Noob question about graphics card

Hi all. My wife brought home a new video game for our son which does not work on our new computer. The game requires a video card that supports Shaders 3.0 (GeForce 6600 or better, or ATI Radeon X1300 or better), and I'm trying to figure out what would be required to upgrade our system. Apparently, we have an "integrated chipset" - sorry, my ignorance about such things is overwhelming - as near as I can tell, we have an Intel Pentium Dual E2200 @2.4 GHz with two gigs of ram. Can anyone please help me determine what else I need to find out about my system and whether an upgrade is feasible? Many thanks.

 

Welcome aboard, integrated means your video is part of your motherboard and which also means that they're not too powerful as you found out. To find out some more information you can install and run Belarc Advisor. At the top right you will see 'Main Circuit Board' and what we need is just below called board or give us the exact model# if it's a brand name machine and we can go from there.

This will tell us what kind of video slot that your motherboard has and can make some tentative recommendations. Another factor is how strong of a power supply you have as you might be able to run a 7600GT but not an 8800GT. Lot's of homework for you. Oh BTW, what game is it so that the gamers here could give you extra direction.

 

Augiedoggie: Thanks so much for the reply. Here's what Belarc Advisor says about my main circuit board:

Board: Dell Inc. 0RY007
Serial Number: ..CN7360488S02TW.
Bus Clock: 200 megahertz
BIOS: Dell Inc. 1.0.15 06/20/2008

I don't see on the Belarc display anything about the power supply, but maybe I don't know what to look for.

The game is Pure by Disney. (I hope it's worth the effort!) Cheers.

 

Can you give us the dell model number?

 

Hello, from the Belarc Advisor report you should also be able to find out what graphics you have onboard, so please post the graphics here too so we can help you further.

Dacads

 

Thanks all for the continuing patience and help. Regarding the model number, it's a Dell Inspiron 530S. Regarding the graphics, the best I can tell from Belarc is this:

Intel(R) G33/G31 Express Chipset Family [Display adapter]

I don't know how or where to find out about the power supply.

 

Well, Dell offers the ATI Radeon HD 3450 for your model and I don't know how it rates against the X1300. Someone else will have to chime in here. I would recommend talking to a Dell rep. and see what they have to say.

 

Thanks Augiedoggie, PCLover, and Dacads - I'll give Dell a jingle. Cheers.

 

If Augie says that the PC will take a Radeon HD3450, that means it will accept any PCI-Express video card. This is a GOOD thing! Personally, I'd recommend an nVidia 9600GT. As far price-to-performance goes, I don't think any other card comes close. Take a look at these links:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127418
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187053
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143130

I bought a 9600GT when they first came out and spent over $150 on it and had NO regrets. It's an excellent video card and will play just about any game out there. Some games (like Crysis) you'll have to turn down the in-game settings to Medium or Med-High, but it will provide a great gaming experience. Now that they're under $100, they are IMHO the best card available in that price range.

(BTW- please, PLEASE, PLEASE do not buy your new video card from Dell!! They will overcharge you big time!! If you need advice on a new card, post here and we'll be happy to help you make a decision)

(BTW #2- click this link for a review of the same model of 9600GT that I bought, if you're interested )

 

Thanks much, dlb! You're right, after doing the online chat thing with a Dell rep last night (1 hour wait!), I'm pretty confident that many PCI Express cards would work. It was very difficult to get him/her to admit this, though, because s/he was so eager to get me to buy the X1300 card Dell was pushing. Not what I would have wished for from tech. support. But the good news, as you say, is that I seem to have several good options. I'll definitely check out the 9600GT. Thanks for the links. Cheers.

 

Now is the time to open up the case and hopefully there will be a wattage written on the power supply and also look for a 6-pin connector (3X2) as you may need an adapter for the 9600GT.

I'm just playing the info chaser here so that others can recommend something right for you as I'm not an expert. You may need a new power supply as companies like Dell etc. go on the cheap with them.