32 bit vs 64 bit: How it relates to video cards

Mussels · 04-15-2009, 04:49 AM

I've had to post this too many times so i thought i'd get it out in the correct forum here.

Minor edit: the below text is a bit fuzzy regarding the 2GB limit per application in 32 bit OS's, and focuses on the 4GB total in the OS. There is a 2GB cap in most programs unless they have a "2GB+ aware" flag set in the program - some games have this already (Sup com: forged alliance, for example) but many others do not, and therefore cant use more than 2GB regardless of how much address space is available - if they try to, they crash (usually mid game)

Under a 32 bit operating system (XP, vista 32) you have 4GB of address space available. Address space is different to the amount of memory in your PC.

The reason a 32 bit system can only use 3GB (or 3.25GB, or whatever number you get) of system ram is because it doesnt have enough address space left. Video cards are the most important part of a PC that uses address space.

If you had 4GB of system ram and a 1GB video card under a 32 bit operating system, each individual program could only use 3GB of that system ram (due to the video card using 1GB of address space) However there is something else most people are NOT aware of.
Under DirectX 9.0C (and lower) video card ram must be duplicated into system ram. That means if you're running on the highest settings with your new shiny 1GB video card - that 1GB of video memory must be duplicated leaving you with only 2GB left for your game.

You just went from 4GB to 2GB, only considering a single 1GB video card. Things only get worse in SLI and crossfire.

Under 64 bit you wouldnt have lost that initial 1GB of ram to the address space, so you'd have 3GB of usable ram, with 1GB used in DX9.0C games. All of a sudden those modern games which border on 1.5-2GB of ram usage are playable, without your system running like a dog.

Side note: It should be noted that DX10/10.1 do not duplicated video memory into system ram. DX10 actually helps to alleviate this issue, if your system is powerful enough to run games in DX10.

Side note 2: There is more than just video card ram that affects this. System page file uses address space, as do various parts related to the BIOS (RAID cards, sound cards with onboard ram, etc) - this is why with a 512MB video card your 32 bit OS may report 3.25GB of ram - 256MB was taken away for everything else

Example configs:
32 bit
4GB system ram
1GB video card
3GB system ram usable, 2GB left in games once video card ram is duplicated.

2GB system ram
1GB video card
1GB system ram usable, The last 1GB would fight with the video card ram here. If you dont lower texture settings, resolution, and AA you'll get pretty nasty stuttering as you run out of ram.

4GB system ram
2x1GB video cards (SLI/crossfire)
2GB system ram usable, 2GB left in games once video card ram is duplicated.
(SLI and crossfire only use one video cards ram. Because of how it works both cards ram is in the address space, but only one cards ram is duplicated)

64 bit
4GB system ram
1GB video card
4GB system ram usable, 3GB left in games once video card ram is duplicated.

2GB system ram
1GB video card
1GB system ram usable, The last 1GB would fight with the video card ram. This kind of PC is the one where people claim vista x64 has no real advantage, or slower due to 64 bit using slightly more ram than 32 bit in windows itself.

4GB system ram
2x1GB video cards (SLI/crossfire)
4GB system ram usable, 3GB left in games once video card ram is duplicated.
(SLI and crossfire only use one video cards ram. Because of how it works both cards ram is in the address space, but only one cards ram is duplicated)

Update:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940105

This link from microsoft has some good info, and fills a gap i'd missed.
You do not need to download the file mentioned, as this is already included in vista SP1 (and you should be on SP2 by now!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by MS article

On a modern operating system such as Windows Vista, applications run within their own private virtual address space. Typically, the size of the virtual address space is fixed at 2 gigabytes (GB) for 32-bit applications. How much virtual address space is available is not related to how much physical memory there is on the computer.

A modern graphics processing unit (GPU) can have 512 MB or more of video memory. Applications that try to take advantage of such large amounts of video memory can use a large proportion of their virtual address space for an in-memory copy of their video resources. On 32-bit systems, such applications may consume all the available virtual address space.

