Curse

Guild worrs · Oct 24, 2006, 02:17 AM // 02:17

OK, yesterday i got a new computer, a HP Pavilion m7650n , Its a very nice computer... Anyways, i go to install GW, and after its all done installing, when it should go to the page where you log in, it just kinda freezes on the screen thats in a smaller box in the middle of your screen says " GUILD WARS" 100% LOADED" And it either just freezes like this, or the computer reboots itself.. WHAT in the world is going on? I tried uninstalling and reinstalling it. I even tried installign the factions and the prohicies discs, Both do the same thing. AHH its VERY annoying. I wouldnt think an 1000 dollar computer would have trouble installing and playing GUILD WARS. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated...... thanks.

P.S Basically in a sum up, it refuses to go to the log in screen, ( its strange though, because the mouse is even the guild wars mouse pointer, it seems like the log in screen IS up, its just i cant see it??"

###ANy1 know what kind of Video card i should buy for this plz then? a link to newegg to the product or something please.. (do i need some kind of power supply also?) if i do a link to that also.. if its possible i want to spend less then 100 on the vid card.. thanks###

Omega X · Oct 24, 2006, 03:29 AM // 03:29

Did you update all of the drivers?

Is the computer adequate enough to play Guild Wars?

Did you have any rogue processes running in the background?

Can we see the specs?

Mushroom · Oct 24, 2006, 02:39 PM // 14:39

Here is your problem. I looked up the specs on the internet:

Graphics/video
Video memory Up to 256MB (shared)
Graphics type Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 3000

It has on-board Intel graphics. And Intel is well know for making horrible graphics cards. However, there is a simple solution: add a PCIe video card. That model does have a PCIe 16x graphics slot.

And if you want to keep it working, buy a new power supply while you are at it, something 450 watts or more. HP is notorious for shipping garbage quality 300 watt (and under!) power supplies with their systems. By putting in a higher quality supply, it will last much longer.

An optimal solution would be to replace the case. HP also uses a poorly ventilated case, which leads to premature hard drive failure. In short, they are actually engineered to last no more then 1-2 years. I have swapped cases on those same models, and it is not all that hard. The only thing you loose is the "HP Bay", which is nothing but an overprices internal USB hard drive. The front panel items (sound, aux video, Firewire) can be removed and placed in a new model as well, as long as you (or somebody you know) is willing to do some light modification. The last one we did, we removed those items and used epoxy to add them to a 5¼" drive bay blank which we dremeled out the holes.

But very few people actually use those front bay items, so lokely they would not be missed.

Guild worrs · Oct 24, 2006, 08:12 PM // 20:12

wow.. i didnt think a 1 grand computer would have trouble with GW... omg i think im going to throw up.

aeroclown · Oct 24, 2006, 08:39 PM // 20:39

Just because the system cost a grand from an Major house manufacturer dosn't mean you are getting a grand worth of equipment. Research, research, research. For a grand you probably could have built a machine with double the specs, though such is the way of life when you buy a machine made by a major player. You can buzz around these forums, at some point there was a thread on some work around that you can try to make the game work.

On a side note, I would also like to mention that Intel is not known for making horrible video cards, its assumed they are because they do not produce cards designed for high end 3d acceleration like the likes of which are required for gaming. They are perfectly fine for normal desktop users who never see the light of a game and never need to. They are also quite fine for watching video and setting up a PVR. The cards are not horrible they are just not capable.

Mushroom · Oct 24, 2006, 09:15 PM // 21:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by aeroclown

On a side note, I would also like to mention that Intel is not known for making horrible video cards, its assumed they are because they do not produce cards designed for high end 3d acceleration like the likes of which are required for gaming. They are perfectly fine for normal desktop users who never see the light of a game and never need to. They are also quite fine for watching video and setting up a PVR. The cards are not horrible they are just not capable.

I stand corrected, I should have said "horrible for games".

And for a "$1k computer", most of those that you buy "off the shelf" are really quite bad. You are lucky in a way: a year or so ago that couputer would not have had any graphics port at all, only PCI. Then you really would have been hosed when it came to adding on a graphics card.

The "Name Brands" do not get a reputation for building good computers. They do not even get a reputation for building expandable computers. They get a reputation for building cheap computers. Price is their driving force, and also built-in obsolescence ("clock locks" - to prevent CPU upgrades) and built-in failure (low wattage power supplies and poor cooling). In this way, in a year or two when it dies or you need more capability (like graphics for a game), they can turn around and sell you another unit.

To see what I mean, check out Dell for their "$299" desktop. 3 PCI slots, not even an AGP slot. The unit is not even Vista compatible. The CPU does not even have a fan on it, just a large heat sink. But they are not claiming that it is a good computer, just a cheap computer. The Vista compatible units with PCIe (no card - just slot) start at around $1,100.

