Hello ETWH,
With the delay of ETW announced last month, it gave everyone more time to drool over screenshots, upgrade your pc's, and to gossip over the latest news. This thread is made for areference of the technical aspects of the PC. For questions relating to if your pc can run ETW, please visit this thread: http://etw.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?action=ct&f=14,205,,10
There have been a few threads, made by both Hussarknight and myself.
Located here:
http://etw.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?action=ct&f=9,170,,10
And here:
http://etw.heavengames.com/cgi-bin/forums/display.cgi?action=ct&f=9,167,,10
Both threads deal with minimum specs, how to properly upgrade etc.
I thought it would be a great idea to make a universal reference thread, so that less tech-savy people can refer to for any questions about hardware/software related to ETW.
ETW's graphics have been ante'd up compared to MTW2. The minimum specs weren't greatly increased, however, the minimum specs that were announced will more than likely cause you choppy gameplay.
Here are the announced minimum specs:
2.4Ghz single core processor
256MB Gfx card (DX9 compaitble)
1GB RAM (For XP, 2GB if using Vista)
So, comparing to MTW2:
Microsoft® Windows® 2000/XP.
Celeron 1.8GHz Pentium 4® (1500MHz) or equivalent AMD® processor.
512MB RAM.
DirectX® 9.0c.
128MB Hardware Accelerated video card with Shader 1 support and the latest drivers.
Must be 100% DirectX® 9.0c compatible.
You can see that the CPU and graphic cards minimum specs have been increased, not a whole lot, but a good measure.
In graphic heavy games, RAM and graphic cards are more important most of the time than CPU speeds.
In some cases, if you are running a very fast graphics card, your CPU and RAM speeds must be in the same ballpark to prevent "bottle necking" (I'll give definitions at the end).
In ETW, the battles will be huge. Lot's of explosions, new floral system, dynamic lighting and more. It is important that your system has both enough RAM and VRAM to be able to "drive" the data throughout your system effectively to prevent graphical lag.
The new graphic engine appears to have a new particle system with explosions. Unlike MTW2 when a cannon shell explodes, you don't see much. Just like a small little smoke cloud appear than disappear.
Now in ETW, when shells land, theyLAND. CA has gone full force with their explosives and now it will put you into what a real cannon will do to its opponents.
Such graphic effects can put a hurt on a poorly outdated graphics card, ram, and CPU. In ETW, more than ever is it more important to have a good up-to-date graphics card to handle the demanding environment.
However, for those of you who do not have a fast graphics card, do not falter for there are ways to overcome this.
I started playing RTW around when it came out, I was playing on a Intel P4 1.6ghz, 512MB RAM, ATI Radeon 9600 PRO and I had maybe 10 FPS. What's even worse, is that I had a friend get a little over 5 FPS with a GeForce 3 (if i remember correctly). He didn't play for long, because it just wasn't any fun skipping around the map..
There are many tricks in the book that I have figured out over the years to increase graphical performance. Wartrain from RTWH and an old member named "Firefox" had defined the technical requirements of RTW down to the megabyte.
I plan to do that here with ETW. I know what its like to play with a terrible system, and I feel very sorry for those who's system isn't the greatest.
First thing is first when getting ready for ETW:
1)Reformatting: Reformat your PC. Get all the hidden junk off of your hard-drive. Eating up the CPU usage, lowering your physical memory usage, and taking away valuable memory packets. Reformatting is THE number one way to get rid of ALL junk on your pc. With a game like ETW, it will need every bit of CPU, VRAM and physical ram as possible.
2)Adjust graphic drivers: Whether you are using the ATI catalyst drivers, or the NVidia performance control panel, toggle everything to "performance". Usually the CCP (Catalyst control panel) Will have the graphics tab labeled for "quality" or "performance". (And typically same with NVidia). I think it's safe to say, that you would rather play with lower than average graphics and no lag, or slightly better than average graphics and a lot of lag... Right?? (Yes, don't answer that.. )
3) CPU Affinity levels: This is intended for users with multi-core systems. I can assure you that CA has programmed multi-core systems some slack here, better utilizing the different cores. If you do have a dual-core system, press ctrl + alt + delete to open the control panel. Go to the "Processes" tab while ETW is running, right click and go to "Set Affinity..." once there you should see CPU 0 and CPU 1, those are your two cores. Make sure those are checked, so that the CPU will split the work in the cores.
