I recently finished building a computer for some schoolwork and some gaming. Some of my games are lagging and i don't know what to upgrade. My processor is a 2.8GHz Pentium 4, I have 1 GB of DDR RAM, and my video card is a 64 MB PCI n-vidia GeForce 4000. I suspect it is my video card that is the problem, but I would like to hear some of your input.
2006-09-07 15:06:16 · 10 answers · asked by teh_n00b 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Add-ons
your suspicions are right, your video card might need upgrading, also get a new intel pentium 4 HT, its twice as fast as the old intel P4. also get a bigger RAM. I bought this computer 3 years ago, and it acts like its redy to collect social security. lol! do u mind upgrading mine too?
2006-09-07 15:11:52 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Due to the limited bandwidth, PCI video card cannot compare in performance to AGP video cards. But an inferior video card would mostly affect the game performance through inferior rendering (blurry and jumpy motions) on your screen.
If you mean a slowed performances by "lagging," then it would not be a surprise as Pentium 4 2.8ghz is not exactly the top of the line when it comes to gaming. The best gamers have mostly moved onto dual-core or dual processors (Athelon 64 or at least Pentium D series). 1 GB of DDR is usually enough, but I have seen gaming machines with 2 to 4 GB of memory performing flawlessly.
2006-09-07 22:18:25 · answer #2 · answered by Roy W 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It all depend on your motherboard. If you have an AGP or PCI express video card slot then upgrade to a video card that uses one of those slots. If you are limited to PCI graphics then upgrade to a more robust PCI card with more memory and a faster clock speed. Games are pretty graphics intensive so I place my money on the video card holding you back.
More memory won't make a great deal of difference past 1 Gig unless you have a ton on start up loads that use up RAM.
Your processor shouldn't be holding you back..
2006-09-07 22:15:40 · answer #3 · answered by Fremen 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Definitely is your video card. If you are talking about PCI express and it is 16x and of course you have enough dough to shell out for the best, you should buy at least a 256 mb card, ATI (Radeon X800GTO) or nVidia (Geforce 6600GT GDDR2)... whatever your favorite brand is. If you don't like my recommendations, then take a tour to any of the links below or do a search for yourself. There's plenty to choose from, not only from those sites. But you HAVE to change the card if you want to have a decent gameplay experience.
Good luck!
2006-09-07 22:19:31 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since you're a gamer, and have an AGP slot, you should go for one of the X1600 Pro's. I bought one about 6 months ago, and it still performs very well, with all of the newest games, including the ones that are toughest on video cards, like F.E.A.R.
Here's what it does at 1024x768, with 4x AF: http://img201.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fear1024x768gk5.jpg Here's what it does at 1152x864: http://img201.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fear1152x864wp4.jpg And here's what it does at 1280x960: http://img201.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fear1280x960lx7.jpg
Of course, if you've got the extra money, this card would be slightly faster, it would just do less of the things that a newer card like an X1600 Pro will do: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143045
2006-09-07 23:44:44 · answer #5 · answered by alchemist_n_tx 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look at your minimum requirements for your games. I believe your issue arises from lack of video memory. I would spend a few bucks and upgrade the video card. Your best bets would be www.tigerdirect.com and www.newegg.com...
G'Luck
2006-09-07 22:25:15 · answer #6 · answered by italian_s98 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Video card definately. You can get a 256MB pretty cheap now.
http://www.ati.com
http://www.bfgtech.com/
Though you may need to replace that motherboard if it only has PCI. And if you do that you may need to buy new ram and processor ;).
Though if you do that you'll have a great computer. :)
Good luck with your upgrade,
Dan
2006-09-07 22:18:29 · answer #7 · answered by Dan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to upgrade your video card.
2006-09-07 22:09:26 · answer #8 · answered by festus_porkchop 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
video card. it sucks.
2006-09-07 22:10:06 · answer #9 · answered by I run with scissors 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
check out your harddrive speed
2006-09-07 22:17:17 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