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Graphics Card & Memory Upgrade for Vostro 200 Mini Tower
I want to upgrade to a video card which supports 1280 x 800 display with open GL 2 (at minimum), 16-bit color, and 1GB VRAM. My system currently has an Intel G33/G31 Express Chipset Family installed.
I also want to upgrade from a 32-bit to 64-bit operating system with 4MB RAM. I currently use Windows 7 Ultimate.
Can anyone help by recommending suitable and compatible hardware (medium to lower high-end)?
Mary G
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April 5th, 2014 13:00
You could add a half height video card (small case requires half height) but you would need to upgrade the power supply. Your processor might not be able to run 64bits. Look at System in Control Panel and it will say if the processor is 64 bit capable.Since this is an older computer that you should think about replacing soon, don't spend a lot of money on upgrading. A vostro is a business computer and not good for gaming or upgrading. Adding extra memory if you have open slots would be a good idea and not cost too much. Get it from Crucial-- HERE. They guarantee it will work. The max memory is 4GB.
rdunnill
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April 5th, 2014 15:00
The Sapphire 6450 is a budget card, but it's much faster and more capable than the onboard graphics.For a little more performance at a little more cost, there's the Sapphire 6570. Meanwhile, I'd suggest a 2x2gb pair of G.SKILL PC6400 memory; 2x4gb kits are available, but they're much more expensive. I've installed the G.SKILL memory in a Vostro 220s, Dimension 3100 and Studio 540s, with excellent results.
If you don't have a Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit install disk, you can download an image and either burn it to DVD or use it to create a bootable flash drive installer.
AFAIK all the Intel CPUs of the 200's era were 64-bit. In the unlikely event that yours is not, you can buy a used 64-bit CPU on eBay for a nominal sum. As for graphics performance, the G31 is very limited, and a $40 discrete video card will handily outperform it.