Need some computer help!

[dynamiK-]

Is the graphic driver version up-to-date?

[Xyvik]

And why are you getting an nVidia card? You're only shooting yourself in the foot with a card you're going to have to upgrade in less than six months. I mean, if you -REALLY- want an nVidia card I won't stop you, but...

[Rashed801]

this was like the most biased review I ever read... despite the fact that 4870 is alot better than the 9800GT, the fact that it outperforms the 4890 in this chart makes me wanna punch the reviewer in the nose
NO FUCKING WAY
that is completly not possible
4890 is 52% faster

What do you think of the Radeon 5670 512 MB

[Xyvik]

The 5670 is an excellent card in its price range (which is currently sub$90 to just over $100) but it won't win any awards for fastest performance. Its major selling point is that it IS a 5000 series card and therefore takes advantage of DX11 and all of the 5X series upgrades, including excellent heat and energy management.

If you don't plan on playing the game in Ultra all the time (I don't tend to recommend that even for those who have the cards to handle it) the 5670 will do just fine for SC2 needs, and it'll be forward-looking in DX11 compliance.

[Rashed801]

The 5670 is an excellent card in its price range (which is currently sub$90 to just over $100) but it won't win any awards for fastest performance. Its major selling point is that it IS a 5000 series card and therefore takes advantage of DX11 and all of the 5X series upgrades, including excellent heat and energy management.

If you don't plan on playing the game in Ultra all the time (I don't tend to recommend that even for those who have the cards to handle it) the 5670 will do just fine for SC2 needs, and it'll be forward-looking in DX11 compliance.

Thanks! i ended up buying the Radeon HD 5670 last weekend, and played the game on HIGH settings, not Ultra.

During normal building etc i am getting 50-60 frame rate, but as soon as there is a major attack or a large army battle, my frame rate drops to 20-30ish, i really don't know why, could it be my CPU?, because legionhardware.com did say 5670 would run on Ultra settings and the lowest frame rate would be 42, but that's not the case for me.

here my specs:

# Operating system: Windows 7 32-bit.
# CPU type:AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200
# CPU Speed (GHz):2.22
# System memory (GB):3.249
# Graphics card model:ATI Radeon HD 5600 Series
# Graphics card driver:atiu9pag.dll
# Desktop resolution:1280x960
# Hard disk size (GB):232.876
# Hard disk free space (GB):84.231

[EvilGenius]

You're using a socket 939 processor... same as mine - your bus speed can't be higher then 333mhz. (basically, it's pretty old)

Adjusting physics, refelctions and effects in your graphics options should increase your frame rate.

Everything else, according to that legion review, *should* be fine on ultra (forgive my lack of ATI experience :P)



...on the bright side, your CPU overclocks reasonably well

[Rashed801]

You're using a socket 939 processor... same as mine - your bus speed can't be higher then 333mhz. (basically, it's pretty old)

Adjusting physics, refelctions and effects in your graphics options should increase your frame rate.

Everything else, according to that legion review, *should* be fine on ultra (forgive my lack of ATI experience :P)



...on the bright side, your CPU overclocks reasonably well

Sorry for being a newb, but does bus speed have to do with CPU?

What do you suggest? Should i get a new CPU? would it increase my frame rate during battles?

[EvilGenius]

unfortunately, buying a new CPU would also mean you'd need a new motherboard and new RAM - but yes, you'd probably see a large increase in performance.

or, you could overclock (would also increase your bus speed)

[Rashed801]

unfortunately, buying a new CPU would also mean you'd need a new motherboard and new RAM - but yes, you'd probably see a large increase in performance.

or, you could overclock (would also increase your bus speed)

I have never done overclocking... is it easy?

And will CPU overclocking improve my frame rate during battles?

[Xyvik]

I tend to agree with EvilGenius that the bottleneck seems to be your processor. Overclocking your CPU can be as easy as downloading an overclocking program and all the way up to changing your BIOS settings.

To be perfectly honest I don't tend to recommend overclocking to those unfamiliar with it. First off you need to know what your motherboard is capable of, and second you need to make sure your system stays cool and stable. Small amounts of overclocking don't tend to tax your system too much, but small amounts of overclocking don't usually tend to show results either.

Depending on your budget you can get yourself a new Phenom II X2 550 rig for less than $400 (less than $300 actually, since you already have the 5670, depending on current prices) and it should do much better in battles.

If you want to overclock instead there are quite a few places around that will show you how to do it. This guide might prove useful.