I purchased a 400W (made for Dell computers) psu from pcpowercooling
and a Radeon X1550 pci from NewEgg. My "new" Dimension 2350 system runs smoothly, quietly and cool even when playing fairly long sessions with Ceasar 4 which plays in 3D, Transforming and lighting, etc. etc. Under $200 for the upgrade. Beats $700 for a new system.

Hi,
I was reading this forum and it was pretty cool. I wanted to know if you could help me. I have a Dell Dimension E310 w/ 512 RAM, Pentium 4 processor @ 2.8 ghz. Thats where my knowledge of my computer stops. I was wondering what i could buy so i could make todays games run on my computer. (and i have PCI (not express)) aside from buying a new computer. Thanks,
FPS_Foxtrot

Hello FPS_Foxtrot. If you have a dell e310 as mentioned, then you have a pci-express x1 slot inside (it's the tiny black connector above the pci slots). This isn't the same as the pci-express x16 slot that most computers have for graphics cards, but is still a faster option than using a pci card. For the e310 I'd recommend this pci-e x1 x1550 card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161197

Best Wishes.

There are a four main things you need to know.
1) You will need a new PSU (power source unit) The only one made for the Dell Dimension E310 is the Silencer 470 made by www.pcpowercooling.com for Dell systems. DON"T buy a Psu anywhere else. They don't fit Dell machines. Price $99.99
2) You will need the best PCI video card that the Dell machine will support and the one I bought--the Radeon X1550 for $89--will work for you.
3) You will need to know the specs on your computer (memory size, cpu speed, hard drive available space, CD Rom availability, as well as the specs off whatever video card you buy. Go on-line to view specs first at which ever place you want to purchase the card.
4) Then you need to check the back of the box (or side of the box) of the games you WISH to purchase. You need to make sure that your new video card (and computer specs) meet the minimum system specs recommended to play the game. If they don't match up, don't buy the game; it won't work.
5) Upgrade your memory to at least 1 gig. Check http://support.dell.com/support/edoc....htm#wp1052310 to see what type of memory you need to buy. Memory must be purchased according to the computer's specs. Will probably cost $60 at Tiger or NewEgg.

The Psu and Video card mentioned above will probably play most games made before 2003 and a number of the games made from then to 2006. There will be many games made in 2006 and 2007 that will not run on your "upgraded" computer. I think that all of the city building games will; that's what I play most. I'm not into "shoot-em-up" games which really take lots of power and computer space. You should be able to play the original Worlds of Warcraft.

You will need to study the directions carefully regarding installing the psu, memory and video card. You can burn out new equipment and/or some of the old if you're not careful.

If you find that the up-graded system won't play the games you want to play, then don't up-grade the old computer. You'll need to purchase a new one that has the specs to play those games. And you probably won't find a new computer with those specs in a store such as Walmart, Best Buy Target or the like. You will need to go to a specialized store such as Tiger.com and NewEgg.com. There are a number of other online stores as well. Phone and talk with a salesperson. You will probably need to spend $700 for a minimum computer to play most of the latest, most popular games. Heavy-duty gamers spend thousands. And they learn to build their own systems. Building your own is not as difficult as it once was.

If I've left anything out, I'm sure someone else reading this post will help you by putting in their 37 cents worth.

Hope this helps.
DD

Well, thank you vf for the graphics card. And thank you doubledeca for the thorough explanation on what i need to do. Helped alot. I'll look into it and tell you what happenes later on.
Thanks,
FPS_Foxtrot

Ok, well i've just spoken to my folks and they said "get a new computer". So I was thinking along the lines of XPS or Alienware. Either way I'll be able to game for a long time to come.
Thanks for the help,
FPS_Foxtrot

I currently have an nVidia GeForce 6200 in my clunker, and it seems to be doing ok, I also have a spare video card sitting on my computer desk, it's an ATI Radeon, but I'm not sure the specs to it.

ya, I didnt even buy a system, my friend gave me a old system, Celeron 2.7GHZ 256MB ONLY PCI slots. well I upgraded ram to 1GB and bought a RadeonX1300 pci, and its the best you can get for old PCI systems!! I can play Oblivion on med specs and All the orange box games.

which is better radeon X1550 or X1300? and can someone give me a link to buy the better one

Here are the specs on both cards. You can check them out to find which is best for you. You'll probably find out that the least expensive one will be the best for you since they are very similar. One difference and I quote: "This video card is capable of running the new Aero interface featured in Windows Vista Home Premium and higher. "

http://reviews.cnet.com/video-compon...html?tag=specs

http://reviews.cnet.com/graphics-car...html?tag=specs

Good luck.
DD

how much better is a 1300x to a current nvidea 6200 card?

I couldn't find the 7300GT either but the 8500 got a hit!

This may be for sale now: Sparkle GeForce 8500GT 256MB DDR2 PCI DVI HDTV - SF-PC85GT256U2 dated 21 November, 2007

Any Euro users care to see if it's really available? (Note: This appears to be a Dutch site.)

Insane looks like thats would be like what 100$ american? Never thought they would make new pci cards.

started a new thread so ignore the post..

this is great! thnx for the info!!!

Hey Foxtrot, if you haven't bought your new computer yet, I would recommend that you build it rather than buying an XPS or and Alienware. You will be able to stretch your dollar WAY further by building it. Manufacturers rip people off with their "high-end" computers that are really just midrange comps. Let us know if you want more information about building a computer and be sure to tell us how much you are planning on spending.

For anyone out there still using a 5500 256MB PCI card, please go out and buy the Geforce 6200 256MB PCI card. Thats what i did, i overpaid meaning i bought the card for 116 dollars at bestbuy, but i can play games which i couldnt play or run well with the 5500 and now i can run those games at great speed and Q with the BFG Geforce 6200 256MB PCI card.

The BFG Geforce 6200 256MB card is a million times faster then the 5500. 64Bbit vs 128bit doesn't matter, the 6200 is still way way more powerful and faster. Just a amazing card.

Newegg has it for 70 dollars, bestbuy has it for 116. I just bought it at the store, just in case it wasnt good enough, i can just take it back with ease.

Peace

Amazon has it for 50$ Im getting that card too

Actualy dd Only Dell Computers that have Intel Pentium 3 need a special PSU's for newer Dell's like the e310 for example you can just get a good standard ATX PSU

Yea its a great card. It has temp checks too in the control panel.
eNJOY! Infact like wikipedia says, its one of the most powerful PCI cards out, i gather the Ati X1550 or X1300 is faster, but i cant use those cards, because they dont have win9x drivers. So the BFG 6200 is great for my computer!

Geeze that 8500 card was only 60$ thats nuts, looks like they seller is all out though. I finally got the cahones to try and oc my card, but if I increase the memory or core mhz even 5mhz 3dmark01 crashes. Iv read and read and read forums posts across the net. Its nv44a btw, I figured someone here would know what going on. Is it the new drivers? Is it just not possible to oc it?

e-gefore 6200 dd2 256 ram
300 core mhz
500 memory mhz
heres the card
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...9&sku=A1270455

Can't believe this card went from 50$ to 65$ in 3 months.