Technical - Hardware Question MTW-2

**DyerWolf** · October 24, 2006, 10:35 AM

Any smart guys know how much RAM will affect gameplay?

My Sys:

AMD Athlon64 3000+
MSI K8N Neo Platinum 250
1Gb PC3200 RAM
GeForce 6800 GT 256mb
SoundBlaster Audigy 2 EAX
Running Win XP Pro

About the only thing I can afford to upgrade right now is RAM. I need to know whether the game is RAM intensive enough to make the change to 2Gigs or more. If the game relies more on the graphics card, I won't bother. However, in some of the large unscripted demo mods, I see a bit of unit stagger (the units don't move as smoothly as I might like) which doesn't seem to happen when I use smaller armies at the same graphics settings.

Thoughts on RAM?

**wipeout140** · October 24, 2006, 10:44 AM

Your specs seem good enough, and that demo is getting on 2 months old and they it been improved since then

**Garnier** · October 24, 2006, 11:07 AM

the normal demo battles are scripted, so they lag much less than when they are unscripted, i.e. using the game's AI.

I tested it, and got like 14 frames instead of 30 when I switched to unscripted (same battle, same settings).

**DyerWolf** · October 24, 2006, 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by Garnier

the normal demo battles are scripted, so they lag much less than when they are unscripted, i.e. using the game's AI.

I tested it, and got like 14 frames instead of 30 when I switched to unscripted (same battle, same settings).

That is what I am seeing - slower performance in the unscripted battle. I'm wondering if RAM alone will improve that - which it might if the AI "thinking" is slowing it down. I just don't know enough about the architecture to know if they're pushing more through the GPU such that adding system memory won't make much difference.

Any [H]ardware enthusiasts with insight?

**AlfonsoVIII** · October 24, 2006, 11:24 AM

My opinion is no, do not upgrade the RAM, it is a waste of money. The game is processor hungry.

**Germanicus75** · October 24, 2006, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by AlfonsoVIII

The game is processor hungry.

But judging from the demo anyway, doesn't seem to be as much as RTW. I just switched from a Radeon X800XL to a 9700GTO and nearly doubled my frame rate in the MTW2 demo for the same battle and settings.

In a RTW custom battle, using the exact same armies and settings each time, I got a 1 FPS improvement from the new card...

**DyerWolf** · October 24, 2006, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by AlfonsoVIII

My opinion is no, do not upgrade the RAM, it is a waste of money. The game is processor hungry.

But if it's processor hungry, shouldn't giving it more RAM improve things? I thought the processor used the RAM to speed its thinking. Or am I misunderstanding how RAM works?

**warchief_ryan** · October 24, 2006, 12:44 PM

How can I see the FPS in the Demo?

**Spart** · October 24, 2006, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by warchief_ryan

How can I see the FPS in the Demo?

Use a program called Fraps, that's good.
See here

E: Noooooo, I was too slow!

Well, there's the link anyway.

**SPARTAN VI** · October 24, 2006, 11:39 AM

You have a 9700GTO? Just pulling your leg.

Any performance improvement expected when switching from onboard audio (AC97) to a dedicated soundcard? I'm pondering the purchase of a $30-$40 sound card for M2:TW. The integrated audio cannot do EAX2, and in Rome, I'm only able to get decent sound when using 2D Mile Fast software acceleration.