FFv3R Computing Power - Is It Enough??

[Torch]

I currently have the following system:

Intel Celeron 2.4 Ghz, 128 Kb, 400 Mhz L2 Cache
1 Gb System RAM
256 Mb Video Ram
Windows XP
19.5" Widescreen ACER monitor


I can run  at the max settings and max resolution and it is playable, but there is a slight lag which is annoying.  My motherboard only has PCI slots, so I cannot upgrade the video card to one with more VRAM.  The following system is the best I can get (without changing the motherboard):

Pentium 4 3.06 Ghz, 512kb, 533 Mhz L2 Cache
2 Gb System RAM
256 Mb Video Ram
Windows XP
19.5" Widescreen ACER monitor

My question:  Will the upgrades above allow me to play  on max settings comfortably with no lag?  Is my real limiting factor the VRAM?

Anybody that CAN run  on max settings with no lag please post your system specs so I have a better idea also.  Thanks.

[drfelip]

What videocard are you using? Maybe you could find a faster PCI card in eBay.

[Torch]

NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 w/ 256 Mb VRAM

Is there another PCI card faster? (I have not seen standard PCI cards with more than 256 Mb VRAM)

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

You should be fine.  I was running it on full with my default 5 year old setup.  In fact, my previous computer, which had half those specs, could also run it perfectly.

[Torch]

Thanks.  You mean I should be fine if I upgrade?  Because I am not fine right now with the Celeron and 1 Gig Ram specs. 

[wickerman]

Don;t be surprised if you have issues with video if you ramp up the display settings in game.  I have a ati x1900 512mb card on the rig I have FFVTTR installed on and if I have to omany old converted FF1 skins, I still get pink textures and lag in the rumble room  even with a Athlon 64 3800.  Not so cool by todays standards, but super stuff back when FFVTTR was released.

[Torch]

Thanks.  So do you recommend the upgrade or not really worth it?  I'll probably need a new rig within a few years.  The upgrades will run me $170 US.

Also, I can run  at 1280 x 720 res with everything else maxed out just fine.  It is when I max out the res also that I experience lag.  Though I am not running Rumble Room with 25+ opponents or anything like that.  Just the normal game and working on story based mods (where there usually isn't more than 5-10 enemies at one time).

[drfelip]

NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 w/ 256 Mb VRAM

Is there another PCI card faster? (I have not seen standard PCI cards with more than 256 Mb VRAM)

I don't think so. I thougth you maybe had a slower card. It's hard to tell if a faster processor and more RAM are going to help, high resolutions are usually GPU-limited and your processor and RAM are well over the recommended requirements, maybe the PCI bus is not fast enough to drive high resolutions.

I think its safer to save the money and look for a new motherboard with AGP or PCIe slot, there are good deals in eBay and other places for MB+CPU combos, or wait and go for a new computer.

[lugaru]

Yeah, I love freedom force but anyone on this forum will tell you that game is a hog. The main reason I prayed for a sequel was so it would be cleaner and less memory intensive... I actually run recent games better than I run older games because for a while everything was coded in a way that would bloat after 20 minutes.