Computer specs question

[PlutonianEmpire]

What are the best video card and the best processor to run celestia on?

[selden]

PE,

"Best" is very subjective.

Celestia will overwhelm any currently available system if you try to view a large number of high resolution objects and textures at high frame rates. Just ask Daniel

In other words, get the fastest processor you can afford, with as much memory as you can afford with the largest, fastest disk you can afford and the fastest Nvidia 8000 series graphics card you can afford with as much memory as possible.

So far as new systems are concerned, I think just about any dual-core system would be fine, with 2GB of memory, a 250GB disk, an Nvidia 8600 with 256MB, and a 19" LCD monitor. Improve any of these as you can afford. (Probably graphics, display, memory & CPU speed, in that order. Celestia only uses 1 CPU, so a quad-core system won't gain anything. Some other programs can take advantage of them, though.)

Be sure to get it with Windows XP, not Vista. Vista is a pain to configure so that Celestia works conveniently. Bob can tell you all about that.
(Unless you like Linux, of course; but I suspect that if you were a Linux fan, you wouldn't be asking about computer configurations.)

Also, get at least one external disk drive to store backups of your files. It's a royal pain if the internal disk fails and takes all of your work with it.

I hope this helps a little.

[zhar2]

Well procesor: check, ram: check, hard drive: check, graphics card: im afraid to say that as i own just my laptop and the graphics card is build-in to the motherboard is quite hard to upgrade it and besides the laptop is just 6 months old so its not gona be replaced any time soon.

but i guess im doing ok with its graphics card, but if i where using linux would the requirments drop?

[BobHegwood]

Be sure to get it with Windows XP, not Vista. Vista is a pain to configure so that Celestia works conveniently. Bob can tell you all about that.
(Unless you like Linux, of course; but I suspect that if you were a Linux fan, you wouldn't be asking about computer configurations.)

Vista is a pain to get anything working correctly. Then, when you do get it working, a 66MB update will come along which will try to throw all your work out of the Window(s) again.

[LordFerret]

Bob, I feel your pain.

[selden]

Well procesor: check, ram: check, hard drive: check, graphics card: im afraid to say that as i own just my laptop and the graphics card is build-in to the motherboard is quite hard to upgrade it and besides the laptop is just 6 months old so its not gona be replaced any time soon.

When it does come time to upgrade, you might consider looking for one which includes an Nvidia graphics chipset or one that's certified by one of the 3D design companies (e.g. by Autodesk for use with Inventor). Most people don't realize how many different laptop graphics options there are.

but i guess im doing ok with its graphics card, but if i where using linux would the requirments drop?

Somewhat. However, Linux usually is more difficult to configure than Windows, and you have to be careful to get a system configuration that's supported by the version of Linux that you want to use. Linux support for new hardware designs tends to be a while in coming.

[Goonster]

Be sure to get it with Windows XP, not Vista. Vista is a pain to configure so that Celestia works conveniently. Bob can tell you all about that.
(Unless you like Linux, of course; but I suspect that if you were a Linux fan, you wouldn't be asking about computer configurations.)

Vista is a pain to get anything working correctly. Then, when you do get it working, a 66MB update will come along which will try to throw all your work out of the Window(s) again.

I`m surprised at this. I have downloaded v1.4.1 and v1.5.1 without any problems. Both versions have worked fine for me and I`m on Vista Basic.(was on Vista Basic! Now I`m on 7!)

[BobHegwood]

Vista is a pain to get anything working correctly. Then, when you do get it working, a 66MB update will come along which will try to throw all your work out of the Window(s) again.

I`m surprised at this. I have downloaded v1.4.1 and v1.5.1 without any problems. Both versions have worked fine for me and I`m on Vista Basic.

Well, you can see my specs in my signature, but almost every time I download the most recent updates, I get problems. It could very well have something to do with the hardware vendor too though. HP isn't exactly keeping up with new updates as they are released from Microsoft. Normally, I'll download the latest from MS, and then check for any new HP updates too.

