Graphics Card

Question

Well I'm fairly new to graphics card so have no idea really on what to purchase. Bascially I know I need a good one for 3D images on games such as SecondLife and Sims and the like.   So basically what would be the minimum go to for on a PCI card, is Geforce the better or ATI Radeon and which one.   Any ideas anyone.   I am considering purchasing Dimension E520 or maybe Dimension 3100 with windows xp home edition.   thank you.

Nisa51 · Answer

Thats interesting what you say about the 3100 integrated graphics. I have a dell laptop with integrated which is accelerator 900 and that doesn't cope.

naz_400r · Answer

well the games you speak of arent the most graphic intensive games, i think the integrated graphics you get in the 3100 shoud be sufficient. in terms of graphics cards, GeForce and Radeon are just a range of graphics cards and there are different models within that range. If you did want to get a card then a basic entry level card would more than suffice, say an ati x300..i have an atix600 and its capable of playing most of the latest games.

SR45 · Answer

Integrated video will not play some games at all or not very well depending on the games played.  You can get either the PCI slot 6200 card, or PCI slot X1300 card.  This card also comes in the   1X pci -express slot that your system will accept.  About the best you can do, and it will play Sims 2 well enough   FX 5500 pci slot card 6200 PCI slot card ( Driver 84.21 reported to work well with the video card ) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814161017  1X PCI-Express card to look at. http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html  A performance chart on some cards that you may wish to look at   Dim 4400 2.6 Ghz 400 FSB 1 Gb 2100 DDR memory Windows XP Home 17 inch 1703 FP monitor XFX 7800 GS O/C AGP ( 91.47 driver ) 16x DVD-R 410 watt ( PcPower&Cooling ) PC-Cillon Internet Security Message Edited by SR45 on 10-06-2006 11:44 AM

naz_400r · Answer

or you may as well buy a graphics card separate! silly me eh..:smileysad:

naz_400r · Answer

what spec is your laptop? i did a little research...the integrated graphics are tested here:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/chipsets/display/i915g_12.html

they are tested on the latest and most demanding games and they work..sort of. Also system requirements for the sims 2 say:

If you have a non-T&L capable video card (such as TNT2 or Intel Integrated for example) then you need at least:
2.0 GHz processor
256 MB RAM if Windows XP
128 MB RAM if Windows ME, Windows 98, or Windows 2000
At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space

your 3100 has the above so thats why i said integrated graphics should SUFFICE..if you want proper graphics power then the next best thing after 3100 (350 pounds) is the c521 which is around 420 pounds and you benefit from free double memory and free shipping..but thats another topic!

Nisa51 · Answer

Hi Naz 400 I was intending to buy a graphics card and not integrated anyway, hence my original question which is the best to go for. As I mentioned I haven't decided on which desktop to have its still confusing which model Dim E520 or 5150 and not sure if this latter model has now been superceded by the E520. !   I assume as long as the pc has PCI slot then there is no problem to what graphics card to insert as long as its PCI, I assume.   My laptop is only Inspiron 1300 with a processor speed of 1.6 has plenty of space on HD and my ram is only 256 so I would predict this is the reason for not accessing Secondlife very well. My laptop I think has outlived some of its functions now hence a desktop is now a must.

naz_400r · Answer

in that case i suggest you look to purchase a computer not just with gaming in mind but for the future as well. i think you should be looking for pciexpress x16 instead of pci x1. in terms of desktops, nothing has superceded anything! dell just love to change the model names around so you think that! for example a few years back i bought a dimension 5000 and last month i purchased a dimension 5150 through ebay and its still the same computer! that then changed to e510 and now it is e520! Although now they are shipping with AMD processors instead of Intel. I think an e521 would be the perfect machine for now, it will more than quench your thirst for performance. Also in the future you would still be able to easily upgrade and right now you are getting free double memory and free shipping with it, 19' monitor and 250GB hard drive which at 489 pounds is relatively cheap. but i suggest you hold your horses and not rush straight in, search ebay! you could find the same system on there less 100 pounds, i did! btw are you in UK or US..if you really want a dell i could help you look...

