9600 pro - expecting too much?

[steveryan]

My sister has a pc with the following specs -

AMD 2500xp
128mb Kingmax 2700 DDR ram
Asus A7V8X-x mobo with latest bios update
80 gb Maxtor hard drive
Powercolor 9600 pro 128mb (400mhz) with latest drivers

It's very noticeable that when she plays F1 2002 the game will jerk and sometimes freeze for a split second (always happens at the start of a race), this happens on any resolution and it doesn't seem to matter if the graphic details are turned all the way up or are at the bottom. She can play cricket 2004 at any resolution without a prob.

Is the F1 problem just due to the fact that it's a graphics intensive game or is the lack of memory more of a worry? TIA.

[redwudz]

128MB could be the problem. Assuming you are running XP; Check the Task Manager while the game is running. If you are maxed out, then consider upgrading to at least 256MB or better 512MB. If not, then maybe the video card is slow.

[Faustus]

Yeah the RAM could very well be the bottle neck. HOWEVER I have a 9600 pro and I wasn't to impressed either, I Like my GF4 4800SE much better.

[steveryan]

Thanks for the replies. redwudz, i'm going to my sisters this afternoon so i'll do what you have advised.

[steveryan]

The CPU runs at 100% whilst playing F1 2002, then the game crashes and Windows complains that it's ran out of virtual memory. Seems strange that other games work ok though, it runs Call Of Duty and the CPU usage is 20-30%. Anyway, i'll advise my sister to get more memory, thanks.