I dont know where to start.

Korndogg · 07-14-2005, 12:58 PM

Ok. I have a Dell Dimension 3000 as my backup computer and I want to start to use it for games. I just ordered 1GB of memory and I just bought a DVD drive/burner because some of the games I want to play, you need a DVD player. Now I think its time to upgrade the video card. One of the games I want to play needs Pixel Shading. I Have no previous knowledge of video cards. Any help would be appreciated. I also dont have tons of money for a super expensive one either lol.

Luk07 · 07-14-2005, 01:23 PM

Well the best gfx card at the moment as far as i am concerned in ways of price and power is the geforce 6 6600GT, i have one and it can run any game that exists at the moment on full detail with 40-60fps. I'm sure you know how impressive that is, though it is combined with my other pc specs (1024mb RAM, 3000+ athlon-64~2.0ghz). before you buy you should make sure your power supply is enough to run it as it can take alot of power but really it should be enough. Can you tell me other pc specs please?

Korndogg · 07-14-2005, 01:36 PM

will be getting 1GB memory, Pentium 4, 2.8GHz hmmmm what else do you need cause thats all I really know lol.

**myquitehead** · 07-14-2005, 01:52 PM

case, motherboard, cpu (processor), gpu (graphics card), hdd (hard drive), ram, psu (power supply), sound card, cd drives, floppy, keyboard mouse etc.. oh yea operating system

your cpu, motherboard, and ram all have to be compatible, and your motherboard needs to have an agp slot to use most of the cards out right now

Korndogg · 07-14-2005, 02:13 PM

motherboard-Name-Dell Dimension 3000
Bus Width- 64 bit
Real clock- 167MHz
Effective Clock- 333MHz

Processor-Pentium 4 2800MHz

Graphics Card- Intel 82865G Graphics Controller (96 MB)

hard drive- WDC WD400BB-75JHA0 (37 GB, IDE)

RAM- Going to have 1GB (2 512's)

Power supply- I dont know where to find that.

Sound Card-Intel 82801EB ICH5 - AC'97 Audio Controller

CD drive-SONY DVD RW DRU-800A

Dell Keyboard, Mouse, and Case.

im running Xp Home SP2......Ok lol I tried my best there. I dont know if any of that is right or not.

**myquitehead** · 07-14-2005, 02:41 PM

If you are going to use your current motherboard then you will need the socket number of your new processor to be the same as the processor that you are taking out of the motherboard. If you go somewhere like newegg.com and search for processors they always have the socket # in the product description. Motherboards have the same thing, and you need to match up the numbers. You will also have to make sure the RAM you buy is in the supported ram list of your motherboard, if you are buying fairly new ddr then you probably don't really have to worry about this much.

Honestly I wouldn't stick with the dell motherboard unless you seriously can't afford another $75 bucks for a good mobo. Of course then if you get rid of your motherboard you have to think about the form factor of the case. Is your computer case an ATX or a Micro?

As for the power supply, it's that big cube shaped thing in the upper rear corner of your case. It should have a wattage writtin on the side. A certain amount of hardware will require a certain Wattage, these days a 400W power supply will be more than enough. Gfx card will effect that too.

Anyway I suppose what card you get is completely dependant on the amount of money you want to spend... and if you want "good" visuals or "awesome" visuals. I think this post is long enough now lol.

Korndogg · 07-14-2005, 02:50 PM

i took a picture before for someone else that was helping me..i dunno if it will help.

and it says 250w max.

**myquitehead** · 07-14-2005, 02:56 PM

Oh it's one of those, haha. You don't have an AGP slot and it's a micro motherboard. If you are bent on using this motherboard you will have to buy a PCI-E graphics card. Most motherboards have on board sound now so unless you want really nice sound (ie never makes any crackle noises) you don't need to buy a sound card. If you get a graphics card I would recommend replacing that power supply too.

This is why I don't like dells anymore. They used to make them so they were easily upgradable. Now if you dont want to use their non-agp micro board you have to buy a new case/mobo/psu, which makes the price shoot up :(

Korndogg · 07-14-2005, 02:59 PM

I just wanna play my games ya know?? I dont want to have to rebuild the whole computer lol. Well, do you recommend any cards and power supplies????