This shows another side to this - 32 bit applications can only have 2GB total for the entire application, regardless of the amount of available ram and system-wide address space. so even if you have 4GB of ram and 3.5GB showing as available, if you've got a 1GB video card in a 32 bit OS you're in for a world of hurt on high settings on modern games.

Edit: W1zzard has queried the ram duplication, so i managed to find some more links - thanks to Xenos especially.

Quote:

With the introduction of DirectX 10 and Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) in Windows Vista, it is no longer necessary for an application to maintain a copy of its resources in system memory.

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/win...mory,7644.html

This article is talking about how the aero desktop was moved from DX9 (WDDM1.0) to DX10 (WDD1.1) and they directly mention how the old (DX9) system required a copy of video ram in system ram.

JanJan · 04-15-2009, 11:04 AM

i know questions i'm about to ask is obvious to many people in here but i'm totally new so bear with me..
how can you upgrade from a 32bit OS to a 64bit OS?

Mussels · 04-15-2009, 11:07 AM

You need to format and upgrade. It uses a different install disk.

For example if you have windows XP and want to go 64 bit, you will need to go buy windows XP 64 bit.
If you have vista, 32 bit CD keys work on 64 bit - so you can pay shipping and microsoft will send you a 64 bit disk.

crazy pyro · 04-15-2009, 11:11 AM

Right, cheers for that Mussels.

Darknova · 04-15-2009, 11:28 AM

Nice information. Thanks Mussels!

Ahhzz · 04-15-2009, 01:20 PM

Thanks very much Mussels. Informative. I didn't know that at all. Appreciate it.

silkstone · 04-15-2009, 03:52 PM

Nice Thread Muss, i'' bookmark it and just paste is into all the hundreds of future x64 vs. x86 threads

Strange - I thought crysis was DX 10? - When i tried it with only 2gb and a 512mb video card it stuttered like hell. Even 3gb wasn't enough to eliviate this problem i had to use 4gb (using vista 64). It seemed like it was still shadowing the video ram even tho its a dx 10 game.'

Mussels · 04-15-2009, 03:58 PM

crysis is very VERY badly coded for DX10.

Games like crysis are DX9 ran through an automated converter to DX10... and it doesnt work well. they run like crap.

jamupnorth · 04-17-2009, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mussels

You need to format and upgrade. It uses a different install disk.

For example if you have windows XP and want to go 64 bit, you will need to go buy windows XP 64 bit.
If you have vista, 32 bit CD keys work on 64 bit - so you can pay shipping and microsoft will send you a 64 bit disk.

If this is true where do i get the 64 bit disk from microsoft ?

sneekypeet · 04-17-2009, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamupnorth

If this is true where do i get the 64 bit disk from microsoft ?

At the store

jamupnorth · 04-17-2009, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sneekypeet

At the store

Cant find that at the store

HellasVagabond · 04-17-2009, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mussels

crysis is very VERY badly coded for DX10.

Games like crysis are DX9 ran through an automated converter to DX10... and it doesnt work well. they run like crap.

Still the DX10 version of Crysis produces better graphics than the DX9 one.

MadClown · 04-17-2009, 11:26 PM

Great post, very good info.

Mussels · 04-18-2009, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HellasVagabond

Still the DX10 version of Crysis produces better graphics than the DX9 one.

yes, but at a massive performance hit.

In theory, DX10 should be faster than dX9 - lazy coding is the reason it isnt so in most games.

FordGT90Concept · 04-18-2009, 05:37 AM

Yup, most DX10 games are still DX9 at heart. DX10 cleaned up a lot of filth that has accumulated in DX9 over the years but, it really doesn't matter because the transistion to purely DX10 or greater (as in no pre-DX10 render path) is still going slow.

silkstone · 04-18-2009, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamupnorth

Cant find that at the store

Then use google and use the legit key from 32bit vista on the 64bit download.

hat · 04-18-2009, 07:13 AM

I never knew that vram was copied to system ram like that... that's pretty shitty actually

95Viper · 04-18-2009, 08:57 AM

Quote:Originally Posted by Mussels

"You need to format and upgrade. It uses a different install disk.

