Dragon Age Origins on an old computer runs fine!

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RaptorZX3
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Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:57 pm
Location: Montreal, Quebec (Canada)

Dragon Age Origins on an old computer runs fine!

Post by RaptorZX3 » Wed Dec 02, 2009 2:35 pm

Wow! i just tried Dragon Age Origins on my 2nd computer, which is not as good as my main one, with full details (without V-sync and AA) and it runs fine! Installed on my external eSATA Seagate hard disk.

here's the specs:

Case: Antec Three Hundred (ATX)
CPU: Intel Pentium IV 3.0Ghz 530 Socket 775 (Prescott core), OCZ Vendetta heatsink w/Noctua NF-B9 fan
Main Board: Foxconn 915M07-G-8EKRS (Micro ATX)
RAM: 1.5Gb DDRAM 400 (1 x Kingston, 1 x Advance Module)
Video Card: Gigabyte Geforce 9500GT 512mb GDDR3 "Zalman" (PCIe)
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster Live! 5.1 Digital
Network: On-board Marvell 10/100/1000
DVD-Writer: NEC NC-3550a (IDE)
Western Digital WD800JB (ATA100)
Power Supply: Seasonic S12 430W
TV: Samsung LN32A330 32" LCD TV (set @ 1360x768)
Front fans: 1 x Noctua NF-S12-1200, 1 x Noctua NF-P12
Rear fans: 1 x Antec Tricool 120mm @ Medium, 1 x Antec Tricool 140mm @ low
Side exhaust fan: 1 x Noctua NF-S12-1200 (might be removed soon)

i might remove the "frame-buffer" option in the game because the visual effects this option is doing are not really good...but i only played thru the trial level and now i'm in some kind of wizard academy i think, and colors are very dark with this option, maybe this effect is wanted with it, i don't know...

But yeah, i'm VERY impressed it's able to run fine with high details on such a low-end computer. Bioware did a great job on the engine!

mathias
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Post by mathias » Sat Dec 05, 2009 5:55 pm

Probably would run disastrously on mine. And you wouldn't believe how much I had worn out and overplayed the baldur's gate series.

:( :evil: :(

Though heart of winter and BG2 also ran horribly on the system I played them on most; HoW also runs horribly in wine.

RaptorZX3
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Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:57 pm
Location: Montreal, Quebec (Canada)

Post by RaptorZX3 » Sat Dec 05, 2009 11:31 pm

recently i got Baldur's Gate 2 collection (BG2 + Throne of Bhaal) for free, complete retail version! (not a copy).

I think the story starts strangely in BG2, compared to the previous one.
Last edited by RaptorZX3 on Mon Dec 07, 2009 4:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Cistron
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Location: London, UK

Post by Cistron » Mon Dec 07, 2009 2:41 pm

RaptorZX3 wrote:I think the story starts strangely in BG2, compared to the previous one.
I thought it was very catching straight from the beginning.

In case anyone is interested, DAO runs fine at maxiumum details at 1680x1050 on a HD3870. Loading takes a while though. I suspect the textures are very large and to aggravate the situtation, I've installed the game quite on the inside of my platter.

RaptorZX3
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Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:57 pm
Location: Montreal, Quebec (Canada)

Post by RaptorZX3 » Mon Dec 07, 2009 4:35 pm

how do you know it's on the inside part of your HDD's platter(s)?

Cistron
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Post by Cistron » Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:53 am

RaptorZX3 wrote:how do you know it's on the inside part of your HDD's platter(s)?
I installed it on the highest partition, as my windows partition couldn't take a mere 15GB.

RaptorZX3
Posts: 867
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:57 pm
Location: Montreal, Quebec (Canada)

Post by RaptorZX3 » Wed Dec 09, 2009 3:05 am

i encountered some slowdowns, but nothing dramatic. This game is not about "every frame counts" like in first-person shooters, since you can pause the game to create your strategy, equip your characters, also turning up the view to "Baldur's Gate-like". Plus there's no online multiplayer, so don't stress with framerate drops.

Possible spoil here:

-At the beginning of the big war cutscene when the king fights the darkspawns, there are a lot of stuff to render, and i was impressed i didn't feel any slowdown in this cutscene! (still on the 2nd computer i mean, which is less powerful than my main one)

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