RAM or Graphics card?

[Shroom Man 777]

I'm having a problem with STALKER. I WILL play the game, I HAVE bought it and no way am I bringing it back (too late, anyway). I want to kick Russian zombie ass on the site of a nuclear holocaust.

That said, I'm in shit. My RAM is substandard and I have no graphics card to speak of.

My stats are:

Pentium D 2.89 GHz
448mb RAM
ATI Radeon Xpress 200

Now, my RAM is below requirements, as is my graphics card.

JSF tells me that all I need is to up my graphics card and I'll be fine. He's been helpful. But DarkSilver says he's got a gig of RAM but only an Xpress 200 (same as mine) graphics card, but can still run STALKER.

And to compound things, my graphics card is in fact a 512mb stick. But they say my GPU is siphoning off vital RAM. But JSF says it's alright.

I'm confused.

Moreover, it seems like in opening my computer, I've voided the warranty, and my sister's screaming shit at me (since the PC isn't really mine but belongs to the whole lot of us). And now I just feel like laying off that PC and working with the one I got, this crummy P4. Which is impossible.

[Dargos]

What type of MB are you useing and how much RAM can your MB handle.

More RAM would be the cheaper route. A gig of ram is pretty much the standard now a days.

You say your Graphics as 512MB? Lots of Ram on a GC does not always a good card make. For example the AGP ATI 1950 pro at 256mb is currently the BEST AGP card out there. (I am assuming your card is AGP) and its not that expensive. Be aware that PCIe is the way to go..AGP is all but dead...but the 1950 has giving a bit of life back into it.

::edit::

How the hell did opening the PC void the warranty? Did the makers never expect you to add some items to the PC? such as upgradeing the soundcard...adding ram...etc?

[Teleros]

How the hell did opening the PC void the warranty? Did the makers never expect you to add some items to the PC? such as upgradeing the soundcard...adding ram...etc?

I'd be very surprised if it did, but they usually put one of those stickers on some components along the lines of "warranty is void if tampered with" on them. Never heard of it being on the main tower like that though.

[Shroom Man 777]

It was on the panel that opens so I could see my PC's guts.

[Red]

.... opening the PC voids... that's... the most unreasonable thing I've ever heard. Shame on whoever bought such a thing =P

To be honest, aim for two gigs of RAM. You'd be surprised what you can get out of a video card that's under par, with enough RAM to back it up. ^_^

More importantly, more RAM will improve many aspects of your computing. A new graphics card has a rather limited application: namely, high-end gaming.

[Uraniun235]

Shroom, be aware that any RAM or video card you buy that is compatible with your current motherboard would not be compatible with any future motherboard you bought.

Be aware that PCIe is the way to go..AGP is all but dead...but the 1950 has giving a bit of life back into it.

If you're going to say this, you should also mention that going PCI-Express would require him to replace the motherboard.

[Dargos]

Shroom, be aware that any RAM or video card you buy that is compatible with your current motherboard would not be compatible with any future motherboard you bought.

Be aware that PCIe is the way to go..AGP is all but dead...but the 1950 has giving a bit of life back into it.

If you're going to say this, you should also mention that going PCI-Express would require him to replace the motherboard.

I thought that would be obvious, sorry. I will remember to break things down Barney style in the future.

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

Honestly, it's going to be pretty difficult to pick something that will run STALKER yet won't be so bottlenecked by the rest of the system that it's a waste. I would probably just save up for a new system and play STALKER on that. A decent AGP vid card and 1 gig of RAM (one without the other is pretty useless) is going to run about $200-300 and still not be able to run games like STALKER at high settings, while a full upgrade with plenty of future potential can be done for less than double.

[InnocentBystander]

I'm having a problem with STALKER. I WILL play the game, I HAVE bought it and no way am I bringing it back (too late, anyway). I want to kick Russian zombie ass on the site of a nuclear holocaust.

That said, I'm in shit. My RAM is substandard and I have no graphics card to speak of.

My stats are:

Pentium D 2.89 GHz
448mb RAM
ATI Radeon Xpress 200

Now, my RAM is below requirements, as is my graphics card.

JSF tells me that all I need is to up my graphics card and I'll be fine. He's been helpful. But DarkSilver says he's got a gig of RAM but only an Xpress 200 (same as mine) graphics card, but can still run STALKER.

And to compound things, my graphics card is in fact a 512mb stick. But they say my GPU is siphoning off vital RAM. But JSF says it's alright.

I'm confused.

Moreover, it seems like in opening my computer, I've voided the warranty, and my sister's screaming shit at me (since the PC isn't really mine but belongs to the whole lot of us). And now I just feel like laying off that PC and working with the one I got, this crummy P4. Which is impossible.

I used to buy OEMs (though not within the last 6 years) and this was never an issue. Removing the case and adding a PCI card or removing dust won't void any warrenty I've heard of. If you need a replacement part or something, and they ask - just lie about it.

As far as upgardes go, I'd say get a gig of ram (in a single stick). 1.5 gigs is nice, 1.25 is okay too. If your board accepts a PCI-E gpu, you could get a new gpu (which one depends entirely on your budget after the ram purchase). If not, I'm hesitant to suggest one as you won't be able to carry it over to a new machine.

[Shroom Man 777]

Why can't I use my RAM sticks for future machines?