For example if you have windows XP and want to go 64 bit, you will need to go buy windows XP 64 bit.
If you have vista, 32 bit CD keys work on 64 bit - so you can pay shipping and microsoft will send you a 64 bit disk."

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamupnorth

If this is true where do i get the 64 bit disk from microsoft ?

Mussels is correcto mundo!

Go here:http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvist...a/default.mspx

You have to pay shipping and handling...

Or for around 349 us dollars, join Technet and use just about all their software, for unlimited evalution...sometimes you can catch it discounted.

jamupnorth · 04-18-2009, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 95Viper

Quote:Originally Posted by Mussels

"You need to format and upgrade. It uses a different install disk.

For example if you have windows XP and want to go 64 bit, you will need to go buy windows XP 64 bit.
If you have vista, 32 bit CD keys work on 64 bit - so you can pay shipping and microsoft will send you a 64 bit disk."

Mussels is correcto mundo!

Go here:http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvist...a/default.mspx

You have to pay shipping and handling...

I have tried this and it does not seem to like the product keys on the back of 2 of my laptops ? any ideas ?

I think the offer has expired

Or for around 349 us dollars, join Technet and use just about all their software, for unlimited evalution...sometimes you can catch it discounted.

I have tried this and it does not seem to like the product keys on the back of 2 of my laptops ? any ideas ?

I think the offer has expired

Kweku · 04-18-2009, 06:39 PM

Nice and informative... I once had a rig with 4GB of ram, but windows only saw 3GB of it, at the time i had a 512MB 8800GT card, so yeah, and funny i was opting to go SLI on that rig.

Anyways, nice info. Its gonna come in very handy with what I'm building next

95Viper · 04-18-2009, 06:54 PM

Make sure that the key code is for the country you are trying to get...for ex. us for us or uk for uk.

If that does not work try calling:http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvist...t/default.mspx
United Kingdom
Phone: 08082341460
Toll (English, French, German): +49 5241 999 727
E-mail: Vista-am@msdirectservices.com

I have heard they have a problem sometimes with OEM keys.

GTX · 04-18-2009, 07:01 PM

wat bout if i have
2gb of ram and a 512mb vid ?

crazy pyro · 04-18-2009, 07:05 PM

Then you aren't affected.

silkstone · 04-18-2009, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazy pyro

Then you aren't affected.

Unless your using dx9 which shadows the ram and so in effect the game would only have 1.5gb minus sstem processes?

jamupnorth · 04-18-2009, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 95Viper

Make sure that the key code is for the country you are trying to get...for ex. us for us or uk for uk.

If that does not work try calling:http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvist...t/default.mspx
United Kingdom
Phone: 08082341460
Toll (English, French, German): +49 5241 999 727
E-mail: Vista-am@msdirectservices.com

I have heard they have a problem sometimes with OEM keys.

I tried to but they are shut for the weekend , i also have an old copy of vista ultimate with no keys , could i install the 64bit version off that and use the genuine 32 bit keys that i have ?

One last point can i just upgade from 32it to 64 bit and leave all my files ok or does it have to be a full reinstall , format etc ?

Sorry if this has nothing to do with graphics cards

System Name:	5370HSSV-0773H
Processor:	Xeon 3120 (45nm, E0) - 3.8GHz 1.18v \| 4Ghz 1.26v \|
Motherboard:	DFI x48-T2R
Cooling:	Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme (Lapped)
Memory:	8GB OCZ reaper, 800MHz 4-4-4-15 (varies depending on OC)
Video Card:	2x Powercolor 4870 1GB (800/1000) - Accelero S1's
Harddisk:	Samsung 500GB (7) / Seagate 320GB (games) - see sig for externals
CD/DVD Drive:	Pioneer DVR 212 SATA DVD-RW
CRT/LCD Model:	23.6" Samsung 1080P / Samsung 40" HDTV - 1360x768P
Case:	Antec P150
Sound Card:	Auzentech X-Mystique (Logitech X-540 + sennheiser HD555)
PSU:	Corsair TX 750W (silent at idle, noisy at load)
Software:	Windows 7 RTM :) - kaspersky internet security 2010
Benchmarks:	Superpi: 10.938s Vantage: Approx 16K GPU score (still OCing CPU)