4) Set CPU priorities: To drive data throughout your system faster, go: ctrl + alt + delete (opens cp), go to "processes tab" find etw.exe right click and go to "set priority" to above average. This will increase your CPU usage from about 10% to around 25-30%. This will slow down other programs, however it will allow ETW to run smoother. If you do this step, I suggest you turn off all other not-necessary programs.
5) Update drivers: There are multiple drivers that your system needs. Mainly the graphics card is the only real primary device that needs drivers. Go to your manufacturers site (NVidia/ATI) and find the necessary drivers for your card. Both NVidia and ATI have a straight forward layout for finding drivers. Once they are downloaded, install and enjoy. Some drivers increase performance in one area, but decreases performance in another area.
Those are just a few of many small tweaks/changes that you can do to your system to make things run faster, they are universal tips so they can work with other programs if needed.
Lets take a look at hardware.
Before I start, you MUST understand that building computers iseasy. It isn't like building a rocket ship for inter-steller space travel, or lecturing calculus in latin.
Buyingpre-builtpc's is a waste of money whether you like it or not. You can do the math, but my system would have costed me almost $2,000 dollars if purchased from cyberpower.com, I built it for for about $1,300 off of newegg.com . I encourage you to build it yourself, its just screwing a few things in, plugging a few cables in. Plop the windows CD in, run the installation and you are set to go.
Needed for a new pc:
[MotherBoard: - This is the primary piece of a computer. EVERYTHING sits on this (besides HD/PSU). The RAM, processor(CPU), graphics card, sound cards all go here. Everything eventually gets plugged into the motherboard.
Processor: - The processor, or Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the "brain" of the computer. It's what makes data run through the system and calculates the framework for your OS. Everything runs off the CPU. CPU speeds are in some cases important, especially in gaming. In ETW, the CPU plays a good rule, however, you will need more RAM and faster graphics than a fast CPU.
A quick side note about multicore systems:
Many of you have questions regarding dual core CPU's having lesser than minimum speeds that are required for ETW. If the minimum says 2.4 ghz on a single core, consider that roughly 2ghz on a dual core CPU. Now depending on the core of the CPU, many newer models of CPU's can out perform the fastest single core system and take it to school. If you follow my guild to setting affinities and CPU priorities, you won't have a problem with the 2.0ghz+ Dual core systems.
Dual/tri/quad cores split the work load into the individual cores. Lets take my quad-core as an example. The CPU has been overclocked to 3.0Ghz, so each core has 3.0ghz to it's disposal. Each core would run laps around any single core CPU out there. It's high memory cache and even faster speeds allow for it to smoothly operate any program with out a hassle. Multicore systems will have fun with ETW, I can assure you.
Memory: - The memory is sort of the "bank" for memory to store while the CPU calculates data already in it's cache's. Fast RAM is important because it is what stores RAM to go from the CPU to the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit/Graphics Card).
Graphics Card: - The #1 device for a pleasurable gaming experience. Nothing beats a fast graphics card. These beasts needed fast memory clocks, lots of VRAM (RAM specifically for the graphics card, always built in) and a CPU to top it all off. If your graphics card is to fast for your CPU you will experience whats called "bottlenecking". It is similar to lag, except it comes in short bursts that doesn't make your game choppy, it just slows it down.
Hard Drive: - Lucky for us, ETW won't be some huge 30 gig game like Age of Conan was when it came out. A huge fast hard drive won't be all the important. Transfer rate is the biggest thing you want, and it's "cache" (a small bank for transporting data).
Now the hard part... Windows XP Pro SP3 32bit/64bit, or Windows Vista SP1 32bit/64bit.
This is a controversial argument. Because you get ups and downs on both sides, and they weigh evenly.
