# Video Card for Age of Conan



## JonasTL (Apr 19, 2008)

Hi, I was about to pre-order the game Age of conan. But as I usually do I first checked up the requirements for the game and if my computer could handle it at canyourunit.com.
And as you probably get by now, my video card didnt pass. Here is what the site said in details :


CPU
Minimum: Pentium 4/Athlon XP or better
You Have: 2 processors running - Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz PASS 
CPU Speed
Minimum: 3 GHz
You Have: 2.99 GHz Performance Rated at 4.49 GHz PASS 
System RAM
Minimum: 1 GB
You Have: 2.0 GB PASS 
Operating System
Minimum: Windows XP/Vista
You Have: Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Build Service Pack 22600) PASS 
Video Card
Minimum: 128 MB DirectX 9.0c Graphics Card with Shader 2.0 support (NVIDIA GeForce 6800+ / ATI Radeon 9800+)
You Have: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 (GeForce 6600) FAIL: Sorry, your video card does not meet this minimum requirement. Upgrade to a more powerful video card will make all your applications look better. Click the 'We Recommend' button to see some great options. 
Video Card Features - Minimum attributes of your Video Card Video RAM: Required - 128 MB , You have - 256.0 MB 
Video Card 3D Acceleration: Required - Yes , You have - Yes 
Video HW Transform & Lighting: Required - Yes , You have - Yes 
Vertex Shader Ver.: Required - 2.0 , You have - 3.0 
Pixel Shader Ver.: Required - 2.0 , You have - 3.0 


Video Card Driver Version (DirectX)
Your driver version number is: 6.14.10.8197 FYI: Your video card driver version is provided for your information, but it is not part of this analysis. But proper video card driver versions are important to the proper operation of your product. 
Sound Card
Minimum: Yes
You Have: Realtek HD Audio output PASS 
Sound Card Driver Version
Your driver version number is: 5.10 FYI: Your sound card driver version is provided for your information, but it is not part of this analysis. But proper sound card driver versions are important to the proper operation of your product. 
Free Disk Space
Minimum: 30 GB
You Have: 75.7 GB PASS 
DVD
Minimum: Quad-speed (4x) DVD-ROM drive 
You Have: Optiarc DVD RW AD-7170A PASS, but the Speed could NOT be analyzed. 











I only play MMO games on my computer. If not I just go online on my xbox360 and kick some *** in DMC4. I just want a nice video card who can handle this game, not to expensive but still possible to handle most situations in the game. I can survive having to lower the game graphics or what not. But it should be capable of handling the lone wolf kind of player without any problems.

I upload my dxdiag and hopefully you guys give me a answer as soon as possible.


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## JonasTL (Apr 19, 2008)

and btw. I have friends who know how to install a video card so no worries there. Just give me your recommendations for a good video card.


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## tom6049 (Aug 6, 2007)

Minimum: 128 MB DirectX 9.0c Graphics Card with *Shader 2.0 support* (NVIDIA GeForce 6800+ / ATI Radeon 9800+)
You Have: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 (GeForce 6600) FAIL: Sorry, your video card does not meet this minimum requirement. 
Vertex Shader Ver.: Required - 2.0 , *You have - 3.0*
Pixel Shader Ver.: Required - 2.0 , *You have - 3.0 *

That doesn't sound right...the GeForce 6600 is a Shader Model 3.0 video card.
Your video card should pass this test.

Why don't you try updating the *ancient* video card drivers and try this test again>>> GeForce Release 174


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## JonasTL (Apr 19, 2008)

the test gives me exactly the same info as last time.
I'm not good with computers but the test says:

Minimum: 128 MB DirectX 9.0c Graphics Card with Shader 2.0 support (NVIDIA GeForce 6800+ / ATI Radeon 9800+)
You Have: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 (GeForce 6600)

I need 6800+ and I got 6600. Can I just upgrade it or do I have to buy a complete new one?


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## JonasTL (Apr 19, 2008)

Not that I am in a hurry but I need to know if it is possible to update or just upgrade the video card I got, or if I have to buy a complete new one. 
Could you tell me this?


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## tom6049 (Aug 6, 2007)

A video card can't be "upgraded"...it has to be replaced with a new one.
If you're not in a hurry, why don't you just wait for a demo of Age of Conan
to see how that works on your computer before you start buying anything.

The GeForce 6 video cards all support the same shaders, so the 6800+ required
doesn't seem right to me.>>> Technical specifications of the GeForce 6 Series of GPUs.


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## Jones (Jul 28, 2005)

JonasTL said:


> Not that I am in a hurry but I need to know if it is possible to update or just upgrade the video card I got, or if I have to buy a complete new one.
> Could you tell me this?


You cannot upgrade one video card into another. You need to replace the card itself.

Luckily, new video cards are much less expensive than they used to be.