Also, there is still an unanswerable problem concerning my Nvidia drivers. If I update them from Nvidia alone, I'm just fine. If, however, I also update them via the suggested link(s) from MS, the whole system goes BLOOEY! Take my word for it. This is probably because my latest Nvidia drivers are from this month, while the MS update is from 2007.

That's the best way I can explain it.

[PlutonianEmpire]

What tips do you have for setting up celestia to run smoothly on Vista?

And If i buy a computer with vista, where can I find a program or disk that can downgrade Vista to XP?

[BobHegwood]

What tips do you have for setting up celestia to run smoothly on Vista?

And If i buy a computer with vista, where can I find a program or disk that can downgrade Vista to XP?

First of all, if you buy a PC with Vista, make certain that it's hardware is not dependent on the operating system. In my case, my HP simply will not run under XP. This has to do with a number of the hard-wired RAM options I think, but I have already tried to install XP on it, and the system will not allow it.

Secondly, if you do get a Vista system, make certain that you install Celestia as a Vista application, and NOT an XP-compatible application. This will save you LOTS of grief later on. I had to learn this the hard way, because Vista likes to create XP-compatible folders (which are generally hidden by the way) and they make for a real pain in the Wazoo when it comes to finding errors.

Hope that helps, and you can also search the forum here in order to find related "Vista" topics.

Thanks, Brain-Dead Bob

[selden]

PE,

The program which downgrades Vista is called Windows XP. You actually have to purchase a copy and install it, either wiping out Vista in the process, or converting your computer to a dual-boot system.

In principle, you could purchase one of the virtual machine environments, like VMWare, and install XP so it runs under Vista, but its graphics support won't take advantage of any 3D hardware the computer might have.

[Nastytang]

Well, you can see my specs in my signature, but almost every time I download the most recent updates, I get problems. It could very well have something to do with the hardware vendor too though. HP isn't exactly keeping up with new updates as they are released from Microsoft. Normally, I'll download the latest from MS, and then check for any new HP updates too.

I think this goes for HP/ComPaq,Gateway and Dell
It seem if it is Custom made Computer Vista works Better!!!
I build My computer Have Vsta on it use XP more tho but Vist works fine on it and have not had any issues with any installs.
My Daughter Bought a HP/ComPaq and has issues with Vista Bad!!! Driving me to Become a Brain Dead ?????? !!!!

[BobHegwood]

My Daughter Bought a HP/ComPaq and has issues with Vista Bad!!! Driving me to Become a Brain Dead ?????? !!!!

Not possible... I am the ONLY Brain-Dead user on this forum, and I take great pride in being here.

[Nastytang]

My Daughter Bought a HP/ComPaq and has issues with Vista Bad!!! Driving me to Become a Brain Dead ?????? !!!!

Not possible... I am the ONLY Brain-Dead user on this forum, and I take great pride in being here.

LOL OK..........But I`m always spouting off about My Dead Brain Cells and her puter surly has added to them,... does that count ??

[BobHegwood]

LOL OK..........But I`m always spouting off about My Dead Brain Cells and her puter surly has added to them,... does that count ??

How about "Celestially-Challenged?" "Brain-Restricted?" "Mentally-disinclined?" "Logically-inhibited?"

[PlutonianEmpire]

Secondly, if you do get a Vista system, make certain that you install Celestia as a Vista application, and NOT an XP-compatible application.

How do I do that?

[BobHegwood]

How do I do that?

Simply RUN the Celestia setup program without defining it as an XP-compatible program.
There are occasions when you would wish to define a program as being XP-compatible in order to utilize features that no longer work the same way in Vista, but Celestia is not one of them.

So, basically, you have to do nothing except download and RUN the setup program.
If you'd like to check its compatibility state before executing it, simply right-click on the program in Windows Explorer, and then click on the "Compatibility" tab to view the program's settings. None of the compatibility options should be checked or marked.

Hope that helps.
Thanks, Bob

[PlutonianEmpire]

Thank you!

I've installed celestia on my dad's computer, which has vista, and so far, no problems.