Video Card/Memory Problems Please Help :(

[Unsung_Drifter]

Ok, Here Goes...
I'm a new poster here (actually just signed up 5 mins ago due to this problem)
I've read other post but nothing is quite like my situation...

Specs:

HP Pavilion a230n
2800+ AMD Athlon XP Processor (2.08 GHz)
512MB DDR SDRAM
80GB Hard Drive (50GB not Used)
-Just recently upgraded from nVidia Geforce 4MX 64MB onboard Graphics to a GeForce 6600 8x AGP 256MB

I have updated all Drivers and i went into the BIOS and Selected AGP/Onboard (thats the way HP list it) ... my Display driver says it is running the 6600 card which is good... however when i play BF2 i can barely run due to Choppy/Jerkyness. Here's the kicker I'm playing on ALL low and OFF settings with only 50% visibility
I believe that somehow my computer is not allocating enough memory to the Video card and it is only giving the old 64MB instead of the new 256MB and i need to change this.... and in order to do this in the BIOS there should be a place under the Choosing of the video card that says "Video card Memory" or VGA RAM or something.... and its not there!! it goes straight to PS2 -Plug and Play... so i'm not sure of how else to do it...
My other problem / question would be... even though i only have 512MB i should at least be able to play BF2 with a Geforce 6600 AGP on at least all low settings perfectly...

I have no clue what to do...
Please help me ive been searching for the answer for more then 9 hours in two days ... and i'm pulling out my hair


all i want to do is play BF2!!!!

[lil_jimmy_norton]

Re: Video Card/Memory Problems Please Help

Video memory is only set in the BIOS for onboard graphics. You do not set the memory in the BIOS when you are using a graphics card.

[xSomeGuyx]

Re: Video Card/Memory Problems Please Help

Get more RAM, start off small and get 1GB then later get 2GB. Or if you want just get 2GB ASAP. It should solve the choppyness, it solved mine. Mind you dont mix new RAM with old RAM for example you have 2x256mb Memory, keep them paired and dont pair em up with newer ones.

[mlkmnz]

Re: Video Card/Memory Problems Please Help

Can you return you graphics card? Cause in reality you should have got a 6600GT if you were going to get a 6600 series card, the standard 6600 will be pretty average for this game.

More RAM is also needed, try 1GB first.

Have you disabled the onboard graphics in your BIOS?

[Unsung_Drifter]

Re: Video Card/Memory Problems Please Help

Yes i disabled it .... under my bios it says PCI or AGP/On-Board so i chose the "AGP/Onboard"

Yeah the GT wasnt really in my budget it cost about 40 dollars more because i had to get the AGP version not the PCIe

Thanks for everyones help....
But even with my RAM at 512 should i be able to play it without choppyness/jerkyness on the lowest settings??
This worries me also... In my Device Manager under Hardware Drivers it says this... (It does say 6600 under Display Driver, but it list my old Onboard Graphics Card for all of these below... not sure why)
You can see it at the link below...

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/5639/devicemanager4ks.jpg

[mlkmnz]

Re: Video Card/Memory Problems Please Help

Yes i disabled it .... under my bios it says PCI or AGP/On-Board so i chose the "AGP/Onboard"

Yeah the GT wasnt really in my budget it cost about 40 dollars more because i had to get the AGP version not the PCIe

Thanks for everyones help....
But even with my RAM at 512 should i be able to play it without choppyness/jerkyness on the lowest settings??
This worries me also... In my Device Manager under Hardware Drivers it says this... (It does say 6600 under Display Driver, but it list my old Onboard Graphics Card for all of these below... not sure why)
You can see it at the link below...
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/5...manager4ks.jpg

I think I know the answer to your problem then. Without researching your motherboard, you actually need to select "PCI" for the graphics I'm pretty sure. Onboard graphics are sometimes listed as AGP. The "PCI" setting can be indicative of any add on graphics module, such as the one your have installed. The other one is for onboard. Try that and see if the onboard graphics show up in your device settings.