You need to determine if you have an AGP video card, or a PCI-Express video card. They two card types are not interchangeable, and you need to get the same connection type when you buy your new one.

Here's a picture that shows the difference:









Once you determine which card type you have, let us know what your budget is, and we can help choose the best card for your budget.


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## JonasTL (Apr 19, 2008)

The thing is that I got this pre ordered by a friend (it was a gift) so I would like to be able to play it when I get it.. I am not in a hurry just that I played the beta of this at my friends house and its really awesome.

Just 1 question. Is the demo released before or after the game comes out.

and btw Jones thank you for your help, but getting a new video card I know how to. ( And I know wich video card fits my games/computer ) All I wanted to know is why Tom is telling me my card should work for this game but the canyourunit test tells me it fails. Thats why I asked if I maybe had to upgrade something. Maybe its to old I dont know. Just that I think its stupid to buy a complete new one if I already got one that works for this game. 

Tom you say my video card should be able to play this game, are you 100% sure? Cause then maybe I can play this game. Because the canyourunit test maybe is wrong I dont know.


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## tom6049 (Aug 6, 2007)

JonasTL said:


> Tom you say my video card should be able to play this game, are you 100% sure?


No, I'm not 100% sure....
The GeForce 6600 and GeForce 6800 are *very* similar, so I can't really see why the
6800 would work and the 6600 wouldn't work, but I may be overlooking something.
You could always simply try the game when you get it....if it doesn't work,*then* you could get the new video card.


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## Jones (Jul 28, 2005)

tom6049 said:


> No, I'm not 100% sure....
> The GeForce 6600 and GeForce 6800 are *very* similar, so I can't really see why the
> 6800 would work and the 6600 wouldn't work, but I may be overlooking something.
> You could always simply try the game when you get it....if it doesn't work,*then* you could get the new video card.


The reality is this:

There is no OFFICIAL support for a 6600 video card with Age of Conan. It might work (pretty good chance), but it might not. The only way to know is to give it a shot.

I can tell you this though, if you do get it to run, the video quality will be quite poor. Running any game with a card lower than the lowest officially supported card will likely yield less-than-great visual performance. IMO - You'd be much happier playing that game on a more powerful card. Just my two coppers.


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## tom6049 (Aug 6, 2007)

From the Age of Conan General FAQs (March 08,2008)
1.10 What sort of PC is required to play Age of Conan?

Minimum configuration:
(1024x768, detail reduced) 
OS: Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista 
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3Ghz or equivalent 
RAM: 1GB 
Video card: *NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or better * 
Video memory: 128MB 
DVD-ROM: Quad-speed (4x) DVD-ROM drive 
HARD DRIVE SPACE: 30GB

Recommended configuration:
(Up to 1280X960, most features on) 
OS: Windows XP SP 2 or Windows Vista 
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz or equivalent 
RAM: 2048MB Dual Channel DDR2 
Video card: NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX or equivalent 
Video memory: 512MB 
DVD-ROM: Quad-speed (4x) DVD-ROM drive 
HARD DRIVE SPACE: 30GB


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## Tanis (May 30, 2006)

What I would say is, don't take the results from a website as 'black and white' / 'pass or fail'. They should only be used as a guide, nothing more. I have run those tests many times on various machines and been given a fail, when in reality the machine will run the game OK (at the expense of graphics settings). This is relevant in your case as you have said you are prepared to have lower graphics settings if you need to.

As for the demo / trial. I would imagine it will come out after the release, this is often (but not necessarily always) the case.

If you get pre-order then I would suggest waiting and testing your current configuration during the start of the pre-order period. The cost of pre-order is often small and you may find you can run the game at a level you are happy with, thus saving yourself the expense of a new graphics card. If it isnt good enough for you it will only take a day or two to get a new card and install it.


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## Gulo Luseus (May 12, 2007)

I wouldnt trust canyourunit too much. It told me I couldnt run Crysis on 8800GT SLI, and to upgrade to a 8800GTS 640. Sometimes it gets things wrong


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## JonasTL (Apr 19, 2008)

ok thanks guys. I guess I just preorder the game, try it, and if it dont work I just get a better video card. I asked my dad about this and he said that he knows wich video cards who are suitable for this game. 
So we will just have to see.
All though I have to pay for it myself it wouldnt be funny if I buyed a new video card when I can run it on my old one... 

Well thank you all for your help. You can close this thread now or whatever you do when your done with forum topics.


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## FacelessOne (Jul 25, 2008)

In case you need to know, the AoC minimum requirements released by Funcon virtually renders the game unplayable.

you really need to look at the recommended requirements for Age of Conan and only then you will start to enjoy it.

I also recommend you look at Newegg.com for the computer parts you need to buy, or buy a brand-new Age of Conan computer.

There are options for you out there. Conan Hyborian Adventures was put together with people like you in mind.

Cheers,

TD


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