Hi.
Been lurking this place for a while; found the articles and forum posts very interesting and useful.
With that short synopsis aside, I'm here in need of advice and/or answers to my... problem.
That problem is called my baby, otherwise known as computer, or, more specifically, her horrible "assets", otherwise known as the integrated graphics thing known as the 82945G Chipset.
Now, I'm not exactly a computer whiz; quite the opposite, in fact. You all have the right to laugh at me, mock me, or tell me I've posted in the wrong place, etc. I just need advice. Add all the hilarious commentary needed.
Anyways.
I recently got a new computer, not exactly the greatest thing, but "decent". Windows XP Home Edition, 150GB hardrive, 1GB Ram, 1.6 MHZ, a sexy monitor whose model I can't remember atm... etc, etc. It's purpose is as a workstation, but since it's the first computer I've gotten since 1999 that has more than 20GB of hard-drive space and more than 254MB Ram or whatever, I got excited to play games.
Straight to the point; I've wanted to play some (older) PC games on my computer, but I'm unsure if the integrated intel chipset thing (which took me 2 hours to research and gain a basic understanding of) can take it. An an example I want to intall Sims 2, and even though the official Intel site says my graphics card can support the game, the wikia states after sustained used the motherboard will be damaged as the chip emulates T&L, something the card doesn't have and the game "prefers". It'll eventually strain the emulation and screw my comp up.
I got four questions.
One: On a scale from 1-10, how **** is my chipset and is it even worth trying out with the Sims 2 (as an example)?
Two: I'm a complete noob and yes, I'm seriously asking this; my friend offered his old graphics card, a basic ATI model (still need to as the specific one). As this Intel computer has an integrated chipset, if I choose to swap to an independent graphics card, is it possible? Are there even ports for this design or any problems? Or do I need to give y'all my specs to answer this in more "depth"?
Three: T&L; is the emulation software/updating the drivers enough to sustain game performance for a while... or should I really just not bother with wasting time and steal my friends graphics card right away? Any suggestions? I'll post specs soon.
Four: Kinda random; whats a decent ram upgrade from my 1 GB to get her as fast as possible, under eighty bucks?
Thanks.
Been lurking this place for a while; found the articles and forum posts very interesting and useful.
With that short synopsis aside, I'm here in need of advice and/or answers to my... problem.
That problem is called my baby, otherwise known as computer, or, more specifically, her horrible "assets", otherwise known as the integrated graphics thing known as the 82945G Chipset.
Now, I'm not exactly a computer whiz; quite the opposite, in fact. You all have the right to laugh at me, mock me, or tell me I've posted in the wrong place, etc. I just need advice. Add all the hilarious commentary needed.
Anyways.
I recently got a new computer, not exactly the greatest thing, but "decent". Windows XP Home Edition, 150GB hardrive, 1GB Ram, 1.6 MHZ, a sexy monitor whose model I can't remember atm... etc, etc. It's purpose is as a workstation, but since it's the first computer I've gotten since 1999 that has more than 20GB of hard-drive space and more than 254MB Ram or whatever, I got excited to play games.
Straight to the point; I've wanted to play some (older) PC games on my computer, but I'm unsure if the integrated intel chipset thing (which took me 2 hours to research and gain a basic understanding of) can take it. An an example I want to intall Sims 2, and even though the official Intel site says my graphics card can support the game, the wikia states after sustained used the motherboard will be damaged as the chip emulates T&L, something the card doesn't have and the game "prefers". It'll eventually strain the emulation and screw my comp up.
I got four questions.
One: On a scale from 1-10, how **** is my chipset and is it even worth trying out with the Sims 2 (as an example)?
Two: I'm a complete noob and yes, I'm seriously asking this; my friend offered his old graphics card, a basic ATI model (still need to as the specific one). As this Intel computer has an integrated chipset, if I choose to swap to an independent graphics card, is it possible? Are there even ports for this design or any problems? Or do I need to give y'all my specs to answer this in more "depth"?
Three: T&L; is the emulation software/updating the drivers enough to sustain game performance for a while... or should I really just not bother with wasting time and steal my friends graphics card right away? Any suggestions? I'll post specs soon.
Four: Kinda random; whats a decent ram upgrade from my 1 GB to get her as fast as possible, under eighty bucks?
Thanks.
