Does anyone know anything about this graphic card?

[Larryk Dagger]

  I recently acquired this computer, it's a Compaq Presario, and when I tried to login for the first time, I got the message that my computer did not meet minimum system specifications. I checked to see what type of graphics card I had. I have a Intel Bear Lake B.

Has anyone ever heard of this particular type of graphics card and if so, is there a way I can get it to work correctly with Second Life? There are some objects that show up as oval shaped instead of their true shape. So far, it's mostly trees and plants that are are sculpt prims.

Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated.

Larryk

[Leah Decycla]

Hi Larryk:

First off The "bearlake" is the Intel chipset inside your Compaq and refers to you are likely on a Core 2 Duo CPU. Now being a Compaq there is a high chance you have integrated graphics, meaning no discrete Video card. what you need to do in the SL viewer is click HELP > ABOUT SECOND LIFE.

That will give you all the info you would be needing. If it is something like GMA 4500 (Intel integrated graphics) in graphics try lowering your graphic settings in EDIT> PREFERENCES in the SL viewer. If this don't help Some Compaq's have a PCIe slot where you could install a Video card and in the system BIOS disable your onboard graphics, BUT with out knowing the exact model of Compaq I cant say.

I hope this is of some help to you, and next post give the the model and graphics set type and we all here may be of more help.

Leah

[Eternus Soulstar]

some graphics cards report like that because a Windows generic driver for that card is installed.  once you have done as suggested and see more detail on the card in the Help > About second Life screen, you might go to Intel or Compaq site and search a driver that is specific to including that card.  in fact if you gave me teh exact Compaq model name/number i might even be able to find it and give you the direct link to it, but its good to have a look yourself.

[Katarina Malthus]

If you tell me the model number, I can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about that laptop/pc. Presario doesn't narrow it down enough unfortunately, there's a few hundred models with that family name.

Sans that, this should tell you if you run it and look under video adapters. http://www.gtopala.com/

Hardware manager *might* tell you, but only if you have the proper drivers installed, or look under the hardware id and crossreference that by device (http://www.pcidatabase.com/)

[Larryk Dagger]

  Ok, sorry for not getting back on this until now, but I've not been home since I posted my OP about my problem. I've opened up the SL viewer to the login screen, clicked Help and then About Second Life. The following is copied from the window telling about my computer.

  CPU: Intel Pentium II with internal L2 cache (2194 MHz)
Memory: 2037 MB
OS Version: Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (Build 6002)
Graphics Card Vendor: Intel
Graphics Card: Intel Bear Lake B
Windows Graphics Driver Version: 7.15.0010.1666
OpenGL Version: 1.4.0 - Build 7.15.10.1666

@Leah: I'm afraid that I cannot do anything to this computer at this time..It's a rent-to-own from a rent-to-own company called Aaron's. It will be December before I pay it off and can make modifications to it.

@Eternus: Thanks for the tip, Eternus, I'll see what I can find.

@Katarina: Thanks for the links, Katarina. I'll see what I can find out.

If the information I posted about my computer gives anyone a better idea, please let me know,. And thanks for your help so far!

[Larryk Dagger]

Opps..Clicked the wrong button somewhere. lol I hope I didn't accidently close this thread...Oh well, if I did, let me know and I'll post another question..I've never used SL answers before.

[Daria Afterthought]

HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAA

 

Am I the only one that got "COMPAQ PRESARIO?!?!?!?!"

No, you're Compaq never can, and never will be able to run SL. EVER.

For those of you that don't know, Presario is to gaming comp as your ex life partner is to nice sweet caring well adjusted person.

Do they still make Presarios? I know a few years ago we had them in my old high school computer lab.

 

As for your actual question, from my google searching, the BearLake graphic card seemed to be a precursor to the Intel GMA 965. Read: You may be able to play SL, on lowest graphics, with tons of lag, and a crash every 10 minutes. Although, my first year in SL I spent it on a Intel GMA 915, and once I built my own comp with a real graphic card, I learned just how awesome and not sucky SL really is and got a whole new appreciation for it. So its your choice.