512MB will actually be reasonably ok for play, it affects loading times more than in game play. Make sure you turn off as many background programs as possible too (i.e. MSN, Virus Scan, etc).

And really, the $40 extra for the 6600GT would be so worth it, kinda like the difference in performance of a turbo and non-turbo model of the same car.

[Unsung_Drifter]

Re: Video Card/Memory Problems Please Help

wow thanks very much for your help, most people wont listen for as long as it takes me to dive into my problem... i am going to try the PCI thing tonight (after i finish watching Black Hawk Down) and then i shall post what happens when i set it to PCI and play... and also look at my Device Manager

[mlkmnz]

Re: Video Card/Memory Problems Please Help

wow thanks very much for your help, most people wont listen for as long as it takes me to dive into my problem... i am going to try the PCI thing tonight (after i finish watching Black Hawk Down) and then i shall post what happens when i set it to PCI and play... and also look at my Device Manager

I'd rather watch Black Hawk Down instead of fix my PC too.

[Unsung_Drifter]

Re: Video Card/Memory Problems Please Help

Welp, I changed it to PCI and reloaded the updated drivers just to make sure... then ran BF2 again... and it looked/felt the exact same. So im not sure if it worked or not... it still says 6600 under my Display Driver and it still shows the exact same stuff as the picture i posted above in the Device Manager....
So I guess my only option is to add more memory, my computer can only take up to 1GB and right now i have 2 x 256MB and i only have 2 slots... which means i would have to remove one or both... i guess my question is would it be ok if there is two differnt sizes of Memory in both slots like.. say a 256 in one and 512 in the other?

[mlkmnz]

Re: Video Card/Memory Problems Please Help

It would be far better if it were the same size, but itll work if you have different amounts in. To be honest I dont think it's a RAM issue, I have slightly lesser specs than you and a worse graphics card and I run BF2 on medium settings at 100% distance.

I'm assuming your HP has a whole lot of proprietary apps running in the background?

Do a google seach on "bf2 optimisation guide" (there's one on this forum somewhere), as there a whole heap of settings in your system you can tweak and one of them could very well be your issue.

[Verzili]

Re: Video Card/Memory Problems Please Help

Ok, Here Goes...
I'm a new poster here (actually just signed up 5 mins ago due to this problem)
I've read other post but nothing is quite like my situation...

Specs:

HP Pavilion a230n
2800+ AMD Athlon XP Processor (2.08 GHz)
512MB DDR SDRAM
80GB Hard Drive (50GB not Used)
-Just recently upgraded from nVidia Geforce 4MX 64MB onboard Graphics to a GeForce 6600 8x AGP 256MB

I have updated all Drivers and i went into the BIOS and Selected AGP/Onboard (thats the way HP list it) ... my Display driver says it is running the 6600 card which is good... however when i play BF2 i can barely run due to Choppy/Jerkyness. Here's the kicker I'm playing on ALL low and OFF settings with only 50% visibility
I believe that somehow my computer is not allocating enough memory to the Video card and it is only giving the old 64MB instead of the new 256MB and i need to change this.... and in order to do this in the BIOS there should be a place under the Choosing of the video card that says "Video card Memory" or VGA RAM or something.... and its not there!! it goes straight to PS2 -Plug and Play... so i'm not sure of how else to do it...
My other problem / question would be... even though i only have 512MB i should at least be able to play BF2 with a Geforce 6600 AGP on at least all low settings perfectly...

I have no clue what to do...
Please help me ive been searching for the answer for more then 9 hours in two days ... and i'm pulling out my hair


all i want to do is play BF2!!!!

well ive never liked mobo with onboard gfx.
you are using a socket A cpu (same as me yet more powerfull)
i recomend you get a new mobo(uk around 30 pounds)this should give you a option in the bios called "agp apature size(maybe mispelt)options are usaly 128,256.512
you could try 256 or 512 and see if that helps.

also you must make sure you have a agp driver,
can u do a quick check for me,right click empty space on desktop,go to properties,settings,advance,geforce6600,and give me all the info there for gfx card.

