# [SOLVED] COD4 + Windows 7



## Purno (Jun 8, 2009)

Hey all,

I just installed windows 7, and OMG! I love this windows!! All drivers were installed automatically, everything was running smooth! Beautifull, I just love it.

But now comes the problem... If I change the resolution in a game, to a resolution which is NOT my screen resolution (1200x800), the game is being shown with black bars (just like widescreen movie on a normal television), + if I change my screen resolution, it is being shown with the same bars! Even if I change screen resolution with windows seven.

System:
Notebook: Toshiba Satellite A300-16i

Thanks in advance!

Greetings,

Purno.


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## Zealex (Nov 30, 2008)

*Re: COD4 + Windows 7*

Welcome to TSF!
This could be a driver problem with windows 7, after all its a beta.
I remember when I was getting drivers for my acer laptop, I once downloaded a bad driver and made everything in cod4 weird colors. Heh.


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## Purno (Jun 8, 2009)

*Re: COD4 + Windows 7*



Zealex said:


> Welcome to TSF!
> This could be a driver problem with windows 7, after all its a beta.
> I remember when I was getting drivers for my acer laptop, I once downloaded a bad driver and made everything in cod4 weird colors. Heh.


Thanks!

I tried to change my desktop screen resolution, but even then I get side bars. That's crap, because I have an ATI HD3650 in my notebook, which can't do 1200x800 on cod4 (too much lag).

I updated to the last drivers.

And abit off topic question, but since you have a notebook yourself, you will probably know it.

My videocard can use up to 768mb (shared memory), but its 256mb at the moment. Any idea where I can use the full 768mb GPU (shared) memory? I always have enough memory left, but I think my GPU could use some!

Thanks again!


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## Zealex (Nov 30, 2008)

*Re: COD4 + Windows 7*

I honestly have no Idea, but let me ask someone to specify that for you. Has it always been 256mb? I don't think a HD3650 is a good GPU for gaming and maybe you could have burned some memory.
Edit: I just thought of something, you have vista installed before windows 7 right? Maybe try running the game in vista or xp compatibility mode and try disabling visual effects.On vista its right click the icon and go to properties, I think it would be the same on 7. Can you play any other games?


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## Purno (Jun 8, 2009)

*Re: COD4 + Windows 7*



Zealex said:


> I honestly have no Idea, but let me ask someone to specify that for you. Has it always been 256mb? I don't think a HD3650 is a good GPU for gaming and maybe you could have burned some memory.
> Edit: I just thought of something, you have vista installed before windows 7 right? Maybe try running the game in vista or xp compatibility mode and try disabling visual effects.On vista its right click the icon and go to properties, I think it would be the same on 7. Can you play any other games?


Would be great, I appreciate your help. The memory has always been 256mb. I just remembered about this because I was looking for the specifications of my notebook when I posted my issue 

I agree with you about the hd3650 not being a good gpu for gaming, it gets really really hot too. I think I can boil an egg with it :grin:

Let me try that! And oh, I can play cod4, but the issue is, the resolution won't change. Plus, if I change the brightness in cod4 and shutdown the game, the brightness will still be applied at my screen!

Funny bugs 

Soon enough I'm getting a new system. ATI HD4870 1GB (maybe in CF).


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## Zealex (Nov 30, 2008)

*Re: COD4 + Windows 7*



Purno said:


> I agree with you about the hd3650 not being a good gpu for gaming, it gets really really hot too. I think I can boil an egg with it :grin:


Be careful with that, people on the old acer forum I use to go to had used a modded driver and boiled their GPU:grin: Is your GPU always very hot and do you know its temp?Maybe the temp damaged your GPU cause I think when it gets to hot things expand and don't Aline as well anymore. CPUID hardware monitor can be downloaded from my sig and is good for temperatures.


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## Purno (Jun 8, 2009)

*Re: COD4 + Windows 7*

Ha! I might have found a solution, indeed running it in compatibility mode, I tried vista sp2. And I let windows 7 update the ati hd3650 driver on its own. I was able to choose more resolution on cod4 + the black bars on the top + bottom are gone!!

If I choose the resolution 800x480, it is perfect! But, I can see less than what others see on their screen (bug in cod4), but it works like a charm. I have max fps+no screen delay.

With windows vista it was always showing I had max fps, but it was stuttering + I saw the enemies like 0.5sec later than they saw me (timed it with a friend ) and all that is gone now thanks to windows Seven! God bless Windows Seven! 

Thanks for your help, Zealex.


