Graphics card upgrade help

[gtownisland]

My lil sister just bought the PC version of The Sims 2 and its playing really slow and choppy. Will this card signifigantly upgrade my game playing experience, the ATI All In Wonder 9800 Pro 128 MB Graphics Card?

here are the cards specifications:
http://shop.ati.com/product.asp?sku=2384220

these are my system specifications:
INTEL CELERON 2.00ghz
1.99 ghz,768 mb of ram.

thanks for the help

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

What is your current card?

[gtownisland]

Intel integrated AGP graphics card
Intel Extreme graphics controlloer
this is the card that came with the computer.

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

Intel Extreme graphics only just meets the minimum requirements for the game, and that processor does as well. Upgrading to any T&L card will improve game performace, obvioulsy the faster the better. The 9800 would be a good card, but if you wait until November nVidia is releasing the 6600 cards (if they appear in November, it might not appear in shops untill December or later), which are in the same price range as the 9800. but outperform it. It also supports future technology, such as Pixel Shader 3.0, meaning it will last longer than a 9800 will, it can also be used in SLi (depending on manafactor), although I don't know if it will with AGP to a PCI card connection, so don't buy the card based on SLi. (SLi is connecting two cards together, which increases performance, and makes for an easy upgrade, but the details are not exact, and it may not be for APG, well probably wont).

[gtownisland]

thanks for the help.

What are your recommendations on the card i should get now within a $400 range. I want to get the game working for my sister,

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

I would not spend $400 on a graphics card for that system, a Celeron is a very poor performer, and if Sims 2 is all she plays then by the time Sims 3 comes around it will probably want a new card. If you do want to upgrade then I would reccomend perhaps changing the processor (and maybe motherboard, but thats probably unnecessary) and the graphics card, you have plenty of ram so its onmly the processor and ram that is seriously bottlenecking the system.

[kram 2.0]

If you ahve 400 USD for an upgrade, I'd recommend a Processor for 180 USD a graphics card for 200 USD. If the motherboard supports this and is socket 478, you should look at the Intel Pentium 4 processors - 2.8C is around 180 USD. For graphics, a good bet is the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro - 200 USD.


kram

[gtownisland]

how do i figure out what socket my motherboard is?
Its a Dell Dimension 2350

[gtownisland]

i think the computer processor socket in my motherboard is 478 .
Can this be upgraded?

[gtownisland]

is it socket 478?

[Phalanx]

well its common sense, they dont put funny numbers on the end of the socket name for nothing , yes socket 478 is wat a 478 processor should use

[fedz]

Yes, it's Socket 478. You can put in any modern P4 processor and a 9800pro and this baby will fly like the wind!! I'd take a slower P4, a 9800pro, and take a serious look at that PSU of yours.

fedz

[kram 2.0]

Celeron 2 Ghz...now I'm starting somehow to have doubts. Run Everest and it will tell your motherboard model...post that here. Pentium 4 has gone through a sort of a "Phase shift" in its processors...not sure if that effected the Celeron though.

kram

[fedz]

I thought that there were no Skt423 celerons at that speed...

fedz

[gtownisland]

here are my motherboard specs:

Motherboard Properties
Motherboard ID 10/28/2002-i845G-LPC47M1-6A69VM3EC-00
Motherboard Name Unknown

Front Side Bus Properties
Bus Type Intel NetBurst
Bus Width 64-bit
Real Clock 100 MHz (QDR)
Effective Clock 400 MHz
Bandwidth 3200 MB/s

Memory Bus Properties
Bus Type DDR SDRAM
Bus Width 64-bit
Real Clock 133 MHz (DDR)
Effective Clock 267 MHz
Bandwidth 2133 MB/s

Chipset Bus Properties
Bus Type Intel Hub Interface
Bus Width 8-bit
Real Clock 67 MHz (QDR)
Effective Clock 267 MHz
Bandwidth 267 MB/s

[gtownisland]

here are my cpu properties:

Field Value
CPU Properties
CPU Type Intel Celeron 4A, 2000 MHz (20 x 100)
CPU Alias Northwood-128
CPU Stepping C1
Instruction Set x86, MMX, SSE, SSE2
Original Clock 2000 MHz
Engineering Sample No
L1 Trace Cache 12K Instructions
L1 Data Cache 8 KB
L2 Cache 128 KB (On-Die, ECC, ATC, Full-Speed)

CPU Physical Info
Package Type 478 Pin uPGA
Package Size 3.50 cm x 3.50 cm
Transistors 55 million
Process Technology 6M, 0.13 um, CMOS, Cu, Low-K
Die Size 131 mm2
Core Voltage 1.525 V
I/O Voltage 1.525 V
Typical Power 52.8 - 68.4 W (depending on clock speed)
Maximum Power 67 - 87 W (depending on clock speed)

CPU Manufacturer
Company Name Intel Corporation
Product Information http://www.intel.com/products/browse/processor.htm

CPU Utilization
CPU #1 5 %

[fedz]

Yep, that's good

fedz