Followed Advice On Graphics

Ralph Vargr

Ralph Vargr
Comunicating with both Frontier, and my IT wizards, I found that an upgraded video card wouldn't be a Bad Idea.

I am lucky enough to live near a Micro Center.

So, being the frugal person I am, I bought this:

http://www.microcenter.com/product/...PCI-Express_Video_Card?ob=1&rf=Search+Results

With the 2 year protection plan ($7).

4 GB on the card. NVDia hardware and drivers (as recommended by Matt The Wizard).

Installation to follow- after I set a restore point. :) I'll still have my old card.
 

KR4K40

KR4K40
should have gotten a 760ti

hell, should have changed the whole machine if you were running hardware that old
 

Ralph Vargr

Ralph Vargr
Marvin The Martian: "Delays, delays..."

To all of you who were hoping on a failure with an "open box" product, you have ten seconds to gloat.

**********

Went back to Micro Center, and got a brand new (as in new in box) NVDia GT 740, plus 2 year warranty/protection plan, for $25 more. Nice thing about Micro Center- you can negotiate prices.

Physical installation went as planned. Been doing build/repair for six decades.

Next: Drivers.

It's a good thing I'm a patient person. It's also a good thing, being experienced with IT for almost 30 years, to take half a calm pill before starting. :)

The NVDia driver installation was simply time consuming. The expulsion of the AMD faction from my system was the bloody part. :(

The selection of what most would consider an inferior card was no accident. Yes, the card is about 3 years old in design. Wonder what it cost, when released? Now, it is senescent. But, it has 4 GB RAM aboard, and is superior to my AMD Radeon 9760 D. Without the AMD driver hell.

Quite simply, it's all my old box could support. I do not have a 500 watt power supply. The Micro Center guys did a stand-up job of evaluating power requirements, compatibility, and performance factors. This was aided by previous research. I came in at about the last moment suitable cards were available to fit my box. Three more months, and I would have had to replace my system.

Now, I get to test the new card. This will take time.
 

Ralph Vargr

Ralph Vargr
Oh. I created a new restore point, after the card install. :)

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Took the opportunity to blow out the case, power supply, and fans. Checked all the connectors and cards.

A bonus periodic maintenance. No extra charge.
 

Ralph Vargr

Ralph Vargr
Zieman said:
750ti you mean?

He's probably constrained by space inside the case and power available.
Click to expand...

Correct on both. :(

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System map now works. Will update bug report.

Frame rates doubled or more.

Planet surfaces now being rendered properly. Will update bug report.

Galaxy map no longer stutters/hangs.

Animations inside outfitting, for instance, are smoother.

Will report more. I'm interested about how much smoother the flying is.

Quite simply, Frontier moved on beyond us low-life scrubs, in terms of graphics required. A set of minimum specs should be posted on the forums.
 

Ralph Vargr

Ralph Vargr
So the chorus of advice to upgrade was correct. I admitted that it was time to upgrade, and paid the monetary and other prices.

When will you fess up to your failures? I fess up to mine.
 

Ralph Vargr

Ralph Vargr
CPU usage has gone down by at least a quarter. Fan noise is greatly reduced. Air coming from case is cooler.

Memory usage has remained constant at about 40%, with all the 3rd party apps I use with Elite. 16 GB of main RAM, Win 7 Pro.

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bitstorm said:
Minimum specs is on the purchase page : https://www.frontierstore.net/eur/games/elite-dangerous-cat/elite-dangerous.html

Not sure putting it on the forums would help.
Click to expand...

Yes, it would. Many people buy the game, then only found out later that the minimum specs have gone up. The information needs to be as accessible as possible.
 

Ralph Vargr

Ralph Vargr
Flight controls much smoother. Much faster transitions between panels and screens.

OK, I paid out real money, and I am now groveling. Give me some negative validation! Vent thy mighty spleens on me!

You know you want to.
 

Ralph Vargr

Ralph Vargr
Controls now much more accurate, and precise.

I've been playing with half my FPS tied behind my back. :(

Mistress of Minions: I've been playing below my motor control levels. But, I still am an arthritic poodle. :(

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Xtarsia said:
I am assuming that you have the space for a slightly longer card in your case however.
Click to expand...

I do not have that space to spare. Thanks for the advice, though.
 

Bran Tse Mallory

Bran Tse Mallory
Glad you are happy with your new card Ralph! Any upgrade always feels nice and great that the game is running smoother for you. :)

Fly Safe CMDR!
 

Boomer Kay

B
Ralph Vargr said:
Then how come my new card is working OK? :)
Click to expand...

Because the GT740 is pretty much as fast as the much older GTX470 :)

My second PC has a GT 730 and it runs most games (including ED) "just fine" (non-full HD resolution, since it's on my old monitor, medium-high detail). It was the fastest card that went into that Case (Antec HTPC one) and worked with the 380W PSU so ... -shrug-

The GTX10x0 or 11x0 or 12x0 will still be there in a few years, when you upgrade the entire system.
 

Ralph Vargr

Ralph Vargr
MickyG1982 said:
The GT 740, possibly not the card anybody would go for on purpose...

Especially since the GTX 1050 can be obtained for around $20 to $25 more and the Ti version $50 more than the GT 740. Both of those represent a massive leap in performance over that card and would have future proofed you (at least GPU wise) for years to come.
Click to expand...

The base system will be replaced long before I need more future proofing. Or, I will be under a gravestone at JB. :(
 
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