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## Zealex (Nov 30, 2008)

*Re: COD4 + Windows 7*

So you figured it out? Great! Please marked this thread as solved by clicking thread tools and selecting Mark this thread as solved.


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## Purno (Jun 8, 2009)

*Re: COD4 + Windows 7*



Zealex said:


> Be careful with that, people on the old acer forum I use to go to had used a modded driver and boiled their GPU:grin: Is your GPU always very hot and do you know its temp?Maybe the temp damaged your GPU cause I think when it gets to hot things expand and don't Aline as well anymore. CPUID hardware monitor can be downloaded from my sig and is good for temperatures.


When I was playing 3 minutes cod4, the temperature of my GPU was 74 degrees. Is that a bad thing?

EDIT
10 minutes = 79 degrees


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## Zealex (Nov 30, 2008)

*Re: COD4 + Windows 7*

you checked that with CPUID hwmonitor?


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## Purno (Jun 8, 2009)

*Re: COD4 + Windows 7*



Zealex said:


> you checked that with CPUID hwmonitor?


Yes I did!


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## Zealex (Nov 30, 2008)

*Re: COD4 + Windows 7*

Hmm I don't think so and also someone said on the old acer forum of mine that CPUID is a bit inaccurate. 
I think a bit higher you might want to start worrying :grin:Um, do you clean/dust your laptop regularly?


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## Indoril Nerevar (Jan 7, 2006)

*Re: COD4 + Windows 7*



Purno said:


> My videocard can use up to 768mb (shared memory), but its 256mb at the moment. Any idea where I can use the full 768mb GPU (shared) memory? I always have enough memory left, but I think my GPU could use some!


The option to change shared memory should be located in your system BIOS. Restart your system, and keep tapping DEL to open the BIOS. Each BIOS is different, so I'm not 100% sure exactly where the option will be, but it should be clearly labelled. On my laptop, it's on the first screen, but on others it's often a little more hidden. When you've changed the setting, make sure you select "save and exit" when leaving the BIOS.


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## -WOLF- (Jan 17, 2009)

*Re: COD4 + Windows 7*



Indoril Nerevar said:


> The option to change shared memory should be located in your system BIOS. Restart your system, and keep tapping DEL to open the BIOS. .


Sometimes it is F1 to bring up the BIOS
It may say Settings and not BIOS, it's the same thing.


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## Purno (Jun 8, 2009)

There is no option such as that in the bios, so I think it's sharing the memory by its own, at least, that's what I think.

I just got my brand new pc!

I'm using windows 7 64bit and with cod4 I needed to plug in a microphone, or else CoD4 was crashing!! (What a bug, lol  )

What do you think about my pc btw?

Specs:
MSI 790GX-G65 (FX specs are almost the same, I'm not an overclocker, so FX would be waste of cash, there was no X available at the time)
AMD Phenom II x4 955
Ati HD 4870 1GB
4gb ddr II memory.


Anything else I need to play new games? (I can max out cod4 on 1900x1200, textures extra, AA x4 and still have 250fps)


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## Tiber Septim (Feb 9, 2006)

What Power Supply are you using in the new system?


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## Purno (Jun 8, 2009)

Tiber Septim said:


> What Power Supply are you using in the new system?


CoolerMaster CM620.

I should be able to get another 4870, to run CF, with that PSU, right?


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## -WOLF- (Jan 17, 2009)

While CoolerMaster does make good quality PSUs, there are better brands, if you're looking to run dual 4870's in CrossFire you should look at an 800 W Corsair or Thermaltake Toughpower PSU


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## Purno (Jun 8, 2009)

5NIPER_WOLF said:


> While CoolerMaster does make good quality PSUs, there are better brands, if you're looking to run dual 4870's in CrossFire you should look at an 800 W Corsair or Thermaltake Toughpower PSU


Lol, excuse me, but this just makes me laugh...

Please, if you have no understanding of what you are about to say, please, do not give anyone advice. 

Coolermaster is an A brand, just like Corsair or Thermaltake, and indeed, Corsair and Thermaltake produce PSUs with even better efficiency. But two 4870s in crossfire setup do NOT use more than 480W on max. load. With 800W you could be running 2x Sli + i7 without any problem. 800W is total overkill.

I know what you are about to do now, giving me the link where the manufacturer points out that 800W is needed. Manufacturers do that because they do not want to be responsible if someone uses a Sweex power supply.


