Video Card input from techies, please

[caribbound]

Hi there. I'm looking to purchase two video cards or whatever is needed to speed up our computers for both vmk and ds' new TMNT game. Looking it up on buy.com, I can spend anywhere's from $20 with rebate to over $500. You can imagine which price I'll be leaning towards, but wonder what comes standard with computers or if there's a way to easily find out what I have so I don't get the same thing (or is it like adding memory, you don't take the original away?) My computer is probably 3 years old, kids is much simpler and older than mine (work castaway).

Their computers are always slower to load vmk or video stuff than mine, however road runner is primarily hooked up to mine, and routed across the room to theirs if that makes any difference. Having 3 computers going with Webkins or vmk or multiple open windows, and now wifi guitar hero in the other room, really slows things down.

If any of you who KNOW can point me in the correct direction of what to shop for and if there's a better site than buy.com, please tell me the minimum that I need to upgrade to, and the recommended size/type. Perhaps a very brief lesson on what the difference is other than memory size. I don't think I'd spend more than $100 if even on one. Good thing is if I get this figured out quickly, it's one less Christmas gift to worry about.

TIA!

 

[mtlhddoc2]

$100 per card is probably a good target to shoot for. Go with the Nvidia GeForce 256mb card which can be had for about $85-100

There are not a lot of differences between the cards except in speed and size, which should be spelled out on teh packaging. the biggest differences is in compatability between the cards and the various games you may play and Nvidia cards have the least number of issues that I have seen. Best thing to do is read the game specs on manufacturers websites to see which cards the game has conflicts with.

It al;so makes a difference as to which operating system you are running. You will want to make sure the card you buy is compatible with your version of Windows (again, should be on the package). And be wary of buying the wrong card. There are many types of card to buy, such as PCI and AvP cards. (Basically, if you are going to put the card in to the long slot with 2 sections, it is PCI and you will want to make sure you get that one)

Personally, I would not buy the card online. you should get it from Best Buy, Circuit City or Comp USA which has a salesman assisting you in selecting the proper card.

 

[choconotes]

From experience in both selling and using these cards, if you want raw fast speeds Nvidia based cards is the way to go, if you want better overall picture resolution go with Ati based cards. Unless you have a fairly new computer or a custom-made one, you will not need a graphics card with more than 128mb of memory. Older computers do not take advantage of all that extra graphics memory.

Like previous poster said be careful of the system requirements and the expansion bus used (PCI, AGP, or PCI-Express; older to newer technologies). You can't tell by the model number which card is better. Do research or ask for help whether here or in real life. If you know what you're getting then online buying is perfectly fine, if not then do go to a store to get more help.

On a side note...IMO

Many people swear that their graphics card makes a tremendous difference when playing vmk. While I can't say for certain since everybody's computer setup is different. I can say that I'm running vmk pretty good with an older laptop with integrated graphics which is about as bottom-barreled as you can go. I find that more computer memory will usually help more than a graphics card.

 

[dr_zero]

Good points made!

I like the ATI cards myself have had real good luck with them.

if there's a way to easily find out what I have so I don't get the same thing (or is it like adding memory, you don't take the original away?)

If its a brand machine (Hp,E-machine,Dell etc) just look up the model on the web site and it will tell you what is in there. Probably its onboard or built into the motherboard. These types usually share the installed memory between video and the processor. Most of the time with these if you upgrade your memory for the pc you will see a better overall improvement in game play.

My computer is probably 3 years old, kids is much simpler and older than mine (work castaway).
More memory is allways a plus it helps to take a load off the system and things will move faster and smoother not just with VMK.

And as far as ordering online I like Newegg they have good prices and are fast shippers.
Here is a link to some basic pci cards and they have memory

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2000380048%201069609642&bop=And&Order=PRICE

 

[caribbound]

Thanks guys (uh, or ppl)! I know when we bought this dh said it was more memory then I'd ever need/use, but that was then, this is now. I called to ask if he'd ever increased my memory *(basic) but he's not available. I know he put extra in the kids' computer. Otherwise, my only real problem with vmk is when doing more of the ride a thon or dark rides type stuff I get a little bubble saying running low on memory, system is adding more memory - or something like that referring to the graphics I believe. Is there a way to reset what is available for graphics out of the shared memory lot? I couldn't find it. Occasionally it will crash altogether saying out of memory even after purging... not terribly often though.

My browsing has been very slow lately, considering RR supposedly increased it's speed. I thought maybe it was a screensaver program so I deleted that and a few other stuff not using. Switched from Norton to Avast a while back but I still use Adaware and Spybot. Maybe Avast slows it down?
Thanks again for the input.

Ds turtle game requires 64mb, 128 recommended, but I don't know what he has to begin with yet.