Processor:	e4500 @ 2.8ghz
Motherboard:	p5ld2 x/1333
Cooling:	Freezer 7 pro
Memory:	2gb ddr2 533
Video Card:	Visiontek 4870 512mg
Harddisk:	230gb
Case:	Thermaltake VD3000BWA
PSU:	Corsair HX620
Software:	Vista 32 Home

04-15-2009, 11:07 AM	#3
Mussels Outdated Meme Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bendigo, Australia (NOT THE USA) Posts: 17,898 (9.56/day) Thanks: 891 Thanked 2,876 Times in 2,495 Posts System Specs	You need to format and upgrade. It uses a different install disk. For example if you have windows XP and want to go 64 bit, you will need to go buy windows XP 64 bit. If you have vista, 32 bit CD keys work on 64 bit - so you can pay shipping and microsoft will send you a 64 bit disk. __________________ AMD tech support - see how bad it really is 5 port E-sata cage. 4x samsung 1TB + 2x Seagate 1.5TB = 7 TB external storage 32 Bit OS vs 64 bit OS information 48x0 card support Getting DXVA working in windows 7!

System Name:	5370HSSV-0773H
Processor:	Xeon 3120 (45nm, E0) - 3.8GHz 1.18v \| 4Ghz 1.26v \|
Motherboard:	DFI x48-T2R
Cooling:	Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme (Lapped)
Memory:	8GB OCZ reaper, 800MHz 4-4-4-15 (varies depending on OC)
Video Card:	2x Powercolor 4870 1GB (800/1000) - Accelero S1's
Harddisk:	Samsung 500GB (7) / Seagate 320GB (games) - see sig for externals
CD/DVD Drive:	Pioneer DVR 212 SATA DVD-RW
CRT/LCD Model:	23.6" Samsung 1080P / Samsung 40" HDTV - 1360x768P
Case:	Antec P150
Sound Card:	Auzentech X-Mystique (Logitech X-540 + sennheiser HD555)
PSU:	Corsair TX 750W (silent at idle, noisy at load)
Software:	Windows 7 RTM :) - kaspersky internet security 2010
Benchmarks:	Superpi: 10.938s Vantage: Approx 16K GPU score (still OCing CPU)

04-15-2009, 11:11 AM	#4
crazy pyro Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Newcastle Posts: 1,215 (2.37/day) Thanks: 277 Thanked 104 Times in 99 Posts System Specs	Right, cheers for that Mussels. __________________ Lappy: AMD athlon/ turion TK-53 2GB Crucial RAM@667 512MB Generic@667 Acer travelmate motherboard, unsure, Liteon laptop Power supply,ATI mobility Radeon, x1250,120GB HD “Testicles and birthday presents yum!” -joinmeindeath417

04-15-2009, 11:04 AM	#2
JanJan Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 197 (0.85/day) Thanks: 72 Thanked 5 Times in 3 Posts System Specs	i know questions i'm about to ask is obvious to many people in here but i'm totally new so bear with me.. how can you upgrade from a 32bit OS to a 64bit OS?