does it say agp 8x?
and the ram of the card? i.e 256?

if it says pci then you do not have the agp driver,its a small file but essential.

there is also a possiblity that youre mobo only suports agp 4x and not 8x
but i cant be 100%sure.
there should be an option is the bios that lets you pick 2x4x8x

if you can have 8x then i recomend a differnt mobo(socketA)
i havent got the best rig in the world but it is similar to yours.
amd athlon xp 2600+ 19.17mhz
1.5gb ram(from 1gb to 1.5 big differnce no stutter)
6600gt 128m gddr3(overclokers dream)
i can run bf2 all low view distance 100% and geomatary medium.

it could be ram thats you problem but it would not stop you from playing.

if you could answer my q's ill try and help you some more m8.
goodluck

[Unsung_Drifter]

Re: Video Card/Memory Problems Please Help

well ive never liked mobo with onboard gfx.
you are using a socket A cpu (same as me yet more powerfull)
i recomend you get a new mobo(uk around 30 pounds)this should give you a option in the bios called "agp apature size(maybe mispelt)options are usaly 128,256.512
you could try 256 or 512 and see if that helps.

also you must make sure you have a agp driver,
can u do a quick check for me,right click empty space on desktop,go to properties,settings,advance,geforce6600,and give me all the info there for gfx card.

does it say agp 8x?
and the ram of the card? i.e 256?

if it says pci then you do not have the agp driver,its a small file but essential.

there is also a possiblity that youre mobo only suports agp 4x and not 8x
but i cant be 100%sure.
there should be an option is the bios that lets you pick 2x4x8x

if you can have 8x then i recomend a differnt mobo(socketA)
i havent got the best rig in the world but it is similar to yours.
amd athlon xp 2600+ 19.17mhz
1.5gb ram(from 1gb to 1.5 big differnce no stutter)
6600gt 128m gddr3(overclokers dream)
i can run bf2 all low view distance 100% and geomatary medium.

it could be ram thats you problem but it would not stop you from playing.

if you could answer my q's ill try and help you some more m8.
goodluck

Yes i can support a 8x AGP card and yes my card is 256MB...
I'm not sure what a "mobo" socket is ... sorry
Yes in my BIOS it does not say anything about AGP apature size... what exactly am i buying to be able to see this.... a new "mobo"?
(thanks in advanced)

It would be far better if it were the same size, but itll work if you have different amounts in. To be honest I dont think it's a RAM issue, I have slightly lesser specs than you and a worse graphics card and I run BF2 on medium settings at 100% distance.

I'm assuming your HP has a whole lot of proprietary apps running in the background?

Do a google seach on "bf2 optimisation guide" (there's one on this forum somewhere), as there a whole heap of settings in your system you can tweak and one of them could very well be your issue.

I shall do a search for it in a couple of hours after i take my little sis somewhere, i've already done a few "tweakings" that i saw on a differnt webpage but i'll looke up/do the ones in that guide later...

Ok well i got BF2 running a little bit more smoothly on all low/off settings but it still gives me a headache and its choppy in the way that when i look with my mouse left/right/up/down it is lagged and it isnt smooth at all... but whenever i run straight forward the buildings or whatever thats coming towards me doesnt do that.... im not sure why that is...
Would getting the extra RAM help with this problem?
Could it be that my Power supply is only 290W?

[mlkmnz]

Re: Video Card/Memory Problems Please Help

Could it be that my Power supply is only 290W?

Yes, thats a bit light. You can pick up a decent 400W power supply for chump change and its a pretty easy swap.

[Unsung_Drifter]

Re: Video Card/Memory Problems Please Help

So.... with a new power supply and upgrade to a gig of ram i should be sailing smooth?

[imported_Wasp]

Re: Video Card/Memory Problems Please Help

The lack of an "AGP Aperture size" option could still cause problems even if you do this upgrade. You should check HP web site for a BIOS update. Some HP's and Compaq's set this option to 64MB or less and that is just too low. The 128MB or 256MB settings seemes to work best for ppl on this forum.