Game crashes; video card needs replacement?

[Soundman]

To get some good video info from your computer, from the start menu....select run...and type in "dxdiag.exe" (without the quote marks) and hit the enter key. This will give you all the sound and video info on your computer. Again, your video card must have a minimum of 128M of memory and should have 256M. The 128 is the MINIMUM requirement to run the game. As Rockin Robbins said, there are some very nice cards out there for under $100.00. When puchasing a card, make sure you know whether you need a VGA, PCI or PCI Express. More than likely a PCI Express. If you know your computers model number, the guy at the store can tell you what you need.

just right click on "my computer" and select "properties"

it will show you the processor and ram for your computer

because it is a dell you need to be carefull you buy the correct type of ram as not all generic ram works for dells

to get specific help about dells try this dell help forum so you are sure your getting the right ram for your system. http://en.community.dell.com/

ps- dont buy your ram from dell, just let them tell you what specific type you need then buy it from a supplier like newegg.com to get the best price on it.

i havent found a better sight i trust more than newegg and the prices are almost never better anywhere else. http://www.newegg.com/Store/Computer...puter-Hardware

[gimpy117]

yea, buy the card...
heck ATI has some cheap but good cards on the market now

I just got a sapphire Radeon 4850 with a gig of graphics mem for around $160.00
so lower ends rigs are cheaper

Originally Posted by gimpy117

yea, but the card...
heck ATI has some cheap but good cards on the market now

I just got a sapphire Radeon 4850 with a gig of graphics mem for around $160.00
so lower ends rigs are cheaper

well in my opinion his rig isnt worth more than $150 so i definately wouldnt suggest spending that much money on such an outdated rig. he needs a better cpu, ram, and mobo so i would say dont spend money on that old rig and just keep it for bookkeeping and records and build or buy an updated computer that you can properly run todays games on.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by WEBSTER

well in my opinion his rig isnt worth more than $150 so i definately wouldnt suggest spending that much money on such an outdated rig. he needs a better cpu, ram, and mobo so i would say dont spend money on that old rig and just keep it for bookkeeping and records and build or buy an updated computer that you can properly run todays games on.

If a new rig is out of the question, your base computer that you have will run the game with a videocard. Also, as mentioned, 2 gig of RAM. RAM is very cheap these days as well as a decent vid card. Go no less than a Nvidia 7600 vid card. Also, check your power supply to run the card. I suspect Dell jammed in a 300 watt pile of worn parts.

I recommend Tigerdirect.com for the purchases of these items. Great prices with reviews by users and they are have great sales on the items you need.

[gimpy117]

oh I know I was just demonstrating that you can get some good cards on newegg for not too much cash.

[Soundman]

Originally Posted by gimpy117

oh I know I was just demonstrating that you can get some good cards on newegg for not too much cash.

Heck, I was browsing New Egg yesterday and they have some pretty decent complete gaming computers for under 1000.00. Surprised the hell outta me!

[Fish40]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

If a new rig is out of the question, your base computer that you have will run the game with a videocard. Also, as mentioned, 2 gig of RAM. RAM is very cheap these days as well as a decent vid card. Go no less than a Nvidia 7600 vid card. Also, check your power supply to run the card. I suspect Dell jammed in a 300 watt pile of worn parts.

I recommend Tigerdirect.com for the purchases of these items. Great prices with reviews by users and they are have great sales on the items you need.

I agree about Tigerdirect, as well as Newegg. I've used both with no probs. As for replaceing the PSU on a Dell, you need to be careful. A standard formfactor off the shelf PSU will not fit in the Dell case. At least that's the experience I had with my Dimension 8250. I went here: www.pcpowerandcooling.com They have PSU's that are made especially for Dells. They're not cheap, but they are well made. I've upgraded several things in my Dell, all of which I was told by Dell couldn't be done.

[gimpy117]

Originally Posted by Fish40

I agree about Tigerdirect, as well as Newegg. I've used both with no probs. As for replaceing the PSU on a Dell, you need to be careful. A standard formfactor off the shelf PSU will not fit in the Dell case. At least that's the experience I had with my Dimension 8250. I went here: www.pcpowerandcooling.com They have PSU's that are made especially for Dells. They're not cheap, but they are well made. I've upgraded several things in my Dell, all of which I was told by Dell couldn't be done.

Yes, I agree If your gonna game you need a new PSU!! a cheap board you can get away with if you don't overclock or anything, but when your PSU wonks out and kills your whole PC you'll be sorry (happened to me on an Emachines)