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Anonymous's avatar
Anonymous
9 years ago
Solved

PvZ GW2 shows black screen and won't start

Just bought and installed Plants vs Zombies GW2.  When I run the game, I get a black window, and nothing happens (except the wait circle keeps spinning).  

I'm running an HP p7-1225 (AMD A8-3820 2.5 GHz) with a Radeon 6550HD display card.  8GB RAM.  Windows 7 64-bit.  Would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks,

5 Replies

  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    9 years ago

    Thanks.

    The minimum GPU required according to the game packaging is a Radeon HD5750.  If I install a Radeon HD6350 ($10 used on eBay), will that be good enough?

    https://www.techpowerup.com/gpudb/302/radeon-hd-6350.html

    I'm trying to do this at minimal cost until I replace the entire machine (e.g. I don't want to also replace the OEM 300W power supply, so i figured the HD6350 with a maximum power draw of 19W shouldn't create any problems).

    Sorry I'm not familiar with the nomenclature on GPUs -- does a higher number automatically mean a newer design and more powerful card?

  • EA_David's avatar
    EA_David
    Icon for Community Admin rankCommunity Admin
    9 years ago

    @sswushop Unfortunately not. Graphics card naming schemes can be confusing, and the absolutely highest number won't be the most powerful card. 

    The first number in this case will be the "generation", in this case generation 6  over generation 5, but that's only a small part of the picture. 

    The next number is usually the most pure indicator of power, the 7 here representing a much more powerful card than the 3, even if the 6350 is a later generation.

    There's more to it of course, but the first 2 numbers are usually the main ones to look for. If you're unsure of a comparison I'd be sure to check out a benchmarking site before putting any money down. 

    If you can't find a card within your budget(and getting the game running on a 300w PSU might not happen), you might want to check out this article on refunds: https://help.ea.com/za/article/what-s-the-great-games-guarantee/

  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    9 years ago

    An equivalent to the HD 5750 is almost certainly going to require a 450W power supply.  Trying to go with less will cause frequent shutdowns when the smaller PSU overheats under strain and provides too little power to continue. 

  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    9 years ago

    Thanks everyone for the helpful clarifications.  I'll look for an inexpensive used video card that benchmarks higher than the HD5750.  The power supply is likely to cost much more though -- especially if I have to go with a brand name supply in order to get enough amps per rail.  

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