Please Help Me, Somebody Anybody

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Girlicious

n00b
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Apr 20, 2009
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Okay so, there is this video game called the Sims 3 and I really want it but the only thing is I want to have a really good video graphics card so it can look good, but I'm having problems finding one that is good with my PC

My Computer: Vostro 200 Mini Tower
Operating System: Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
Processor: x86 Family 6 Model 15 Stepping 13 GenuineIntel ~1795 Mhz
Intel Pentium Dual CPU E2160 @1.80 Ghz
RAM: 1 GB [Plan On Upgrading to 2-2.5 RAM pretty soon]
Graphics Card: Intel (R) G33/G31 Express Chipset Family

What Graphics card would be best for me? Also I learned my pc takes DDR2 Memory so does that mean I have to get a graphics card that is DDR2. Also my power supply is 300W or something like that, someone please help me!

For the graphics card, I was thinking of this
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=188-07N02-01A00&cat=VCD&cpc=VCDbsc

But I don't know if that is too much for my system, meaning the power supply
 
You would probably want an ati hd4670, that may be the most powerful card, that can be run on that PSU, no connections needed.
 
Any idea how graphically demanding Sims 3 is going to be?
The game is made for the mainstream market so it might run pretty well on a cheap $50 video card... Right?

Also leaving that E2160 at stock is murdering your system, but you don't seem like the kind of person who overclocks anyway...

edit;
By "$50 video card", I do not mean the 8600GT.
 
Here is the system requirements for the Sims 3
I don't know if this is means I need something high or low but here it is

The Sims 3
Publisher: EA Games
Developer: Maxis

Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
1 GB RAM
At least 6.5 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content
128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0

For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires at least:
Intel Integrated Chipset, GMA X3000 or above.
2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent
0.5 GB additional RAM
 
you dont need to buy a card with gddr2. just because youre pc has ddr2 ram, it has no affect on your graphics card. as forr what card to go with...go for a lower end ati card...you wont need anything insane..especially with only a 300 watt psu. its only sims 3...its not an intense game...any video card with about 256mb thats a pci-e 2.0..will do just fine. i have a bfg nvidia 7600 gt oc...which ran great on the 300watt psu i had at the time.
 
Hey if anyone can find a PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics card put the link up here, I'm in need of help.
 
Pci-express 2.0 is not necessary, the 1st gen will work fine. Are you asking about the Pixel Shader 2.0? If so, any card made in like 2005 or later can do that.

Anyway, I have a 7600gt I am willing to sell if you want it... :)
 
I'm more confused than ever, someone just told me that DDR3 is not good. I'm all over the place this is so confusing
 
Ignore the RAM type, just know that the 4670 is the best bang for the buck GPU for what your system is capable of handling.
 
Thank you Metal, I'm going to buy that. All I really needed to know was what my system can handle without messing up
 
You're probably better off with a 4830 in the ~$90 range.
Not sure why someone would recommend a 4670 for $90, 1 GB or otherwise.

edit;
Currently there are four 4830's for $90 and below (on NewEgg), and the XFX at $99.
 
my recommendation is finding a different game with more intriguing gameplay and a more thoughtful storyline. minesweeper would probably work.
 
This is really hard lol, I don't want no intense graphic card. Just something that can get me good graphics with the sims 3
 
Your computer uses RAM in two places - on the motherboard and on the video card.

In your case, the RAM on the motherboard needs to be 667Mhz 240-pin DDR2 RAM, which is also known as PC2-5300 RAM. You must buy two sticks of RAM, so you'll get two 1GB sticks. You will want to take the old RAM out and put the new RAM where the old RAM was. Fortunately this is very cheap - newegg has a good 2GB kit (with two sticks of 1GB RAM) for $23 and free shipping, here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146526

The RAM on the video card is something else entirely, and you can't upgrade it - it's soldered to the video card. It might be GDDR2, GDDR3, or even GDDR5, but the computer doesn't care what kind of memory it is. The 4670 video card that MetalX linked to is nice but here is one that is a bit cheaper - $70 and free shipping, with a $10 mail-in rebate:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161252

For the RAM and video card, you would spend a total of $93, possibly going down to $83 if the mail-in rebate on the video card comes back. You should be able to play The Sims 3 quite nicely with that.
 
Yes. It will be a quite large improvement over your current onboard chipset, and should give you enough juice to make the Sims 3 look good. Out of curiosity, how big is your monitor?
 
I had guessed that. You should be fine with any of the reccomendations in this thread then. Trust these guys on here, they all know what they are doing and will not point you in the wrong direction. evilsofa's setup looks pretty good.
 
Actually Utopia is right, I linked a 128-bit 1GB model by mistake, go with a 512MB 256-bit. Any of the three linked above.
 
MetalX said:
Actually Utopia is right, I linked a 128-bit 1GB model by mistake, go with a 512MB 256-bit. Any of the three linked above.
Click to expand...
I linked 4830's for a similar price.
He's probably better off with a 4670 like everyone suggested, but the ~$70 512 MB models.
 
His PSU is only a 300watt, so a 4830 might push it a little too much.

Thats why everyone is going for the 4670.
 
gandalf-smoke.gif

SDMorris said:
I had guessed that. You should be fine with any of the reccomendations in this thread then. Trust these guys on here, they all know what they are doing and will not point you in the wrong direction. evilsofa's setup looks pretty good.
Click to expand...
sdlvx said:
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10009359&prodlist=froogle

I second it.

And it's an ATI RADEON (pronounce RAY DEE ON) 4670. NVIDIA makes Geforce, and NVIDIA is a horrible company that worships satan and sacrifices babies to make their graphics cards.
Click to expand...

darth-vader-400x300.jpg
 
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