Getting the drivers ready for Civ3

[Ozymandous]

Originally posted by dennis580
LIke I said The PC as a gaming platform is just way too hassle, trouble, and expensive and that's why I hate it.

TBS games are the only reason I still play games on my PC, but if TBS games ever started to get ported to consoles then I would be thru with the PC as a gaming platform..

I predict the PC as a gaming platform will be virtually dead in 2 years. PS2 sales are already closing in on 20 million and thier it's almost certain that thier will be a price drop next month and with a AAA KILLER APP like MGS2 sales will explode.

No, the PC as a gaming platform is not much of a hassle, it's the thinking person's gaming console, where the games typically require more than just fast reflex's.

I am glad you have found that you prefer the console as a gaming platform, but don't expect huge, in-depth TBS, strategy, RTS or FPS to appear strictly on the console instead of the PC anytime soon. Why you may ask? Because the console does not offer the input or control options of a PC for some kinds of games.

I hope you're hungry because you'll be eating a lot of crow in two years when the PC gaming market is still going strong.

One thing you forget to mention... A console cost's $300-$500 and requires virtually no up-keep, a PC cost's $600-?? and requires at least a little knowledge on how to operate it (other than the monkey-proof ability to insert a game CD and turn on the power ). Console's are great for younger folks or folks who don't have the time, money or patience to buy or operate a PC.

If you're the typical 15 year old would you rather have a console or a PC? The answer will vary but I would bet a large majority of folks would rather have a console because they are cheaper and less demanding in intelligence in how to operate and maintain.

The PC is great for a gaming platform but if you only bought a PC for gaming and don't take the time to at least learn about it a little (like buying a car and never doing more than dumping gas in the tank) to keep it running well then you have wasted your money, IMHO.

Oh and before I am accused of being some sort of "PC-only" fanatic, I have owned PC's and consoles from the "early days" of the TRS-80's & Oddessy's (then Nintendo, wow what a difference!) until todays P3-P4 & PS2's. Both are great but both have certain things they do that the other can't touch as well.

[dennis580]

Well thing is I want deep stratgy games like Civ III and even really complex games like Europa Universalis II. The thing I don't want is to have to go thru all the hassle, trouble, complexity, and expense of the PC platform.

[Jaybe]

Originally posted by Sabre2th
On Topic:
Jaybe: ...
I haven't used Compaqs too much, but I do know that I don't like Mac. At all. They're not worth it.
...

Sabre2th, your key words were "I don't like." As in that is your personal opinion. To which I say again:
See what a little knowledge can do to you?
I understand that your "They're not worth it." was referring to your personal perspective.

[fluxcapacitor]

Steve Clark--

If you have an Nvidia card you should be using the Detanator XP drivers [not only WinXP & they're v.21.81], they offer better performance than the det 3's.

[korn469]

if you have money to burn i'd check out alien ware, they build their computers only for gaming

https://www.alienware.com

and even if you know what you are doing, i don't think that you will save that much money by building your own computer...

if you catch dell when they are offering free shipping you can buy a computer for about 699 dollars plus tax

it comes with
windows XP (199)
15in monitor (94)
900 mhz celeron (51)
motherboard (49)
128mb sdram (5)
20gb hd (66)
cd rom drive (22)
keyboard (2)
mouse (2)
modem (19)
case (27)
total=536

theoretical savings $163.00
so yes if you know what you are doing, and can find the best possible price, you will be able to beat any major computer brand on price, but for many unless you order parts online, you won't find anything even close to the best price possible, and by ordering online, many of these best price possible parts add in large shipping and handling fees (just check out pricewatch.com) so your actual savings is going to probably be less than the 163 dollars, and then you actually have to build it yourself...i guess it is all personal preference

[Steve Clark]

fluxcapacitor:
But I have to take into consideration other games as well. There have been many versions of the Detonator drivers, some work with all of my games, some don't. For example, when I got my latest Gateway in January, it came with 6.81(?). That caused nothing but problems for a few games (like Shogun), so I went to an earlier version, 6.52 and have been running perfectly since then. 12.41 I know works with everything. For video drivers, I am more concerned with compatability than I am with performance (they're all fast).

[Executor]

WinXP Pro comes with DirectX 8.0a already installed and I'm sticking to the NVidia drivers that come with it. Every time I upgrade to the latest Detonator drivers, games stop working.

[fluxcapacitor]

Steve-

Don't you think the perf. increase makes it worth trying the 21.81's? I haven't had anything but success w/ them, on Win2k and win98se.

[Ozymandous]

Originally posted by korn469
if you have money to burn i'd check out alien ware, they build their computers only for gaming

[if you catch dell when they are offering free shipping you can buy a computer for about 699 dollars plus tax

Alienware is a good company, only problem is that there PC's are *very* expensive...

Oh, and if you watch the Dell site regularly you might even get $50 or more off the price of a system in addition to free shipping.

Check the "Small Business" section as well, as they offer even better deals than the "Home and Home Office" area.

Maybe you'll get $150 of the price of a system and free shipping like I did (two day special that I saw after cruising their site for over 2 months).

[Ozymandous]

Speaking of video cards & drivers...

Anyone tried the Ati 8500 or any brand GeForce3 cards?

If so, how much difference do they make or how much better?

Anyone?