Luk07 · 07-14-2005, 03:06 PM

I already recommended a card 6600GT it is cheap and good, but if quitehead is right and you do have a PCI-E only mobo dont worry cause the 6600GT comes in PCI-E as well as AGP go to http://www.ebuyer.com and you will find some great deals. And if u need a new PSU they are also cheap

**myquitehead** · 07-14-2005, 03:07 PM

The power supply will be easy. Just grab a moderately priced 400 watter off of newegg. If you are going to stay with the Dell mobo then you need to try to find a PCI graphics card. Then it just depends on what price you want to pay. I'll go look for a few examples.

I'm not 100% sure about your computer, try to find out (maybe you have the manual) if it uses PCI-E 16x, or if it can only take PCI.

**myquitehead** · 07-14-2005, 03:18 PM

"But we were miffed to see that the motherboard does not provide an AGP slot for graphics card upgrades. (Although Extreme Graphics 2 is an improvement over Intel's previous integrated graphics chips, it still has limitations.)" hmm nope only PCI, ok that changes things.

Korndogg · 07-14-2005, 03:20 PM

ok...lol i was just about to look through my manual. i just wanna say i appreciate all the help. So is it even gonna be worth me getting a new card and PSU?

**myquitehead** · 07-14-2005, 03:22 PM

I'm by no stretch of the imagination an expert on PCI so be careful what you decide to do. Get some more info before you decide.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814133134

Review for this card on Newegg:

"Way back when, while i was still on PCI - only Mobo, i ended up with this card. Im still going to say this is this best PCI card out there. Runs most games at high or medium settings with things like shadows on and all that...sorry no anti-aliasing haha. This is definiitely the caerd to get if you need a pci card for gaming. Oh yea and OCed on air, I got this thing stable at 337 core\479 memory lol not a bad OC for this card at all...oh and if its any worth, This card scored 234 on 3dmark05 and 267 OCed"

**myquitehead** · 07-14-2005, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Korndogg

ok...lol i was just about to look through my manual. i just wanna say i appreciate all the help. So is it even gonna be worth me getting a new card and PSU?

It's all on your budget. According to one of the reviews (customer reviews), which you can read if you follow the link, this card CAN play half life 2 but with low settings.

The power supply would run you another $40-$60

Korndogg · 07-14-2005, 03:26 PM

i mean...I have no clue when it comes to cards like i said. But i guess I can just look around and figure out what will be best.

**myquitehead** · 07-14-2005, 03:32 PM

You only said you wanted to be able to play games. What games and at what quality? How much money have you allotted for this? I can't give you much more unless I have more information.

If you can spend say $300 MORE than what you already paid for the memory and stuff, then by all means go for a new mobo. This will save you money on upgrading in the future. But if you really just need the bare minimum, then the card I linked you to looks ideal.

Korndogg · 07-14-2005, 03:34 PM

I really dont wanna put much more money into this than I have. Im trying to play Silent Hunter 3 at the moment lol. I found this card too http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1093469970654
Does that one sound good??

All I pretty much want is $100 or less Card and a new Power supply if I need it.

**myquitehead** · 07-14-2005, 03:37 PM

Yup that card looks fine, and it has a minimum 250W requirement so you wouldn't need a new power supply. I would google search "<full card name> review" to compare the cards and see which sounds more ideal for your purposes.

Korndogg · 07-14-2005, 03:39 PM

Will do...If I find any different ones Im gonna post em up before I buy it just to make sure but thanks for all your help.

07-14-2005, 12:58 PM	#1 (permalink)
Korndogg Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Milwaukee, Wi Posts: 13 OS: XP	I dont know where to start. Ok. I have a Dell Dimension 3000 as my backup computer and I want to start to use it for games. I just ordered 1GB of memory and I just bought a DVD drive/burner because some of the games I want to play, you need a DVD player. Now I think its time to upgrade the video card. One of the games I want to play needs Pixel Shading. I Have no previous knowledge of video cards. Any help would be appreciated. I also dont have tons of money for a super expensive one either lol.

