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Technical requirements for NWN2

Discussion in 'Neverwinter Nights 2' started by Harbourboy, Aug 19, 2006.

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  1. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    [​IMG] OK, this is probably a really dumb question, but I've looked around a bit and I can't find a plain English answer. What are the technical specifications that I realistically should have in a computer if I want to be able to play Neverwinter Nights 2 comfortably?
     
    Harbourboy, Aug 19, 2006
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  2. Marceror

    Marceror Chaos Shall Be Sown In Their Footsteps Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    From what I recall... the recommended requirements are basically:

    -3.0GHz proc +
    -1 GB RAM +
    -For video, I'm pretty sure I remember reading that a GeForce 6800 or better would be able to run the highest graphics settings/resolutions without problem.
    -I think I remember reading that something in the neighborhood of 7-8GB of hard drive space was needed.

    I'll poke around a bit and see if I can't find some better minimum requirements, but I think the bottom line is that you need a relatively high end machine to run this game comfortably.

    Edit - Here are the minimum specs:
    2.4 GHz, ½ gig of RAM, Radeon 95, and Pixel Shader.

    This was taken from the following page, which you may (or may not) find interesting:
    http://pc.rpgsite.net/previews/60/40.html

    Or you can just read the specific excerpt:
    [ August 19, 2006, 07:13: Message edited by: Marceror ]
     
    Marceror, Aug 19, 2006
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  3. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Thanks. Hmm, I wonder it will cost to get a machine like that. Better start saving hard now. Might take a year to save up that much money!
     
    Harbourboy, Aug 19, 2006
    #3
  4. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Taluntain, Aug 19, 2006
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  5. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    So could this PC, for example, play NWN2 comfortably? I don't understand all the terms, but if this one can play it, then I would use these details and price as a benchmark for others I might look at.

    Dell Dimension(TM) 9150 Pentium(R)D 945 w/Dual Core Desktop

    Dimension(TM) 9150 Intel(R) Pentium(R) D 950 with Dual Core Processing (3.4GHz, 2X2MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB) Intel(R) 945P Chipset

    Operating System Genuine Windows(R) XP Media Center Edition 2005 1

    Genuine Windows(R) XP Media Center Edition 2005 (English) Media

    Memory 1GB (2X512) NECC Dual Channel DDR2 667MHz SDRAM Memory 1

    Video Card 256MB PCIe(TM) x16 nVidia(R) GeForce(TM) 7300LE TurboCache(TM) w/TV-Out,VGA&DVI 1

    Display 19" UltraSharp(TM) Flat Panel LCD Monitor (Analog & DVI) 1

    Hard Drive 320GB SATA 3.0Gb/s with Native Command Queuing 1

    Optical Drives 16X DVD+/-RW with Dual Layer Write Capabilities 1

    Sound Card Integrated Sound Blaster® Audigy ADVANCED HD Audio 1

    Speakers Dell(TM) A525 Stereo Speakers with Subwoofer (ANZ) 1
     
    Harbourboy, Aug 20, 2006
    #5
  6. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Change the operating system to Windows XP (preferrably Pro, but Home will do as well), and get a better graphics card (GeForce 7600GT or better) and you'll be set for a couple of years.
     
    Taluntain, Aug 20, 2006
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  7. Marceror

    Marceror Chaos Shall Be Sown In Their Footsteps Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    My only other recommendation, if you can work it out, is to shoot for 2GB of system RAM.
     
    Marceror, Aug 20, 2006
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  8. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    Yea, though that is also easy enough to stick in later, if shelling out so much money at once is an issue.
     
    Taluntain, Aug 20, 2006
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  9. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I don't understand any of the numbers on the graphics card stats. Is it simple enough to say that the higher the number the better?
     
    Harbourboy, Aug 20, 2006
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  10. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    As far as Nvidia GeForce cards go, yes. However, you often have a weaker and a stronger card with the same number. So after the number itself, the model mark comes into play as well. With newer GeForce cards you have GS and GT. GS is the weaker card.