And I have seen more failures then I can ever remember in recent model "name brand" computers. Most of them come from one of 3 things: power supply failure destroying the motherboard, hard drive failure due to overheating, CPU failure due to overheating.

The powers supply is the largest single failure point I have seen. When you put a 300 watt supply on a unit that should have a 450 watt supply, you drastically shorten the life of the unit. A 300 Watt supply overused like this will normally fail after around 800 hours. The average annual computer useage is only around 600 hours. This means within 12-18 months, the supply dies, half of the time taking the motherboard with it.

Of course, if you leave your computer on like I do (24-7), it will often fail sooner, like within 3-6 months.

moriz · Oct 24, 2006, 09:41 PM // 21:41

i bought a similar system from HP a year ago. the only difference is: the onboard graphics is worse, and there's no PCIe slot. or AGP for that matter. it's also a refurbished tower to boot. i still managed to play the game with the onboard though, so i have no idea why yours screw up. if you do not wish to purchase a PCIe graphics card, you might want to try different versions of the graphics driver. eventually you should find one that will run the game.

anyway, you've just bought it, so you should be able to return the POS with little problem.

PS: i leave my system on all the time too, and it hasn't burned out on me. yet...

Tachyon · Oct 25, 2006, 12:09 AM // 00:09

Lesson to be learned!

Build your own PC! It's cheaper and the PC you build will outperform any mass marketed junk, and that includes Alienware! Even if you know nothing but the basics about building PC's I'm guessing you have a mate who does.

Once you have the components in front of you it's no more than 3 hours to a working PC!

Named brand PC's are nothing but a rip-off!

l)l2UNl( · Oct 25, 2006, 01:04 AM // 01:04

i agree with azagoth if you want a new comp you have to build it in order for ti to perform how you want it to, and most factory built comps are highly overpriced.

your solution get a new graphics card because intel's graphics cards are one of the worst and is not supported by GW...

aeroclown · Oct 25, 2006, 05:55 AM // 05:55

Absolutely Mushroom.

I'd say if you are stuck buying something that is a Major Name Brand, then just make absolutely sure you watch what is installed in the system. Even if the system come with some low grade sub-components there are still a few models that come with video systems other then intel based ones. Though I must totally agree. The Major players are definitely out there to make money and the cheaper they get off the more money they can make.

I have been told by various people that some of these guys even install salvaged hardware, meaning piece from a system that died but still worked, not even oemed or remanufactured. Just tidyed up and thrown back in. Youll never knoe the difference ethier if you are not one to muck about in the guts of your Machine.

Mushroom · Oct 25, 2006, 02:58 PM // 14:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by aeroclown

Absolutely Mushroom.

I'd say if you are stuck buying something that is a Major Name Brand, then just make absolutely sure you watch what is installed in the system. Even if the system come with some low grade sub-components there are still a few models that come with video systems other then intel based ones. Though I must totally agree. The Major players are definitely out there to make money and the cheaper they get off the more money they can make.

Oh, there are a few others out there, like SiS. But here is the rule of thumb: If it does not have either an ATI Radeon or NVidia GeForce video on-board and an AGP or PCIe graphics card, do not buy it.

And it is amazingly cheap to have a computer built for you locally. We roll them out the door all the time, starting at around $650. And that is with 100% new parts, 3 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, and on-board Nvidia 6200. For under $1k, we sell them out with DVDRW, 1 GB RAM, a 3.5 GHz CPU, and an ATI X1300 PCIe card with 512 MB on board.

And if you look at most of the "new" AMD systems being sold by companies like HP, they are either Socket 754, or Socket 939. Those are already obsolete, both being replaced by AM2. But the "Name Brands" still sell them, because they pick them up cheap. We stopped selling those early this year, yet HP still sells them every day. I feel sorry for the people that want to do an upgrade in a year or so, only to find out their "new" $1k computer can't handle the processors that were already out when they bought their computer.

That is why I encourage people to "shop around". After all, we do it with cars, and houses, and TV sets. I have seen people agonize for weeks over which car stereo to buy. Yet they will walk into the first "discount store" they see, and drop $1k on a computer without asking a single question about what it can do.

Not that asking people in those places would do any good. The guy selling computers this week was probably selling lawn mowers last week. And next week he will be in the shoe department. I have listened at many of those places, and the rule sems to be "when in doubt, sell them the next highest priced item". They would not know a PCIe video card from an IEEE 1394 port.

Emik · Oct 25, 2006, 05:34 PM // 17:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guild worrs

OK, yesterday i got a new computer, a HP Pavilion m7650n , Its a very nice computer...

I've highlighted your problem

My experience has shown me that branded computers just don't do it.
And HP has a good reputation i following that trend.Ofcourse that's my pov but still.
I wouldn't be surprised if many agree with that.