What games WONT run on Intel "Extreme" Integrated Graphics

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Spaced Cowboy
LotM, do you not feel confident enough to build your own pc?

For a budget PC, the savings are not very big (i have gone as far as to look at component prices in my local PC super store flier, and im probably forgetting something) and no, ive never opened the box before.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by DrSpike
LotM I know you don't require a ninja system but I think you'll probably regret buying that system with the on-board graphics. Instead if you don't want to do it yourself get a cheap no frills system made for you. It'll probably be a little more than the one you are looking at, but so worth it in the long run.

Its not one system with the onboard graphics. Its every budget system. Long run - (refrains from quoting Lord Keynes) remember, we're from now on a 2 PC family - the dinosaur goes to POTM for NOW, but I would think in 2 years or so we'll have to get ANOTHER new one - POTM won't be able to stick to a 266Mhz dinosaur when she's in highschool, and the latest and greatest is a generation beyond what it is NOW.

I cant see the argument for spending an extra $100 to $ 200 for a machine with a good video card, when the onboard graphics sound ok, unless theres a considerable list of games out NOW that it wont run. Im NOT buying this system for games to come out in the future, ive got a backlog of games to play, going back to 2000 or so. Presumably games that required a 2000 or 2001 hotshot video card may be handled by the onboard, NOW???? Thats why in looking for specific info. Thanks to alll, of course - but it does seem no one here has this particular chipset - folks either have experience with older chips (Im encouraged that COT could play EU - but I had little doubt that EU would be a problem) or, like yourself, have discrete (and im sure very good) video cards.

[child of Thor]

@ LotM, well i can run EU2 on my P166 - the intro animation is jerky, but the game plays fine, although compared to the few quick half dozen turns i've tried on my new P3-533 system, it does get slow as the game progresses. So your 266 should play it to.

Here's my list of games that i've tested, that wont run with the integrated chip(810i 4MB shared memmory it says in my system info) on my P3-533 system.

Games i hoped would work but didnt:

1.Shogun Total War
2.Medieval Total War
3.Theif 2

these were the big three for why i got hold of this new PC, it had the MHz my P166 lacked - but that horrible on-board stuff

Games i havent tested yet but might also be a problem:

4. Theif 1
5. Imperium galactica2
6. Rune
7. One other 3D type arcade/adventure game i got.

Still its the first three games that have turned me off intergrated graphics.

If you do go for a pc like this then make sure you have atleast got a slot or two for a graphics card if its ever needed.
My P3 might have a pretty old generation of on-board graphics card though?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by child of Thor
@ LotM, well i can run EU2 on my P166 - the intro animation is jerky, but the game plays fine, although compared to the few quick half dozen turns i've tried on my new P3-533 system, it does get slow as the game progresses. So your 266 should play it to.

Here's my list of games that i've tested, that wont run with the integrated chip(810i 4MB shared memmory it says in my system info) on my P3-533 system.

Games i hoped would work but didnt:

1.Shogun Total War
2.Medieval Total War
3.Theif 2

these were the big three for why i got hold of this new PC, it had the MHz my P166 lacked - but that horrible on-board stuff

Games i havent tested yet but might also be a problem:

4. Theif 1
5. Imperium galactica2
6. Rune
7. One other 3D type arcade/adventure game i got.

Still its the first three games that have turned me off intergrated graphics.

If you do go for a pc like this then make sure you have atleast got a slot or two for a graphics card if its ever needed.

thanks for your helpful response. I sympathize with your frustration, and in fact was worried about the same thing at the next level - buying a 2.6 ghz machine, that wont run, say, Civ3, or RON, or Simcity4.

My P3 might have a pretty old generation of on-board graphics card though?

Well Intel says it has 64 Meg of shared memory, IIUC that would compare to the 4 MB on your machine.

I guess I will have to ask somewhere where people have this specific chip. May try OT, and then somewhere off 'poly (shudder)

[Spaced Cowboy]

Here's some news, I'm getting a new pc at work with...you guessed it, Intel Extreme graphics. However, I've found out that there are different versions of the IEG chips. The one I'm getting is the latest version and although it will not be able to run doom3, it should be able to handle most games...ahem it is for work afterall.

Just wanted to let you know that there are different versions of IEG chips, so the new ones might not be that bad.

Also, I agree, it is hard to beat the prebuilts for a budget pc. I could probably do it, but not some of those monitor and printer included systems for less than $400. Just have to wait on a deal, and don't expect the world from those machines.

You can build a pretty nasty machine for under $800 sans monitor, keyboard, etc. and the good thing about this kind of machine is that it will be upgradeable.