System Name:	The neighbour of the beast\|NC10
Processor:	Q6600 GO\|Atom N270
Motherboard:	Asus P5QSE/R
Cooling:	Stock\|Stock
Memory:	4GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer Red @800\|1GB@533
Video Card:	Palit HD4850\|Intel GMA 945
Harddisk:	Maxtor 500GB 32 MB Cache\|160GB IDE 2.5"
CD/DVD Drive:	Samsung 20* DVD-RW drive\|CnM external
CRT/LCD Model:	15.4" touchscreen, 15.4" Digimate LCD\| 10.2"
Case:	Coolermaster Elite 330\|Black NC10 case
Sound Card:	Realtek HD audio\|Integrated
PSU:	Corsair 650W TX\|6 Cell battery
Software:	Vista Home Premium, Win 7\| Win XP
Benchmarks:	Benches will be taken on the main rig soon. (AKA never)

04-15-2009, 11:28 AM	#5
Darknova Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Manchester, United Kingdom Posts: 4,320 (3.89/day) Thanks: 107 Thanked 543 Times in 507 Posts System Specs	Nice information. Thanks Mussels! __________________

System Name:	Red Dragon \\ Black Box Reborn
Processor:	AMD Phenom II X3 720BE @ 3.48Ghz \\ Intel E8400 E0 (on the way)
Motherboard:	Foxconn A7DA-S \\ Asus Maximus II Formula (in need of repair)
Cooling:	Xigmatek H.D.T S1283 Red Scorpion \\ Xigmatek H.D.T S1283 + Crossbow
Memory:	2x2GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer Reds DDR2 1093Mhz \\ 4x1GB Crucial Lanfest
Video Card:	Sapphire 4870 1Gb \\ ???
Harddisk:	2x 320GB Sammy F1 RAID 0, 250GB Spinpoint, 500GB Sammy F1, 750Gb Sammy F1 \\ 80GB IDE?
CD/DVD Drive:	LG DVD-RW/RAM 20x \\ Generic DVD drive
CRT/LCD Model:	Dell 20.1" E207WFP \\ LG5020 32"
Case:	Thermaltake Elements S \\ Lian-Li A17B
Sound Card:	Razer Barracuda AC-1 @ Modified Driver \\ Supreme FX
PSU:	PCP&C Silencer 750W \\ Tagan BZ-600
Software:	Windows Server 2008 Enterprise x64

04-15-2009, 01:20 PM	#6
Ahhzz Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 320 (0.50/day) Thanks: 136 Thanked 66 Times in 55 Posts System Specs	Thanks very much Mussels. Informative. I didn't know that at all. Appreciate it. __________________ “I like my iPod carrying cases the way I like my women: water-resistant, polyurethane, cheap, and easily stored.” My Heat

Processor:	AMD Opteron 170 Denmark 2.0GHz (running 2950MHz)
Motherboard:	BIOSTAR TForce4SLI 939 NVIDIA nForce4
Cooling:	Stock
Memory:	4Gb Mushkin
Video Card:	Asus 9800GT Ultimate @725Mhz
Harddisk:	Western Digital Raptor 150GB / Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB
CRT/LCD Model:	22" Dell Wide
Case:	Antec 900
Sound Card:	SB Audigy 7.1
PSU:	Corsair CMPSU-750TX
Software:	WinXP sp2/WinXP-64 SP2

04-15-2009, 03:52 PM	#7
silkstone Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: HCM Vietnam Posts: 997 (2.58/day) Thanks: 133 Thanked 118 Times in 100 Posts System Specs	Nice Thread Muss, i'' bookmark it and just paste is into all the hundreds of future x64 vs. x86 threads Strange - I thought crysis was DX 10? - When i tried it with only 2gb and a 512mb video card it stuttered like hell. Even 3gb wasn't enough to eliviate this problem i had to use 4gb (using vista 64). It seemed like it was still shadowing the video ram even tho its a dx 10 game.' __________________ Thanks to BradleyKZN for polishing my sig “oooooooooooh fire!!! and girls...GIRLS and fire!!!!!!! oooooooooooooh runz around clapping hands together” -Marineborn

