Troubleshooting 256MB Video Cards

Discussion in 'The Sims 2' started by Nic, Nov 19, 2003.

  1. Nic

    Nic New Member

    256MB Video Cards

    Hi Manager Josh.
    Thankyou so much for all the great articles coming out.!!!

    I recently got a new Sony PC-RS 420
    Pentium4 2.80 GHZ
    memory 1.75 GB ram

    It came with a low end video card that I can afford to replace with a better one.

    This is my story. I play mostly Sims exclusively. Once in a while I enjoy a good adventure game. Soooo...Why should I get a 256 MB video card?. No "Half Life 2 or DOOM3 " is in my future.
    I plan on getting the numerous expansions that I foresee becoming available in the future. I don't really know much about computers so forgive me if this is a stupid question.

    If my Sims2 operarates well with an ATI Radeon 9800 PRO 128 MB (that I'm seriously eyeing), am I fairly assured that it will continue to work well with the future Sims2 Expansions ?
    Or would expansions alone cause me to need the a 256MB card?
    I'm not planning to play Sims2 on super high resolutions, so does Sims2 expansions alone still warrent me getting a 256mb video card?
    thankyou,
    Nick
     
  2. ManagerJosh

    ManagerJosh Benevolent Dictator Staff Member

    I would recommend getting a nVidia GeForce FX5700. It is one of the newer cards out on the market, and very cost effective yet has excellent performance.

    My only other big concern would be your hard disk space. Your processor and memory is more than sufficent
     
  3. Nic

    Nic New Member

    Thankyou
     
  4. Nic

    Nic New Member

    It says drive c is 15 gb and drive D is 91.7 GB free.
    I assume that I put my games on D drive.

    I looked up the suggested FX5700. Looks good. I appreciate the suggestion.
     
  5. ManagerJosh

    ManagerJosh Benevolent Dictator Staff Member

    Oh btw Nic..

    You might consider purchasing the FX5700 from http://store.topmic.com

    They should be able to get you a good deal because of a current active contract we have with them.
     
  6. saucebox

    saucebox New Member

    I may need a new card, too.

    Can I install it myself?

    Would this handle the flickering? Bodies of water flicker on Sims2. Plus it is kinda jaggedy looking. The edges on things, that is. And runs sorta slow.

    rats!
     
  7. astaregod

    astaregod New Member

    saucebox: what is your current card? if you do get a new card, it is pretty easy to install it yourself (instructions should be included with the card) but if you don't feel comfortable with that you can get a service professional or a trusted friend to do it.

    nic: you have a really nice system with 1.75 GB of RAM! wow! Because of that, I don't think a 256MB card would matter much. Graphics card memory is used to store polygon, shadow, lighting, and other graphics effect data. You have enough RAM to compensate for it on your system board. However, people with low RAM might consider getting the 256 MB version as it can hold twice as much as 128 MB (do the math :) )
     
  8. saucebox

    saucebox New Member

    How can I tell what my current card is?:confused:
     
  9. astaregod

    astaregod New Member

    click start, run, and type dxdiag.exe and press enter. click the display tab. now you should see what kind of graphics manufacturer you have (something like intel, nvidia, or ati, which you can find under manufacturer). also, under chip type, you can find the graphics chipset (should be something similar to Radeon, GeForce, Intel Extreme, etc, which you can find on the Display tab under chip type). Put the two together and you have the card (ATI Radeon 9800 or nVidia GeForce FX 5800 XT for example).
     
  10. Cyricc

    Cyricc Goblin Techies

    Or you could just open the case, which you're going to have to do anyway to upgrade the thing. The graphics card is probably below the CPU, above the PCI slots, and upside-down. The model number will usually be written on the heatsink or a sticker.

    IMO, the GPU is the easiest part of the computer to upgrade, even more than RAM, which needs some force to stuff in straight. Physically, you shouldn't have any problems with changing the graphics card.
     
  11. kristygal

    kristygal New Member

  12. kristygal

    kristygal New Member

    I ordered the above video card. I'll let ya know if it works in 2-3 days.
     
  13. saucebox

    saucebox New Member

    You guys are awesome for all the replies.

    So I clicked and my computer says:

    NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 Model 64 / Model 64 Pro
    32MB total memory.

    What does this mean? :D

    Thanks in advance.
     
  14. lunaticenjel

    lunaticenjel New Member

    Im thinking about upgrading my pc with 512Mb and nVidia GeForce FX5700 but would it still be a problem if i only have 1.2 Ghz??? I don't have the game yet....... plss answer!!!!!
     
  15. OafyC

    OafyC New Member

    The 9800 Pro 128mb is an awesome card, you can upgrade the firmware and make it a 9800 XT most of the time. Make sure if you get it to get the 256 bit version and not 128(not talking about amount of memory)
     
  16. saucebox

    saucebox New Member

    Alas!

    I have a new card.

    Installed it myself.

    Now, it's a game!

    I got a nvidia geforce 5700 optma
    128 mb

    Thanks for all of the help guys!
    Y'all rock ;)
     

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