Video Games Crash System - PC Hardware Questions & Answers

J Deskins writes in with a hardware question

Question:I am having problems playing pc games with higher graphics such as Scarface, San Andreas, etc. I've updated video/sound cards, drivers, etc. Games freeze, hang, crash and/or shut down the entire system. Any suggestions? I've done everything I know to do.

Answer: If you don't have a fast enough processor or enough RAM then updating the video card wont help too much. High end video games require much more processing power to run. I would compare the requirements on the box with what you have in your system. Don't go by the minimum requirements because that is just enough to get the game running but rather look at the recommended settings.

Also look for things such as what video chipsets are supported by the game such as NVIDIA or ATI etc and make sure your video card supports them. Also check to see if you need any version of DirectX or any other software updates before playing the game. Finally see if you can play on a lower graphics setting. If that works then its most likely a insufficient hardware problem.

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