Vista has been notorious so far for poor gaming performance. Since it eats up a ridiculous amount of RAM, it isn't ideal for gaming. However, it has been programmed for DX10 gaming. Which allows for an even more amazing gaming performance with graphics.
Windows XP PRO service pack 3 uses very little RAM, has been very cleaned up, and runs exceptionally well for almost every game out there. It doesn't need a lot of CPU usage, or vram. However, you cannot use DX10 and it is stuck on DirectX9.c (DX9.c).
If you go vista, enjoy the DX10 experience but have at least 3 gigs of ram to prevent the "choppyness".
Here are some recommended parts if you are building a system, these recommendations are my opinion based off of personal experiences."Results may vary."
I have used Intel/NVidia/Corsair products for almost 6 years now, so excuse me, I am a bit biased towards them.
Intel: Core2 Duo series provides gamers with excellent speeds for a great price. They have low cache's, but they have multiple shared cache's providing the same amount as any other AMD.
Core2 Quad are incredibly fast CPU's. 4 cores provide your system with more CPU usage than Bill Gates has money. I can run almost 200+ programs of solitare without my system crashing, try doing that with an AMD.
NVidia:
8-Series: It's time to step away from the dark ages of the 7 series, and move on. The 8 series that came out in 2006, provides a huge boosted amount of performance. More VRAM, faster clocks, new "stream processors" and more allow you to just let the game loose and max it all out. Graphic cards of the 8 series from the 8800GT and up I highly recommend. You can catch good deals on them, and they will stay good in use for a few more years which is well worth it.
The 9-series are the monsters these days. The 9800GTX in SLI will walk all over any opponent. Don't bother arguing that against ATI, you'll probably get a chart off an ATI sponsored site. I purchased my 9800GT for $110 + shipping, and it is just thoroughly destroying any program i throw in its way. It is simply a beast for the money.
Corsair: Corsair and Mushkin RAM have been nothing but choice for me these passed few years. Out of all the systems I have built, I have only experience ONE problem with RAM from these companies. Excellent tech support, amazingly fast gaming RAM will add that edge on your systems peformance. When buying RAM, always shoot for LOWEST CAS latency, lower the latency, faster the ram.
ASUS/XFX: Are my ideal gaming motherboard manufacturers. I have been using their products for countless years now, and i kid you not, I have never had one problem. The new 6 and 7 series motherboards give you dual channels, LGA775/AM2+ sockets, new heat management systems, larger RAM capacities and faster SATA connections.
I suggest either the XFX 680iLT SLI, or the P45 series from ASUS. I have used both and have had nil problems. (A little "football" terminology for LoH).
I hope you enjoyed this huge read. It's for you guys/gals. The community has been nothing bust excellence for me, so this is a little way for me to give back. Thanks for everything.
If you have any further questions/comments/concerns/ideas, say it here!
With the delay of ETW announced last month, it gave everyone more time to drool over screenshots, upgrade your pc's, and to gossip over the latest news. This thread is made for a
There have been a few threads, made by both Hussarknight and myself.
Located here:
And here:
Both threads deal with minimum specs, how to properly upgrade etc.
I thought it would be a great idea to make a universal reference thread, so that less tech-savy people can refer to for any questions about hardware/software related to ETW.
ETW's graphics have been ante'd up compared to MTW2. The minimum specs weren't greatly increased, however, the minimum specs that were announced will more than likely cause you choppy gameplay.
2.4Ghz single core processor
256MB Gfx card (DX9 compaitble)
1GB RAM (For XP, 2GB if using Vista)
Microsoft® Windows® 2000/XP.
Celeron 1.8GHz Pentium 4® (1500MHz) or equivalent AMD® processor.
512MB RAM.
DirectX® 9.0c.
128MB Hardware Accelerated video card with Shader 1 support and the latest drivers.
Must be 100% DirectX® 9.0c compatible.
You can see that the CPU and graphic cards minimum specs have been increased, not a whole lot, but a good measure.