 

Also your OpenGL is old as shit. 1.4 is 2002...while even ATI and nVidia cards from 2006 can support the latest which is 3.2

 

Kids: Business computers and what the BestBuy guy said was a "multimedia computer" are not for SL, or any other 3D game for that matter. I know some people are broke, and thats condonable, but do you guys know how much SL devolpment is being held back to support legacy systems? I get it, some people that play SL are disabled or old so they have a legit reason to sit around playing a video game (SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR YOU BOTTOM FEEDERS) all day instead of working and being able to buy a nice shiny graphic card, but I mean, dudes, seriously. That Presario/Inspirion/Latitude you have was about 3000$ when you bought it, you can probably save up 500 bux to pay the local basement dweller to hook you up with a decent comp. Just offer them your niece/granddaughter's phone number and her picture and they'll be happy do it for you. My self built PC came out to about 600 bux. You probably spend 600 bux in a week on coke/smokes/mcdonalds/add some other shitty thing humans shouldnt do here. Stop holding progress back for yer crappy machines.

[Eternus Soulstar]

the last Presario i actually touched ... was a 486.   so i have no earthly idea in terms of face to face with them what Compaq is doing these days.

meanwhile.  rent to own?  mind if we ask how much your payments are?  because it could be that with a little belt tightening and saving, if you have a local computer store that -just- sells computers and parts, the kind of place thats usually about as big as 3 or 4 moving vans glued together and wall to wall hardware, you might be able to build your own middle of the road system and lean heavy on the video card a little, and save a fair amount of money in the long run.  those places also sometimes have a not bad pre-built system, new or used, but get the specs of it and come post here before committing if you go window shopping.

[Larryk Dagger]

  I hate to burst your bubble about Compaq Presarios (or at least the one I have), Daria, but mine DOES run SL without the problems you just mentioned. My Graphics preference is set to Medium with some custom graphics set to my personal tastes. I have yet to crash or suffer any excessive lag. In fact, the only lag I suffer from is what anyone else in the same region might experiencing.

  My only problem is that some sculpts, mainly trees and plants, appear as a oval shape, similar to a melon. The textures for these are perfectly normal. It's just the shape that sometimes won't load properly.

Though, to be honest, if I had been able to afford this PC without renting-to-own, I would probably have already gotten a new graphics card. but, since I have to wait until December, which is when I make the final payment, I plan to put a little money aside each month so I can do some upgrading at that time.

 

[Larryk Dagger]

  My payments are about $118USD a month for my PC. I have considered what you are suggesting, but right now I am able to only set a very small amount of money aside. The reason for that is that I am disabled and on a fixed limited income, so I have to budget my money very carefully. I did check other rent-to-own places where I live in RL, and this was the best deal that I could get, and the only one I could afford. But, as I said in my reply to Daria, I'm going to set a little aside each month so that when I pay off my PC, I can upgrade it to my liking.

[Daria Afterthought]

Once you see how SL runs on a decent computer you will realize "running SL without problems" is a false assesment. And I know you're just being butthurt for me mocking your inept computer and trying to prove how wrong my mean self is no matter if I am right or not from how you type (of course, this will provoke a "You are useless, I'm leaving/not talking to you" or a defense tl;dr rant off topic) A Presario is a light use/buisness computer that is lucky to run Illustrator CS3 for more than 10 minutes without locking up. Ask my 11th grade Advanced Graphics and Design class.

 

Anyway, you asked for infos on that graphic card, I delievered. It was a Dell precursor to the Intel GMA 965. Possibly a compaq/gateway/emachines/acer (same fucking company) exclusive. It can't run any OpenGL version higher than 1.4, which is old as shit in computer years, and that is why textures refuse to render for you. Also that Pentium 2 CPU has a lot to do with it too. You're trying to feed a 1998-style processor 2007-style information. Which, is retarded in normal years but in computer years thats trying to park a cadellac in a doghouse.

[Daria Afterthought]

Larryk.Dagger wrote:

 

  My payments are about $118USD

WTF?

 

Dude! A computer with an Intel GMA and Pentium 2 is not worth 1.1k. It did maybe in 2002. But now...no. I built my computer for 600 bux. Top of the line graphic card, 4GB RAM (a little low, but most games wont use more than 2.5) ultra fast 64 bit processor. You're either paying mostly for the Vista SP2 or getting horribly horribly ripped off. "The only one you can afford." I can believe you can only afford 118 bux a month. What I can't believe is that you either never did the math to figure out that your comp is gonna cost you 1k for outdated mediocrity or you never google searched to see if you were getting ripped off (Library has free dialup.) You know Compaq has more up-to-date mediocrity on their webside for 300 bux right?

