog down, play CS 1.6 on my lappy...

Specs:
Pentium III 500mhz
192mb RAM
Integrated Graphics
6.0 gb 4200 rpm HD

 

[GT4_Rule]

If you wanna see a computer bog down, play CS 1.6 on my lappy...

Specs:
Pentium III 500mhz
192mb RAM
Integrated Graphics
6.0 gb 4200 rpm HD

Now that's tiny...6GB HDD??? Yo dude, is that your main computer?

 

[CDailey]

I kinda find that hard to believe. I've got the same setup, and I run the game at 1280x###. I still experience a bit of slow down under heavy stress, it sometimes drops under 60fps which is visually noticable and is really frustrating. I've seen people that remark their computer to "never slow down" yet I see their fps dropping to 30 and sometimes 20 with the game visually lagging and they still thinks it's fine. I guess it's a bit subjective, but I can't stand anything that drops under 60fps.

Anything over about 35FPS is hardly noticeable, atleast IMO.

 

[Flerbizky]

Now that's tiny...6GB HDD??? Yo dude, is that your main computer?

Don't you dare laugh at a 6Gb HDD... My first box had a 170Mb HDD and it was HUGE !...

 

[Diego440]

Up until about a year ago I had a 4Gb HDD 64 Mbs RAM... nowadays not even my mp3 list is that small.

 

[DQuaN]

My first PC had a 400mb hdd, a 486sx 50mhz processor, and a whopping 4mb of ram.

But that's all in another thread i think.

 

[GT4_Rule]

My dad's first home computer had...Windows DOS, I don't know the speed, and probably -MB of HDD, and probably didnt have a RAM bigger than ---KB! That was back in '88 though

My first computer was the Compaq LT5300 laptop which had 133Mhz Intel Pentium 133 processor with HDD size I don't know, and RAM of INS or I'm Not Sure and a screen that looked like 12" and it was thick as the World Book Encyclopedia