In graphic heavy games, RAM and graphic cards are more important most of the time than CPU speeds.
In some cases, if you are running a very fast graphics card, your CPU and RAM speeds must be in the same ballpark to prevent "bottle necking" (I'll give definitions at the end).
In ETW, the battles will be huge. Lot's of explosions, new floral system, dynamic lighting and more. It is important that your system has both enough RAM and VRAM to be able to "drive" the data throughout your system effectively to prevent graphical lag.
The new graphic engine appears to have a new particle system with explosions. Unlike MTW2 when a cannon shell explodes, you don't see much. Just like a small little smoke cloud appear than disappear.
Now in ETW, when shells land, they
Such graphic effects can put a hurt on a poorly outdated graphics card, ram, and CPU. In ETW, more than ever is it more important to have a good up-to-date graphics card to handle the demanding environment.
However, for those of you who do not have a fast graphics card, do not falter for there are ways to overcome this.
I started playing RTW around when it came out, I was playing on a Intel P4 1.6ghz, 512MB RAM, ATI Radeon 9600 PRO and I had maybe 10 FPS. What's even worse, is that I had a friend get a little over 5 FPS with a GeForce 3 (if i remember correctly). He didn't play for long, because it just wasn't any fun skipping around the map..
There are many tricks in the book that I have figured out over the years to increase graphical performance. Wartrain from RTWH and an old member named "Firefox" had defined the technical requirements of RTW down to the megabyte.
I plan to do that here with ETW. I know what its like to play with a terrible system, and I feel very sorry for those who's system isn't the greatest.
First thing is first when getting ready for ETW:
Lets take a look at hardware.
Before I start, you MUST understand that building computers is
Buying
Many of you have questions regarding dual core CPU's having lesser than minimum speeds that are required for ETW. If the minimum says 2.4 ghz on a single core, consider that roughly 2ghz on a dual core CPU. Now depending on the core of the CPU, many newer models of CPU's can out perform the fastest single core system and take it to school. If you follow my guild to setting affinities and CPU priorities, you won't have a problem with the 2.0ghz+ Dual core systems.
Dual/tri/quad cores split the work load into the individual cores. Lets take my quad-core as an example. The CPU has been overclocked to 3.0Ghz, so each core has 3.0ghz to it's disposal. Each core would run laps around any single core CPU out there. It's high memory cache and even faster speeds allow for it to smoothly operate any program with out a hassle. Multicore systems will have fun with ETW, I can assure you.
Now the hard part... Windows XP Pro SP3 32bit/64bit, or Windows Vista SP1 32bit/64bit.
This is a controversial argument. Because you get ups and downs on both sides, and they weigh evenly.
Vista has been notorious so far for poor gaming performance. Since it eats up a ridiculous amount of RAM, it isn't ideal for gaming. However, it has been programmed for DX10 gaming. Which allows for an even more amazing gaming performance with graphics.
Windows XP PRO service pack 3 uses very little RAM, has been very cleaned up, and runs exceptionally well for almost every game out there. It doesn't need a lot of CPU usage, or vram. However, you cannot use DX10 and it is stuck on DirectX9.c (DX9.c).
If you go vista, enjoy the DX10 experience but have at least 3 gigs of ram to prevent the "choppyness".
Here are some recommended parts if you are building a system, these recommendations are my opinion based off of personal experiences.
I have used Intel/NVidia/Corsair products for almost 6 years now, so excuse me, I am a bit biased towards them.
The 9-series are the monsters these days. The 9800GTX in SLI will walk all over any opponent. Don't bother arguing that against ATI, you'll probably get a chart off an ATI sponsored site.
I suggest either the XFX 680iLT SLI, or the P45 series from ASUS. I have used both and have had nil problems. (A little "football" terminology for LoH).
I hope you enjoyed this huge read. It's for you guys/gals. The community has been nothing bust excellence for me, so this is a little way for me to give back. Thanks for everything.
If you have any further questions/comments/concerns/ideas, say it here!
[This message has been edited by Daelon (edited 02-08-2009 @ 01:28 PM).]