Adding More RAM ?

[skinzz]

Does anyone know if adding more ram will help with Grand Theft Auto 3?
My fps in horrible, it jumps from 1 to 25, never more. The game is continuiously "stuttering".
I am running Me, ATI Radeon 7200 (updated driver), 256 Ram, AMD Athlon 1.2Ghz.
I am not sure if its the game, video card etc..
I have only had 2 other games installed, half-life and unreal tournament.Bothe had choppy beginnings but as game play continued fps increased and stayed steady.
I am open for any suggestions since I have no idea what i am doing.

 

[Enkrypted]

Go into the display settings of the game and turn off the "Trails" option. This should help speed up your frame rates. Enkrypted
A+
Let others know how much help they are by marking the helpful posts.

 

[cdogg]

You're system is in the grey area of whether it can run the game fast enough at full detail. With a better video card, you'd probably notice a huge difference. Your current card does have 64MB, but it's SDRAM not DDR. Many tests show DDR can make all the difference in games with high fill rates. In fact, a Geforce2 GTS with 32MB of DDR would outperform your card in almost any game. I recommend upgrading to at least a GeForce4 Ti 4200 64MB, which would run you around $110-120 if bought online. The 128MB version would only buy you better FPS at higher resolutions and would cost an extra $20 or more.

Also, you mentioned 256MB system RAM. Is this DDR or standard SDRAM? The Athlon 1.2GHz is more than enough power for this game, but it might be bottlenecked by slower SDRAM, if that's the case.

My suggestion assuming you have DDR SDRAM: upgrade the video card (you could probably sell the 7200 on EBAY for like $25). ~cdogg

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
- A. Einstein

 

[paparazi]

I have to agree, you have found the limit of your video card.
The Radeon 7200 isn't a brilliant gaming card, with less frame rate than a GF2 MX400 it just won't cut the musted with GTA3 OK with original UT and boarder line with Half Life.
I would also go with a GF4 4200Ti which easilly plays everything at this time. But if money is a real issue the much cheaper Gf4 MX440 will get you up and playing smoothly for now. Martin Please let members know if there advice has helped any.

 

[skinzz]

I have 256mb SDRAM.
Can I replace that with DDR SDRAM or does my Epox board have to suport DDR ?

 

[skinzz]

I have about $200 to spend. I just do not know the difference between DDR SDRAM and SDRAM. What or How do I find this out.

 

[cdogg]

What's the model of your Epox board? There are some boards out there that can take either SDRAM or DDR SDRAM, but chances are that your board is not one of them.

The less expensive option for you at this point is to upgrade just the video card for now. Changing to DDR SDRAM would require you to purchase a whole new motherboard (easily over $75 plus an extra $70 for the RAM) and wouldn't benefit you as much as a newer video card.


~cdogg

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
- A. Einstein

 

[skinzz]

I went on crucial.com to find $ on RAM. My Epox board (8KTA3+) only came with SDRAM upgrades. Safe to assume only SDRAM will be accepted.
Thanks for the help. I will now go look for a card.

 

[skinzz]

Can I use a video card that is DDR ? Even though i have SDRAM

Sorry, i am just learning.

 

[cdogg]

No problem, ask away!

Yes, you can have SDRAM and still get a DDR SDRAM video card. Both run independently from each other.

The jump from SDRAM to DDR on the video card would yield a better increase in performance than upgrading from SDRAM to DDR on your motherboard. In games, system RAM is not as important as the memory on the videocard. System RAM is seldomly used depending on the game you're playing. ~cdogg

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
- A. Einstein

 

[skinzz]

Thanks again!
I will try your advice.