System Name:	Gaming System
Processor:	E3110@4.4ghz 1.45v lapped
Motherboard:	Asus P5K-VM (Vdroop Mod)
Cooling:	CM V8 2000rpm + 90mm 3500rpm Intake
Memory:	2xKingmax + 2xXLR8 1GB 1066@1000Mhz(ish) 5-5-5-12
Video Card:	Gigabyte 4850@745-1150 Zalman HSF
Harddisk:	Seagate 250GB + Samsung 500GB
CD/DVD Drive:	Asus 115
CRT/LCD Model:	LG 19"WS
Case:	Coolermaster 331 3xIntake 1xExhaust
Sound Card:	Xi-Fi Xtreme SBS200
PSU:	AcBel 470w (550w Max)
Software:	Windows Vista x64 Kaspersky Chrome
Benchmarks:	3DMark Vantage@1024x768 8558 3DMarks WPrime 32M 16.280s SuperPI 10.16s

04-15-2009, 03:58 PM	#8
Mussels Outdated Meme Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bendigo, Australia (NOT THE USA) Posts: 17,898 (9.56/day) Thanks: 891 Thanked 2,876 Times in 2,495 Posts System Specs	crysis is very VERY badly coded for DX10. Games like crysis are DX9 ran through an automated converter to DX10... and it doesnt work well. they run like crap. __________________ AMD tech support - see how bad it really is 5 port E-sata cage. 4x samsung 1TB + 2x Seagate 1.5TB = 7 TB external storage 32 Bit OS vs 64 bit OS information 48x0 card support Getting DXVA working in windows 7!

System Name:	The Pc
Processor:	Intel C2 Q6600 @ 2.64
Motherboard:	Asus P5n-E SLI
Cooling:	Artic Freezer 7 pro
Memory:	4 gig Ocz 800 mhz
Video Card:	Palit Nvidia GTX 275 896 Mb
Harddisk:	Samsung f1 1tb & 2 internal hard drives
CD/DVD Drive:	Sony ddu1615 & Pioneer dvdrw
CRT/LCD Model:	Cibox 22' hdmi dvi
Case:	Antec 900
Sound Card:	Audigy 2 ZS
PSU:	Corsair Tx 750 watt psu
Software:	Vista Home Premium 32 bit & 64 bit

System Name:	His
Processor:	i5 750 @ 4.0GHz
Motherboard:	Gigabyte P55-UD6
Cooling:	Noctua NH-D14
Memory:	GSkill Ripjaws 1600MHz @ 7-8-7-24
Video Card:	XFX GTX 280 & EVGA GTX 280 SC both on the EVGA bios.
Harddisk:	Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB / Seagate 320GB Backup
CD/DVD Drive:	Optiarc/Sony DVD RW
CRT/LCD Model:	Acer 22" Widescreen 1650X1080
Case:	Corsair Obsidian 800D
Sound Card:	Realtek onboard Logitech X-530 5.1 surround
PSU:	SilverStone OP1000 Evolution 80A rail :D
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate 64

System Name:	SECONDARY RIG / PRIMARY RIG / THIRD RIG
Processor:	i920@3.6GHz / i920@4GHz / AMD Phenom II 955
Motherboard:	ASRock Super Computer / Gigabyte EX58-UD4P / ASRock M3A790GXH 128M
Cooling:	CoolIT Domino ALC / ThermalTake Pro Water 880i / Cooler Master V10
Memory:	12GB DDR3 @ 1800MHZ / 12GB DDR3 @ 2000MHZ / 4GB DDR3 @ 1600MHZ
Video Card:	GAINWARD GEFORCE GTX285 2GB / 2xASUS ENGTX295 / XFX RADEON HD 5870 1GB
Harddisk:	550GB / 7.5TB / 160GB
CD/DVD Drive:	PLEXTOR 750A / PLEXTOR DVDRW 820A / NEC 7173S
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung 205T /DELL ULTRASHARP 2709W / SONY 55A2000 (1080P 55inch)
Case:	COOLER MASTER HAF 932 / COOLER MASTER ATCS 840 / / IKONIK RAX10
Sound Card:	Soundblaster X-Fi Xtreme Music / SoundBlaster X-Fi Fatal1ty Pro / Realtek
PSU:	CWT 1200W / Enermax Revolution 85+ 1250W / Ikonik Vulcan 1200W
Software:	Windows 7 x64 / Windows 7 x64 / Windows 7 x64

04-17-2009, 11:26 PM	#13
MadClown Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: NY, the place full of retarded democrats and useless taxes Posts: 803 (1.56/day) Thanks: 90 Thanked 63 Times in 57 Posts System Specs	Great post, very good info. __________________ xfire: madclown5 \| steam: ashortbus \| PSN: iMadClown \| XBL: MadClown5(friend list is fairly full fyi) cool sig made by: stefanels Pentium II resurrection epic pingtest: http://www.pingtest.net/result/519916.png PIMP HAND!

