Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: cav58d on March 22, 2007, 07:28:30 PM

Title: Buying a new card
Post by: 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?
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: Helrazr1 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.
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: cav58d 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
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: Dichotomy 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
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: cav58d on March 22, 2007, 08:18:41 PM
I need 2100DDR RAM Stick...Do they even make those anymore?
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: Helrazr1 on March 22, 2007, 08:26:00 PM
Here's (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010170147%201052407861&name=DDR%20266%20(PC%202100)) a whole page of pc2100 RAM.  I though you were looking for a Vid Card though?
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: cav58d 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
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: Helrazr1 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.
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: Dichotomy 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
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: Captain Virgil Hilts 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.
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: dmf 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.
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: Shuffler 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.
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: cav58d 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"
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: rpm 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.
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: Mr No Name on March 22, 2007, 11:53:40 PM
Often PC 3200 is backwards compatible with PC 2100.
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: FastFwd on March 23, 2007, 05:03:14 AM
Quote
Originally posted by cav58d
Unfortunately PCI (old) is the only type of card my machine will accept...
Doesn't your mobo have an AGP slot? Sounds really old if it does not.
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: Captain Virgil Hilts on March 23, 2007, 07:41:35 AM
A lot of the proprietary stuff doesn't have an AGP slot, their AGP is/was on board.
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: Mightytboy on March 23, 2007, 08:13:31 AM
Depends on what model of Dells you get whether they are upgradeable or not.

Here at work we only buy Dells that can be upgraded. We have almost 3000 Dells and we have swapped out everything motherboards, vid cards, hard drives, memory everything. Most were not Dell parts.

No problems!
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: Viking on March 23, 2007, 10:33:22 AM
Cav58d, it sounds to me like you should be looking to replace your whole computer. Upgrading your old Dell is only going to cost you $$$ for very little return.
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: Maverick on March 23, 2007, 11:49:45 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Viking
Cav58d, it sounds to me like you should be looking to replace your whole computer. Upgrading your old Dell is only going to cost you $$$ for very little return.


Oh crap, there's been a weather change in hell. I found something that gscholz said that I can agree with. :eek:
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: Viking on March 23, 2007, 06:26:37 PM
Oh c'mon Maverick, I think we have agreed on things at least two times before. :)

Hell must be pretty cold by now.
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: Hajo on March 23, 2007, 10:47:50 PM
Ok...just a tip.

Most major off the shelf manufacturers of PC have components such as mobos and even OS made for them specificaly.  In other words sometimes something as minor as installing a new vid card in a Dell can't be done, or be done without it being a major pain.

For instance...Dell orders OEM Windows OS's in huge numbers with Dell specs.  Dell figures that you won't need all the features etc. in a complete windows OS so they order them for their use and their PCs from MS to their specs.

Same with Mobos....Usually you can't order a mobo like an ASUS or an Abit that will fit your Dell from newegg etc.  Why?  They will not fit.  The cases for Dells PC's are made for Dell, so are the Mobos etc. as I said earlier.

Along with the OEM Windows system, mobo, type of RAM and Video etc makes the Dell a PC that Dell wants you to throw away in a few years and purchase a new one.  Simply put placing a new CPU, Vid Card or even RAM is oft times not possible in off the shelf PCs.

Best way imho is to build your own.  Build someting you can upgrade.  It's not that difficult really.  And the case, power supply and even hard drive can last you many years down the road.
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: rpm on March 24, 2007, 01:13:48 AM
TALK

TO

SKUZZY.
Title: Buying a new card
Post by: Xargos on March 24, 2007, 02:27:11 AM
Cav58d, if you need a new card, or any computer parts you should ask Dadano (DnX online) first to see what kind of price he can give you.  I have been very pleased with the items I have purchased from him thus far.  You may need to PM him because he is upgrading his website right now.