    Whenever in doubt, the cheaper one is the weaker one.
     
    Taluntain, Aug 20, 2006
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  11. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Cool - thanks for the advice. It is about NZ$2,300 for the system I initially described. I thought I already had chosen the best graphics card available but if I choose I better card and 2gb of SDRAM, that takes the price to almost NZ$3,000.

    Is it better to have 2gb of SDRAM at 533mhz or 1gb at 667mhz?
     
    Harbourboy, Aug 20, 2006
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  12. Marceror

    Marceror Chaos Shall Be Sown In Their Footsteps Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    If those were my options, I'd go with more slightly slower RAM, rather than less slightly faster RAM.

    With more RAM your system is simply able to handle more. Less RAM is more likely to fill up, forcing you to rely more on virtual memory, a lot more overhead for page swapping, and suddenly that faster RAM isn't giving you any benefit, because overall your system performance is slower.

    With a game like NWN2, your going to want all the RAM you can get, I'm sure.
     
    Marceror, Aug 20, 2006
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  13. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    OK, next question - do I need to spend NZ$400 on a "physics accelerator"? It claims to improve gameplay, even though it sounds like some sort of nuclear power device.

    Also - what is the difference between a Pentium D945 and a Pentium D950? The 950 costs NZ$142 more.
     
    Harbourboy, Aug 21, 2006
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  14. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    You're buying a new computer? Any reason you don't want to go with the new Core 2 processors instead of the Pentium D since you are looking at Intel?

    Anyway, a physics processor would be a complete waste of your money at this time. Almost no games support it, and the ones that do give up frame rates for just a little more eye candy. Not even close to worth the price of admission as I understand it.

    The only difference that I am aware of between the Pentium D 945 and 950 is that the 945 does not have Intel's Virtualization technology in it. Probably not something that you care about.
     
    Blackthorne TA, Aug 21, 2006
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  15. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Because:
    a) I don't know what that means.
    b) It is not on the list of optional extras for a Dell build.
     
    Harbourboy, Aug 21, 2006
    #15
  16. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Hm. Are you in a hurry to get your computer now? The new Intel Core 2 Duo processors (E6XXX model numbers) came out at the end of last month, and are completely superior to the Pentium D's in both speed and power consumption.

    I would expect Dell to start building them into their computers soon, so if you're not in a rush, my advice would be to wait.
     
    Blackthorne TA, Aug 21, 2006
    #16
  17. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Oh, there's no rush. Especially if it will cost $3000 to get all the specs you guys are saying are essential. It would take months and months to save up anything like that and that would include calling in contributions from people at Christmas time.
     
    Harbourboy, Aug 21, 2006
    #17
  18. Merlanni

    Merlanni Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

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    Hmm (boasting) Just build an amd am2 64 3500 in a plexiglass case, just to be sure. It glows in the dark an gives standing space for my best D&D miniatures. O yeah, it has an ati x1600xt and 1 gig(for now) ddr2 800 mem. 800 euro with an legal win xp. (Not including blood sweat and tears.) Not the best, but it will run everyting.
     
    Merlanni, Aug 21, 2006
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  19. khaavern Gems: 14/31
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    OTOH, I am not sure how good an idea is to spend money for the fastest processor available. I don't think there is much difference in performance between a 2.8 GHz processor and a 3.4 GHz one; the difference in price might be significant, though.

    Actually, for basically the same system Harbourboy has above, but with a Pentium D Processor 820 at 2.80 GHz, Dell wants from me about $1000 (USD). Which is reasonable.
     
    khaavern, Aug 22, 2006
    #19
  20. Marceror

    Marceror Chaos Shall Be Sown In Their Footsteps Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    As a rule, I never buy the fastest processor on the market. I always stay somewhat behind the curve, because the amount of money saved for the slight degradation in processing power is generally significant, as khaavern points out above.
     
    Marceror, Aug 22, 2006
    #20
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