Graphics Card Memory

[Bourno8971]

Hi,
i have recently been looking to buy a new graphics card for my computer, i am currently using an on board Nvidia Geforce 6150SE Which does the job for my current games but as im am looking toward releases such as the sims 3 and the new Empire Total War game i am looking to improve.

I am currently looking at the reasonably priced Nvidia Geforce 8600 GTS, i am beginning to get to grips with the ins and outs of graphics cards but does the memory type of the graphics card eg. DDR3 have to match with your computers memory (ddr2)? Also is the graphics card mentioned, one that is recommended or should i be looking elsewhere?

Thanks for your time

adam =)

[Atomic Rooster]

Welcome to the forum!

The memory on the video card works independently of the system memory. It does not need to match.

The 8600GTS is pretty much a lower end card these days, but it will make a nice improvement over your current on-board graphics.

If you could post the specs of your system, how much you're willing to spend, and the types of games you will be playing, we could help you with your video card selection.

[Bourno8971]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atomic Rooster

Welcome to the forum!

The memory on the video card works independently of the system memory. It does not need to match.

The 8600GTS is pretty much a lower end card these days, but it will make a nice improvement over your current on-board graphics.

If you could post the specs of your system, how much you're willing to spend, and the types of games you will be playing, we could help you with your video card selection.

I had a feeling u may say that but ok will do =). i have downloaded cpu-z but am unsure what i need to copy down from the text or html dump? it just reads numbers and letters to me :S

(by the way i love the mike animation for your avatar i work at the disney store and whilst i do like disney i can never escape it haha)

[Atomic Rooster]

If your computer is a prebuilt system such as a Dell, just post the make and model number. We can do the rest.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bourno8971

(by the way i love the mike animation for your avatar i work at the disney store and whilst i do like disney i can never escape it haha)

Thanks. I shrunk him down from a wallpaper found on the Monsters Inc site, and with help from one of the fine members here, we got him animated.

[Bourno8971]

no its not im afraid heres the info i can give you from my hardware properties:

AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5000+
2.61 GHz, 1.93 GB of Ram

[Atomic Rooster]

That's a good start.

Download and run this nifty little app: PC WIZARD 2008

It well tell you everything you need to know about the insides of your computer. The main thing we need to know the motherboard model. If you can open the case up, have a look at the sticker on the side of the power supply and tell us what it says.

[Bourno8971]

Mainboard : Unspecified NF-MCP61
Chipset : nVidia 6100V
Processor : AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ @ 2600 MHz
Physical Memory : 2048 MB (2 x 1024 DDR2-SDRAM )
Video Card : NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE
Hard Disk : Hitachi (250 GB)

This is all the information from my Power Supply sticker:

450W
+3V +5V +12V -5V -12V +5vsb
28A 28A 19A 0.5 A 0.5A 2.0A

The power supply is something i would also be able to consider improving should i need to though =) as long as it didnt burn too much of a hole in the pocket

Sorry im still new to all these bits of info you need so if theres anything else there you need just tell me. =)


Id be looking tp spend an absolute maximum of between 100-120 GB pounds (sorry i need to configure my keyboard and currently have no pound sign haha! =D ) Just because of only recently spending money on improving my system. Id be looking to play games such as the new Empire Total War, Sims 3 and World In Conflict.

[cksboy15]

Dell actually puts a PSU above 350 watts in a computer

Wel anyway a 450watt PSU will run you a huge selection of video cards so you don't really have to worry about power. Though if you buy an expensive one you might want to look into getting a better quality one, but if you don't your pretty much got enough power.

[Atomic Rooster]

For about the same price as the 8600GTS, you could get an HD 4650 that will perform much better: HIS Hightech Radeon HD 4650 512MB

[Aaron_8015]

Sapphire ATI Radeon HD4670 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/DVI PCI-Express - Retail : novatech.co.uk : SAP-4670

Heres a link for a 4670 (proberly the max your PSU will run) from a uk site which I have used before