How To's, Questions, and Solutions for problems. This covers anything from computer hardware problems to software recommendations to tutorials for various software programs.
Note: Neither Gametoast nor any of its members/visitors are responsible for any damage to your computer as a result from advice given in this forum. Follow advice at your own risk and be sure to back up any important files.
I found a really nice-looking 7300 at TigerDirect.com for a really good price. And 512MB of memory also.
I really think it might be worth it if you have the money to spend...which isn't really a lot. Only $55 after rebate. It should also make virtually everything graphics-related on your system run much faster, so I think it may well be a worthwhile upgrade. Even if 2142 runs on your current card, this would really enhance the performance.
Sorry for hijacking this thread, but compared to some of the latest graphics cards, how does that card shape up? And secondly, what does rebate mean? I've never even heard of it, so I'm fearing it's another way of them taking money from us .
A rebate is a manufacturer-level discount. You buy the unit full-price from the retailer, then mail in a card for a partial refund from the manufacturer. It's not a gimmick.
Thing is, it takes so long, you replaced the money already. And some find ways not to give the rebate. Like the "Limit one rebate per item, per household". That means (if they take it strictly, and the one that represented Belkin did) If you bought an item and sent in the rebate, then your parents or sibling bought an item and sent in that rebate, the second one would not be honored because it is from the same household (Address). You would have to wait until the rebate was honored (6-12 weeks norm) before sending another. Most rebates are valid for 4 weeks.
Some rebate centers are good though. I haven't had a problem with Maxtor. It just depends on who the company gives the contract to handle the rebates.
Getting off-topic, but good adivce: I was almost addicted to those free-after-rebate deals a few years ago. Remember when the stores used to have full pages of rebate items about every 2-3 months? I had about $200-$300 tied up in rebates at any given time, but I'm a pack rat. I did get some great stuff and a whole bunch of ok items. The first thing to do when you go for any rebate is download and completely read the form before buying the product. Sometimes those form links disappear before the rebate period ends and you're just stuck. Remember, you will still pay tax and any shipping. Before you cut off the UPC label, make sure the product works. Once you cut it off, you lose the ability to return it. Save everything until you get your money, just incase. Make copies of whatever you send in too.
If you miss the mail-in deadline by a day or two, mail it anyway. If you ever get a notice back saying your rebate submission was invalid, call them back. I've sent things in after the deadline and once without all documentation. I called them up to make sure that was the reason for the failed rebate and I could not get them to tell me anything about why it failed. It was like trying to cancel an AOL subscription, you just can't do it. Instead, they always sent me the rebate right away!
Also, never buy a software product free-after-rabte. Its just not worth it. Find an always free or open source version instead.
Just a quick tip - see if this helps. Go into "My Documents", and find the 2142 folder there. Inside it under, in the profile subdirectory, there should be a file called VIDEO.CON - open this file with your text editor. Scroll down to the spot that gives the resolution 1024x768@85hz or whatever it says. Type "rem " BEFORE this line like this "rem setresolution 1024x768" or whatever it says (I don't have a copy of it in front of me at the moment.)
SAVE the video.con file, and try to relaunch the game - it should work.
This is a MAJOR problem for people who have widescreen monitors. It has nothing at all to do with your video card though. My buddy has been playing 2142 on his system with a 9600 since it came out with no problems whatsoever. Your processor is fine as well. I still only have an AMD Athlon XP 2600+, so my CPU is even slower than yours. The game should load fine.
One quick note about this though - even after you have saved the video.con file, the game is looking to find that resolution information in the file. If it doesn't find it, it will REWRITE the file automatically after every time you play. So, you'll have to re-edit this file before you play EVERY time.
EA and DICE should be ashamed of themselves for releasing this game with this sort of bug, and NO widescreen support - they say it gives people with WS monitors an "unfair advantage" - shame on them...
One final thing - I think it was crazytieguy who suggested you buy yourself a 7300 - please DON'T!! There are plenty of decent AGP cards out there that will SLAY the 7300, and don't cost too much more. Your 9600 is better and faster than the 7300 - which is BARELY capable in my opinion - don't be fooled by how much memory a card has onboard - this is a recent ploy by GPU manufacturers to try and fool you into buying a deficient card. If you do decide to upgrade just your GPU, go with a minimum 7600, or Radeon 1600 pro. They're a little more money, but performance wise, they're worth it. Also, if you can hold out a few more weeks before upgrading, ATI/AMD is supposed to be releasing AGP versions of the new Radeon HD 2600, and Radeon HD 2400 series of video cards. Seeing as these are low to mid range cards, the price shouldn't be too bad, and you'll get the added bonus of DX 10 support, as well as TRUE HDMI output - if you have a HD monitor, you can output both Video AND audio from these cards to your high def display.. Well worth the extra money if you ask me..
.