[Oichi Mai]

Wow at least we can see the forums are still full of cunts. They didn't ask you to talk shit at them or insult them. No one can get a simple answer without one self righteous twat showing how great they are. Everyone else was nice and decent and willing to help while you sat on your perch pointing and laughing.

[Daria Afterthought]

Pointing and laughing is fun. I was also helpful. I can't help if tardlets can't see past how much I mock them long enough to figure out I gave them the answer to their problem. I'm just a dick to people. Most internet "meanies" (not to be confused with a troll, but the following applies to them too) are just subject to John Gabriel's Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory.

[Larryk Dagger]

  No, I'm not hurt by what you said and I'm not gonna say "You are useless, I'm leaving/not talking to you" or go into any kind of rant. See, I've been reading some of the blogs here for a couple weeks now, so I'm more or less used to your style of replying/answering people, so I knew what to expect, more or less, once I saw you had posted to my OP!

  Well, I will admit to not being very computer savvy...The only other computer I have ever owned that I had managed to buy brand-new because I had recieved my SSD backpay was a Gateway..I don't remember the model or anything about it, but I lost it when a virus managed to slip past my Anti-virus (I was using Norton at the time) and it basically killed that computer. But, I will keep in mind your advice about Compaqs in the future..Live and learn, I say. In fact, I might take some other advice and see what I can find in terms of a shop that can help me build a computer more suited to SL and my other various computer needs. Or at least find out how much it might cost me..

  Until then, I'll just plug along with this computer..

[Monderas Bristol]

Hi,if some shapes seem distorted try changing the aspect ratio

 

On my widescreen unless I select 16:9 for the resolution I run at then things also seem a little odd. the automatic aspect ratio doesn't always give best result.

Also try moving your camera in closer to your avatar (the camera follow setting)

 

For a while anything square was elongated until I adjusted both settings and had a little play around.

 

BTW. If you're happy with everythiing on medium then good for you. Things look much better on medium than on low which is how I had to use SL until I upgraded.

And have a word with your company you're doing your rent to buy with. A lot of companies have no problem with adding something. If something goes wrong they just expect to have the system how it was if they need to repair it.

A few years ago I swapped a crappy ati card with an nvidia one,when the pc went wrong they sent a guy out (they wouldn't let me swap it myself) and I just had to put the original card in to prove it wasn't my new one causing the problem.

 

huggs and kisses

 

Mondy

[Leah Decycla]

DARIA YOU IDIOT!!! You must have spent to much time trying to become prom queen a few yrs ago in high school for which I am sure you failed to achieve, let alone your poor abilities to read common English and understand the context, coupled with quite poor research skills...

A. NO P2 could dream of running 2000+mhz and run vista LMAO not a snowballs chance in hell, so I see a reporting error there.

As I said likely a Core2 duo, more than enough horse power to run SL

B. the Intel Bearlake B According to SL WIki while not on par with, and I am sure you have the best ATI 5870 crossfire, shows to run a mean avg. of 15 fps. and will out perform the GMA chip

C. DID YOU NOT READ... Larryk is on a fixed income, so unlike you with your McDonald's manager position is likely not able to get the uber gaming rig I am sure you have, oh and built yourself.

D. I saw your avatar pic. in your self centered thread the eyes look freakish...

Sorry I had a rant running there...

Larryk it is true that a rent to own place will way over charge for, well for anything they "rent to own" it is true you could get a decent system for 600usd.

but if not in your financial budget? Here, one update your drivers this can be done at the Compaq site, make sure Vista is also updated as well, and to contact Aaron's and pose to then you wish to add a card to your PC. Even a new big box store Compaq, HP, Dell whatever, adding a card will not invalidate the warranty.. Worth a try

Please do not be discouraged by one tiny persons response here there are many from what you can see that do actually like to be of help.

[Hurana Ugajin]

I hate to, but Ihave to Agree here. I think they sold you one of their old point of sale computers from within the store. I would be asking questions to them on this shady practice.I may visit one today and see what they are up to.

Granted Intel graphics chipsets are not that desireable, I do know my 2006 Macbook with an Intel GMA950 ran SL ok on low settings. It got me by and still runs it today. for a 32Mb card. I wasnt expecting much. And I could run Adobe CS4 on it too with very little latency. That would kill a Windows PC faster than a virus. But enough of the Apple to Oranges bit.

