Video card upgrade

[QC]

My 13 YO old is a gamer and I want to upgrade his computer for Xmas. Pentium 4, 512MB DRAM, XP Home, and a built in 128MB Video accelerator. I have three available PCI slots. I am confused about PCIe and PCI. Most I read is ambiguous, but I believe I must get a PCI card, not AGP or PCIe, PCI. Is this accurate? Any suggestions? I'm thinking of a ATI Radeon 256MB. Should I be concerned about cooling? Is $85 about right?

I was also gonna add another 512MB of RAM with 2 more 256MB DIMMs. Is there any advantage to using 2x256 vs. 1x512? I have the slots available to go either way.

 

[tommays]

Re: Video card upgrade

http://www.tomshardware.com/ Tells all about all the upgrades and your ROI

Tommays

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Video card upgrade

[colour=blue]X box. Done.

 

[tommays]

Re: Video card upgrade

I would have to add as a gamer and 37 patches of Quake later and punkbuster software and all the other crap

I also got tired of upgradeing and went X-BOX and never looked back and saved a whole lot of money



Tommays

 

[QC]

Re: Video card upgrade

He plays World of Warcraft on-line. I think I'm fooked . . .

My biggest concern is PCI slot compatibility. I'll check out the link tommays.

 

[KaGee]

Re: Video card upgrade

You need an AGP slot not PCI QC. Any video cards you find in PCI format will be old technology and slow.

The latest motherboards have even done away with the AGP slot in favor of PCI Express.

I have a third party version of the RADEON 9600. It works very well for what I do with pictures and video.

The headache of PC-Gaming is the collusion of the game designers and card builders. You always need the latest and greatest video card every time a new popular game comes out. It's a nver ending cycle.

Like Aldo said... XBox! That's the way to go for "serious" gaming without a complete hardware upgrade everytime a new game comes out.

If you find what you need, NEWEGG dot com is the place to go to purchase it.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: Video card upgrade

Here's how you tell if you have PCI express or AGP:

http://www.crucial.com/library/pcie_agp.asp

Naturally, it's been a long time since anyone made a video card to fit a standard PCI slot, so forget about them. PCI express is better than AGP which is better than the old standard PCI.

ATI will be fine as long as you're running Microsoft OSs. It would be best if you first found out what card is in the computer right now.

 

[QC]

Re: Video card upgrade

Thanks Paul, that removed the ambiguity. That was what I thought, but frankly when I read a number of sites yesterday they were really not clear . . .

Well . . . I actually thought I could get him a little better performance by sticking with the PCI slots. I ain't got no stinkin' choice with this Motherboard. I get it that the preferred method would be either a new Motherboard, XBox (didn't realise before this that it was an online gaming option) or new PC, but I guess I assumed I could improve his experience some with a new card. He plays all the time now with his existing, internal "Intel Graphics Media Accelerator w/ up to128MB" video deal, it just "lags" a little and I continue to try and instill in these guys that new is not always better, although in this case it seems like it really is.

Soooo, if I want to marginally increase his video performance, will an outdated PCI card help or actually hinder?

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: Video card upgrade

Oh, that sounds like an integrated video chip (that is to say, built right into the motherboard) like the Intel GMA 900. Those couldn't come close to competing with ATI or NVIDIA even when they were new. Check to see if you don't have an AGP or PCIe slot (not the regular long white ones). If you do, then you simply disable the integrated video and plug in a new card. If there is no AGP or PCIe slot you have no upgrade path, so a new motherboard would be in order.

Trust me, you do not want a regular PCI video card. As bad as an integrated Intel video chip is, it's better than an old PCI one.

Is there any hope of getting the model # of the motherboard?


The trick to gaming without going to the poorhouse is to stay off the (b)leading edge. Play games that have been out for 6 months or a year and don't get hooked into the new releases hype.

 

[tommays]

Re: Video card upgrade

QC that's and Intel graphic D - accelerator you have and really is about the slowest thing every made in recent times



Tommays

 

[QC]

Re: Video card upgrade

It's an ASUS PTGD1-LA

The video deal is built in and it is a 900. Sorry missed that. I feel like one of the guys on the Prop forum who doesn't understand why he nees to post his WOT RPM . . . :=

Motherboard link

 

[tommays]

Re: Video card upgrade

Expansion slots

* Three PCI
* No AGP slot SOL

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...deo+card&Submit=ENE&N=0&Ntk=all&Go.x=0&Go.y=0

There are a few in the 80 dollar range that would help a bit

Tommays

 

[QC]

Re: Video card upgrade

Thanks. Just for fun look back at my first post . . . Maybe I don't feel like the guy in the prop forum after all 8)

Is the additonal memory a good idea? I'll probably keep that PC for a little while and it'll eventually migrate to the wife as she's still figuring out email etc. She just learned how to print out a recipe . . . Hers is an even bigger POS, she gets what nobody else will use.

 

[KaGee]

Re: Video card upgrade

QC... the lag may have nothing to do with the video.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Video card upgrade

He plays World of Warcraft on-line.

Ohhhhh. Brother.
You are in trouble. Around my school, once they start warcraft they cannot stop. They are addicted. It gets them into trouble both at home and at school. As you said, you are fooked.

 

[QC]

Re: Video card upgrade

Yup. 18 YO too . . . :%

KaGee,

I don't believe it is connection speed, there is an indicator on WoW that shows how strong his transfer rate is and that appears to be reasonable. Other ideas?

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Video card upgrade

[colour=blue]Warcraft and red alert. I tried playing both onlline and got my ass handed to me on a silver platter. Those kids are good!

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Video card upgrade

[colour=blue]

Other ideas?

Show them the HOTD thread, maybe that'll take their minds off warcraft

 

[QC]

Re: Video card upgrade

Best idea yet Aldo. Cheaper too . . .

 

[KaGee]

Re: Video card upgrade

Yup. 18 YO too . . . :%

KaGee,

I don't believe it is connection speed, there is an indicator on WoW that shows how strong his transfer rate is and that appears to be reasonable. Other ideas?

Your connection speed isn't necessarily the problem. If you are on cable, you share your connection with however many people are on your branch. That can place a draw on your speed during times of high use.

But other factors play into it as well. Just one person with a bad connection can screw up the game for the others. Also, your ISP may have settings that the game servers don't get along with causing some lag.

If it were me and the plan was to stick with a PC as my gaming machine, I would upgrade my motherboard. You may be able to find a mobo that will accept your CPU and RAM. What type RAM do you have? SDRAM or DDRRAM? If it's SDRAM you are basically screwed with re-using it.

I just bought my boy a new mobo and processor for his Christmas present. I got him an Athlon64 3200 along with a Biostar mobo that has on-board N-Vidia 6100Fx video and audio. Also has PCI Express sockets if he ever wants to upgrade video. He still has to buy RAM as his is SDRAM and I recommend he upgrade the power supply too. The mobo and cpu ran me $120 shipped from NEWEGG.

However, another question I have for you to find out is... 1) is the DELL case a standard ATX format or is it something proprietary? 2) Will the DELL Windows XP software allow you to swap to another 3rd party mobo?