Tech Question (before I decide to make a purchase)

[Emperor Giulio]

I had recently bought a Dell computer back in November, here is a link: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7810488

I am currently wanting to buy a powerful graphics card. I know it would be foolish to buy it now when its so expensive but I have my eye on the Nvidia 8800 ultra. But my question is, does it matter what type of RAM it has? Does it matter if it is GDDR or DDR2 or what ever? Just want to make sure before I spend hundreds of dollars.

Thanks

 

[Emperor Giulio]

Sorry if I posted this in the wrong place. I was looking for General Discussion of anything; I didn't know it had to be about Civ IV

 

[Willem]

I know it would be foolish to buy it now when its so expensive but I have my eye on the Nvidia 8800 ultra.

Don't spend all that money on the Ultra. The 8800 GT is just slightly less powerful and costs half as much. The only real advantage of getting the Ultra is you get more VRAM, which most games right now don't really need anyway.

But my question is, does it matter what type of RAM it has? Does it matter if it is GDDR or DDR2 or what ever? Just want to make sure before I spend hundreds of dollars.

No, and most of the 8000 series cards are DDR3. The Video RAM is independent of the main system. What the video card is using is irrelevant to everything else that's in the computer.

 

[Emperor Giulio]

Don't spend all that money on the Ultra. The 8800 GT is just slightly less powerful and costs half as much. The only real advantage of getting the Ultra is you get more VRAM, which most games right now don't really need anyway.



No, and most of the 8000 series cards are DDR3. The Video RAM is independent of the main system. What the video card is using is irrelevant to everything else that's in the computer.

Thanks alot

 

[Verge]

The Ultra is indeed overkill. It's cutting-edge technology, meaning you'll pay a premium for something that will become second-best to the next "ultra" product that will hit the market in the coming months.

More pressing, however, is to make sure your desktop will be compatible with whatever graphics card you get. For example, most if not all of the Nvidia Geforce 8 series of cards are just over 10 inches in length. Will that fit your motherboard? Is your AMD running motherboard even compatible with Nvidia products? Do you have the appropriate GPU card slot? Does your computer have the free power available for a powerful graphics card, or is your power supply already essentially operating at maximum capacity?

 

[Padma]

Sorry if I posted this in the wrong place. I was looking for General Discussion of anything; I didn't know it had to be about Civ IV

No sweat.
Moderator Action: Thread moved.

 

[warpus]

What's the wattage on the power supply?

Does the mobo have any pcie expansion slots?

 

[Emperor Giulio]

More pressing, however, is to make sure your desktop will be compatible with whatever graphics card you get. For example, most if not all of the Nvidia Geforce 8 series of cards are just over 10 inches in length. Will that fit your motherboard? Is your AMD running motherboard even compatible with Nvidia products? Do you have the appropriate GPU card slot? Does your computer have the free power available for a powerful graphics card, or is your power supply already essentially operating at maximum capacity?

What's the wattage on the power supply?

Does the mobo have any pcie expansion slots?

I would have to find out when I am back at home; I’m actually at work right now.

Although, my knowledge of computer hardware is amateurish at best

But right now it is running a very low capacity nvidia card that came with the computer, so it’s probably compatible with that product.

How do I figure out what my power supply is?

 

[GVBN]

But right now it is running a very low capacity nvidia card that came with the computer, so it’s probably compatible with that product.

The link doesn't mention a video card anywhere so I'm guessing it's using an integrated graphics chip. It's possible that there's no PCI-E x16 slot

How do I figure out what my power supply is?

Open the case and look inside. PSUs have a huge sticker with all the specifications. Look for total wattage and +12V amperage, those are the only figures you need to worry about

 

[Emperor Giulio]

The link doesn't mention a video card anywhere so I'm guessing it's using an integrated graphics chip. It's possible that there's no PCI-E x16 slot

Open the case and look inside. PSUs have a huge sticker with all the specifications. Look for total wattage and +12V amperage, those are the only figures you need to worry about

I know for sure that there is no AGP bus because I tryed installing an old 256 mb GPU in there from my old PC, but I am pretty sure I have PCI-E. I am not sure about the PCI-E x16, is that the only bus they make powerful GPUs for?

 

[kuukkeli]

According to Wiki (first info I found) it has one PCIe x 16 and a power supply of 300W! That Power is not going to be enough for Ultra - to be honest I'm not sure it's enough for regular 8800GT either. And in any case, unless you feel like having some extra cash don't buy Ultra.

 

[Emperor Giulio]

According to Wiki (first info I found) it has one PCIe x 16 and a power supply of 300W! That Power is not going to be enough for Ultra - to be honest I'm not sure it's enough for regular 8800GT either. And in any case, unless you feel like having some extra cash don't buy Ultra.

Can I upgrade the power supply? Or do I have to put in a whole new motherboard? I feel pretty disheartened; I put my hard earned money into that computer.

 

[Willem]

That Power is not going to be enough for Ultra - to be honest I'm not sure it's enough for regular 8800GT either.

No it won't. On the box the 8800GT calls for at least a 440 watt supply. A 520 would probably be better, if you have other gear you're trying to power.

 

[warpus]

You can upgrade your PS, but don't cheap out.. Spend at least $80.

 

[Willem]

Can I upgrade the power supply? Or do I have to put in a whole new motherboard? I feel pretty disheartened; I put my hard earned money into that computer.

Yes, it's not that difficult replacing a power supply. It's a bit of pain installing all the wires and plugging things in, but otherwise it's pretty easy. A 520 power supply will run you no more than about $75 - 100. Make sure you get a fairly good one though. It's not just the wattage that's important, you also have to have enough juice coming out of the +12v rail. Some of the cheaper ones don't put out enough there.

 

[Emperor Giulio]

Thats not a bad price range, I feel better now.

you guys have been very helpful. Thanks for letting me know about the power supply issue