help needed - my sons games...

[mkj2003]

My son has recently taken over my old PC (elite m9168sc, Quad 6600/3GB/GT8600/WinVista). The computer was formatted and reinstalled. Only extra vould be Symantec Endpoint Protection.

When playing online games as "Garrys mod", Call of Duty and such, the games will not run smoothly...  I have tried changing the grafics card to a slightly newer. The internetconnection is upgrated (8+mbit). I have tried disconnecting the anti-virus... 

And when the games dosnt run smooth, he gets killed - and then my very best teeenage son lets it out on me :-(. Suggestions of what i can do more ?

[old_geekster]

MKJ, welcome to the forum.

Oh, boy, do I know the rath of a teenage son.  Mine is well beyond those days, but in his teen years he would have come unglued, also.

You mention that you upgraded the video card.  What is the make/model of the card?  The power supply unit (PSU) in the computer is 300W.  If the video card requires more wattage than the PSU can deliver, this could cause the problem.

Also, I suggest having him try GameBooster.  I have used it over the years when I had problems with game performance; never for online gaming, however.  It says that it is compatible with online gaming sites.

[mkj2003]

Thanks for the sympathy...

The new grfx card is a ATI Radeon HD 4670...  the dealer told me, it should manage with the 300 w psu - although on the package 400 w is recommended... 

Tha game lacks a bit - both with the new grfx card and the original one ...  not better, nor worse...

[Big_Dave]

Hello,

The ATI 4670 is not that good of a video card for gaming.

Review the ATI and NVIDIA performance specifications. Look at the memory bandwidth specifications and the DirectX level support.

Without changing out the PSU I would have recommended a NVIDIA GT 240 1GB DDR5.  Any faster card will require a power supply replacement.

[mkj2003]

:-(    OK ...   I wont take advice from that dealer again...

Do you think, i should try changing the video card again...  Or are there other things to try first ?  

[blackcloudsrule]

Its pretty easy to upgrade a power supply yourself. There are some very good computer upgrade/repair books that'll aid you and of course youtube videos and websites. Just try googling ""how to upgrade your powr supply" for some good advice.

If you do this, get an antec Truepower 550 or a Corsair 550 and consider a Radeon 5770 for your graphics as its cheap but powerful for games.

I wouldn't buy anything less than a 5750 for gaming or a Geforce 450. Anything cheaper won't be much good on most new games....

[old_geekster]

MKJ, before spending any more money, have your son try using Game Booster.  It can work wonders.  It tunes the computer for gaming, as well as, shuts down any unnecessary background processes.  If it doesn't work, you can upgrade the PSU and video card.