Should I get a new video card or just update my current video card?

Question

I just bought The Sims 2 game and when I play it, it is extremely pixely, it runs slow, and just annoying! I have 640 of RAM and an 320 GB external hard drive on my computer so I know that is not the cause for the slowness, it must be the video card.

The current video card I have is the Intel (R) 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller. My computer is a bit old, like from 2002, is this video card still good or should I get a new one? Thanks!

and also, if any suggestions for a new video card, which one should I get?!! Thanks

Answer 1

I would suggest getting a new one, because it is not that much more expensive than upgrading your old one.

Answer 2

Couple things:

1. You cannot update your current video card. You can update your current video "driver" but you cannot update your video. Updating your video card would mean the same as pulling out your video card and getting a new one.

2. You have an "integrated" video card on your computer. This means that the video card is actually on a chip soldered on to the motherboard. You cannot pull the card out. What you can do is disable this card and get another card.

And your Intel Graphics Controller was not designed for gaming. You should upgrade your video card for sure but my advice would be to upgrade the entire machine while you're at it. If you bought the computer around 2002 than it would probably be around Pentium 4 2.0 Ghz range machine.

You can get a new computer for around $1,000 these days including a monitor. You can get a replacement video card for around $50 to $500.

For Sims 2 I'd recommend a video card around $100 to $150 range. Look for Radeon X1x00 or GeForce 7x00 series. And for your motherboard you need an AGP version and not the PCI eXpress version.

Answer 3

it's hard to say. you may need a video card, memory, or a processor.

but opt for memory and video card. but don't get the best video card because your processor could be a bottleneck.

btw....you didn't tell us what card you have. it's hard to know what card you need to upgrade from.

ok nvm what I said. I did some search and you can't update that card. haha you're best bet is to upgrade your whole system.

You could build a cheap system around 500 if you're demand is not high.
just check your local pc shops and see if they have used parts.
all you need is:

power supply 350-400 $40 (if your current power supply has enough power you may get by with it)
nvidia/ait video card $50-100
processor intel/amd $80-120
mainboard $60-100
memory $50-100
case $30-50
you already have hard drive
you have monitor
you have mouse
you have keyboard

Answer 4

ok heres the thing
this video controller u have in built in on the motherboard,yes INTEL suks
unlike ATI or NVIDIA u cant jsut remove the video card and get a new one...u might have to get a new motherboard
u might be able to disable ur graphics controller, and if u have PCi bus slot on ur machine ur in luck and go get a ATI controller with atleast 128mb of memory
juicing up ur RAM will not help coz these machines are designed to use only a part of ur physical memmory maybe upto 32mb and there is no way u can increase it ur self
hope this helps

Answer 5

I believe that you are using a integrated graphics card, and for playing games, integrated graphics cards are a big no-no. You probably need to buy a new video card and that would most likely solve your problem, also getting at least 1 GB of RAM is recommended for gamers. Just to clarify, updating your current video card means to get new drivers, and that probably won't solve your problem.

Answer 6

An easy solution to help decision making... reboot your computer then run this test on it. If you get a lot of red areas, you NEED a new machine.
In the black box, pick The Sims 2 - or the version in question
http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest