According to System Requirements Lab, I need a 64-bit OS minimum to run Dragon Age: Inquisition. So I went pricing hardware, because as I understand it, 64-bit means having a 64-bit data bus. That’s a big divide, yet as I look around I find that Tom’s Hardware Guide doesn’t mention bus size in its roundup of motherboards. Newegg.com doesn’t have it as one of the criteria to narrow your search by, and if you search for “64-bit” specifically you get some things that doen’t even mention 64-bit in the brief summary, much less the title. What the hell is going on? In order to upgrade to a 64-bit OS, and address more than 4 gigs of ram, do I need a motherboard with a 64-bit data bus or not?
Pretty much any PC sold in the last decade is 64-bit capable; all current ones are. So don’t worry about it. What is your budget and what do you already have?
If the computer is even remotely capable of running the game, the processor is 64-bit. You also need a decent amount of RAM - this is the reason why the game requires a 64-bit OS. Probably 8 gigs at a minimum.
Every processor that newegg sells at all is 64-bit.
AMD Six-core processor, and a motherboard fit to run it
8 gigs of ram (Windows 7 only reports 3.3 gigs)
GeForce GTX with 2 Gigs of video ram
The way is has been the past few years, upgrading motherboard, processor, ram and graphics card has tended to run about $600-800. I was assuming that the PCI-E and SATA standards were independent of that bit-width specification, but that the motherboard, processor and ram wouldn’t be. So if I replaced those for maybe $300, I could get the home edition of Windows 7 64-bit for about $100 and be ready for the new generation of games to start demanding more ram for big textures. I have already been running into problems with big textures on Skyrim.
What System Requirements Lab say I’m missing is 4 gig of ram and Windows 7 or 8 64-bit.
From Microsoft: 32-bit and 64-bit Windows: frequently asked questions. Among the topics is ‘How do I tell if my computer can run a 64-bit version of Windows?’ That gives you instructions on what to look for in ‘Performance Information and Tools’ in the Control Panel.
Hell, if I had Windows 7 64-bit, I’d just as leave install it on a new drive and transfer any documents by hand. Recently, I implemented a fix for save game crashes in Wasteland 2 that required me to tweak virtual memory. Now I’m having to reboot every couple of days because of grinding slow-downs. If I could substitute a fresh install of the OS for having to figure out how to reverse the hork-up, that would be just gravy.
You’re running 32 bit Windows. The good news is that you’re licensed for 64 bit Windows - all you need to do is find a 64 bit install set and reinstall. Use Windows Easy Transfer to back up all your personal files & settings to an external HDD or USB stick.
Again, exactly which GTX? 2 GB VRAM indicates a relatively modern card. If you have a GTX 660 Ti or better, I reckon you don’t need to upgrade. I know the recommended requirements say GTX 660, but I’d treat that with a pinch of salt.
If you’re feeling flush, consider replacing your HDD with a 500 GB SSD.
Hell, just upgrading to a 250 gig SSD would be an improvement. I’m having to police what gets dumped onto the 120 Gig SSD just a bit too much. Twice that might be quite luxurious.
Yes. You may even have the install set on your PC already. But see here for links to the official MS distribution site on Digital River.
That’s the lowest of their recommended GPUs. You might want to treat yourself to something better in the post-Christmas sales. The best bangs for the buck at the moment are the Geforce GTX 970 and the Radeon R9 290. Both are one below the top of the line.
When do these sales kick in? Because I’d love to take your advice rather than go through the grind of figuring out for myself where the sweet spot in the market is right now, but this line appears to average about $350. Of course, if the rest of the hardware is solid enough that $350 will keep me chugging along for another couple of years, it’s not too bad. But cheaper would be nice.
It’s been a little while since I was following prices, but not long ago you could find the R9 290 or GTX 770 on sale for $250, or the R9 290x for $300. IMO with a GTX 660 any lesser card (760, 280, or 280x) isn’t enough of an upgrade to be worth it.