I finally got some money and am about to upgrade my computer... I have a few hundred bucks but hear 1 gig of RAM costs 100 or so... In another thread asking for general tips I got a lot of different replies but most people said it was the RAM. One guy said his game runs really smoothly with 2 GBs RAM and a 512 MB graphics card. I am not sure I have enough money to get up to 2 gigabites. And is the graphics card something I would need to update as well even though the game looks great already?

Will adding 1 gig to what I have now (256 MB) be enough? I plan on releasing short films only...

Here is the link to the old thread on a similar subject:

http://community.lionhead.com/forums/thread/2877571.aspx

I have 3 GIG of ram, but that's just me.

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LOL. Congrats... I am well aware many of you have very powerful computers. I can afford to add 1 GB to what I had and not much more, myself. Does anyone have an opinion on whether this will be enough?

ubernewbie:

I have 3 GIG of ram, but that's just me.

Oh Uber, not everythings a contest you know

Yes, upgrading from 256meg of ram to 1gig of ram will significantly improve your movie making experience - i released movies without many issues with 1 gig ram for about a year so you'll be fine.

2 gig would give you a pretty much flawless experience, especially when exporting, but then if you're only releasing short movies it won't be a problem qith 1 gig

cheers

(btw Uber - i run 4 gig ram )

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Just remember that getting kick ass RAM and then being stingy on other bits of hardware like the processor and graphics card won't improve your game speed by so much, but you'll still probably notice the difference even if you're not upgrading everything. The graphics card isn't just about making the game look great it also helps speed up the game by handling the graphics better.

The best advice I can give though is to shop around for things like RAM and graphics card. Even if you think you've found a price you can mostly likely find a better one elsewhere.

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The only thing worse that beating a dead horse is betting on one.

Sze of the ram isn't the issue, its the speed coupled with the your CPU, graphics card and its cache ability.

I run:

Intel Core2 Extreme QX6850

i just puchased on line HZ 8GB DDR2 PC8500 ram (sorry sparky )

And i have an ASUS Stiker Extreme 680I SLI

now, that may sound powerful, and it is, but they all work with each other at the same speed. Problems with the game can be edited out but are usually caused by its bits not working together well. So while ram will be , maintaining your rig is really the key; ram, cpu, graphic, rinse and repeat.

4GB... ftw, 8GB

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I forgot to mention that I have a million RAM so that settles that mystery.

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The only thing worse that beating a dead horse is betting on one.

Thanks for all the great replies. About having to upgrade the processor and graphics card as well... Can I ask if you think 300 bucks or so would be enough to upgrade my computer up to snuff overall? Here is what I am working with:

Processor: Intel Pentium 3, ~1.0 CHz. Memory: 256 MB RAM. Page file: 385 MB used, 232 MB available. DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904).

Chip type: ATI Radeon Graphics Processor AGP (0x4153). DAC Type: Internal DAC (400 MHz). Main driver: ati2dvag.dll. DDI Version: 9 (or higher).

(And: Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600). Manufacturer: Gateway. Default System BIOS.)

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Can you tell me what you think needs to be upgraded so I know what to look for?  And what the cost for each item might be? The computer tower is huge BTW, if "needing room to expand" is an issue.

I know you guys probably cannot give me exact numbers but even a guess would be very much appreciated same as all the replies so far are. (I hope one day I can enter the "who has the best computer" contest! I know it will be awhile though!)

deliriousstudios:

I forgot to mention that I have a million RAM so that settles that mystery.

Well, that's no ..... unless you're running a farm for gay sheep?

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You could run a test on this site here to see if your computer can run the game smoothly.  If not, it tells you what you need upgraded and where you can find it.  Pretty nifty site. 

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Wow eobags that is awesome. I am checking it out right now. Just what I needed!

My game sucked sooooo bad before my upgrade, but then I went with 2GB Ram and a 1GB graphics card, and it exports everything perfectly and my game is now da bomb

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I'd just like to add that the version of windows you use also impacts the perfromance as far as RAM is concerned. I think you mentioned that you have XP. I think XP needs less that Vista, which is a resource hog. One Gig of RAM is needed just to run Vista itself. So you would probably need two to have a decent experience. At least, that's what some of my computer hacker friends have said.

I have:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
Nvidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB
2GB 577MhZ RAM
and so on...

That runs everything perfectly, from Crysis to Adobe Premiere, to Photoshop and to The Movies...

2GB RAM doesn't cost more than 60$,and runs the game smooth. So does 1GB RAM too, but in those days there are really no point to only buy 1GB...

And guys; don't forget that processors are also important while rendering (exporting)...

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Official webiste: www.ssventure.tk

http://movies.lionhead.com/movie/151103 <--- CLICK HERE! DON'T CONSIDER IT, JUST DO IT!

Well well all nice and , but some people seem to miss the specifications the trhead opener posted above. You can not make an old PIII with 1 GHz a running horse. Sure the system will be better with more than 256 MB RAM, but I don't think it is worth putting the money on that. Not to say that the needed RAM (DDR1 or even SD-RAM) is not so cheap like DDR2 curently is. The computer may also not be able to handle more than 1GB, depending on the mainboard and its BIOS. Better buy a complete new computer! Should be at about 500 € to run everything available these days.

Also the RAM on the graphic card does absolutely nothing for the overall system performance. Video memory can not be used by Windows for other application than 3D accelerated software. If you don't intend to play games like Crysis with maximum detail at high resolutions (more than 1280x720) 256 MB dedicated video memory should be enough. Video memory is mostly important for high game resolutions, high textures resolutions, Anti-Aliaising or Anisotropic Filtering. 1 GB video RAM is not used buy any game to this day, even Crysis won't. The graphic card manufacturers put this amount of RAM on their cards for marketing purposes only. A GeForce 8800GT with reduced 256MB video meory will always outperform a GeForce 8600GT with even 1 GB.  

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The phone is ringing and I cannot linger. So, look out, butt, here comes my finger!