Few questions...

[GopGuyCA]

Virtual Memory..What is it?

I read on the EQ2 forums that with 2GB memory I could disable it or something and it'll make EQ2 run smoother. But I don't know what it is or anything.

Should I miss with it?

Also, how can I update the BIOS?

I need to know about drivers too for video card but I asked in another thread.

I want to make sure my PC is the best it can be before I play EQ2.

But first I'm more concerned about EQ2.

How can I check what driver my graphic card has? And where exactly should I update the driver for my X800 XT? The ATI site? Or this other site called Omega drivers?

And if/when I update my driver, do I need to delete all the other drivers? =/

[firstadopter]

With 2 gigabytes of RAM memory, I don't think you need virtual memory. Basically virtual memory is when the computer tricks itself and uses the hard-drive space as a replacement to RAM memory.

Since you have plenty, just use what the computer default settings for virtual memory. You shouldn't have to change anything.

To find out which version driver you have:

1) right mouse button click on the desktop, and click on "Properties"

2) Click on the "Settings" Tab on the far upper right corner

3) Click on the "Advanced" button on the lower right corner

3) Click on the "Adapter" Tab

4) Click on the "Properties" Button

5) Click on the "Driver" Tab

There you will find the release date of your current drivers and the version number.

You can download the latest drivers here:

http://www.atitech.com/support/driver.html

Usually I uninstall my current drivers first before I run the latest driver install program.

To uninstall your current drivers,

1) Click on the Start Button on the lower left

2) Click on Control Panel

3) Click on Add or Remove Programs

4) Then click on Change Remove for the anything with ATI in front of it. Usually my list of program I uninstall are: a) ATI - Software Uninstall Utility b) ATI Control Panel c) ATI Display Driver

After I uninstall those 3 programs, I re-bout and load up in low resoluation VGA mode (basically it will look werid because of low resolution). Then I would just run the new drivers I just downloaded. After the new drivers are installed, I re-boot again.

Wola! New drivers installed. You might have to change the resolution to match the native resolution of your 2005FPW for best performance.

[firstadopter]

Don't worry about Omega drivers. Your computer is way fast enough where you don't need to use them.

Basically it's some computer nerd to tweaked and optimized ATI's drivers to make them work faster. However the downside is they tend to make your computer more unstable and crash more. In my opinion, since you computer is cutting edge fast already, you are better off not dealing with it.

Same with BIOS settings, don't bother upgrading your BIOS unless there is some new feature you need. Frankly I doubt you need too.

Unless BIOS upgrading is VERY DANGEROUS. If you accidentally lose power or turn off your computer when you update BIOS, you can FRY your BIOS and make your computer un-bootable.

[firstadopter]

On the hard-drive question, ALWAYS have less space than the listed measurements.

This is do to Windows formatting. So if you have a 160gb hard-drive, you will always have less space available due to Windows file formatting.

Moreover I bet Dell installed a bunch of programs on there + the space used up by Windows itself.

I wouldn't worry, I bet your HDs are fine.

[GopGuyCA]

Originally posted by Rendition
On the hard-drive question, ALWAYS have less space than the listed measurements.

This is do to Windows formatting. So if you have a 160gb hard-drive, you will always have less space available due to Windows file formatting.

Moreover I bet Dell installed a bunch of programs on there + the space used up by Windows itself.

I wouldn't worry, I bet your HDs are fine.

Well I assume that part. But it should be listed as: 64GB useable, 74GB in total. But it lists 64GB as being the total.

The same with the second drive. It lists 148 GB instead of 160GB as being total. And there is nothing on the secondary drive.

Also, not too many programs from Dell. I unchecked almost everything they offered.

[firstadopter]

That is normal after the formatting (Windows file system). For example, my 120GB Seagate HD only has 111GB of total capacity.

[Silo]

The manufacturers calculate and advertise the capacity assuming 1 kilobyte = 1000 bytes. When in reality, 1 kilobyte = 1024 bytes. Multiply those 24 bytes exponentially, and that creates a deviation of anywhere from a couple of gigs to 20 or 30 gigs, depending on the overall capacity of the drive.

[sHAZBOT!]

Originally posted by Rendition
Don't worry about Omega drivers. Your computer is way fast enough where you don't need to use them.

Basically it's some computer nerd to tweaked and optimized ATI's drivers to make them work faster. However the downside is they tend to make your computer more unstable and crash more. In my opinion, since you computer is cutting edge fast already, you are better off not dealing with it.

Same with BIOS settings, don't bother upgrading your BIOS unless there is some new feature you need. Frankly I doubt you need too.

Unless BIOS upgrading is VERY DANGEROUS. If you accidentally lose power or turn off your computer when you update BIOS, you can FRY your BIOS and make your computer un-bootable.

Geez, talk about a worst case scenario!
it's no biggie, just back up your BIOS CMOS settings first

BIOS updates can be found on your motherboards website. My mobo is a couple of years old now and even it came with a desktop BIOS flash utliity that automatically updates the BIOS. Also, prolly no performance increase from doing that though.

Omegas are fine...I've never had any instability issues with them. In fact, I highly recommend them. But, I agree, you should be fine with the latest ATI drivers too. I've heard good things about the cat 4.11 version. However, you can find significant performance differences between driver versions, so I would not ignore Omegas!

[firstadopter]

I had problems with Omegas running Need for Speed Underground 2 and a couple other games. Sometimes it crashes, sometimes the graphics would come out weird (like totally dark, etc.) I decided the slight speed increase wasn't worth the trouble, so went with official ATI drivers. Just FYI.

[GopGuyCA]

Well, I'm glad I didn't upgrade.

My PC played EQ2 right from the start and with 20-60 FPS at all times with most graphics turned up... Turning everything on though turns it into a lag fest! But that is for everyone.

ATI catalyst, I read a thread on the EQ2 forums stating that it ruined their PCs performance in the game, So I'm glad I didn't upgrade to that.

And Omega drivers, only reason I broguht that up is because they were suggested on the eq2 forums