Will my X1950Pro play Starcraft II adequately?

[Soleron]

All of the performance reviews I've seen use much more recent cards, so I'm not sure (leaning to 'yes'). Obviously it's higher than the minimum requirements, but will it look as good as gameplay videos online? I'm considering buying if so.

Windows Vista, 1280x1024 resolution

 

[Sylvanas]

We can only guess as I doubt people will have hard numbers on an older card like that. Make sure you have the latest drivers from ATI and you may struggle to get to 30fps on low, but it's probably doable. But there is a difference between 'it works (slide show)' and 'it's fun to play'. CPU also plays an important role here.

but will it look as good as gameplay videos online

No.

 

[Soleron]

CPU: Core 2 Duo E6400 (2.13GHz, 2MB L2). It's a 65nm Conroe.
RAM: 2GB

And I was thinking of 'fun to play'. Not worth buying otherwise; I'm not set on it.

This is the first time I would have to upgrade my hardware to play something. I'm not used to the prospect of having to; it's annoying.

 

[Sylvanas]

CPU and Ram is fine for that rez, just the GPU bottleneck. It depends on how much you want to spend if you go the path of an upgrade. Here is a recent review of some mainstream cards. Keep in mind these are at a higher rez so performance at 1280x1024 will be a bit better.

 

[netxzero64]

don't you consider a higher card?

 

[Soleron]

don't you consider a higher card?

If I really wanted SC2 then I would get a 5770 or something. But I'm not set on it, and I don't need the upgrade for any other game, so it wouldn't be worth it to me to pay for a new card and SC2.

So, my current setup would definitely not be able to get a smooth framerate on Medium 1280x1024?

 

[Skurge]

Well an X1950XT was a bit slower than a 8800GTS/2900, so you can go from there. But apparently they wanted the game to run on a 6600GT/9800pro setup.

 

[RadMan]

To run on a 9800pro or the like, you'd really have to turn down the settings.

I'm running an X1950 Pro on an E6300 1.86 GHz system overclocked to 2.8 GHz and 6 GB DDR2 RAM on a 24" 1920x1200 monitor.

My experience with SCII so far is that, at full rez, my settings are generally at medium and I'm getting 24-30 fps.

I find the game quite playable, it looks generally quite good (though not quite as good as it would with a better card). That being said, when there is an overwhelming number of units on the screen, particularly coupled with many explosions and FX, that the fps drops and it can get stuttery.

My 2 cents.

 

[TemjinGold]

Keep in mind 19X12 is quite a bit more demanding than 12X10. If you're able to do that, the OP shouldn't have any problems.

 

[Soleron]

Keep in mind 19X12 is quite a bit more demanding than 12X10. If you're able to do that, the OP shouldn't have any problems.

Yes, that sounds promising.

 

[Chapbass]

Yeah, i would think you can do it fine. my girls 8800gts with an e4300 can roll pretty darn smoothly at 1680x1050. I would think that at your res, just dont max the settings, should be rockin.

 

[netxzero64]

if you're just playing at 1280x1024 and you're ok with medium settings more or less, then I think you can play with it pretty much..

try overclocking the card =)

 

[Skunkwourk]

I'd like to know how it works out if you go ahead and try it. I was thinking of buying a cheap dual core for my ancient system using my x1950 pro (@ 1440x900) since Im going to be doing a bit of moving soon so I don't want to build an entirely new rig until Im settled.

 

[happy medium]

I'm running an X1950 Pro on an E6300 1.86 GHz system overclocked to 2.8 GHz and 6 GB DDR2 RAM on a 24" 1920x1200 monitor

Going by this post, you should overclock you cpu and gpu and at 1280x1024 you should be good for med/high settings at over 30fps easy if he's getting 24 to 30fps.

 

[Soleron]

if you're just playing at 1280x1024 and you're ok with medium settings more or less, then I think you can play with it pretty much..

try overclocking the card =)

My computer cuts out if the CPU goes above stock speed, so I'm not going to risk OCing it or the GPU. But thanks.

 

[Tempered81]

Starcraft 2 plays decent on older hardware compared to other modern games:

 

[Soleron]

Thanks everyone.