Why won't games run?

[kilcan]

My boyfriend's computer won't even run Bioshock. It will load up, but then it starts running slllooooowwww and choppy so you can't actually play.

He has AMD Athlon 64 x2 Dual Core Processor 4800+ 2.50GHz
8 GB RAM
500 GB Harddrive
NVidia GeForce 6150SE nForce430

He runs Vista.

Any ideas? He should be able to run basic games even with that video card. Also, he has a USB mouse, and you have to wait FOREVER to be able to use the mouse upon startup.

 

[unksol]

The MINIMUM system requirements are a geforce 6600 with 128MB VRAM, recommended is a 7900GT with 512MB VRAM. You should not expect a 6150 to run it. Or much of anything...

Also with how outdated that system is.is he even on vista 64? If not that odd amount of ram for such a low end system isn't even being used

 

[kilcan]

Yes his system seems rather FUBAR. I have only 4 GB RAM on my own computer and run games (like Bioshock) just fine. It was why I was curious that he had an 8GB system (so I thought, I assumed his other hardware matched the RAM load until I checked) and he couldn't run much of anything. I was going to harvest his parts and rebuild a more appropriate setup for him, but I wanted to see if there was something to be done in the meantime.

I guess when you order a factory HP build, you get F'd up system builds like this one.

 

[jsc]

You shouldn't blame HP for this. They built what he ordered.

 

[phyco126]

Um... that 6150SE is a motherboard integrated graphics chip. IT IS NOT A GRAPHICS CARD! It sucks. I would be surprised if it even played video on youtube without it being choppy. I know, my mom's PC had the same chip-set.

Don't blame HP, blame your guy for not knowing what he was doing when he customized it.

The processor will be fine, the ram is fine, everthing is fine. Just buy a GT 240 or ATI equivalent and it will play games at okay settings on 1280 x 1024 resolutions. But first check to see what expansion slots are available. You will also be limited to what the PSU is capable of (the GT 240 works on my mom's old PC, which has near the same specs).

 

[zooted]

You could throw a 5670 in there and get some more life out of it.

 

[kilcan]

He didn't order it, he bought it at walmart, because he is not computer savvy and thought "oh look, what a good deal".

So I don't know what type of card I can chuck in there easily, but this is his infos about his motherboard
Motherboard
Manufacturer ECS
Model Nettle2 (Socket M2 )
Chipset Vendor NVIDIA
Chipset Model MCP61
Chipset Revision A3
Southbridge Vendor NVIDIA
Southbridge Model MCP61
Southbridge Revision A2
System Temperature 40 °C
BIOS
Brand Phoenix Technologies, LTD
Version 5.22
Date 01/03/2008
Voltage
CPU CORE 1.328 V
AUX 2.496 V
+3.3V 1.792 V
+5V 5.510 V
+12V 11.712 V
-5V -4.672 V
-12V -11.264 V
+5V HIGH THRESHOLD 5.053 V
CMOS BATTERY 2.992 V
PCI Data
Slot PCI
Slot Type PCI
Slot Usage In Use
Bus Width 32 bit
Slot Designation PCI0
Slot Number 0
Slot PCI
Slot Type PCI
Slot Usage Available
Bus Width 32 bit
Slot Designation PCI1
Slot Number 1
Slot PCI
Slot Type PCI
Slot Usage In Use
Bus Width 32 bit
Slot Designation PCI2
Slot Number 2
Slot PCI
Slot Type PCI
Slot Usage In Use
Bus Width 32 bit
Slot Designation PCI3
Slot Number 3
Slot PCI
Slot Type PCI
Slot Usage In Use
Bus Width 32 bit
Slot Designation PCI4
Slot Number 4
Slot PCI
Slot Type PCI
Slot Usage In Use
Bus Width 32 bit
Slot Designation PCI5
Slot Number 5
Slot PCI
Slot Type PCI
Slot Usage In Use
Bus Width 32 bit
Slot Designation PCI6
Slot Number 6

 

[unksol]

The 5570 or 5670 ought to get you what you need. If his powersupply can handle them.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5570,2552-7.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-gaming-performance,3042-2.html

The board should have a pcie x16 slot but I believe its version 1. If his power supply can't handle it then that needs upgraded... and on a system like his with ddr2 memory.it can quickly become a.question of if its worth itb. A 5570 for 55 is a reasonable upgrade though, if it works

 

[phyco126]

If you have a PCI-E slot, then http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133391. $40 for a decent low budget card that will work great in most games, and I can say that it will work just fine with your PSU. I can't say the same for a 5570, which requires a minimum 400 Watt PSU.

If you do not have a PCI-E slot (just google pictures of slot times if you don't know which one looks which) then this one should work http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500221 . If you get the last one though, I would jury rig a fan for it. Passive cooling may not cut it for heavy gaming (it might, but I'm not gonna promise it). This one also should work, as it requires only a 300 watt PSU as well.

Edit: A 5670 is also a good buy http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127600 . But it does require a 400 Watt PSU and a PCI-E slot.

 

[kilcan]

Best answer selected by kilcan.

 

[phyco126]

By the way, I just saw that his start up times are super slow. If you are feeling frisky enough to try it, you can disable start-up programs and direct windows to utilize both cores during start up. I cut my start up time from a few minutes down to one on my PC, and from one minute down to 30 seconds on my laptop. Its a little technical, but still fairly easy. If you are interested in this, let me know.