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## Tiber Septim (Feb 9, 2006)

Yes, Coolermaster are a good brand, but 5NIPER is quite right.
You said yourself, two 4870's need 480 on maximum load. What about the rest of your computer? Did you add 30% to account for capacitor aging? Did you account for heat? Higher temps mean lower output.
And it is not just the wattage that is important. Higher wattage units generally have a single high amperage +12v rail, which is where most of the power draw is in newer computers.
Your unit, for example, has three +12v rails with 19amps on each rail. The problem there is that they never specify whether it is multiple independant rails or current limited rails derived from one single rail. If it is current limited then you run into all sorts of problems if your system is drawing too much.


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## -WOLF- (Jan 17, 2009)

The fact is, when buying a PSU there are many factors you have to rule in, along with what Tiber said, there is also the probability of future upgrades, which would most likely use more power.


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## Purno (Jun 8, 2009)

Tiber Septim said:


> Yes, Coolermaster are a good brand, but 5NIPER is quite right.
> You said yourself, two 4870's need 480 on maximum load. What about the rest of your computer? Did you add 30% to account for capacitor aging? Did you account for heat? Higher temps mean lower output.
> And it is not just the wattage that is important. Higher wattage units generally have a single high amperage +12v rail, which is where most of the power draw is in newer computers.
> Your unit, for example, has three +12v rails with 19amps on each rail. The problem there is that they never specify whether it is multiple independant rails or current limited rails derived from one single rail. If it is current limited then you run into all sorts of problems if your system is drawing too much.


480w on full load is a stress test of at least 2 hours with an QX9770. And indeed, I do know that it's not abuot wattage but about the efficiency + the ampage on the +12v rails.

Still, I'm pretty sure my system would be running normal, without any problems, with a 620W CM.

The only issue that's left, is the heat that the 2 4870's will create, since they are hotheads.


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## Purno (Jun 8, 2009)

5NIPER_WOLF said:


> The fact is, when buying a PSU there are many factors you have to rule in, along with what Tiber said, there is also the probability of future upgrades, which would most likely use more power.


Yep, 100% right about that.

Count with me by the way, each 4870 can consume up to 175W when they are fully stressed.. According to what Tiber said, that would be 2x175x1.3 = 455W on full load.

I'm not even sure if I will even buy another 4870, if it will reach under the 100€ barriere, I'll buy another one. If it's not going to reach that price, I will just be waiting for the 5xxx series.


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## -WOLF- (Jan 17, 2009)

You could also buy one 4870X2


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## Indoril Nerevar (Jan 7, 2006)

Purno said:


> Count with me by the way, each 4870 can consume up to 175W when they are fully stressed.. According to what Tiber said, that would be 2x175x1.3 = 455W on full load.


Yes, but what about the rest of your system? Also, you don't want your power supply running at full load all the time, because that will wear it out more quickly. Click on "Power Supply Information" in my signature, and read the thread you're taken to. It's long, but it's very interesting, and very eye-opening, as well as being extremely important.


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## Purno (Jun 8, 2009)

Indoril Nerevar said:


> Yes, but what about the rest of your system? Also, you don't want your power supply running at full load all the time, because that will wear it out more quickly. Click on "Power Supply Information" in my signature, and read the thread you're taken to. It's long, but it's very interesting, and very eye-opening, as well as being extremely important.


Again, this is including the total system. Thanks for the link though, I find it very interesting. And you are right about not willing to let my PSU running at full load all the time. Yet, I still think 620W is more than enough, by far.

Lets say the system will run @ 500W instead of 450 or 480, lets say I have a bad batch and the efficiency is like 85%, it still will deliver enough power. But again, the full load on my PSU all the time is the problem.

Buying a 4870x2 is not an option, sometimes 2 4870CF even outperform the 4870x2, and I already have 1 4870


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## Indoril Nerevar (Jan 7, 2006)

You should look at the UBER Ultimate Professional Gaming Class section on that thread, and choose a power supply from the ones listed in that category. Consider how much money you could save by spending a little extra to begin with. If you underpower your system, your components _will_ end up damaged. You will not be able to get them fixed under warranty, as the mistake of underpowering them was yours.

Got to this site and enter all your system specs. *Be sure not to leave anything out.* When finished, click the Calculate button, and add 30%. That will give you a base minimum to work with. With my sample specs for your system (based on what you've posted plus things you'll require, like a hard drive), I got 513W, which equals about 670W at 130%. If you don't get at least that when you calculate, you've missed something. Make sure you set capacitor aging to 25% or more, because you'll be wanting the system to last a couple of years, I expect. So at the very least, you should be getting a 700W.

Take a look at the specs under "My System" on the left. Specifically, take a look at the power supply.

Lastly, I have a question for you: which component do you think is the most important in your system? Which one plays the biggest part?


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