In article <1156373057.173558.73310@p79g2000cwp.googlegroups. com>,
"Travis" <trav1085@gmail.com> wrote:
> Dell Dimension 1100 Celeron 2.6Ghz 512 MB RAM
> Windows XP Home
> 80GB Hard drive, 30GB free
> *Onboard Intel 855G Graphics Card
> *15" LCD Monitor
>
> I am going to get Splinter Cell Chaos Theory and Pandora Tomorrow,
> Splinter Cell Double Agent, Hitman 3 and 4, Black and White 2, Sims 2,
> Half-life 1 and 2, Warcraft III and WoW, maybe final fantasy 10 with
> all expansion packs, and many other games. I want to know if I just
> need to upgrade my graphics card, as I am aware that it is really bad
> card. What is the best kind that will run my games a normal speed
> without any skipping or slowness.
>
> How about my CPU, I can't really upgrade it too easily but is 2.8Ghz
> that fast, as I'm not really aware what *FAST* CPUs are today. RAM, I
> probably could get an extra 515MB to make it 1GB, probably better
> performance.
>
> I am getting another computer with a 17" CRT monitor, will that bring
> better gameplay with my new graphics card soon to come? I hear that CRT
> monitors are better as they can take more damage and don't have the 90
> degree viewing angle.
>
> Please don't recommend a new computer, as I can't get a great 3GHz+, 2
> gig ram computer with a $600 graphics card and 21" Inch monitor
One problem I have with Dells, is getting thorough and correct
product information. For example, this description mentions
three PCI slots for expansion, but no AGP slot is mentioned.
Are you absolutely certain there is a place to plug a
video card in that computer ?
http://www.dell.com/content/products...=04&l=en&s=bsd
Game play requires a balance of CPU power and video card power.
If you have a wimpy CPU and the world's best video, it will
still be slow. If you have the world's fastest CPU and integrated
graphics, the result will also be slow. So both aspects have
to be balanced, to get your money's worth from an upgrade.
You say you are getting another computer. It is possible the video
card slot type in that new computer is PCI Express x16. That kind
of slot would not be compatible with an AGP video card. So you
may not be able to move a video card from one computer to the
other. It may be best to forget about the little 1100, and
purchase a system with better CPU and expansion capabilities.
To do effective planning, you need precise details about both
systems, to figure out whether video cards can be moved around,
or whether a video card can even be installed.
The single biggest surprise for Dell purchasers ? Opening the
computer and discovering there is no place to put a video card,
when they find out just how bad game play is with "integrated
graphics". Really low end Dell boxes don't have video slots,
while the more expensive models may have room for expansion.
If buyihg pre-built machines, this is a detail to be checked
out, before you buy it.
If you have to buy a prebuilt computer, some things to check for:
1) Uses latest processor ? A computer purchased today should have
a Core2 Duo in it. Buying a box with an older processor in it,
may limit future upgrades. On the AMD side, an AM2 socket processor
would be current technology, and still good for gaming. Both
choices are likely to use DDR2 RAM.
2) Video card slot uses the latest standard ? The computer should
have a PCI Express x16 slot, that really runs at the x16 rate.
Some "budget" chipsets only have x4 lanes to offer, so be careful
with the really cheap computers (more of a problem with a mom&pop
computer store build).
3) Is the power supply beefy ? Is the power supply a standard ATX type ?
Is the computer case a full sized box, and not something with a
microATX motherboard in it (9.6"x9.6") ? If there is room for
a standard ATX power supply, you can always upgrade the power
later, if using a really hungry graphics card. And having room to
work inside the computer is important if you like to tinker
inside.
To summarize, if you don't want to build your own, then accept
whatever crap comes in the box. Upgrading a pre-built, is admitting
you made a purchase mistake. Either buy a pre-built that claims
to be a "gamer box", or build your own, if you expect to be satisfied
with the resulting box. Don't expect to be able to buy a bargain
computer and "fix it later" - the builder of the bargain computer
cuts corners on features needed for later upgrades. The example
of finding no video card slot, is just one way that the bargain
computer saves on parts cost.
Paul
Do I just need a new graphics card? 
Linear Mode
