AOE III hassles, pls read

[scofield]

okay now, i am having many hassles getting Age of empires to work. I install the game properly, and everything works fine. When i go into the game, it runs perfectly smooth for about 2 minutes, before either:

1. My screen goes into 'power save' mode

2. All different colour lines come across my screen, i cant minimize or anything, only thing to do is reset my PC. ill post a screenshot so you know what i mean. (i had to take a pic with my phone, so its unclear and large)

Things i've tried already:
Update graphics drivers, turned down refresh rate, tried a widescreen monitor, reinstalled the game, unplugged 1gb of ram.

i think it might be graphics card related however my graphics card runs GTA IV, so how can it not run AOE III '-.-' and my sisters PC (same make an model as mine, same speccs too, but worse graphics card) runs it perfectly fine. my mates PC plays it fine with no graphics card,,, this is getting frustrating now

PC speccs:
3.0 GHT core 2 duo
2GB ram
ATI radeon 4870
Windows XP pro

those are the main speccs, if you need any more info

 

[LCBXX]

Had the similar problem with AOE 3 right after I installed my 9800GTX+. Turned out that my PSU wasn't providing enough watts. In games like Test Drive Unlimited, I just experienced jittery frame-rates at certain stages but no black screen/reboots.

Popped in a 650W Antec and the problems were gone. Popped the old 500W back in and voila, the problems returned. Tried with a brand new 460W PSU, same problem. Back went the 650W Antec, no problems

 

[scofield]

okay thanks,,, but wierd, makes sense though... it doesnt run how its meant to, still experience jumpy play,,, anyway thanks alot, is there any way to solve this temporarily?

 

[LCBXX]

okay thanks,,, but wierd, makes sense though... it doesnt run how its meant to, still experience jumpy play,,, anyway thanks alot, is there any way to solve this temporarily?

I tried to disconnect everything I didn't need for the machine to run in an attempt to gain some watts without avail.

Based on the basic specs you posted, you will need at least a 400W PSU do drive your PC. Factor in the age of your PSU and you might sit with a 400W PSU supplying around 330W. Go here to check what you need: http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

 

[scofield]

okay, it says 330W, but there is some stuff i not sure of, like my fan,,, just looks a bit confusing

i have another power supply from an old PC, the old PC's has a Output of 300watts - as does my Power supply im using now,,, is there no way i can plug my Video Card into the other power supply and connect it to power?

 

[Browser]

If you can, it might also be worth a shot, try plugging your graphics card into your sisters PC and see if it suddenly gets problems or continues to work fine.

With it working fine in GTA IV and not in AoE III it being the PSU seems unlikely as GTA IV is at least as stressful as AoE III. You could also try stressing your PSU while playing GTA IV to see if you run into any similar problems.

I think it is possible to power the card via the other PSU but it's going to be a mess and basically asking for trouble. If it is a PSU problem either get a new one or give up on AoE III before trying to use the other PSU to power the card.

 

[scofield]

when u say asking for trouble what exactly is the worst that can happen???


Since the storm yesterday, my PC constantly tells me i have no network connection, and my mouse doesnt work, so temporarily, i cant try to fix it....

 

[LCBXX]

A 300W PSU is no way near enough for modern systems these days, especially Core2Duo. 450W should be considered a minimum for a CPU like yours.

 

[scofield]

well yeah. serves me right for buying a PC from 'PC zone'... *sigh*

any1 know bout the mouse and network cable thing and what's causing it? i dont wanna post another thread

 

[StoneCold]

well yeah. serves me right for buying a PC from 'PC zone'... *sigh*

any1 know bout the mouse and network cable thing and what's causing it? i dont wanna post another thread

If there was a storm, then your pc couldve been hit with lightning and fried a component or two via a powersurge on your mobo. I'm not saying its definetely that,but its never a good thing to leave your pc on during a storm, rather unplug it. If you did unplug it, then it couldve been something that was faulty in your pc from the day you purchased it.

 

[scofield]

well i was out playing cricket at the time so i wasnt at home,,, i tried to boot my sister's PC up now, and it has the exact same problem, except her keyboard wont work either,,, very strange because her PC wasnt even connected to power,,, so whats up with this now?

yes her and my PC are exactly the same (A-Open ****) from PC zone

 

[QX6700RULZ]

Was her pc still connected to a network cable or a phone line ?

 

[scofield]

indeed,,, makes sense, overlooked it, the phone is still working though, as is the dsl router... but pc's mouse wont work, lucky we're insured for lightning damage,,, might get a descent pc out of it