Video card upgrade needed??

Ok... I have just got a new game (Lost Planet Extreme Condition) and found that I cant run it on my old system.
I am running a P4 2.8GHz, 2.81GHz, 512MB RAM, and am currently running a
NVIDEA GeForce FX5900XT card and Direct X 9c. The error I have coming up is that I need something called Pixel Shader 3.0. Now I googled that and found that (apart from most of the terminology being waaaay outta my legue) apparently My video card is too old and I need a newer one! Is this correct?
I had a look at this on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI...m=180153046000&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=008
and was wondering if this would help me out for a while? I dont really want to spend too much at the moment because I know Im going to have to upgrade my whole system in the not too distant future if I want to keep playing games. Im just not really up to speed on all the new hardware thats out there and whats compatible and whats not with my system.

 

Dont buy a new video card.
Get the latest drivers for your video card and install them.

 

I have already done that but my card doesnt support shader 3.0

 

Hi

You may want to take a look at this link
http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest

Select the game you are after, click on the 'can you run it' button and it will analyse your computer to see if it can run the game.

Once it has finished its analysis you will see 2 tabs
the first one is minimum requirements
preferably you would want to meet or exceed the criteria on the second tab 'recommended'

for this game
graphics card
"Minimum: VRAM 256 MB, DirectX®9.0c/Shader3.0, NVIDIA® GeForce® 6600 or greater (GeForce 7300 not supported) / ATI Radeon X1650+"

"Recommended: VRAM 256 MB, NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600 or greater"

 

Thanks for that site!! Its excellent!!

 

If I wanted to build a new PC with the main aim being gaming ( I also download movies a lot and use the net (ebay etc)a lot) can anyone update me on what is the go for new PC technology? Im a bit outta date andneed to learn about the new technology. I looove gaming, mainly first person shooters, have GOOD surround sound on my system but my PC is definately getting old and will soon not be cpable of playing the newer games so Im thinking about upgrading but dont really know where to start. I have heard that PCIe may not be the way to go for the best gaming but it looks like thats the way everything is going. Are there alternatives?

 

You dont need the most expensive hi falootn' system for excellent gaming.
My system is not the most high end, but it just screams when gaming.
here are my specs
XP Home SP2 (dont get XP Pro or youll be sorry)
AMD Athlon 64 3400+ (clocks at 2.2GHz)
1Gb of the fastest RAM
Asus N7600GS 256MB (Nvidia) AGP video card (with TV out)
onboard sound

if you want better sound take the sound card out of your old PC.

 

Well first off there is nothing wrong with xp pro, secondly dual cores are pretty much a standard now and can be had for about the same as a single core and aren't really considered to be "hi falootn". If you burn a lot of movies and/or recode them you may want a dual core to help cut down on encoding times. Both AMD and Intel offer a reasonably priced dual core line up for every budget. Pci-E cards are actually quite good. No problems with the last 3 I've had at all. If you need a few ideas on parts let me know I'll be glad to show ya a few things

 

ya I agree with you, i just gave him my specs to show him he only needed a middle of the road PC.
But unless you love DMP go with XP home.