I have a GameStop gift card burning a hole in my wallet, and I’d like to get FNV.
I know 99% of you will suggest getting it on the PC, but let me throw my specs out there. I don’t get the new numbering scheme for video cards; not having them build in succession just makes no sense to me.
My PC:
AMD Athlon 7550 Dual-Core 2.50 GHz
8.0 GB RAM
ATI Radeon HD 5450 512 MB
Can I run it on the PC? I absolutely WILL NOT upgrade my video card from where it’s at now; I just don’t game enough to justify it, especially when for $10 more than the PC version I can get the game for my 360 and not have to upgrade anything.
I couldn’t get any benchmarks for a 5450 for Fallout 3, but there are a few benchmarks of games with similar graphical demands and it seems to average somewhere around 30 FPS at 1280x1024 at medium/low settings which is playable.
This video is from New Vegas a p4 2.8/5450 combo which is worse than the OP’s system. Runs at 800x600 low settings.
I found this youtube video which claims to be an inferior (to the 5450) 4350 running at max settings at 1152x648. I don’t know if the difference between FO3 and FONV explains the gap from high to low settings or what.
So, it definitely won’t be the sort of experience that demonstrates the quality of the PC experience, but it probably won’t look too much worse than an xbox. And you still get full use of mods and a better control scheme, which are both very significant things to the gameplay experience.
Dunno what the game costs on the 360, but you can probably grab it off steam for $10-15 this black friday sale (I assume the GOTY edition will hit somewhere in that range), and maybe invest the rest of the money into an $80-100 video card that would be much more powerful.
Unless I’m missing something, that CPU is better than what’s on the xbox 360.
The GPU is weak sauce however. It’s a $35 part. You’re looking at a $80-$100 part for gaming.
As mentioned in other threads, the things the PC version of this game brings to the table over the console:
Better graphics
Better performance
More stable/less bugs
Faster loading times
Mods
Keyboard + mouse interface (though pad is also an option).
Given your specs the performance and graphics angle is going to be similar to the xbox, or apparently, might be a bit lower. For me, the stability and mods seal the deal for the PC version, but that might not be the case for you.
F:NV is a keeper. Even with the rig you’re currently on, it’ll run smoothly albeit at low settings. And you can always return to the game later, when you’ve upgraded your rig. Considering how many mods and full conversions have been made to Fallout 3 (and have been started for F:NV) I’d say that it’s definitely the way to go. Which isn’t to say that it’s not good on the 360, it is, but there’s so much value added on the PC that it’d be a easy decision.
Gukumatz (who also has and loves an Xbox 360, but chose the PC version for F:NV.)
I know Bethesda’s engine are always heavily modded, but I was surprised to see the sheer amount and quality of them over at the nexus in the short time the game has been out. Boggles the mind.
Since it’s the same engine as FO3, the modding community had a) a lot of decent FO3 mods that required only very minor modifications to work with NV, and b) lots of experience in making mods for these games. The New Vegas mod selection doesn’t surprise me at all.
Thanks everyone. Since it’s equivalent performance, I’ll get it for my PC. I just wanted to make sure it will, you know, actually run!
That GPU is, embarassingly, an upgrade over the stock part. Again, I don’t game much (although I’m currently addicted to Civ V), so an expensive card just won’t fly with my wife.
Speaking of Civ V, is there any release date for a true expansion yet?
Haven’t heard anything on an expansion yet. Some DLC came out however, and that might e the way of things from now on. Just more DLC and no expansion packs.
Buying games on your PC will save you $$$ in the long run over buying them on a console. I say put some fo that saved money away and buy a $100 video card. I guarantee you’ll save at least that much on the next couple of steam sales.
Seriously? The HD 5450 is shit? I’ve been using an HD 4850 (or 4750, can’t remember) for the past two years, and while it was a midrange card even back then, it’s handled everything I’ve thrown at it. I wouldn’t expect FO:NV to be that much worse than FO3.
Just looked up a comparison chart and…wow. Yeah, the 5450 IS crap. Go figure. I remember when model numbers were a sufficient comparison of power.
By the way, you can pick up a 4850 for about $100 now and it’ll kick the pants off the 5450.
The model numbers are a comparison of power. You just don’t know how to read them. The second number indicates the tier of the card. The first number is just generation.
That marker is still useful now a days, it just doesn’t work the same way.
The first number usually defines the generation. The subsequent numbers define the relative performance between products in that Gen. To the 4870 is a gen behind the 5450, but, the “870” marks that card as a high end card in that generation, while the “450” marks that product as an entry level/budget card. As you saw, the top end of the last gen can easily beat out the budget entry in the next gen.
Personally I will never again buy a Bethesda game for a games console. I just don’t trust them to get a bug-free version out there. At least on a PC the patches are more regular and mods can work around the bugs.
Most expansions are DLC nowadays. And New Vegas has a 360-exclusive DLC expansion coming out by the end of the year. But that probably just means “not on PS3” as all the 360-exclusive Fallout 3 expansions came to the PC at the same time.
