Originally posted by 2point6
mine is the same but it's not 32mb is 64.. but exactly the same box and everything...
Yeah, I noticed the review was for a 32MB card but honestly considering how much RAM I've seen this game use at times, 32 or 64MB is really a moot point. Dont feel bad about being burned, on the computer OR the video card. I did the same thing with my card. Heck, I bought THREE of them before I found one that gave me what I wanted (and I'd still upgrade to the new GF 6800 if I had 300 bucks lyin around). I was lucky enough that CompUSA, for all their faults, was willing to take the cards back and trade for something else (the fact that I spent more money each time helped lol).
Here are a few suggestions to help you out.
1) RESEARCH!!!! Dont get burned again. Now you know. Fooled once, shame on them. Fooled twice, shame on you. There are literally hundreds, maybe even thousands of techie BBS's and websites out there that have great tips and reviews of various products, and a great place to start is Toms Hardware. The latest video cards, MOBOs, processors.......you name it you'll find a review and specs for it there. Keep doing searches, just type what you want into your search engine and wade through the results. You'll get alot of garbage, but you can find some gems too that really help you narrow down what you want.
2) Dont sell your computer short. Obviously it was a compromise system built to save money not perform. But that doesnt mean you have to leave it that way. Find out if you can upgrade your processor, it might be cheaper than you think. Ask how fast a processor will work on your motherboard, find out if BIOS updates are available to get you even better ones. You might be able to get by with a small boost in processing power and a video card. Dont be dissapointed that you dont have AGP either, the newest technology coming out is called PCI Xpress. AGP wasnt all it was cracked up to be, and changing MOBOs now might leave you outdated again in another year or two. You can get by with a reasonable upgrade to say a 9600 or even a 9800 which has really come down with the x800 coming out. Guys here on this BBS can steer you in the right direction. Again you just have to watch what you buy. There are several variations of each "series" of cards. There are ........ I think 3 versions just from ATI of each of the 9xxx series cards. A cheaper money saving version, a "standard" version, and the screamer version. Again, research is invaluable. Forewarned is forearmed.
3) Shop around!! You said you bought your last video card at Staples. An office supply store? Why? Was it the cheapest one you found? Was it the first one you saw in your budget? Are you lacking in places to shop in your area? If its a drive to get to places to shop for your computer hardware, call around first. Find out who is likely to have what you want in stock and get prices if you can ahead of time. Use websites for the chain stores and compare those to the store prices when you walk in. Sometimes chain stores give big discounts if you buy online, because they have "online only" products they dont sell enough of to ship to stores and stock on shelves, but have enough demand for that they will keep them in a central warehouse and ship them for online orders. Cheaper for them, cheaper for you. Best Buy, CompUSA, Circuit City, Computer Warehouse, and thousands of smaller stores all have websites and take online orders. You can also buy stuff from NewEgg.com, CNET.com, and even check Amazon.com and Ebay. Tiger Direct has great deals on hardware, but they dont always have a huge selection of certain items.
I've got like 4 computers laying in my office at home in various states of disrepair (mostly because I've scavenged important stuff out of them at one point or another and dont want to spend money on them for one reason or another). I shop for parts alot. I dont buy alot, but I shop alot.
If I had money I'd be scary. To my bank. Retailers would love me. ("You'd like which plasma screen TV sir? Certainly we deliver....for a fee....") Point is, I have to watch what I spend and I usually have to spread out my expenditures. I was out of AH for 3 months because I couldnt play AHII with the computer and video card I had. I know how you feel. You just have to decide what you HAVE to upgrade to get back in, and make up a budget to afford it. Then you can work towards a new system later on with better everything like I'm doing. Luck!
