Author Topic: Buying a new card (Read 521 times)

cav58d · « **on:** March 22, 2007, 07:28:30 PM »

I'm leaving my house in about 20 minutes to go buy a new Vid Card...I'm going to upgrade to 256mb...

I remember hearing sometime ago that I want to stay away from cards that dont have their own memory, and have to use memory from the PC...is that correct? and if so, whats the technical term so I can tell the dude @ the store?

Helrazr1 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 22, 2007, 08:02:58 PM »

Just tell him you need a card with onboard memory. If he's worth his beans, he'll know what you mean.

cav58d · « **Reply #2 on:** March 22, 2007, 08:14:57 PM »

Obviously he was not worth his beans because he couldnt find any upgradeable RAM compatible with a Dell Dimension 4500S

Dichotomy · « **Reply #3 on:** March 22, 2007, 08:17:18 PM »

cav do an online search then buy from something like tigerdirect. You'll save $$ and get a better deal. Post this in Hardware forum and you'll get lots o answers. And come fly with us again sometime bro

cav58d · « **Reply #4 on:** March 22, 2007, 08:18:41 PM »

I need 2100DDR RAM Stick...Do they even make those anymore?

Helrazr1 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 22, 2007, 08:26:00 PM »

Here's a whole page of pc2100 RAM. I though you were looking for a Vid Card though?

cav58d · « **Reply #6 on:** March 22, 2007, 08:28:51 PM »

I am looking to upgrade my card...However, I only have 788 or is it 766 MB of RAM...So I need to get over a gig before I can

Helrazr1 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 22, 2007, 08:41:45 PM »

Shouldn't matter a bit how much RAM you have as long as you get a card that has it's own memory.

Dichotomy · « **Reply #8 on:** March 22, 2007, 08:42:19 PM »

in all seriousness I thought I had two sticks of 512 but I don't.. sorry dude

Captain Virgil Hilts · « **Reply #9 on:** March 22, 2007, 09:03:41 PM »

If you have 3 sticks of 256, or a stick of 256 and a stick of 512, then you have 768.

How much physical memory you have is different from video card memory.

Be aware that you can have SERIOUS compatibility issues if you put a non Dell part in a Dell.

Sometimes you can get away with using non Dell parts, and sometimes you can't. I've gotten away from fooling with proprietary machines like Dells, Compaqs, and HPs.

dmf · « **Reply #10 on:** March 22, 2007, 09:10:36 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Captain Virgil Hilts
If you have 3 sticks of 256, or a stick of 256 and a stick of 512, then you have 768.

How much physical memory you have is different from video card memory.

Be aware that you can have SERIOUS compatibility issues if you put a non Dell part in a Dell.

Sometimes you can get away with using non Dell parts, and sometimes you can't. I've gotten away from fooling with proprietary machines like Dells, Compaqs, and HPs.

Why does Dell do that anyway? I mean is it that big of a deal to have somebody business that they make a computer that can only use parts mad by the guy that made the computer?

My god thats like saying I can only use milk when I make scrambled eggs cause eggs come from a farm.

Shuffler · « **Reply #11 on:** March 22, 2007, 09:37:49 PM »

no no no they are not proprietary like they used to be. Store bought machines, for the most part just have thinner motherboards and less features.. quality is ok at best.

You do not need 1 gig of ram before you can update your card. If the salesman told you that, he truely needs to be thrown in a ditch somewhere.

You will need to know if your card is IDE or AGP. Most likely it is AGP in which case both ATI and nvidia make reasonably priced cards that will fit the bill.

Newer machines also support PCIe... yours probably does not.

cav58d · « **Reply #12 on:** March 22, 2007, 10:04:47 PM »

Unfortunately PCI (old) is the only type of card my machine will accept...

What a POS for telling me the gig thing...I was thinking that if the card had ind. memory, why would it matter what my system had?

Thats what you get with Best Buy's "Geek Squad"

rpm · « **Reply #13 on:** March 22, 2007, 11:15:23 PM »

I upgraded system RAM on my Dell Dimension 4600 from 512 to 2G. I bought from TigerDirect and had to upgrade to Crucial ram. The cheaper stuff just would not work on my Dell. Big tip o' the hat to Skuzzy for helping.

Mr No Name · « **Reply #14 on:** March 22, 2007, 11:53:40 PM »

Often PC 3200 is backwards compatible with PC 2100.