Source games: Characters not opening their mouths when they talk

[Clearwater]

Okay, I've been meaning to ask this for a little while, but I never got around to it.

Whenever I play a game that runs on Source, I notice that on my computer, when a character talks, he or she
never seems to open their mouth. For me, it's not a major problem, but it's seems to wierd to be looking
at someone who has their mouth superglued shut, yet they can still talk without a problem. I've noticed this
mostly when I play TF2 or Half-Life 2. Does anyone know why? In case it's a question of specs, the following
are the specs on my computer:

Intel 2.66 Ghz Processor
NVidia GeForce 4200, 64MB of RAM (Or something like that)
1 GB of RAM (I'm gonna get some more in the future)

[Ori]

I used to have this issue if I set the model quality to Low. What's your video quality setup? Have you tried changing it to Medium or High on model quality?

[Arashikage]

I would recommend just getting a whole new system, based on the(incomplete) specs you brought up.  It doesn't seem like you could run source games in high enough quality to see things like mouths moving IE with your model quality set anywhere that's not low.  Just upgrading your RAM won't cut it, you need to change out that graphics card too, and judging by how out of date this system is, it'd be less of a headache to start from scratch than it would be to upgrade each individual part.  

 

What kind of processor do you have?  Is it a single core, or a dual core?  What kind of RAM do you have?  DDR1, DDR2, DDR3?

[Clearwater]

I can't really afford any new hardware right now (But I have asked for a new graphics card for my birthday; I'm
hoping I get one which supports Pixel Shader 3). As for the RAM, I have no idea on knowing what it is, but seeing how
my computer slows down quite badly when it quits out of Source games, I would say it's DDR1.

I was also having a chat with my friend Eyebo the other day when I was on plug.dj and raised that problem. He said
it might be something to do with my DirectX, because I have DX 11 installed, but my Source games aren't detecting the
new installation and thinks it's only DX8, so it uses the version of DX bult in the game, which is DX 10.

[DZComposer]

Run this: http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

It will tell you exactly what hardware is in your computer.

We need the CPU model, RAM type, and Graphics card.

[Clearwater]

We need the CPU model, RAM type, and Graphics card.

 

Intel 2.66 Ghz Processor

NVidia GeForce 4200, 64MB of RAM (Or something like that)

1 GB of RAM (I'm gonna get some more in the future)

[Arashikage]

That's not the CPU model RAM type or graphics card though, we need exact specs not "Or something like that"

 

Intel 2.66 GHz processor says absolutely nothing except your speed and manufacturer.  How many cores does it have, what model processor is it?  Is it an i5?  Is it a Core 2 Duo?  Is it a Celeron?  A Pentium?

 

And 1GB is not what type of RAM you have, do you have DDR1, DDR2 or DDR3?  We can't use speculation or "I think it's DDR1 because it's slow," we need exact specs.  I recommend using the program DZ linked you to and reading off everything it says in the tabs for RAM and processor.  

[Clearwater]

Alright, I'll check the program out, but I can't do it until this coming weekend. I hate my busy life right now.

 

EDIT: I've just downloaded it, I'll upload a screenshot of my (full) specs it says tomorrow at some point.

[Clearwater]

Okay guys, here are my specs:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gfztljw89pmqru6/COMPUTER-2610.txt

[DZComposer]

Summarized:

CPU a single-core 2.6GHz Pentium 4. This CPU launched in Aug. 2002.

RAM is 1GB (512x2) PC3200 DDR1.

Vidcard is an MSI Geforce Ti 4200. This vidcard launched in 2002.

Basically, this machine is 12-year-old tech.

Yeah, you're not going to get much performance out of this thing. The tech in this thing was 5 years old when TF2 launched. I would chalk the issue up to your computer can't handle more than what you're getting.

I advise looking over logicalincrements (http://www.logicalincrements.com/) if you can spare the cash. Even the lower tiers will out-perform that machine.

I would highly recommend a new build over just adding RAM. DDR1 RAM is hard to find these days, unless you want to trawl the used electronics market. New DDR1 RAM is expensive because it is not made in large quantities anymore with DDR3 being the current standard and DDR4 on the horizon (the goal is to put DDR4 on the market this year).

Not to mention the hard drive. 12 years is getting about to the end of the useful life of most consumer-grade HDDs.

[LazerMaster5]

I recommend keeping your eyes peeled for deals at places like Microcenter. That is where I got the parts to build my computer last year. I got a sick high-end build for about 1500 total, but a decent computer can be made for much less.

[Arashikage]

Yes, 100% you definitely need a new computer.  Don't waste money on buying more RAM, because it will do absolutely nothing useful for you.  

[DZComposer]

I got a sick high-end build for about 1500 total, but a decent computer can be made for much less.

That Logical Increments site is full of great builds for any budget. You can't buy parts there, but it will tell you what components to get in order to get the most performance out of your budget.

http://www.logicalincrements.com/

I wish I had a resource like it when I started building PCs.

I advise building at the Entry level or above.

[Clearwater]

Well, like I said, I can't really afford parts for my computer right now, so I'm just gonna have to make do with what i've

got. My computer runs all games that doesn't need Pixel Shader 3 all right, but some have better frame rates than others.

 

EDIT: So what graphics card do you guys think I need to fix the original problem?

[Arashikage]

EDIT: So what graphics card do you guys think I need to fix the original problem?

One your system can't handle. Upgrading is really the only thing you can do for this

[DZComposer]

Yeah, the only AGP vidcards still on the market won't be much of an upgrade from what you have.

You're better off putting that money aside and saving up to build a new machine.

IP lookup says you're in Europe. You can build a decent machine for about €360. It won't be future-proof, but you'll be able to play today's games.