07-14-2005, 01:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
Luk07 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Kettering, Northamptonshire, UK Posts: 447 OS: Windows XP Pro SP2 My System	recommendation Well the best gfx card at the moment as far as i am concerned in ways of price and power is the geforce 6 6600GT, i have one and it can run any game that exists at the moment on full detail with 40-60fps. I'm sure you know how impressive that is, though it is combined with my other pc specs (1024mb RAM, 3000+ athlon-64~2.0ghz). before you buy you should make sure your power supply is enough to run it as it can take alot of power but really it should be enough. Can you tell me other pc specs please?

07-14-2005, 01:52 PM	#4 (permalink)
myquitehead TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 572 OS: XP Pro Sp1	case, motherboard, cpu (processor), gpu (graphics card), hdd (hard drive), ram, psu (power supply), sound card, cd drives, floppy, keyboard mouse etc.. oh yea operating system your cpu, motherboard, and ram all have to be compatible, and your motherboard needs to have an agp slot to use most of the cards out right now Last edited by myquitehead; 07-14-2005 at 01:54 PM.

07-14-2005, 02:13 PM	#5 (permalink)
Korndogg Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Milwaukee, Wi Posts: 13 OS: XP	motherboard-Name-Dell Dimension 3000 Bus Width- 64 bit Real clock- 167MHz Effective Clock- 333MHz Processor-Pentium 4 2800MHz Graphics Card- Intel 82865G Graphics Controller (96 MB) hard drive- WDC WD400BB-75JHA0 (37 GB, IDE) RAM- Going to have 1GB (2 512's) Power supply- I dont know where to find that. Sound Card-Intel 82801EB ICH5 - AC'97 Audio Controller CD drive-SONY DVD RW DRU-800A Dell Keyboard, Mouse, and Case. im running Xp Home SP2......Ok lol I tried my best there. I dont know if any of that is right or not. Last edited by Korndogg; 07-14-2005 at 02:17 PM.

07-14-2005, 03:06 PM	#10 (permalink)
Luk07 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Kettering, Northamptonshire, UK Posts: 447 OS: Windows XP Pro SP2 My System	recommendation I already recommended a card 6600GT it is cheap and good, but if quitehead is right and you do have a PCI-E only mobo dont worry cause the 6600GT comes in PCI-E as well as AGP go to http://www.ebuyer.com and you will find some great deals. And if u need a new PSU they are also cheap

07-14-2005, 01:36 PM	#3 (permalink)
Korndogg Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Milwaukee, Wi Posts: 13 OS: XP	will be getting 1GB memory, Pentium 4, 2.8GHz hmmmm what else do you need cause thats all I really know lol.

07-14-2005, 02:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
myquitehead TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 572 OS: XP Pro Sp1	If you are going to use your current motherboard then you will need the socket number of your new processor to be the same as the processor that you are taking out of the motherboard. If you go somewhere like newegg.com and search for processors they always have the socket # in the product description. Motherboards have the same thing, and you need to match up the numbers. You will also have to make sure the RAM you buy is in the supported ram list of your motherboard, if you are buying fairly new ddr then you probably don't really have to worry about this much. Honestly I wouldn't stick with the dell motherboard unless you seriously can't afford another $75 bucks for a good mobo. Of course then if you get rid of your motherboard you have to think about the form factor of the case. Is your computer case an ATX or a Micro? As for the power supply, it's that big cube shaped thing in the upper rear corner of your case. It should have a wattage writtin on the side. A certain amount of hardware will require a certain Wattage, these days a 400W power supply will be more than enough. Gfx card will effect that too. Anyway I suppose what card you get is completely dependant on the amount of money you want to spend... and if you want "good" visuals or "awesome" visuals. I think this post is long enough now lol.

07-14-2005, 02:50 PM	#7 (permalink)
Korndogg Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Milwaukee, Wi Posts: 13 OS: XP	i took a picture before for someone else that was helping me..i dunno if it will help. and it says 250w max.