System Name:	Fucking Tank/Glide Machine
Processor:	AMD Phenom II X4 940 BE/Pentium 2 300 mhz
Motherboard:	MSI K9A2 Platinum/Super P6SLE
Cooling:	Fans lol/Open case
Memory:	8 gigs of DDR2 800 G.Skill/256 MB of old ram
Video Card:	Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 1GB GDDR5/InterGraph Voodoo Rush Intense 3D
Harddisk:	SG320GB, (2x)WD Black 1TB FALS, WD Elements 1.5TB backup external/20.4 GB Quantum FireBall
CD/DVD Drive:	Liteon/K-Hyper Media CD burner
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung 906BW 2ms response time/SamTron 13'' CRT
Case:	Antec P182, Gunmetal FTW/Some old case everyone has
Sound Card:	SoundBlaster X-Fi XtremeGamer/SoundBlaster 16 ISA
PSU:	700 Watt OCZ GameXStream/Dunno
Software:	Windows 7 Professional 64-bit/Windows 98 SE
Benchmarks:	I can play Crysis.

04-18-2009, 05:37 AM	#15
FordGT90Concept Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: IA, USA Posts: 4,027 (9.94/day) Thanks: 254 Thanked 614 Times in 547 Posts System Specs	Yup, most DX10 games are still DX9 at heart. DX10 cleaned up a lot of filth that has accumulated in DX9 over the years but, it really doesn't matter because the transistion to purely DX10 or greater (as in no pre-DX10 render path) is still going slow. __________________ “You don't lead by hitting people over the head-that's assault, not leadership.” -Dwight D. Eisenhower “There is no new technology in the iPod.” -Geoffrey Moore “The only real valuable thing is intuition.” -Albert Einstein “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” -Dwight D. Eisenhower

System Name:	BY-2009
Processor:	Intel Core i7 920 (4 x 2.66 GHz) w/ HT and Turbo on
Motherboard:	DFI LP DK X58
Cooling:	Sythe MUGEN-2 w/ Stock Fan
Memory:	3 x 2 GiB OCZ Gold DDR3-1600 @ DDR-1066
Video Card:	Sapphire HD 5870
Harddisk:	2 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 RAID0
CD/DVD Drive:	Samsung 16x DVD-ROM, Pioneer 16x DVD+/-RW
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung Syncmaster T240 24" LCD (1920x1200)
Case:	NZXT Zero 2
Sound Card:	Creative Audigy 2 ZS, Realtek Onboard
PSU:	Enermax Liberty 620w
Software:	Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Benchmarks:	No spank you.

04-18-2009, 07:13 AM	#17
hat Maximum Overclocker Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Unstable Socialist States of America Posts: 8,417 (7.67/day) Thanks: 1,222 Thanked 1,001 Times in 862 Posts	I never knew that vram was copied to system ram like that... that's pretty shitty actually __________________ My Heatware People work because they believe it will pay, but equal effort does not always mean equal gain.

