Gamingh on Acer M5100. Is it possible?

[amorgan93]

I have an Acer Aspire M5100 desktop that i would like to game on. My current stats are as follows:

-AMD Athlon64 x2 dual core processor 4400+(2.3ghz each core)
-ATI Radeon Catalyst 1250 onboard graphics (when i type dxdiag in the run box it tells me i have 384mb video memory but at acer.com this computer has only 256mb)
-3gb DDR2 RAM
-Vista Premium
-i have no PPU but i plan to eventually get an AGEIA Physx

Can i game on this PC? Do i need to upgrade to a quad core? If so will a quad core fit? Will i have to get a different heatsink and fan to use a quad core or will it come with the right one? Also do i need to upgrade to a graphics card instead of the onboard graphics?

[vbn_in]

I believe your config is decent enough to play standard games like NFS underground 1 and 2 and maybe even most wanted. my config is way below this and i was atleast able to play nfs carbon on low settings until i got fedup and uninstalled it. at the most i would suggest to get a graphic card and install it.

[GretaP]

at the most i would suggest to get a graphic card and install it.

I second that motion

Depending on the games that you would like to play, the onboard video may not suffice even if it meets or exceeds the amount of memory needed, as it's incapable of performing a function known as Hardware Transform and Lighting.

[vbn_in]

Very true greta. very true. Onboard graphic has limited capabiltiy!!!

[amorgan93]

Thanks for u guys responses and yeah ive heard that onboard graphics could not do that Hardware Transform and Lighting. What about the graphics accelerator? Is an AGEIA Physx good? Also should i get a 512 mb graphics card or just get another 256? When im finished i would like to be able to play Warmonger.

[GretaP]

Is an AGEIA Physx good?

I really don't know as I've never had any personal experience with the Physx cards, but I can tell you that it is not a graphics accelerator, it is a physics processor.....it is used in addition to not instead of a graphics accelerator card. Here are some articles that you may want to peruse:
The Scientists' Opinions on Gaming Physics
Is Ageia's PhysX Failing?
Asus PhysX P1/128MB
PhysX: Six Months Later
Valve and Crytek won’t support PhysX any time soon

What you have posted in regards to your video, ATI Radeon Catalyst 1250, refers to the driver software (Catalyst) not the model of the card itself. When I look at the Aspire M5100 Specifications, it has listed "ATI Radeon™ X1200 graphics solution". It does not say Integrated, like it does for Audio and Networking, so I don't know if it's integrated (chip built into the motherboard) or a separate expansion card. If it's a separate expansion card, is it removable from the PCI Express X16 slot? That is something that you are going to have to find out prior to purchasing a new video card, as you'll want to ensure that you have an empty PCI Express X16 slot to hold the new card.

I would look for a 512MB PCI-E (provided you have the available slot) card and also ensure that it supports Shader Model 3.0

[amorgan93]

it is integrated. it is built on the motherboard.
i do have 1 PCI EXpress x16 slot and 1 PCI Express x1 slot and 1 free PCI slot

[Greg Buch]

get a ati radion... its very good for gaming

[amorgan93]

thats what i have now but its integrated

[Greg Buch]

the card not the chip

[amorgan93]

and ATI radeon what series?

[photolady]

x1950 should do it, though the new HD series are better but how much money are we talking about spending here?

[Greg Buch]

at staples u can get a radion 256mb for around 100

[Greg Buch]

that will do better gaming than an onboard

[amorgan93]

im talkin about $100 to $150
is that ATI as good as the nvidia 8600GT?