Deciding on a GPU

[ChrisTylee]

I have a dell vostro 200, which came with the FoxConn G33M02 mobo, and a 300w PSU. I have upgraded the CPU to the Intel Wolfdale E8200, dual core @ 2.66 GHz. My ram is kinda screwy, for a total of 3gb I have 2x 512mb @ 333 MHz and 1x 2048mb @400 MHz. I plan to upgrade the ram, but ddr2 ram is crazy expensive for some reason. Right now upgrading the PSU or ram is out of the question, I just need a video card to play some relatively basic games. Like Prime World from Nival, and once I buy it Guild Wars 2, also Diablo 3.

 

[nickc]

U do not have enough psu to udgrade video card.

 

[bazz2004]

I know very little about gaming but recently bought a GeForce GT210 pci-e with passive cooling which is of a higher spec than what you are using. It won't set the world alight but it is cheap, (most likely) won't require a psu upgrade and is better than what you have. I think they do one with a fan too.

 

[JohnCB]

I have...a 300w PSU

Just stop right there, you can't upgrade that video card to anything decent. 300w is more/less business class desktops for 2D Office products. If you're looking to game or do anything 3D related, you're going to need a 500w PSU at a minimum.

I plan to upgrade the ram, but ddr2 ram is crazy expensive

It's expensive because it's a dead technology and hard to come by. DDR3 has been around for a very long time adn we're moving towards DDR4/DDR5. Investing any money into DDR2 is just a waste. Case in point, DDR2 runs at 333/400mhz, while DDR3 in general runs at 1333. That's a significant difference.

Right now upgrading the PSU or ram is out of the question

Then you can't upgrade the video card.

relatively basic games Like Prime World from Nival, and once I buy it Guild Wars 2, also Diablo 3.

Again, you want to play modern 3D games on a system that is ancient by today's standards. Not trying to be rude, but your CPU/RAM/MOBO Combo is from 2006/2007.

Calling a game that came out in 2012/2013 "relatively basic" for hardware that existed 5 years prior to their release is an incredibly biased opinion that doesn't hold up.


Rather than waste your money investing in an extremely old machine, Take the money you would be spending and save it. Build a new machine piece by piece as you can afford. You'll appreciate it much more and if you buy the right parts, will last you a lot longer than ANYTHING you can buy for that current machine.

 

[mailpup]

Rather than waste your money investing in an extremely old machine, Take the money you would be spending and save it. Build a new machine piece by piece as you can afford. You'll appreciate it much more and if you buy the right parts, will last you a lot longer than ANYTHING you can buy for that current machine.

One thing I would recommend is to wait to buy your parts when you have the money to buy all of them at once. In case a part is defective, it is usually simplest to return it to the retailer/e-tailer you got it from. However, there are often time limits as to when you can return items to the point of purchase. Thereafter, you would have to deal with return authorizations with the manufacturer directly.

I'm not saying it's necessarily difficult to deal with the manufacturer directly, just that it's simpler to deal with the place from which you bought it.

 

[JohnCB]

One thing I would recommend is to wait to buy your parts when you have the money to buy all of them at once. In case a part is defective, it is usually simplest to return it to the retailer/e-tailer you got it from. However, there are often time limits as to when you can return items to the point of purchase..

Excellent advice, I had no considered that possibility.

 

[ChrisTylee]

John C Bell, ive run an en210 from asus before on a 300w, didnt have any issues and it played diablo 3 on low just fine. I did have better ram and a much worse cpu, it was an e2160. so dont tell me its impossible. idk where u get ur info abt ram either, I just bought ddr2 ram thats 800mhz, and ive seen it at 1066 too. I was recommend the gt 630 which can be run on a 300w psu it just wont be running at max which is fine with me. its better than no card at all.

 

[bazz2004]

My guess is that the blurbs on the game box are likely to be a reliable guide as to what will be acceptable.for the graphics card spec. Obviously current games are not going to be usable with such an old desktop. With an older machine even a little more poke could be useful. My MSI 210 cost under £20 but yes it would be far better to go for a more powerful machine.

 

[ChrisTylee]

Well I cant afford a new psu, new mobo new ram and new cpu. so im stuck with what I got until tax time. unless you know of a way to convert a 360 into a pc, Linux not included.