need help with a graphic card

ok guys, i really need help... i dont wanna buy doom 3 anymore.... but i do wanna get HL:2 and CS:Source, they look so awesome but i dunno what to do... does anyone kno what kinda card i should get to play them with all the eyecandy at max? or pretty close to max?? and can help me to see if it would work on my comp b/c thats the most part im lost about

 

ooo ya... omfg it says i need a 2.0 Ghz processor or higher and 512 RAM or higher for max... ... i dunno what to do... all i have is like $500 now b/c i spend 100 on wireless for laptop... should i buy another comp? or just upgrade this family one? i need help bad!!! im lost lol

 

sorry for posting 3 times in a row guys

Min:
1.2 GHz Processor
256MB RAM
DirectX 7 graphics card
Windows 2000/XP/ME/98
Mouse
Keyboard


Preferred:
2.4 GHz ProcessorB 512MB RAM
DirectX 9 graphics card
Windows 2000/XP
Mouse
Keyboard


theres, the stuff for CS:Source ... i want to preferred settings for my comp... rite now im usen AMD Athlon 1800+(TM) XP 1.53 GHz processor, 256 MB of RAM, and a NVIDIA GeForce 4 MX 440 graphics card.... im sooooo lost on what i should do or get.... someome plz help!!!!

 

If you want to play the games totally maxed out you are deffinitly going to need to upgrade alot or build a new computer.

I would look around for cheeper parts. I picked up a 3200+ for $112. Plus a 6800 for $270, add in a good mobo $100, 512MB dual channel 3200 Ram, $140, and your off to a good start.

You can uses your current HDD, Case, PSU (might need to be upgraded), and your other parts untill you get enough cash to have everything updated.



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dm i spent ,,, 200$ on a P4 2.8c , 150$ on a Abit IC7-G , 300$ on 1gig PQI RAM ... and now i need cooling dm ... maybe i should have gone with AMD ... LOL

 

so what should i do? upgrade family computer or build my own?

 

oo ya.... that graphics card you said for me to get... is that better then a radeon 9800 pro? if so... is this rite??? http://3btech.net/poatira98pro1.html ... b/c like everything here is cheap i guess... look there and tell me if its a good site... or you have a better one... oo ya look here and tell me if this place is good www.compgeeks.com

 

omfg im SOOOOOO sorry for postin 3 times again, but i was on newegg.com and they had this deal for a processor.... http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=19-116-171&DEPA=1 please please please tell me if i should get that or it is a good deal??? tomorrow is like last day !!!

 

Not a bad price. If you do buy it make sure you have a big Power supply. It seems it is a power user.

Also the video card i had is better then the 9800Pro.



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Watch out on the 9800 you posted. It is only "128bit" memory, compared to the regular 256bit memory. Newegg, has the good 256bit 9800 pro for 206 i think,

Here is the 9800 you want:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-383&depa=1

Or a 6800, which is newer better technology:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-145-084&depa=1



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I have made several purchases from computergeeks.com, Seems to be good place to shop, I found there customer service top notch.

 

okok... so i should just upgrade my family comp insted of maken a new comp? and if i upgrade the family comp. like when i get another $500 can i take the upgraded parts outa the family comp and put the old ones back in it and just em for my comp that i wanna built?.... oo ya about the power supply... how do i check to see if i have a good one or not? and if i do get another one i wont kno how to put it in rite ... oo ya about all the stuff you got.... how did you get all that so cheap? like the 6800 for $270?? well im out, i got school like like 2 mins, be back at 2:50, cya!

 

Just open up your case and see what it says on the bagde on the side. It should at least give you a manufactor, and Wattage rating. Post that info here and we will help you out.

Installing a Psu is pretty simple. There are usually 4 screws that attatch it to the inside of the case, and the cables fit where they fit, no where else.

I search google, pricewatch, and resellerratings, for the best prices on hardware. Ebay is good too, but you have to be very carefull.

Here is the place i got my 6800 from: www.buyxtremegear.com

Mine is a Leadtek with DDR3 Memory. This is the only 6800 that i have seen with DDR3 memory.



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ok this is the 1st time opening my comp b/c i never really had a reason... but it says Antec 350w swiching power supply.... oo ya another question when i was lookin around in there... i noticed that one of my side fans are like not moving for some reason... i think i have 4 fans outa all of em... ooo ya... are sound cards always hooked up to the PCI slots? b/c mine is when was lookin... and can you give me the link to the card you have i dident see it

 

Well Antec is a top of the line PSU. 350W might hold you off, but with stronger hardware you might need a more powerfull PSU. For now i think you would be ok. I am going to look around here, some one posted a wattage calculator.

Make sure the fan is connected to the motherboard or one of the 4 pin cables on the power supply. (depending on what kinda connection it has) If it still doesnt work, try and clean the fan, with some compressed air. If still no go you might want to replace the fan.

Yes sound cards are allways pluged into the PCI slotes. Unless you have intergraded sound, then the sound is built into the motherboard.

Here is the link for my video card:

http://www.buyxtremegear.com/vc129110.html



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[edit] Here is a link for the wattage calculator:

http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/

Just select all of your hardware, and it will tell you what you will need as far as power goes.



