Recommendations for extending the life of my desktop (video card, etc)

[Morgan]

Folks, I've a Dell Dimension 4600, a few years old, that has served me well and faithfully.

It has a P4 2.4gig processor, and despite only 256MB memory and an el-cheapo NVidia GeForce MX440 video card, it has always been fast and reliable.

Time to upgrade, however - I installed Half-Life 2, and I can't get good graphics.  It gets choppy if I get close.

I don't want to break the bank here, just get two more years out of this.  I'd like to be able to play any game (I've heard Far Cry is good, but needs a high end setup, for instance) on decent settings.

What video cards are recommended these days - I want trouble free performance at a reasonable price, say $200 or under.

What type/brand of memory is recommended?  I'm planning on at least 512, maybe more.

[Sindawe]

ATI makes some great hardware (crappy drivers though).  You can pick up an ATI AllInWonder 9600XT for less than $150, and gain the ability to view/record cable TV, and DVDs if you toss in DVD reader.  Instant Media PC.  If the video/DVD stuff is irrelevant to you, the 9800 XT is going for $200-$230 online, and that has 256 MB of RAM and would be great for gaming.

Lots of folks like NVidia.  I have no experince with those.  As for memory, have you checked on Dells website for their prices?  Usually the stuff I get from them is Micron labeled.

On Edit: OmegaDrivers.Net has better (stable) drivers than these coming out of ATI.

[TarpleyG]

Your video card is probably just fine but your problem is RAM.  I'd buy as much as you can afford and if your budget is $200 you should be able to get a gig of Kingston RAM for it.

Greg

[jefnvk]

That video card is definitely not fine for HL2.

Grab a gig of RAM, $70-80.
Video cards can be had relatively cheap.  Last time I priced them, the 6600GT's were around $150.  9600XT (what I am playing with now) was $120-30.  X800's are around $200, IIRC.  I'd get the 6600 or X800 over a 9600 or 9800, just because the formers are a generation newer than the latters.

[Morgan]

Thanks for the advice, guys...

Jefnvk, get out of my head - I've done a little more research and believe I've decided on the 6600GT and a gig of memory, and then you post this...

Newegg seems to have the best pricing - any reason not to go with them?

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

www.pricewatch.com

Sometimes you can find stuff cheaper here. I do all the time

Regards,
Rabbit.

[lee n. field]

What type/brand of memory is recommended?  I'm planning on at least 512, maybe more.

Go to http://www.kingston.com.  They have a memory configurator tool that will tell you exactly what you can do, and what to order, for you Dell.

[garrettwc]

jefnvk is right on the money. 1GB of ram and the 6600GT will make you plenty playable on HL2. I think this one is a real sleeper, great reviews, low price, lots of memory, etc.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130232

[jefnvk]

Newegg seems to have the best pricing - any reason not to go with them?

Absolutely none, even if you do pay a few dollars more than another company.  Newegg will take care of you if anything goes wrong.

And a while ago, I was serious about getting a new vid card.  After looking at everything under $200, the 6600GT is what I came up with, over anything else.

[Morgan]

Thanks again, guys.  The ATI cards sound great, but I don't want to dick around with crappy drivers.  Once upon a time, I was quite a computer guru, but I've been out of that game for some six years now - and I know just enough to be dangerous.

I went ahead and ordered the 6600GT and a gigabyte of Kingston RAM from Newegg.

I'll post back with my impressions when the new stuff arrives.

[Morgan]

Update - received the stuff a while back, and I'm quite impressed.  Half Life 2 now runs well, and the visuals are MUCH better.  Call of Duty has much better resolution and effects - it's like a new game.

Thanks all - this is exactly what I needed.