Doubt about RAM and GRAPHICS CARD?

Question

I have a HCL PC with P4 processor,with
2*128 MB DDR@333 PC2700 NON BUFF ECC.In this PC2700
means what?.Frankely speeking i don't know
much about comptuer.I have planned to increase my
RAM's capacity upto 1 GB.So please tell me that what
are the things that has to taken into account while
buying a RAM and what company.Please kindly tell me in
detail.
Secondly,I what to know about graphics
card in detail.What is meant by Direct X 9.0
compactible graphics card and what are the things to
taken into account while buying a graphics card and
what company.Kindly reply immediately.

Answer 1

PC2700 is an alternate way of saying DDR333. Here's a link to a breakdown of the codes and their speeds:

http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=PC2700&i=50982,00.asp

The two main things you need to know is the maximum memory speed your motherboard can handle (it's probably either going to be PC2700 or PC3200) and whether or not it requires dual-channel ram or not.

A good way to figure this out is going to www.crucial.com and using their memory selector. If you have a name brand PC (e.g. Gateway, Dell) you can search by the PC model number. If not you can search based on your motherboards model number. Crucial's prices tend to be a bit high so once you find out what type of ram to buy, you might want to shop around. I like newegg.com.

DirectX 9.0 is the software protocol used in Windows games. It woud be hard to find a card that didn't support it.

The main things to consider when buying a graphics card is what type of slot it uses (AGP or PCI-Express) and how much power it requires. Your manual should tell you what type of slot you have. If not, you can always pull your current card out and take it to a computer shop and have them tell you.

Power is another matter. Most graphics cards for gaming require at least a 300-350W power supply. You should be able to find out what yours is by looking on the back of it.

As far as which card to get, I suggest you go to newegg.com and read the reviews. Odds are, someone's been in your position and written about it.

If all this is too overwhelming you could take the PC to a Best Buy (Geek Squad) and have them do it but you will pay a premium (probably double.

Good luck!

Answer 2

PC2700 is one way to talk about RAM speed, the 1GB talks about quantity. When you're buying RAM, you're going to want all your RAM at the same speed, which is a speed that's compatible with your computer. A Direct X 9.0 capable graphics card means that it can use Direct X, something required for these newer computer games. When buying a graphics card, you'll want to look for RAM built into the graphics card that is only there for graphics, and also compatibility with Direct X and Open GL can be important to look for. Usually, $50 is enough for a good graphics card, but some enthusiasts pay up to $500 or more for a graphics card. Hope I helped. =)

Answer 3

graphic cards or video cards are a growing industry, today i wouldent get anything under 256MB for gaming, for Ram go to tigerdirect.com and look at different DDR Ram (DDR pc2700)thats your ram type that motherboard supports, 1GB of ram is real good!

Answer 4

not sure much myself, im reliant on this great site

http://www.diy-street.com/forum/index.php

tigerdirect and newegg.com are both great order sites btw