Video card memory too low

  • Thread starter Thread starter BuDMaN
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BuDMaN

I've a friend who is trying to play a game that requires a 16 MB video
card but he only has 8. His video card is a sis 6326. Yes, we all know that
is an old card but he doesn't plan to upgrade his computer, he's just
looking to play that particular game (GTA 3).
I don't know if his video card is an onboard one.. if it is, I was going
to suggest him to try to change the frame's buffer size at the BIOS (or
something like that, I can't remember it well - I don't buy onboard mobos
anymore).
Another way it would be to emulate a video card with a higher memory with
some of those virtual PCs programs like vmware, but that seems to
complicated to him.
So I ask you guys to give me some suggestions on how to try to run this
game on his video card.

Thanks in advance,
 
I've a friend who is trying to play a game that requires a 16 MB video
card but he only has 8. His video card is a sis 6326. Yes, we all know that
is an old card but he doesn't plan to upgrade his computer, he's just
looking to play that particular game (GTA 3).
Click to expand...

I will speculate that the rest is his system is as old and slow as the
video card, and suggest a newer system. If you feel the system IS
otherwise capable of the game, you might confirm it by running 3DMark
99Max, not 3Dmark2000, '01, or '03, since any newer version requires
more video memory, then note the scores. If it can't even do very
high framerates in that old benchmark...
I don't know if his video card is an onboard one.. if it is,
Click to expand...

If it is, then I know the relative performance of the motherboard and
STRONGLY suggest you just give up because that SIS chipset on a
motherboard is incredibly slow, enough so to make ANY CPU and video
card perform far worse than in any other contemporary chipset (like a
440BX or anything else, newer).

I was going
to suggest him to try to change the frame's buffer size at the BIOS (or
something like that, I can't remember it well - I don't buy onboard mobos
anymore).
Click to expand...

It doesn't really matter, that onboard video would be slow with a
128MB onboard frame buffer. If you turned off all detail and ran the
game at 640x480x16bpp, it might run, but I couldn't even guess if it'd
be playable. Sis also used to "cheat" at benchmarks, incrementing the
frame counter without drawing the frame, as it was the only way to get
the chipset to look anywhere near competitive, even during that era
when cards were so much slower than today's budget cards.
Another way it would be to emulate a video card with a higher memory with
some of those virtual PCs programs like vmware, but that seems to
complicated to him.
Click to expand...

There is no trick to wringing performance out of a platform that can't
deliver. THIS is exactly why people buy new PCs, because the old one
was too slow.
So I ask you guys to give me some suggestions on how to try to run this
game on his video card.

Thanks in advance,
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to knock his system, it's just that sometimes it's
better to spend the time where it's useful, and in this case I believe
the time best spent on upgrading and/or replacing the system... even
if not to a modern high-performance PC, a slighlty newer (say 2 year
old) technology will be a lot faster and good bang for the buck.



Dave
 
" Yes, we all know that is an old card but he doesn't plan to upgrade his
computer, he's just looking to play that particular game (GTA 3). "


From the back of my GTA3 case, it gives the following minimum hardware spec:

450 Mhz Intel pentium III or AMD Athlon processor
96 MB of RAM
4x speed CD / DVD drive
700 MB of free hard disk space
16 MB video card with DirectX 8.1 compatible drivers
DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card
Keyboard
Mouse

The recommended hardware spec is as follows:

700 Mhz Intel pentium III or AMD Athlon processor
128 MB of RAM
8x speed CD / DVD drive
700 MB of free hard disk space
32 MB video card with DirectX 8.1 compatible drivers
DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card with surround sound
Gamepad (USB or joystick port)
Keyboard
Mouse

I expect he already has the CD drive, the keyboard and the mouse.
 
I expect he already has the CD drive, the keyboard and the mouse.
Click to expand...

hmm.. I have to ask him about the keyboard, but..
Yeah, he got all those, except the video card :)
 
If you turned off all detail and ran the
game at 640x480x16bpp, it might run, but I couldn't even guess if it'd
be playable.
Click to expand...

You're right, I forgot about the resolution.
I'm not trying to knock his system, it's just that sometimes it's
better to spend the time where it's useful, and in this case I believe
the time best spent on upgrading and/or replacing the system... even
if not to a modern high-performance PC, a slighlty newer (say 2 year
old) technology will be a lot faster and good bang for the buck.
Click to expand...

You bet, that's the smartest solution, no doubt about it, but the problem
is he's only 11 and his parents already got two computers, one of them got
a better video card but he (the kid) can't use it, so he's left with the
old computer. :)

Anyway, thanks for your post and I'm going to suggest him to change the
resolution.
 
BuDMaN said:
You bet, that's the smartest solution, no doubt about it, but the problem
is he's only 11 and his parents already got two computers, one of them got
Click to expand...

Hmmm, I don't think the problem is with the computer ... it's with the
user. He's 11 and he wants to play Grand Theft Auto? That game is
rated M for a reason ... I really don't think it's appropriate for an
11-year-old to play it.
 
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