[lord of the mark]

another quick thing ive learned about integ graphics while googling around - since the IG SHARES resources with the CPU, much depends on your overall system specs. 64 meg Shared video memory is great, but not so much if all youve got is 256 meg, and Win XP is taking half of that right off. So 512 Meg Ram might offset some of the problems of the Int graphics. And given that I may want 512 anyway, Im more inclined to go with a more RAM, and a faster chip, than with a discrete video card.

Also note - the Children of the Nile Faq says Intel Extreme is less than GEforce2, but equiv to Radeon 7000 (so whats that mean?), and will run COTN IF the CPU is fast enough (2 Ghz plus, I think)

[Adrian Hon]

You can definitely run SimCity 4 with it, I'm playing it on a 2.4ghz Pentium 4 with 512MB RAM. It's not particularly fast but it works. For a joke I tried Half-Life 2 - incredibly, it worked for about five minutes and then crashed. That's when I ordered a new graphics card.

[lord of the mark]

will wonders never cease!!!!!

It tunrs out Intel has compatibility table on their website, which says that intel extreme should work fine with Simcity4, Warcraft3, and Medieval Total War (nothing about Rome Total War). It will have problems with Half Life 2, Far Cry, Doom3, and Splinter Cell.

So it is as I expected (if theyre telling the truth, and im interpreting things correctly. And yes, I DO understand that just cause it may be okay for the games I like that are out now, it may not be so for games coming out in the future (starting perhaps with one that already out, Rome Total War)

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Adrian Hon
You can definitely run SimCity 4 with it, I'm playing it on a 2.4ghz Pentium 4 with 512MB RAM. It's not particularly fast but it works. For a joke I tried Half-Life 2 - incredibly, it worked for about five minutes and then crashed. That's when I ordered a new graphics card.

thanks. I suspect the strong general specs of your system help - it might not work as well with only 256 MB RAM.

[child of Thor]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
edit....
Also note - the Children of the Nile Faq says Intel Extreme is less than GEforce2, but equiv to Radeon 7000 (so whats that mean?), and will run COTN IF the CPU is fast enough (2 Ghz plus, I think)

Both those are old graphics cards, so i guess it means its not great?
If you want a cheap system, then pretty much all of the sub £800 pc i see have intergrated graphics cards. So if you have a tight budget you will have to get one, but as we mentioned, just check you have atleast one AGP slot for a graphic card later if needed.

When COTN comes out in europe i'm hoping to play it(i'll have to upgrade my processor though), but it sounds like even that game stretches the intergrated graphics cards - and that is based on an old game engine(Empire Earth), so i dont think you have any future-proofing at all with this option, all the more reason to have AGP on the one you get

[DrSpike]

Well, it's up to you LotM, and you make a fair case for your proposed purchase. Let's just say if you come in here complaining a few months down the line I wont be surprised.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by DrSpike
Well, it's up to you LotM, and you make a fair case for your proposed purchase. Let's just say if you come in here complaining a few months down the line I wont be surprised.

The Intel IGC should run EU2, Victoria, MTW, Civ3, Simcity4, the Sims. If, at the rate I play, I cant get well over a year of gameplay out of those games I will be SORELY disappointed, and NOT in my machine. To the point where it might make sense to give up the damned hobby. (this is not to mention the OTHER games id want to play - RPG's, adventures, RTS, warhistorical games, etc - or the fact that Im just getting my feet wet in Moo2, and havent yet played MoM, Starcraft, TOAW, etc)

Really, by the time Im ready to play COTN or RTW, let alone Civ4, I think I can make the case for yet ANOTHER new PC Maybe I'll get a discrete video card for THAT one

[Dis]

cheap pre-built PC's

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by lord of the mark



The Intel IGC should run EU2, Victoria, MTW, Civ3, Simcity4, the Sims. If, at the rate I play, I cant get well over a year of gameplay out of those games I will be SORELY disappointed, and NOT in my machine. To the point where it might make sense to give up the damned hobby. (this is not to mention the OTHER games id want to play - RPG's, adventures, RTS, warhistorical games, etc - or the fact that Im just getting my feet wet in Moo2, and havent yet played MoM, Starcraft, TOAW, etc)

Really, by the time Im ready to play COTN or RTW, let alone Civ4, I think I can make the case for yet ANOTHER new PC Maybe I'll get a discrete video card for THAT one

My scepticism isn't just about that (though I think you'll have trouble with some games you try). I just don't like those systems..........my mate bought one, and the RAM went. I identified the problem easily but it was near impossible to fix it without sending the machine back. I finally managed it, but it took much more time than it should have (a 15 minute job tops).

[child of Thor]

yes thats true - at work we always have many more problems trying to fix pc's ourselves when the pc's are of the named branded type and or have onboard componants.