Which should I get first? Memory or Video card?

[Ashlord]

That is my question. Should I get a new video card or additional memory first? I know that I have a older system and I need to upgrade. I can play the game now, but on lowest settings and the opening movie and wonder movies are choppy. I only play standard size or smaller maps due to slow down.

I have a Dell Dimension 4300 P4, 1.6 Mhz, 512 Mg(2-256 sticks) of sdram, 64 Mg GeForce 2 MX400 video card.

I can get a 256 Mg Geforce FX5500 for around $60 or a 256 Mg GeForce 6800 for around $75.

I can get sticks of 512 Mg ram for around $70. I want to get two.

I am on a limited budget and can get one item a month. Should I get the video card first then go for the ram or should I get one stick of ram then get the video card?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[auldian]

I'd vote for the RAM.

 

[phalzyr]

Well your video card is really old but seeing how much of a memory hog Civ4 is (though better after patch), I'd suggest one stick memory then card then the other stick of memory. (assuming you have a free spot instead of having to replace current sticks)

Civ4's main slow down issue is the use of the hard drive due to running out of memory. If you get normal/good performance on the smaller/standard maps then this is the most likely reason for you slowdown.

If it was any other game I'd suggest video card first...

 

[NinjaCool]

I'd pick a new video card.

 

[Divide Overflow]

I'd go with the video card upgrade. I wouldn't trust a 256 MB 6800 for $75 though. No telling what you'll get in the second hand market.

 

[phalzyr]

Actually newegg.com is great, I purchased a low-cost item from them for my older computer(I just bought a new one) and it went bad quickly. they immediately replaced it without much fuss...

 

[Markus5]

Go with the video card. Newegg has Nvidia 6600gt cards for about $120 after rebates. Get a GT version of the card.

 

[ronclon]

id say go video card but id get the connect3d x800gto from newegg for around $170. you can easily flash the bios to make it an x800xt(wich costs double the price.). thats what i got and it is great.

 

[smd959]

man, i have the same video card, my comp though is slower, amd 1800 with 256 ddr-ram @266mhz

the game ram on the lowest settings but slow as a *****.
i just bought new ram, 512 @333. i took out the 256, and the game works good now.

so go with the ram first. personally i wanna upgrade my video card too. the 6800 is the one ive been looking at getting.

 

[Ashlord]

Thanks for all the replys. Still not sure what to get. I seems like opinion is about 50-50. I only have two slots for ram, so if I get a stick of ram first it will only bump me to 768Mg. I can't afford much more than $75-$80 for a card. New egg and tiger direct is where I have been looking and I make sure that I read the reviews to make sure it isn't a dog. They both have some good deals.

 

[BirraImperial]

I would go for the video card. I have the exact same video card on an Athlon xp 2000+ with 1GB of RAM and i can barely play with the settings on low. 1GB stick costs around $110 at newegg.

 

[Statman]

I had a similar set up with an Athlon 2.08 MHz processor, 512 RAM, and a integrated GeForce 440MX 64 MB graphics card.

My first upgrade was the RAM. I bought 2 512 sticks to give me a Gig (only 2 RAM slots and the BIOS would only handle a Gig). Instead of crashing hourly, the game crashed every other hour. There was a slight improvement in speed, but only in the early game on smaller worlds. Movies ran smooth - a little slow, but the sound would go in and out.

The Patch actually made my game crash more often, gameplay was roughly the same. The movies had smooth sound, but the video would stutter and crash.

I bought an ATI Radeon 700Pro on Black Friday for $100 and got a new Power Supply through NewEgg (dang 250 watt power supply - upgraded to superquiet 430 watt). The game runs VERY smoothly now, with few problems even at larger maps in the later stages of the game!

The video card will give you the most bang for your buck, even if it is more expensive than RAM. That's my thoughts. Find a nice card, don't skimp if you can afford it.

 

[ronclon]

Thanks for all the replys. Still not sure what to get. I seems like opinion is about 50-50. I only have two slots for ram, so if I get a stick of ram first it will only bump me to 768Mg. I can't afford much more than $75-$80 for a card. New egg and tiger direct is where I have been looking and I make sure that I read the reviews to make sure it isn't a dog. They both have some good deals.

if thats all you have to spend then go with ram. no sense in buying a card that probably wont be much(if any) better than what you have. and realistically you wont be able to(that 6800 sounds like a scam to me)or just save some more money and get the card i told you about earlier. I can guarantee that its the most bang you will get for the bucks.

 

[SomethingWitty]

I'm in a similar situation. I've only got 256 Mb of RAM and an intel graphics card without T&L. The only reason I can play at all is because of the 1.09 patch.

It kind of made me upset too. The only thing that had been preventing me from playing Civ4, the graphics, was the one new feature I didn't care about.

So the graphics are fine with me for now. The problem now is that the game gets real slow by around the Renaissance on a standard map.

So I'm about to head out to get another 512 Mb or so. I've read that people are still experiencing slow down with over a gig of system RAM. But I bet it's nothing like I'm experiencing.

 

[Ashlord]

So a 256 Mg Geforce FX5500 isn't much better than a 64 Mg Geforce 2 MX400? That doesn't sound quite right to me. I also have to be careful of the interface speed. With my Dimension 4300, I am not sure if I can put a 8X in. I have to look in my manual when I get home. I think it says 4X/8X, but I am not positive off the top of my head.

After looking around again today, I must have looked at something wrong. I can't find a Geforce 6800 for $75.

Thanks again for all the advice. I am leaning towards a new card. Also because I can't play most other games with the card I have. The FX5500 will let me do that at least.

 

[ronclon]

So a 256 Mg Geforce FX5500 isn't much better than a 64 Mg Geforce 2 MX400? That doesn't sound quite right to me. I also have to be careful of the interface speed. With my Dimension 4300, I am not sure if I can put a 8X in. I have to look in my manual when I get home. I think it says 4X/8X, but I am not positive off the top of my head.

After looking around again today, I must have looked at something wrong. I can't find a Geforce 6800 for $75.

Thanks again for all the advice. I am leaning towards a new card. Also because I can't play most other games with the card I have. The FX5500 will let me do that at least.

well, i mean yeah a 5500 is an upgrade but if your going to upgrade right now then to me it would make more sense to go ahead and get a card that will be able to play future games at a good speed. the 5500 is very slow, the core is only 275MH. while the 5500 is technically a dx 9 card the speed will really hold you back on most of the newer games.
but i guess you can only get what you can afford so ill just wish you luck and say happy gaming. at least the 256 of video ram will help you a lot.

 

[Circastes]

Definitely get a new video card. Forget the FX series, and grab at least a 6600GT or 9800 Pro (which is slightly cheaper and slightly slower). Trust me, the game is just playable when the game gets big on my 9800 Pro, and the 5500 is way, way behind it.

 

[Rodatam]

get a new processor....

ps: sdram sucks, really

get an sempron 2400+ at least, and 1gb ddr ram

 

[Neon Deon]

get a new processor....

ps: sdram sucks, really

get an sempron 2400+ at least, and 1gb ddr ram

UMMMM

You cant put an athlon in a box geared for a pentium chip and unless you have a transitional board you cant put ddr on a board geared for sdram.

 

[FooFight2000]

Stay away from the FX5500. Every penny spent on a a better video card than the typical 60 to 125 range, is worth it.

I have the FX 5500 (w/256MB) and even at 1024*768 the game is choppy (really shows on leaders). Even with updated drivers. patches...

Rest of my Specs

P4 3.2Ghz, 1GB DDR 400Mhz,