GTA IV poor performance...

[Antneedshelp!]

I can imagine there have been many threads relating to GTA IV's performance from what I've heard but I'm just wondering what I can upgrade to give my system a fighting chance.

my specs are:

AMD Athlon 64 x 2 Dual core 4800+ [2.41ghz]
2GB RAM
160GB HD
256mb ATI Radeon x1950

[windows xp sp3]

Would it effect my performance much if upgraded my gfx card to 512mb for example?

Currently I can play the game, but with all the settings more or less minimum, and I think it spoils what could potentially be a brilliant game. Even with the settings low; it's sluggish when I'm moving about and whatnot, and I'm not prepared to start playing it before I do something to make it better.

So, basically, what can I upgrade to make GTA IV perform with medium graphical settings yet smooth performance?

Thank you x

[Aus_Karlos]

Depends on what 512MB card your thinking of. A low end 512MB card will yield the same performance.
However you will find that after 20-30mins of play the game will start to shutter again. This is due to a memory leak. The game does not empty unused data from the RAM and will eventually start paging the game. It happens on systems with less than 2GB of RAM. Although it only affects some systems. But you still might went to think about getting an extra 2GB.
Is your HDD is that SATA or ATA?

And lastly what is your Power Supply. I would like to know the make and Model please.

[Mcninjaguy]

faster dual core (how much does GTA 4 use up right now?)
2 gigs more ram
better psu (if yours isn't good enough)
Better graphics card

should be around $300 - $400

[Antneedshelp!]

cheers,

my HDD is ATA. My PSU is; Antec TruePower Trio 550W.

will they need to be upgraded to support a faster processor/gfx card?

what 512mb cards and processors do you reccomend?

also, you mentioned getting an extra 2gb RAM, does that mean i need a 64-bit os?

thanks x

edit: Aus_Karlos, i notice youve overclocked your processor from 2.6 to 3.2, could i benefit from doing something similar with my current processor?

[Mcninjaguy]

no you don't need a new OS but your computer will only see 31gigs to 3.5 gigs

AMD don't overclock as well as intel. AMD processor at 3.ghz will do just fine)

this is a better cpu
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000 3.1GHz 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 89W Dual-Core Processor
$73
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103272

a better psu
PC and Power Cooling 750w
$119
after rebate $79
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341011


ram (usually just better off getting a new set of ram since its so cheap)
Corsair XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (voltage 2.1)
$75
after rebate $39
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145194

and a graphics card like this
HIS Hightech H485FN512P Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3
$145
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161259

before rebates $412

after rebates $336

these components will allow you to play crysis on very high settings

[Antneedshelp!]

how does crysis compare with gta iv requirements wise?

i only built my current system this time last year but i think i held back to much, cos of finances probably, ive got a job now though so i think an upgrade that will stand more of a test of time is what i need.

[Mcninjaguy]

GTA 4 is poorly ported so you need a high end system to play on medium to high settings

They both probably use up the same amount of system resources

[Aus_Karlos]

You might find long loading times or shuttering in some new games when using an ATA HDD. This is because data can only travel one way at a time. Where as a SATA HDD can do both, plus it has increase data bandwidth. You can pick one up a +160GB for about $50AUD.

[Antneedshelp!]

oh dear.

basically all of the components i bought last january don't shape up a year on.

i'll have to pool some funds together and get looking, i think.

[af3]

Eh, San Andreas has more to do anyway. ;)

[Antneedshelp!]

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/149211...roduct_reviews

that any good for what im after?

is that memory ok with it aswell?

Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS2-6400C4 TwinX (2x1GB)

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showp...odid=MY-108-CS

that any good? -

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...)%20-%20Retail

[Mcninjaguy]

you'll need a better video card than that

[Antneedshelp!]

what is it thats wrong with that? i.e what should i be looking for in a gfx card?

is the processor and mem ok?

[Tiber Septim]

If you want to be able to run GTA IV properly, you should be looking at either an ATI 38XX card or the Nvidia GT2XX series cards.

If you are really looking to save money, the 3650 you posted is okay, and will run GTA IV, just not very well and you will find yourself needing to upgrade again in another year or so.
It's usually best to future proof your system a bit so you don't have to waste money upgrading as often.

[Mcninjaguy]

no no Tiber Septim its not the ATI 38XX series its the ATI 48XX series.

ATI, right now is currently a lot cheaper than Nvidia.

Something like this will need a 750w psu too

ATI Powercolor 4850
$144
after rebate $129
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131125

PSU
PC and Power Cooling 750w
$119
after rebate $79
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341011

[Tiber Septim]

Originally Posted by Mcninjaguy

no no Tiber Septim its not the ATI 38XX series its the ATI 48XX series.

ATI, right now is currently a lot cheaper than Nvidia.

My bad, wasn't thinking.
Also, I beleive the ATI drivers are currently better in GTA IV, pretty sure Aus_Karlos has 2 x GTX280's and not only does SLI not work but performance isn't that great.

[Aus_Karlos]

Originally Posted by Tiber Septim

My bad, wasn't thinking.
Also, I beleive the ATI drivers are currently better in GTA IV, pretty sure Aus_Karlos has 2 x GTX280's and not only does SLI not work but performance isn't that great.

28-35fps for the most part.

@Antneedshelp!

Your processor is good, but if i where you get an extra 2GB of RAM this will help in GTA. Its such a memory hog.