david434
Member
I have noticed that several of the games have had very specific system requirements that not all users will meet: a 32 meg video board, and a 3D accelerator, come to mind.
What would be helpful would be a way to verify these system requirements automagically.
Or at least guidance on how to check.
Barry
Member
Hi David,
If you have Windows, go to the "Control Panel", usually in your "Start" menu. In "Control Panel", and if you have Windows XP switch to classic view, go to the "System" folder or icon, double click on that. Under the General tab you will see some basic information about your computer. If you need to see what hardware you have: under the Hardware tab, click on the "Device Manager" button, and a window will come up showing all the hardware installed on your computer. The one you are looking for, will be under Display Adapters, It will show you the make and model of your graphics card. With that you can do a search on the Internet, or go direcly to the company to get the specs on your graphics card.
Have fun,
Barry
Two programs that I have in my toolkit are WinAudit and SIW.
Both of these are freeware, and I use them when sitting down at a clients PC as a means to get a very quick heads up as to what is in the guts of the PC.
Admittedly most of the information might appear to be technical and perhaps over the top for what many people need - but it is certainly complete and beats the hell out of any other method I have seen to get this information quickly & all in one place.
Neither program requires installation (just run the exe) which is important when I just want to look without adding any extra software to the hard disk - I just run these directly from my USB memory key.
SIW (System Info for Windows)
http://www.gtopala.com/
WinAudit Freeware
http://www.pxserver.com/WinAudit.htm
These can both generate extensive reports which is handy when diagnosing a PC over the internet - I ask the user to run the software and email the report to me - which replaces the need to have a human PC expert at the other end.
david434
Member
I was able to download those utilities and run a diagnostic report and determine that I have a Mobile Intel(R) 915GM/GMS,910GML Express Chipset Family. Looks great!
After poking around their website, my conclusion is drawn because of a lack of information. There is no faq that says, "is this a 3D accelerator? Answer: No". Rather, I don't see anything like that listed, so I guess the answer is no.
And that's just too hard for the general public. You've seen the comments sections -- people can't even get the activation code to work.
Anyway, to repeat my suggestion, the site developers need to provide more assistance in helping users decide whether their system meets the minimal qualifications.
A "How To Check" guide like Barry suggests is a start, but I would think that the long term solution is to have a widget-like applications that users download to their local computer. This could carry a traffic light metaphor : green, yellow, or red.
And you could go ahead and take the extra step and include the activation process in the widget, another area that people complain about having problems.
Some people will never download this type of application, but many will.
Barry
Member
Hi,
After doing a quick search, I found this link at Intel: http://support.intel.com/support/graphics/intel915gm/ . It looks like your chipset is pretty weak in 3D. You may want to upgrade to a graphics card, a EVGA, Nvidia or Radeon for examples. Some are pretty pricy, but you should be able to find one in the $100.00 range, that would suite your needs. In the mean time you may want to check the Intel's "Game Compaliblity List", for future game purchases.
As for the rest of your tread, do'nt hold your breath, it is hard enough already, to get a Mod's attention around here.
A option that might work is linking to another forum, like Bleeping Computer, Cyber Tech Help, Major Geeks, just to name a few, devoted to answering questions, on hardware, and operating systems.
Good day,
Barry
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