Question for Dell Computer Guru's

[hockeyman]

I have a Dell Dimension 4600, and I play video games with it (Battlefield 1942, Counterstrike Condition Zero, etc), but they sometimes load slowly or periodically freeze in the middle of playing. Do I need to upgrade the video card? If so, what video card works with it? I am not "computer friendly", so please try to speak in dumbass terms ;)
Thanx!

[mike h]

well i did some research of my own because you didn't list what kind of hardware you had.

Processor-- Intel Pentium 4 (2.80 GHz)
RAM installed-- 512 MB DDR SDRAM
Cache size - type-- 512 KB L2 cache
Hard drive-- 80 GB Standard
2nd hard drive-- None
CD / DVD drive-- DVD-ROM IDE
2nd optical storage type-- 16x DVD-ROM Drive +
Monitor type - technology - form factor-- CRT Display CRT
Display (projector) diagonal size-- 17 in
Viewable screen size-- 17 in
Graphics processor-- Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2
Audio output-- Integrated Sound card
Cabinet form factor-- Mini tower
Dimensions (W x D x H)-- 7.2 in x 16.8 in x 14.5 in
Weight-- 22.9 lbs
OS provided-- Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

looks like a pretty solid system. it is becuase you have an integrated video card, which means it is built in with the motherboard. that means that it is crappy. cards are getting cheaper and cheaper; you probably could go out and get a midrange video card for under $100. Good investment.

is your computer running slow as it is, or just during games? if it always is slow, it might be spyware/adware. download 'Microsoft AntiSpyware' (it is free, go to here to get it) and make sure you have an antivirus program. schedule them to run periodically; mine run each night while I am sleeping; but I leave my computer on overnight. 3 or 4 times a week should keep you clean, and don't slack about it. some people just forget and stop doing it and thier computer does down the crapper.

also, for future purchases, do not buy a Dell/Gateway/any other prebuilt system. have a custom one built by a friend or a technician. you may be saying that dell is cheaper and easier but they are built with the mindset that if anything breaks you ahve to buy replacement parts from dell. everything they make is made by them, so if your motherboard goes out you have to buy one from them that was made specifically for your system and they are very expensive. i work at a repair shop and we get dells and gateways as %75 of our work. its worth spending $50-$100 extra for reliability.

[ April 24, 2005, 12:35 AM: Message edited by: mike h ]

[hockeyman]

Yeah, that's basically the system I have. I added a DVD Burner and some other stuff to it though. It only runs slow when gaming. Most of the other time(s), it runs very well. I'll look into another video card then...any suggestions?

Thank You!

Also, I have adaware, spyware blockers and Norton System Works installed. I run every one of them at least twice a month.

[3.4 slow to go]

i seen an ATI radeon 9600SE 128mg agp for $130 at bx. tiger director pricewatch also???

yeah, wife's dell has integrated graphix too, it suks,which is why I got my own system ;)

[hockeyman]

are any of these compatible?
Again, I'm not knowledgeable with computers.

[mike h]

a simple 128-bit cars will suffice with the low-medium graphics settings. you could go with a higher-end 256 bit one but they are more expensive but alot better.

128s can run from $60 to $250
256s can run from $100 to $600

the top priced ones are for seriously hardcore (and rich) gamers and are not needed for your games. I would invest no more than $150 for a good card.

[mike h]

as for compatibility, find a card you are interested in and go to the manufacturer's website and find specific product specifications. most all cards will run no problem with XP.

want to see my computer? it is really cool!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...5/DSCN3698.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...5/DSCN3699.jpg

built it myself! for all the nerds heres the technical stuff!

http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p...651&class=mega

[ April 24, 2005, 01:00 AM: Message edited by: mike h ]

[hockeyman]

Ok, thanks for the help!

[C.O.Jones]

Hey mike, I see someone's been to the Marine recruiters' office....

[mike h]

Originally posted by C.O.Jones:
Hey mike, I see someone's been to the Marine recruiters' office....

haha, actually the marines, army, navy, and airforce came to our school one day and were handing stuff out at lunch. grabbed a sheet of shiny stickers!

[2002V6Firebird]

You may also benefit from another stick of 512 megs of RAM. That would bring you up to a GIG and should be enough for most games.

[InZane4all]

If you want graphic quality, get a new vid card. If performance is a big issue, I would first upgrade the RAM, then the vid card.

If you want to load your games faster, or get better performance from them, upgrade your Hard Drive to either a 7200 RPM hard Drive with bigger space, or do a RAID 0 set-up where 2 hard drives run as one. The speed in load times is totally better. You have to keep in mind that a PC's Hard Drive is the slowest part of a computer system.

[mike h]

raptor SATA, 7200rpm. good drive.

[hockeyman]

Damn! Hard drive, memory AND a new vid card?? And I thought I spent alot of money at Lowes last week...
This is gonna hurt! :eek:

[MrCoffee]

no just a new vid card is needed. mem wouldnt hurt to get later on down the road. a new hard drive is no needed at all.

you could go with a fairly inexpensive vid card now, but if you plan on playing games for a while I'd step up your card to more along the $300 line. Thats near top of the line which really only promises you the ability to play new games for a while. anything more than that range is for the hardcore gamers concerned about fps.

Like I said, a $100 card will be an upgrade, but I'd step it some to be safe(r). Radeon 9800 pro are really solid cards that you can get for around $200