Need help with new graphics card?

Question

I'm looking to upgrade my graphics card. I have absolutely no idea what DDR and GDDR and what goes with my computer. Right now I have a Geforce 6200 TC if that helps. I know that I have PCI-E, so is any card suitable, I'm looking at getting at Geforce 7600 GS, 1) is that a good card and 2) can it run on my comp. I will provide more details if needed.

Fun that helped alittle bit still don't know if it will run on my computer. I have 1GB Ram.
Pentium 4 3.0 GHZ and 152 GB of Freed hardrive space left. I know I have PCI-E x16 but whats getting me is the DDR2 and GDDR3 whats the difference and where do I find out what my computer has?

Thanks Jake that helped out a bunch. had to get a new card cause the one I have now is trying to crap out on me. I'll probably go with the 7800 GT until I can get the money for another upgrade to my comp or just a new one.

or the 7600 GT I mean

Answer 1

The 6200 is a PCI card, right?
Therefore your motherboard supports PCI-Express. In that case, a 7600 gs would be an excellent upgrade for your system, at a reasonable price. It will probably remain "competitive" for a year or so, after which you would want to switch to a DirectX 10 card, like a Geforce 8800 GTX/GTS or 8900 series.

Although I'm wondering - why not the 7600 GT? It's only a few more bucks, and it has faster memory clocks.

By the way - DDR is a RAM type, while GDDR is for graphics cards.

In short - if the motherboard and the graphics card are both PCI, then they should work, unless hardware is defective.

Answer 2

Piece of cake. Go to the URLs listed below and search on the topics you want. They have stuff like how to update and what to buy as far as computer, drives, and cards. You have to watch it too. If your computer is too old, sometimes it may not be worth it to upgrade. Also, you will learn that you may want a better graphics card, so money wise that is no problem. But then you may have to get a bigger power supply. Cnet has a video clips on this and other topics. I learned something watching the videos they have.

If you have any problems, give me a buzz next week. Reason is you gotta learn. If you do email, send the brand and model number and what you have added to it. Sometimes you do not have the $400 for a higher graphics card, but may have the $50 to get 512 Mb of RAM (memory). Now if you could get the 8800 you would be squared away. Then if you ever upgraded you already have a card. But anyway, read on the different cards. You will find the differences. Also in the URL on from techreport you will see why the same model card by different brand is different. One may overclock the card and another maker may not, but same brand model. Prices will vary of course. If you decide on your card also to get the 512 Mb if possible. Also check the prices, with Ebay, pricegrabber.com and nextag.com.
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From WIDIPEDIA definition of GDDR. Most people have the common misconception of the two. But in a way GDDR is the next level of DDR memory. Like the next level of PCI care was the AGP, then PCI-Express. SO when they make radical improvement just a different name.

WIKIPEDIA DEFINITION
GDDR3, Graphics Double Data Rate 3, is a graphics card-specific memory technology, designed by ATI Technologies.

It has much the same technological base as DDR2, but the power and heat dispersal requirements have been reduced somewhat, allowing for higher-speed memory modules, and simplified cooling systems. Unlike the DDR2 used on graphics cards, GDDR3 is unrelated to the upcoming JEDEC DDR3 specification. This memory uses internal terminators, enabling it to better handle certain graphics demands. To improve bandwidth, GDDR3 memory transfers 4 bits of data per pin in 2 clock cycles.

Despite being designed by ATI, the first card to use the technology was nVidia's GeForce FX 5700 Ultra, where it replaced the DDR2 modules used up to that time. The next card to use GDDR3 was nVidia's GeForce 6800 Ultra, where it was key in maintaining reasonable power requirements compared to the card's predecessor, the GeForce 5950 Ultra. ATI began using the memory on its Radeon X800 cards. GDDR3 is Sony's choice for the PlayStation 3 gaming console's graphics processor, although the main system memory will be comprised of XDR DRAM. Microsoft's Xbox 360 is also shipped with 512 MB of GDDR3 memory, and is helping to pioneer the use of this memory as standard system memory rather than only video memory.

Answer 3

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/geforce_7600_gs_preview/