System Name:	>Run Forest Run<
Processor:	Q9550
Motherboard:	GA-X48_DS4
Cooling:	CNPS9900 LED, (2)120s/(1)92 in & (2)92/(1)120 out
Memory:	4 Gig Flex 2
Video Card:	Sapphire 4870X2 w/AC Accelero Xtreme
Harddisk:	150 VRaptor,160 WD, 500 WD,2X 74 Gig VR(RAID0)
CD/DVD Drive:	Asus and Samsung
CRT/LCD Model:	Asus 266H
Case:	CM-690
Sound Card:	On board
PSU:	PC Power and Cooling 750
Software:	Windows 7 Build 7600

04-18-2009, 06:39 PM	#20
Kweku Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: South Africa Posts: 184 (0.31/day) Thanks: 16 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts System Specs	Nice and informative... I once had a rig with 4GB of ram, but windows only saw 3GB of it, at the time i had a 512MB 8800GT card, so yeah, and funny i was opting to go SLI on that rig. Anyways, nice info. Its gonna come in very handy with what I'm building next __________________ The bootLegger http://bootlegmixtape.blogspot.com

04-18-2009, 06:54 PM	#21
95Viper Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: The Land of Far Far Away Posts: 906 (2.23/day) Thanks: 122 Thanked 206 Times in 174 Posts System Specs	Make sure that the key code is for the country you are trying to get...for ex. us for us or uk for uk. If that does not work try calling:http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvist...t/default.mspx United Kingdom Phone: 08082341460 Toll (English, French, German): +49 5241 999 727 E-mail: Vista-am@msdirectservices.com I have heard they have a problem sometimes with OEM keys.

04-18-2009, 07:01 PM	#22
GTX Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 90 (0.13/day) Thanks: 27 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post System Specs	wat bout if i have 2gb of ram and a 512mb vid ? __________________ <--current rig in sig. Saving Money for New Parts CPU:Q9400, Mboard:MSI P7N SLI Platinum, GPU:ASUS ENGTX260 HFU: BigTyphoonVXA(from old rig) RAM: Corsair 2x2GB (800 MHz)(from old rig) HDD: 500GB Samsung + 500GB WD 7.2k rpm(from old rig) DVD: DVD-RW samsung(from old rig) PSU: ToughPower-W0105R 700 wt(from old rig)

System Name:	Dreamseller\|\|BackUp Oldie
Processor:	E6320 1.8GHz @ 2.6GHz\|\|AMD Athlon XP 2500+
Motherboard:	ASUS P5K-E\|\|Matsonic
Cooling:	BigTyphoonVXA\|\|Arctitc Cooling
Memory:	Corsair 2x2GB (800 MHz)\|\|2x256+512
Video Card:	8800GTS 320/320 ASUS\|\|ati 9000 128/128
Harddisk:	500GB Samsung + 500GB WD 7.2k rpm\|\|80GB+ 2x20GB
CD/DVD Drive:	DVD-RW samsung\|\|DVD-rom
CRT/LCD Model:	Acer AL2016W\|\|17"CRT Mag Innovision
Case:	Kandalf-VA9000BWS\|\|Unknown
Sound Card:	onboard\|\|onboard
PSU:	ToughPower-W0105R 700 wt\|\|420wt
Software:	Windows Vista Ultimate x64\|\|Windows XP SP3+ Ubuntu 8.10

04-18-2009, 07:05 PM	#23
crazy pyro Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Newcastle Posts: 1,215 (2.37/day) Thanks: 277 Thanked 104 Times in 99 Posts System Specs	Then you aren't affected. __________________ Lappy: AMD athlon/ turion TK-53 2GB Crucial RAM@667 512MB Generic@667 Acer travelmate motherboard, unsure, Liteon laptop Power supply,ATI mobility Radeon, x1250,120GB HD “Testicles and birthday presents yum!” -joinmeindeath417

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 2 (0 members and 2 guests)

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
MSI Radeon HD 4850 512 MB	W1zzard	Reviews	46	11-12-2008 04:38 AM
Sapphire HD 3850 1024 MB	W1zzard	Reviews	17	02-15-2008 02:09 PM
Sapphire HD 3870 512 MB	W1zzard	Reviews	46	01-25-2008 09:18 AM
System Builder's Guide 2006	djbbenn	Articles	37	08-25-2006 03:47 AM
For Multiply Video Chat I Recommend Use SplitCamera.com	splitcam2008	General Hardware	0	06-21-2006 04:22 AM