[makotech222]

I just bought a new 1 gig (2x512mb) of ram for my computer, totaling 1.5 gb. hoping to max out my settings and still get decent fps. Unfortunately i still cant. On games such as swkotor and dungeon siege 2, i have to put settings on lowest just to achieve max fps. Im thinking it could be my video card, but its not that outdated:

Pentium D 2.8ghz
Ati Radeon x600 series 256mb w/Hypermemory
1.5 gb DDR2
Latest Drivers etc.

Isnt the x600 somewhat recent? shouldnt i be able to play games on max and still get good fps?

 

[S.SubZero]

"Recent" is absoluely no indication of performance. Just like there will always be a $500 video card, there will also always be a $50 video card.

Guess which end of the spectrum the x600 is on.

 

[GCFreak]

Well, the Dell Demension 9100 wasn't made for Gaming, the Dell Demension XPs was.

 

[makotech222]

ok so it is my video card lol. well thanks i guess ill be getting a new one may 1st (birthday)

 

[refraction]

does your motherboard support dual channel memory? because if it does, youve spoiled your chance of having it, if you took 1 stick out (your older one most preferable) youd be able to take advantage of dual channels speed boost which may help you, its not likely you will use more than 1gb most of the time anyways.

Also it might be due to mixing different types of ram, so again, taking out your old stick may help

 

[GCFreak]

The Dell Demension 9100 does support Dual channel. I don't believe it is his video card, he should be able to max out the setting. Maybe it is his RAM. He did spoil Dual Channel.

 

[makotech222]

i spoiled it? how? right now the old ones is (256mb x 2) and if it is spoiled how do i fix it?

Edit: how big of a speed boost?

 

[S.SubZero]

Dual-channel memory won't give you much of a boost. If you aren't getting 10fps now, DC DDR won't give you 50fps.

The video card is the bulk of your problem. It's simply a low-end card designed for low-end performance. That's why they cost $80 new.

 

[makotech222]

haha darn really? would a geforce 5500 fx 256mb do any better? just wondering even tohugh its uncompatible with my computer

 

[Mad]

Looking at this chart, my 6200 only loses to the x600 xt...

 

[makotech222]

wow... that is horrible lMao

 

[GCFreak]

You could get a Sapphire X800GTO2, or a 6800GT to dramatically increase performance.

 

[n_w95482]

If you want good performance for a low price, you can get either a GeForce 6600 GT on Newegg for $119 after rebates or a 6800 GS for $199 (much cheaper than a 6800 GT, uses less power, and performs about the same). If you're willing to risk flashing a new BIOS to your card, look at the X800GTO2 that GCFreak mentioned. You can unlock 4 extra pixel pipelines with them and overclock them to X850 XT speeds (they actually have X850 XT chips on them ), and they only cost $199-211 on Newegg, whereas normal X850 XT's are $250-400. There's just two things to remember: the GeForce cards do Shader Model 3 but the GTO2 only does 2.0b, and you have to make sure your power supply is strong enough to handle the cards. I wouldn't run a 6800 GS/X800GTO2 on a 250w power supply, for example .

 

[makotech222]

alright thanks n_w perhaps i will get a new video card for my birthday on may 1st. Now i just need a guide to removing and installing a new video card (pci-ex16)

 

[n_w95482]

If you want I could make a short video of it . Adding/removing PCI-E cards is very easy. It seems that with each generation of expansion slots, it's easier to install stuff (ISA was a *****, PCI was somewhat hard but easier, AGP is pretty easy unless you have to deal with the retention tab near the front of the card, and PCI-E almost feels like nothing is sliding in/out of the slot).