[Ace Pace]

Uh guys, if he has a P D, theres no reason the RAM won't be DDR2(and therfor re-usable) and the onboard GPU says nothing about if it's PCI-E or AGp, but considering I can't remember ATi putting out an AGP chipset, I'd say if he has any sort of slot, it's PCI-E.

[General Zod]

Why can't I use my RAM sticks for future machines?

If you buy DDR memory, which I'm assuming is what your mobo is designed for, correct me if I'm wrong, then you could technically put it in a new machine. But chances are it will be made for DDR2 ram and you'll wind up with much lower performance quality.

[Ace Pace]

Why can't I use my RAM sticks for future machines?

If you buy DDR memory, which I'm assuming is what your mobo is designed for, correct me if I'm wrong, then you could technically put it in a new machine. But chances are it will be made for DDR2 ram and you'll wind up with much lower performance quality.

Again, he's using a P D, there is no reason for his machine to use DDR RAM unless it's one of those weird ultra budget motherboards.

[General Zod]

Why can't I use my RAM sticks for future machines?

If you buy DDR memory, which I'm assuming is what your mobo is designed for, correct me if I'm wrong, then you could technically put it in a new machine. But chances are it will be made for DDR2 ram and you'll wind up with much lower performance quality.

Again, he's using a P D, there is no reason for his machine to use DDR RAM unless it's one of those weird ultra budget motherboards.

Ah, well. In that case upgrading the RAM seems like the way to go. I'd personally recommend 2gb if it's in Shroom's budget.

[Steven Snyder]

If you have an onboard video card, install an AGP video card ASAP to see an immense increase in performance.

A card around $150 like a Geforce 6600 is going to do wonders for your performance.

I put a Geforce 7900 in my system last weekend, after having been stuck with my onboard video system for the past 2 weeks. The difference is amazing.

[Uraniun235]

Uh guys, if he has a P D, theres no reason the RAM won't be DDR2(and therfor re-usable) and the onboard GPU says nothing about if it's PCI-E or AGp, but considering I can't remember ATi putting out an AGP chipset, I'd say if he has any sort of slot, it's PCI-E.

Oh, barf, I forgot those wacky Intel guys switched to DDR2 hell of earlier than AMD did.

[InnocentBystander]

How about this. Shroom Man go here, put your machine in, and tell us what sort of RAM it uses. Then here and have it 'scan' your system so you can tell us if its AGP or PCI-E.

This information is necessary in order to give proper advice.

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

Yes. If it's PCI-E, that changes everything.

EDIT: A budget would also be good. Without one we're kind of firing blind. We could always just assume unlimited and recommend 4 GB of RAM with SLI'd 8800 GTX's, of course, but that probably wouldn't benefit you much.

[Icehawk]

There is a good ASRock brand motherboard that comes with both an AGP 8x slot and a PCI-E slot as well as two slots for the new DDR2 RAM and 2 for the older standard DDR. Its the perfect mobo for those who want to upgrade but still use some older parts untill they have the cash to replace the rest.

I got one of these for a buddy who wanted me to build him a new system. It let him get a new CPU and RAM but still use his older AGP card untill he had the cash to get a new PCI-E one.

HERE is a link to the model of the motherboard. Its not very expensive either, I think it was only about $80 Canadian

[Darwin]

STALKER is a beast. I can't turn global lighting on and my system is pretty strong.

also try the tweak here. +http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/stalk ... pid=540331

I would have to agree, that ATI Xpress has got to go.

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

The ATI Xpress has definitely got to go, but then so does 512 MB of RAM. That's not enough RAM to shit in a box and dump the contents on passerby, figuratively speaking of course. Best to budget in such a way that both can be upgraded than to spend on one and ignore the other.

[Glocksman]

Moreover, it seems like in opening my computer, I've voided the warranty, and my sister's screaming shit at me (since the PC isn't really mine but belongs to the whole lot of us)

If you're in the US and the PC maker is telling you that, they're full of shit.

How will my system warranty be affected?

Opening up your system and adding Crucial RAM should in NO WAY void your original warranty.

The Magnuson-Moss Act, enacted into law by the US Congress in 1975, protects consumers' right to use the products they want.

How does it work? In legal terms, the Act prohibits manufacturers from requiring consumers to use products or services from a particular manufacturer in order to keep their original product warranty valid. That means, in most cases, you don't have to upgrade with your system manufacturer's memory or memory from another manufacturer specified by your system manufacturer to maintain your system warranty.

In much simpler terms, you can add Crucial RAM and your system warranty will remain valid!

That's great news in more ways than one. Not only do you save money buying Crucial memory upgrades direct from the factory, you also get the same RAM that's built into today's leading machines.

Nearly every major computer manufacturer, including Dell, IBM, Gateway, Apple, and more, installs Micron memory as original equipment. Micron works closely with these manufacturers to create the highest-quality products for both their systems and yours. As a division of Micron, Crucial guarantees that the memory you buy will be 100 percent compatible with your system, or we'll refund the price of the incompatible module.

The only way you'd invalidate your warranty is if you installed electrically incompatible parts and damaged the system or you didn't ground yourself properly and ESD'd it to death.

[Shroom Man 777]

Yay, I'm safe! I mean, that also applies to HP stuff, right?

[Dargos]

Yes, it applys to HP stuff to. If you look in your material that came with the computer, it will even have the "how to" stuff on adding RAM,hard drives and PCI cards.

[Braedley]

I would go for the RAM upgrade first. 2, 1gig sticks can be had for the price of a new video card.