Except for Oblivion, you should be able to play any game out there at 1024x768 or higher comfortably. I’ve got a 6600GT and I can play any Doom 3 engine game fine, as well as FEAR at 1024x768 just fine. HL2 can probably be run comfortably at 1280x1024, given it’s lighter engine.
Wha?! Your system seems to have adequite enough specs to play most of today’s games. Sure, the video card is a bit outdated, but it should run CS:S on full and have little trouble. Do you have the recent GeForce drivers? That makes a huge difference…what about Direct X 9c? Try both and see what kind of change it makes.
Well, I don’t know if it’s currently an issue, but I had heard that CS:S was kinda buggy. Additionally, you may be affected by some of the servers you play on (assuming you play online).
Try a demo of Quake 4 or Doom 3 or Prey. You should be able to run any of those games smoothly at 1024x768 at Medium detail settings.
You mentioned Trackmania Nations? Here are the requirements:
Windows 98/2000/ME/XP
· Pentium III 500 MHz
· 128 MB RAM
· 16 MB 3-D accelerator card compatible with DirectX 9
· 16-bit sound card
· 4x CD-ROM drive
· 900 MB available on hard disk
· DirectX version 9.0 b (or higher)
If you had to run the game on lowest settings to get a decent framerate, either the game has severe issues or something is terribly wrong with your system. How new is your system/individual parts? Have you only just tried playing games on this or is this a new problem? Do tell.
I find this website quite useful - System Requirements Lab. You select a game out of it’s list, and click test. It tests your computer and tells you how well you will be able to play it. Eg on the computer I’m on now it says I’ll be able to play Doom 3 because it meets the minimum requirements, however it doesn’t meet the recommended requirements.
Yeah…that could definitely have an impact on it. 250W is pretty weak these days. Low or bad power can cause some weird things to happen. Usually, it’s just stuff you can’t put your finger on.
Yeah B nailed it with the PSU issue, sorry about that man. Just for your reference Doom 3 is locked at 60fps for some reason so that’s why it never exceeds that. You should be fine playing most modern games on medium or perhaps some on high. Your processor is fine and 2 gigs goes a long way so I’d even give Oblivion a try on medium.
And it just applies to Doom 3, I believe. Quake 4 and Prey don’t have the 60FPS lock on it. From what I can tell, the power supply is probably not the issue, so much as CS:S. However, I’d still look to upgrade the PSU ASAP. Generic/crap PSU’s tend to take components with them when they blow.