If you have a PCI Express slot, I would EBay a graphics card for it. Be sure to ask questions to the seller. Heck, there could be someone here with an older card that will boost your performance at least somewhat.  I thought Compaq hasn't been sold in around 4-5 years since the HP buyout... or something like that.

 

If you do ever plan on a new computer... best thign to do is test them yourself. dollar for dollar, BestBuy is the best place, as you can easily walk from Apple to PC. Dont rely on watching a movie.. thats not very graphic intense unless your in 1080p. Also, try opening a bunch of Applications like 7 or 8 or them, and then watch a movie, drag the movie screen around the monitor.. does its lag, repeat or cause any malfunctions...

Remember, all computers can run one or two perfectly fine, but make it work, thats what Separates the Men from the Mice. Just be extremely thorough and ask questions... I hate seeing people getting used and misinformed.

[Larryk Dagger]

  Actually, I did go to both the Compaq site and the Intel site and the driver that I have is the most recent one..Now, I did go ahead and clicked on Install as I decided that it was worth a shot at doing so and also figured the worst that could happen would be I got told that the driver was already installed. Funny enough, it went through the complete installation procedure. As I said earlier, I'm not very computer savvy, but to me, the driver installing fully from the website means there was a chance that the already installed driver might have had a slight glitch, but I could be wrong.

  Daria's response didn't bother me at all. LOL! As I mentioned earlier, I've been reading the blogs and adding my two cents worth to questions/comments every now and then, so I've had time to get used to Daria's way of making comments. Actually, compared to some of the trolls', I believe they are called, comments that I've seen in these blogs, Daria's actually pretty funny in her own unique way. Actually, I've met people IRL as a trucker, back before I became disabled, who make Daria seem like the Queen of Etiquette!!

  Also, I believe that you all gave me a lot of help and I'm satisified with what all of you have advised me to do. Now I only have one other question..how do I close this post as having been answered to my satisfaction?

[Tinsel Silvera]

So let me get this straight, since I"m now an ex-Mentor.  It's okay to laugh at, make fun of, belittle and be generally obnoxious to people who post questions, as long as ultimately I give an answer?  How sad that the Mentor program was replaced with this.  I can feel our newbie retention rate rising as we speak.

[Mitch Triellis]

I downloaded the Beta Viewer 2 and now I'm running SL in my laptop pretty well. Live long and prosper. LOL

[Faubio Alter]

Might not be a SL problem if that CPU is right (Intel Pentium II ):

You might want to run this:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx

Frankly, those minimum requirements aren't much good. I'd think a much better PC then they say. Dual core processor at least and a graphics card, not a chip. What OS did you upgrade from? I had a terrible time running SL on an old ME PC, was jello everywhere I went. They do make graphics cards for PCI slots but you better hurry, soon they will be gone.  Might be time for a new PC.

Do you have DirectX 9 installed on this PC?

[DR Dahlgren]

Obviously SL either reported an incorrect CPU or it was mistyped here. The BearLake chipset was released in 2007 and supports the Intel Dual Core/Core 2  processor family. The onboard Graphics processor chipset is either the GMA X3000, GMA X 3100 or GMA X3500 depending on the BearLake flavor.

The GMA X3000 series is supposed to support DirecX 10 so with the proper drivers and memory allocated, it should theoretically run SL.

That said, if the SL Client will not run, there is not much more you can do besides making sure you have the very latest drivers for that chipset. I would go to both the Compaq and Intel sites and see if you can find drivers newer than what you have for this machine. Intel was supposed to be pushing this graphics chipset as an entry level gaming set, so I would hope they are continuing to update their drivers.

My basic research says that your motherboard should have an e-pci slot to add a video card. If that is the case, I would definately get a new NVidia card and disable the onboard graphics. While your computer may run SL as it is, it is never going to be near the quality of experience that a good video card can deliver.

[Faubio Alter]

Doctor D is in the house.

 

Message was edited by: Faubio.Alter ......................... "Who" is that guy?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIXQup1ETtE&feature=related

[DR Dahlgren]

Sure wish I had Doc W's screwdriver...

[Faubio Alter]

It might be bad magic, so be careful.