07-14-2005, 02:56 PM	#8 (permalink)
myquitehead TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 572 OS: XP Pro Sp1	Oh it's one of those, haha. You don't have an AGP slot and it's a micro motherboard. If you are bent on using this motherboard you will have to buy a PCI-E graphics card. Most motherboards have on board sound now so unless you want really nice sound (ie never makes any crackle noises) you don't need to buy a sound card. If you get a graphics card I would recommend replacing that power supply too. This is why I don't like dells anymore. They used to make them so they were easily upgradable. Now if you dont want to use their non-agp micro board you have to buy a new case/mobo/psu, which makes the price shoot up :(

07-14-2005, 02:59 PM	#9 (permalink)
Korndogg Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Milwaukee, Wi Posts: 13 OS: XP	I just wanna play my games ya know?? I dont want to have to rebuild the whole computer lol. Well, do you recommend any cards and power supplies????

07-14-2005, 03:07 PM	#11 (permalink)
myquitehead TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 572 OS: XP Pro Sp1	The power supply will be easy. Just grab a moderately priced 400 watter off of newegg. If you are going to stay with the Dell mobo then you need to try to find a PCI graphics card. Then it just depends on what price you want to pay. I'll go look for a few examples. I'm not 100% sure about your computer, try to find out (maybe you have the manual) if it uses PCI-E 16x, or if it can only take PCI. Last edited by myquitehead; 07-14-2005 at 03:13 PM.

07-14-2005, 03:18 PM	#12 (permalink)
myquitehead TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 572 OS: XP Pro Sp1	"But we were miffed to see that the motherboard does not provide an AGP slot for graphics card upgrades. (Although Extreme Graphics 2 is an improvement over Intel's previous integrated graphics chips, it still has limitations.)" hmm nope only PCI, ok that changes things.

07-14-2005, 03:20 PM	#13 (permalink)
Korndogg Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Milwaukee, Wi Posts: 13 OS: XP	ok...lol i was just about to look through my manual. i just wanna say i appreciate all the help. So is it even gonna be worth me getting a new card and PSU?

07-14-2005, 03:22 PM	#14 (permalink)
myquitehead TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 572 OS: XP Pro Sp1	I'm by no stretch of the imagination an expert on PCI so be careful what you decide to do. Get some more info before you decide. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814133134 Review for this card on Newegg: "Way back when, while i was still on PCI - only Mobo, i ended up with this card. Im still going to say this is this best PCI card out there. Runs most games at high or medium settings with things like shadows on and all that...sorry no anti-aliasing haha. This is definiitely the caerd to get if you need a pci card for gaming. Oh yea and OCed on air, I got this thing stable at 337 core\479 memory lol not a bad OC for this card at all...oh and if its any worth, This card scored 234 on 3dmark05 and 267 OCed"

07-14-2005, 03:26 PM	#16 (permalink)
Korndogg Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Milwaukee, Wi Posts: 13 OS: XP	i mean...I have no clue when it comes to cards like i said. But i guess I can just look around and figure out what will be best.

07-14-2005, 03:32 PM	#17 (permalink)
myquitehead TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 572 OS: XP Pro Sp1	You only said you wanted to be able to play games. What games and at what quality? How much money have you allotted for this? I can't give you much more unless I have more information. If you can spend say $300 MORE than what you already paid for the memory and stuff, then by all means go for a new mobo. This will save you money on upgrading in the future. But if you really just need the bare minimum, then the card I linked you to looks ideal.

07-14-2005, 03:34 PM	#18 (permalink)
Korndogg Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Milwaukee, Wi Posts: 13 OS: XP	I really dont wanna put much more money into this than I have. Im trying to play Silent Hunter 3 at the moment lol. I found this card too http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1093469970654 Does that one sound good?? All I pretty much want is $100 or less Card and a new Power supply if I need it.

07-14-2005, 03:37 PM	#19 (permalink)
myquitehead TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 572 OS: XP Pro Sp1	Yup that card looks fine, and it has a minimum 250W requirement so you wouldn't need a new power supply. I would google search "<full card name> review" to compare the cards and see which sounds more ideal for your purposes.

07-14-2005, 03:39 PM	#20 (permalink)
Korndogg Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Milwaukee, Wi Posts: 13 OS: XP	Will do...If I find any different ones Im gonna post em up before I buy it just to make sure but thanks for all your help.