12-22-2003, 04:42 PM
Hi,
Assuming you will want to upgrade to a new computer after some good cashflow, I have an interesting solution:
Since you dont have the discipline to save it up, try this. Buy yourself a high quality graphics card for your current computer. When that grand day comes when you can afford a new system, (depending on your technichal expertise) build one (!!) instead of buying one. Until then, your new graphics card can keep your old computer proficient, and once you can get a new system, just port it over. This way there will be no waste whatsoever. Of course you may have no idea how to build your own system, but I would provide you with any advise needed (along with some other adept lurkers perhaps?).
As for the card, consider ATI's Radeon line of video cards. They preform well on very graphics intensive games and are just as good (if not better) than any GeForce cards (plus they have a cooler name). I currently use a Radeon 9000, which I got for a little over $100 (after some careful online shopping). Radeons and GeForce cards are analogous to AMD vs. Intel chips :D. Radeons also go up to model 9600 (or something), which are incredibly powerful (need an auxiliary connection to power supply for extra juice!). So, before limiting yourself to nVidia cards, consider these.
As for memory, the difference between SD and DDR is simply that DDR runs faster than SD, and therefore better :)
Assuming you will want to upgrade to a new computer after some good cashflow, I have an interesting solution:
Since you dont have the discipline to save it up, try this. Buy yourself a high quality graphics card for your current computer. When that grand day comes when you can afford a new system, (depending on your technichal expertise) build one (!!) instead of buying one. Until then, your new graphics card can keep your old computer proficient, and once you can get a new system, just port it over. This way there will be no waste whatsoever. Of course you may have no idea how to build your own system, but I would provide you with any advise needed (along with some other adept lurkers perhaps?).
As for the card, consider ATI's Radeon line of video cards. They preform well on very graphics intensive games and are just as good (if not better) than any GeForce cards (plus they have a cooler name). I currently use a Radeon 9000, which I got for a little over $100 (after some careful online shopping). Radeons and GeForce cards are analogous to AMD vs. Intel chips :D. Radeons also go up to model 9600 (or something), which are incredibly powerful (need an auxiliary connection to power supply for extra juice!). So, before limiting yourself to nVidia cards, consider these.
As for memory, the difference between SD and DDR is simply that DDR runs faster than SD, and therefore better :)