Here's what's on my Compaq Presario: sorry it's so spread out.
Hardware
Base processor and speed
AMD Athlon(B) XP 3000+ 2.167 GHz
Advanced 333 MHz front side bus
Socket A
Chipset
Via KM400A
Motherboard
ASUS A7V8Z-LA
HP/Compaq name: Kelut-GL6E
Motherboard specifications
Memory
Component Attributes
Ram (installed) 512 MB (1X512MB) up to 64 MB shared video memory
Maximum allowed 1 GB (2 x 512MB) I saw on a memory sales sight it can be expanded up to 2G, no specifications on video
Speed supported PC2700 MB/sec
Type 184 pin, DDR1-333 SDRAM
DIMM slots Two
Open slots One available

Hard drive
160GB Ultra DMA
7200 rpm
Multimedia drive
4x DVD+R/+RW Type Attributes
DVD+R Write Once 4X
DVD+RW Rewritable 2.4X
DVD ROM Read 8X
CDR Write Once 16X
CDRW Rewritable 10X
CDROM Read 40X
Power DC5V, DC12V
Video Standards PAL, NTSC
Interface IDE
Data Buffer Memory 2 MB

CD-ROM
48x maximum speed
Diskette drive
1.44 MB (3.5-inch)
Video graphics
Integrated with up to 64 MB allocated video memory
Sound/audio
Integrated AC97 audio, six channel configurable
Network
Integrated 10/100Base-T networking interface
MPEG
MPEG2 for full-motion digital video
9-in-1 card

Expansion slots (total)
Slot type Quantity
PCI Three (two available)
DIMM Two (one available)
AGP 8x One (available)

 

[mtlhddoc2]

wait, you have 8 CD/DVDS drives on that PC?

Anyway, first thing you should do is upgrade to 1GB of ram, forget the video card for now, see if that helps. If it does, since you have an AGP slot available, try an AGP ready Video card (AGP is faster than PCI)

 

[caribbound]

wait, you have 8 CD/DVDS drives on that PC?

Anyway, first thing you should do is upgrade to 1GB of ram, forget the video card for now, see if that helps. If it does, since you have an AGP slot available, try an AGP ready Video card (AGP is faster than PCI)

..I just copied/pasted what compaq.com had to say about the unit, but there are TWO CD/DVD slots and a slot for the smaller square discs, then the card readers for pics.

Anyways, My memory is still at 512. Will make sure dh installs the extra memory he bought last summer. Will that increase the graphics memory then?
Kids computer is an HP Vectra VL420 DT, Pentium 4, Windows XP
I have XP also. Maybe theirs isn't as old as I thought it was, it's just horizontal rather than vertical, but that model came vertical as well, so the company must have just wanted this style for some reason.
The third computer is a Dell Optiplex GX260 with same basics as 2nd.

 

[KingTryton]

Car, These guys are giving you very good info. My system was about the same as yours and I upgraded to a 128mb pci video card and boosted the memory to 1GB last year. It really helped with VMK lag for a while, but alas it still bogs down in mansion for me.

I would get the memory up to at least 1GB then try it for a bit.

Good luck!

 

[jasonpwns]

Ok

Shoot for nVidia 256mb for an ok one,

You need to find a PCI or AGP video card which runs you around 50-100$? Always use newegg when buying online. Also you might try gadding 512 mb to your memory, less lag. I have 1.5 gb on mine and it runs awesome but still some lag on vmk (such a memory hog).


Here's one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814141060

 

[mtlhddoc2]

Again, I do not recommend buying online if you are not 100% sure about what you are buying. Even as someone who works in the field, I never buy my computer parts online, even though they might be a little bit cheaper. I use Best Buy, Circuit City, or my local upgrade shop (Called PCW here). This way you can be 100% sure you are getting exactly what you need. The only thing I ever buy online is RAM.

 

[Dr.Pluto]

So is RAM fairly easy to install? Or is it tricky for the mortal man?

 

[caribbound]

Thanks everyone for all the tips and info. I greatly appreciate it! Now we know what ds and I are getting for Christmas!

 

[mtlhddoc2]

RAM should be a snap (literally) to install. It only goes in one way and snaps in when you are done. The only trick to RAM is to make sure your chips all match (IE: same brand and size) there are exceptions to this, but it is a good rule of thumb.

 

[dr_zero]

How to install RAM

Here some memory that should work for you system based off the info you provided


You can read reviews from others who have purchased also and see how it has helped them overall.

Just some thoughts on video:
You might not want to mess with these but here they are.
The onboard video you have you can set aside or allocate 64MB of your memory max when you boot up there is option to go into your bios and you can see how much is allocated now. If its not 64 then go ahead and set it for that.
If you decide to get another video card you might need to disable the onboard video with some computers you dont have to do anything but some this might be a little more work something you might want to let a shop do if you are not comfortable getting inside your pc.

 

[caribbound]

Just wanted to update you to say thank you for all the great advice. DH installed the memory and my computer is running much much better! No more constant hum while on vmk, and boy does my mail load fast now. Still have the usual lag in games, but it's never been worse than anyone else complains about. I increased my virtual memory too, not sure if that was the right thing or not, but playing two characters didn't run me low. Maybe someday we'll get a new video card, but for now I'm satisfied. Easier fix than I thought (and cheaper since he'd already bought it, lol).

Thanks again!

 

[dr_zero]

That is great to hear!

its amazing sometimes the difference a little more memory can make in a computer.