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Firetamer59's avatar
Firetamer59
13 years ago
Solved

Can I run Mass Effect 2?

I have recently acquired Mass Effect 1 for PC, and have installed it. After updating and running the program as an administrator, I was able to get the game started. However, I immediately noticed how slow the game was running. The cursor would follow my mouse after I had moved it, and unsmoothly, as well. Any cutscene with people in it has a slow framerate, as well--though the audio runs fine, and finishes ahead of the movement of the lips. Cutscenes without people are smooth and crisp, as well. Needless to say, gameplay is very, very difficult. 

I run a 64-bit Windows VIsta Home Premium laptop with: 


Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T6400 @ 2.00GHz

4.00 GB RAM 

298 GB Hard drive with 26 GB free after install

Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family Graphics Card with a total of 1759 MB available

DirectX 10

I've heard that Mass Effect 2 is less demanding than its predecessor, and have also bought it. I haven't unwrapped it yet, but if it runs like the first one, I'll probably return it and get some money back. Will I be able to play the game without much trouble? The newest game I've successfully run on here is probably Portal (on Steam), by the way.

  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    ME2
    PC MINIMUM System Requirements
    OS = Windows XP SP3 / Windows Vista SP1 / Windows 7
    Processor = 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent AMD CPU
    Memory = 1 GB RAM for Windows XP / 2 GB RAM for Windows Vista and Windows 7
    Hard Drive = 15 GB
    DVD ROM = 1x Speed
    Sound Card = DirectX 9.0c compatible
    Direct X = DirectX 9.0c August 2008 (included)
    Input = Keyboard / Mouse
    Video Card = 256 MB (with Pixel Shader 3.0 support). Supported Chipsets: NVIDIA GeForce 6800 or greater; ATI Radeon X1600 Pro or greater. Please note that NVIDIA GeForce G.210, 7200, 7300, 8100, 8200, 8300, 8400, and 9300; ATI Radeon HD3200, and HD4350 are below minimum system requirements. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required. Intel and S3 video cards are not officially supported in Mass Effect 2.

    **

    Minimum System Requirements for Mass Effect ⚽ on the PC
    (Corrected from dumb, Pie in the Sky lies to the real thing)

    Operating System:
    Windows XP or Vista

    Processor:
    2.4+GHZ Intel or 2.0+GHZ AMD (P4 & A64)

    Memory:
    1 Gigabyte Ram (XP)
    2 Gigabyte Ram (Vista)

    Video [b][i]Card[/b]:[/i]
    NVIDIA GeForce 6 series (6800GT or better: G.205, 210, 310, 520, 7100, 7200, 7300, 7400, 7500, 7600 GS, 8200, 8300, 8400 GS, 8500, 9100, 9200, & 9300 are below minimum system requirements)
    ATI Radeon X1650 XT or better (X1050, X1300, X1300 Pro, *X1550*, HD 2400, HD 3100, HD 3200, HD 3450, HD 3470, HD 4200, HD 4250, HD 4270, HD 4350, HD 4550, and ("[u][b]probably[/b][/u]") HD 5450 are below minimum system requirements) no video device with Intel's name on it is supported in any way, shape, or form.

    Hard Drive Space:
    12 Gigabytes

    Sound Card:
    DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card and drivers

6 Replies

  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    ME2
    PC MINIMUM System Requirements
    OS = Windows XP SP3 / Windows Vista SP1 / Windows 7
    Processor = 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent AMD CPU
    Memory = 1 GB RAM for Windows XP / 2 GB RAM for Windows Vista and Windows 7
    Hard Drive = 15 GB
    DVD ROM = 1x Speed
    Sound Card = DirectX 9.0c compatible
    Direct X = DirectX 9.0c August 2008 (included)
    Input = Keyboard / Mouse
    Video Card = 256 MB (with Pixel Shader 3.0 support). Supported Chipsets: NVIDIA GeForce 6800 or greater; ATI Radeon X1600 Pro or greater. Please note that NVIDIA GeForce G.210, 7200, 7300, 8100, 8200, 8300, 8400, and 9300; ATI Radeon HD3200, and HD4350 are below minimum system requirements. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required. Intel and S3 video cards are not officially supported in Mass Effect 2.

    **

    Minimum System Requirements for Mass Effect ⚽ on the PC
    (Corrected from dumb, Pie in the Sky lies to the real thing)

    Operating System:
    Windows XP or Vista

    Processor:
    2.4+GHZ Intel or 2.0+GHZ AMD (P4 & A64)

    Memory:
    1 Gigabyte Ram (XP)
    2 Gigabyte Ram (Vista)

    Video [b][i]Card[/b]:[/i]
    NVIDIA GeForce 6 series (6800GT or better: G.205, 210, 310, 520, 7100, 7200, 7300, 7400, 7500, 7600 GS, 8200, 8300, 8400 GS, 8500, 9100, 9200, & 9300 are below minimum system requirements)
    ATI Radeon X1650 XT or better (X1050, X1300, X1300 Pro, *X1550*, HD 2400, HD 3100, HD 3200, HD 3450, HD 3470, HD 4200, HD 4250, HD 4270, HD 4350, HD 4550, and ("[u][b]probably[/b][/u]") HD 5450 are below minimum system requirements) no video device with Intel's name on it is supported in any way, shape, or form.

    Hard Drive Space:
    12 Gigabytes

    Sound Card:
    DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card and drivers

  • AdamBast's avatar
    AdamBast
    13 years ago

    me2 is allegedly less demanding than me1, but i wouldn't have bought it if i could barely run me1.

    i think you will return that

  • Fred_vdp's avatar
    Fred_vdp
    Hero+
    13 years ago

    If you manage to launch Mass Effect 2 on Intel graphics, you get very slow framerates and the shaders mess up, causing characters to have a zebra pattern on their skin.

  • Firetamer59's avatar
    Firetamer59
    13 years ago
    @fredvdp wrote:

    If you manage to launch Mass Effect 2 on Intel graphics, you get very slow framerates and the shaders mess up, causing characters to have a zebra pattern on their skin.

    Haha that sounds midly amusing...but yeah I guess I'll return it 😕mileysad:


    Thanks everyone! 

  • Firetamer59's avatar
    Firetamer59
    13 years ago
    @goraththeelder wrote:

    .....

    How big a factor is the graphics card in running games? If I magically switched mine out for something mid-range from Nvidia, what types of games would my system be able to support, do you know? 

  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    13 years ago

    Generally speaking, ordinary laptops aren't provided with much at all in the way of heat dissipation, and real graphics cards need the bigger fans, better heat sinks, etc.  A laptop that has been designed with a proper graphics card comes much closer to being able to deal with all of its heat production (although some brands are far better about this factor than others.  It's a serious weak spot for many). 

    If it was possible to actually alter the graphics out in the real world after the laptop was already assembled, the result would require more chassis, more fans, bigger case, etc.  The total cost of everything would be equal to just buying the entitre laptop from the start. 

    P. S.  Well, shoot, I went all through that, without ever coming around to your first question.  Overall, the graphics card is the most important part of any PC design4ed for use with moderm high intemsity 3D games. 

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