Nisa51 · Answer

Hi Naz I'm in the uk, and the E520 I think its the 520 with Intel had crossed my mind, done their usual custom to buy and its this one that keeps cropping up, and as you said the 5150 seems to be the same machine.   I also looked on ebay, a little confused as they do not come with monitors, its tower, keyboard and mouse I  believe. Is there one that comes with a good graphics as well that would be handy, I have no idea how to insert a graphics card have never done anything like that before only had my first pc which is the one I have now since April.  So as you can imagine I somewhat a little green. But don't want to pay over the top as you said, seems a good buy on ebay.   Dell also have an outlet shop on ebay as well, but they don't list features and I assume that the auction is just for the tower.   Many thanks for your help on this very kind of you.   I think my minimum requirements would be 3.0 processor 1gb RAM 160 HD PCI express x 16 CD andDVD RW Graphics I think a minimum of Geforce 7600 GT   Message Edited by Nisa51 on 10-06-2006 01:19 PM

SR45 · Answer

Its better to go with the E520 with the new Conroe core 2 duo cpu, which is faster than the Pent D cpu's for the most part. The E520 also comes with a pci-express slot, not the pci slot for video cards that the Dim 3100 has for a graphic card upgrade. Its very easy to install a new video card at some later date, and many here can assist you in doing do. Takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. If you are planning on gaming, stay away from the integrated video chip, and go for the pci-express ( newer technology ) video cards for future proofing your system to last a number of years.

The E520 comes with either the 7300 LE card or the X1300 card, both of which are low ended for gaming, but better than any integrated video chip, and you will want to upgrade those cards at some early date, to play games with more eye candy turned up. The better card to have is the nVidia 7600 GT pci-express card, that is not too expensive and mid level gaming. Remember one thing, many of the video cards come in either pci-express, agp or even pci. Make sure you get the right card for what ever system you get, and don't make the same mistake that some have made in getting the wrong slot card... Ask us first if you have to

Dim 4400
2.6 Ghz 400 FSB
1 Gb 2100 DDR memory
Windows XP Home
17 inch 1703 FP monitor
XFX 7800 GS O/C AGP ( 91.47 driver )
16x DVD-R
410 watt ( PcPower&Cooling )
PC-Cillon Internet Security

Message Edited by SR45 on 10-06-2006 02:54 PM

Nisa51 · Answer

Thank you SR45 you have answered some of my queries there thank you. So the E520 is faster than E521 with intel. I thought the 7300 card was a lower grade one, and to make sure its an PCI express card. I'm getting there slowly but surely.

SR45 · Answer

Yes, the New Intel Conroe cpu's are now faster, cooler than many of the AMD cpu's, and the Pent D 3.0 ghz cpu's as well.  The E6400 cpu offered on the E520 can be upgraded later to the faster E6600 or even E6700 cpu, but the graphic card is the most important part for gaming, and even though the 7300 LE, and  X1300 pci-express slot cards offered on that system are lower ended, you can upgrade it to even a better faster gaming card later on when funds become available.    Each week  ( Thursday afternoon ) Dell has promotions, and or coupons that will lower the system costs or give different add on components for free, but this will start to end within months, since Dell is going to start a different kind of pricing structure.

Nisa51 · Answer

Thanks SR45, must say I have never noticed the promotions on Thursday afternoons, nor the coupons to lower the cost, must be looking in the wrong place on web site for UK.

Nisa51 · Answer

Typical, maybe a bit of old fashioned bargaining may do the trick!! Worth a go.

SR45 · Answer

UK guys are somewhat out of luck.  We get them here in the USA.

CybrGuy · Answer

I've been ready to pull the trigger on a new box for a week or two, but have been holding off for a price reduction on a XPS 410. The price reduction didn't happen, but this news from MS is now holding me off till the end of the month, or whenever Dell applies it. http://tinyurl.com/mft3q

I've been arguing with myself on what to do with video, and have finally figured out my plan. I am not a big gamer, but I do like cool and probably will play an occasional game. Dell's card options are either underpowered or too much money. The 7300LE shares system RAM, which is never a good choice (opinion) but is the base card. I've decided to go with that card to save $$ and go out and buy the Raedon X1650 (ATI) or the Sapphire clone of that card, which should be available on the street for something like $120. It's a 2 headed card, which will be nice for general computer use, and should have enough power for any gaming I'm likely to do, without breaking the bank. It is better reviewed than Dell's $200 upgrade and is likely to run cooler.

That's my $.02

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Graphics Card

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