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ooo i was playin with the calculator and it said somethin in the 200W's but i forget now i exited the page.... and is that graphics card better then the 9800? and i was watchin the screensavers on g4tv yesterday and they showed the 6800 on there and they said it was the best card out rite now and it took up 2 spaces in the back for the card to fit.... had some fairyish lady on the card lol it was huge, so i was wondering about that.... ok i guess im upgrading my family computer since i guess that might be easier, so what is the 1st thing i should get for it now?? oo ya ... im goin to build my own computer once i get the money but when i do... like all the stuff im buying rite now for this family comp... once i get enuf money can i take everything back out of it and put it in the one im maken? and just put the old parts back in the family comp?

 

Your power supply should be sufficent.

The video card is better then the 9800. Way better IMO. I went from a 9800 to the 6800, and i noticed a great difference! In a good way.

There are 3 versions of the 6800.
6800 Ultra - $500 +
6800 GT - $400 +
6800 - $300

The Ultra is the one that takes up 2 slots. And of coarse the coolers, and fans on the cards are going to differ from manufactor to manufactor. The one on the LeadTek card is bigger, quiter, and perform better then the one that would come straight from Nvidia. The leadtek also have DDR3 memory, which is a big plus! It is the only 6800 regular card that i have seen with it.

Could you post detailed info on the computer you have right now. That way i can see if you will need a new motherboard, memory, ect. Also give me an estimate of the money you are willing to spend.

The easiest way, and the safest way, would be to save up, and build your computer right off the bat. Your family computer might limit what you can put into it as far as upgrades go. This might hurt you down the line, when you are building yours. The hardware might not be the one you wanted, but you had to get it because of the family computers limitations.



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ooo i see now, and i guess ill make my own computer then... and i dont really kno detailed stuff about my comp lol, like how i see tha so i can post it up on here? or am i just goin to built my own computer? yesterday i spent $80 on frames for my skates so rite now i only have $420

 

You can use a program like this:
http://majorgeeks.com/download181.html
It will give you all the info you need.

It might be best to build your own computer. Just save up for a couple of months, and by then the new hardware now will be even cheeper.



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grr id post up the info but i cant get it to download

 

Yeah the servers are really boged down. 3DMark05 Released today, and it is a hudge popular download. Maybe try:

http://majorgeeks.com/download4181.html



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grr just tryed to d/l that and that doesnt work either ... damn lol

 

http://bcdmda.com/images/lamo.gif










Ok lets try this link:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download181.html

This one worked for me now, so it should work on your end.



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grr still nothing, i try all of em, and on the last one it sometimes works and it doesnt ask me to save or open... it just downloads then i wait for it to get done and then it says somethin like Cannot open C:\Documents and Settings\X_Battle_R_O_A_R_X\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\4ZR36OT1\aida32pe_393[7].zip.... shessh im haven problems with everything! lol

 

lol...when you download can you select where you want it to save? If you can, try and save it right to the hard drive. Your problem running might be because your directory line is too long. So saving it directly to the HDD might solve the problem.

Or if you are using IE. Go to Tools, Internet Options, Tempary Internet files, Settings, view files...Look for the .exe that you downloaded, and cut and past it in your desktop.



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well duh it usually asks me ... lol but it doesnt for some reason on that download... it just downloads... lol and i when i do that and i seen TONS TONS TONS of shit in there and i cant find it there... lol... cant even download a file from the internet .... HOW STUPID CAN I GET! lol i dunno whats wrong..

 

Hum i really cant pinpoint it eather...Maybe try and deleting all the files in that folder. Then try and download that should give you less to search through..

Of download belarc advisor from here:
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

Just click download at the top.



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ok awesome that worked, i dunno what to give you so ill give ya everything lol....

Processor a
1.53 gigahertz AMD Athlon XP
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
256 kilobyte secondary memory cache

Main Circuit Board b
Board: ASUSTeK Computer INC. A7V333 REV 1.xx
Bus Clock: 133 megahertz
BIOS: Award Software, Inc. ASUS A7V333 ACPI BIOS Revision 1004 03/08/2002

Drives
40.97 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
24.37 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

PLEXTOR CD-R PX-W4824A [CD-ROM drive]
TEAC CD-552E [CD-ROM drive]

3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]
Maxtor 4D040H2 [Hard drive] (40.98 GB) -- drive 0, s/n D24F6T2E, rev DAH017K0, SMART Status: Healthy

Memory Modules c,d
256 Megabytes Installed Memory

Slot 'DDR 1' is Empty
Slot 'DDR 2' has 128 MB
Slot 'DDR 3' has 128 M

Display
NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 [Display adapter]
Envision 9x0 Series [Monitor] (17.7"vis, February 2004)

theres other stuff but i dunno if its important lol

 

Hum...

I cant seems to find your board anywhere, so i dont know if it could be upgraded.

It seems the most sensable thing to do would be to build a new computer when you get the money too.

Try and post a new thread in the hardware section. Give the money you have now, and how much you plan to get. Also give a timframe of when you would like to have the computer built.

Give ideas of what you would like to do with the computer, and what you would like it to have.

This way you can get a wide variety of answers, and you could pick from the ones you like best.



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aight thx man

 

No problem...Glad to help.



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