will my computer specs work for this?

[smileyeagle1021]

I am thinking of buying game that requires a 2gig processor and 3 gig of ram and it specifies one of the following video cards: nVIDIA GeForce 8800, 512 MB RAM or
ATI Radeon HD 3850, 512 MB RAM.
My computer has a 3gig processor, 6gig of ram, but a Pentium Premium video card with only 64mb of ram.
My question is that with the excess in ram on the main computer, can I get away with the inferior video card, or am I absolutely going to have to upgrade it to play the game?
And if I must upgrade, what is the cheapest way to do so?

[sms001]

Although game specs can vary in their accuracy, that's a pretty big disparity. Cheapest way to go is usually Newegg or Tiger Direct. I'll let the folks currently working PC tech weigh in on ATI v. nVidia; always a fun discussion.

[smileyeagle1021]

Yeah, I know that it's a huge disaparity and that I was probably going to have to upgrade, my main thought was whether or not that disparity could be made up with extra main ram or if it said it had to be on the video card it has to be on the video card, end of discussion.
Sounds like it has to be on the video card then?

[Chromatix]

"Pentium Premium" probably means that it's relying on the very weak graphics system built into the CPU. It is most certainly *not* equivalent to a GeForce 8800 (I have one of those in an older machine).

You can verify this by installing GPU-Z and posting a screenshot of the results. You can very quickly interpret the results by noting if the logo in the corner says Intel, ATI, AMD or Nvidia - Intel is the one to avoid for games.

The simple way to solve this is to fit a graphics card. Assuming that you have a spare PCIe x16 slot, and that your PSU has a 6-pin PEG connector available, then a Radeon HD 7770 is probably the most sensible option for you - it is reasonably powerful while still being quite cheap.

ETA: The crucial fact is that one type of resource on a computer cannot usually be substituted for another. The programmer can emphasise the need for one resource to save on another, but you can't do that as the user. Games tend to rely on GPU resources heavily for their graphics work, because that is the most efficient way of doing graphics, and CPUs are actually quite bad at it.

VRAM is the memory directly attached to the GPU. On most graphics cards that are worth anything, this is very very fast memory, which is needed to keep up with the huge number of simple calculations that the GPU can do. Because of the speed difference, it cannot be substituted by main memory, just as main memory cannot be substituted by space on the hard disk without an extremely noticeable performance difference. VRAM is used to store all the data - mostly shapes and textures - used to build the scene shown in the game, as well as the final scene itself. A game with high-quality graphics tends to need bigger textures and more complex shapes, and thus more VRAM.

Unfortunately, most computers sold at retail have good CPUs and the bare minimum in the GPU. Gamers are apparently expected to buy a console. Luckily, adding a good GPU is reasonably easy in most cases.

[lordlundar]

"pentium premium" sounds like the processor is designating resources for video processing. It's doable, but there's a reason why it hasn't been done for over a decade.

Hit up newegg or ncix and look into their video cards. You'll find something that will handle the minimum for roughly a hundred dollars and the recommended for just a little more. The video specs they're requesting are fairly low at this point in time.

[smileyeagle1021]

The video specs they're requesting are fairly low at this point in time.

I know
I'm so used to classic games though that even the low end of new games is giving me spec shock.

[smileyeagle1021]

Also, admitting my own ignorance on the topic, did nVidea go back to only 3 digit numbers... like I can't tell if what I am looking at is way better than what I need or way older than what I need.

[sms001]

Sorry 'bout that smiley. Used to be in some systems that you could dedicate more or less of your main ram to the onboard graphics processor (8, 16, or 32 mb last time I had to rely on one) and I thought I was agreeing that some could be made up (on that premise) but probably not 400+megs, and that a new card would be in order.

And I hear ya on the 'spec shock.' I try to put games off for at least a year after they interest me, and they're still pushing my limits hard.

[suburbandecay]

I've found that the easiest way to tell whether or not something will work is to compare the listed benchmark results found here: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/. Becasue at this point, I can never remember how they are numbering anything either.

[Kaylyn]

Also, admitting my own ignorance on the topic, did nVidea go back to only 3 digit numbers... like I can't tell if what I am looking at is way better than what I need or way older than what I need.

Yes, they're currently in a 3-digit series. For example, I purchased this computer about two years ago and it has an nVidia GeForce 460, which was mid-range at the time. I think the current mid-range is a 560 but I haven't been shopping for a video card lately so I may be wrong. I want to say anything _60 is the midrange for the current series of video cards. Decent price, decent performance, and you can go up or down from there according to your needs.

[Bandit]

A video card is the cheapest upgrade and most noticeable that you can do.

I'm partial to the ATI/AMD cards - and have been since before I worked for them.

For less than $100 there's a good selection out there.

B

[KhirasHY]

Smiley, I scanned my emails and PM'd you a link with a promo code for a video card...code's good until the 10th I think. If that one's too expensive, lemme know and I'll keep my eyes open for some other ones on sale

[Chromatix]

For both AMD and NV, the first digit indicates how new the card is, while the second and third digits indicate whether it's meat to be a fast (high numbers) or a cheap (low numbers) card within that time period.

AMD took over ATI a while ago, so they both use the same number series. The old ATI series went through Rage, then Radeon 7xxx upwards, then Radeon X series, and then Radeon HD 2xxx upwards. Currently they are selling Radeon HD 7xxx series cards, where the 7770 is a decent balance as I mentioned. Note the major distinction in age between a Radeon 7xxx and a Radeon HD 7xxx - the former are entirely AGP, while the latter are entirely PCIe.

NV's oldest significant card was the TNT2, then the GeForce series 2, 3, 4Ti/4MX, then FX 5xxx, then 6xxx upwards, then started again at GT or GTX 1xx upwards. Currently the cards on sale are in the GT/GTX 6xx series. It's very important to note however that several of NV's series are "OEM rebadges" of the previous series, especially the 9xxx, GT1xx, and GT3xx series. This means that the number of NV series upgrades does not correspond in performance to the same number of ATI series upgrades.

And if you think that's unnecessarily confusing - you're perfectly right.

The specs for your game list the 8800 and the HD 3850, which were *high end* cards in their respective, relatively old series. That means that you should look for *mid range* cards in the current series, since technology has moved on enough to bring down the cost of that level of performance, but manufacturers do still need to make some effort to get there - ie. the minimum configuration won't cut it. You could be very disappointed with the performance of current low-end cards - the NV GT210 is still on sale, for example, because it is *still* an upgrade in performance and features from Intel graphics, but it's far from being an 8800 equivalent.

I find that the single easiest and most valid way to compare two modern cards of different generations and manufacturers is to look at the VRAM bandwidth. My 8800GT gets 57GB/s there, so look for a card which at least approaches that figure. The Radeon HD 7770 that I mentioned gets 72GB/s.

[smileyeagle1021]

Thanks for all the advice, I ended up finding a nVidea geforce 610gt on clearance for half off (I am a sale ninja, even on stuff I know nothing about )

[lordlundar]

Thanks for all the advice, I ended up finding a nVidea geforce 610gt on clearance for half off (I am a sale ninja, even on stuff I know nothing about )

*sharp intake of breath*

Might want to change that up if you can. Here, I'll clarify for the latest numbering on Nvidia cards:

The numbering goes like this: xyy

the x is the series number (the 600 series is the most recent)
the yy is the tier of the card (the 10 tier is the low end)

For a gaming rig I wouldn't go anything below an x50 card (the 550 for example will out perform a 610).