Can someone help me with a desktop/graphics question

Hi,this is a three part question....

I just purchased a new laptop, but it has an intel 965 graphics chip that does NOT work well at all on SL. Are there any fixes for this at all? This is my first question.

THEN, I am also needing to upgrade or replace the tower for my desktop. I am technically challenged here, so I need help understanding what I am looking for.

The desktop will need to be used for work as well as play, but I want to make sure I have the appropriate graphics card to run SL while I am buying.

I printed out the system requirements and as I have looked around at desktops, I am finding plenty of nvidia graphics cards in the 7000 series, usually a 7100 or 7050. These two are not listed on the list... So is the list saying ONLY the ones listed will support it, or any in the 7000 series?

Since the desktop is is my secondary computer, I can not afford to spend TOO much on this I'd like to keep it between 4-600 dollars...is this reasonable. I don't need anything but the tower, but will buy a bundle off the shelf too if there is one, and does anyone have a suggestion?

Thanks so much for any help.

You won't find much off the shelf. Your best bet is to buy a tower off the shelf with crappy graphics, then add in a nice card yourself

For graphics cards I would stick to nvidia. Model numbers are strange, make sure the first number is at least a 7, and the second digit at least a 6, so a 7600 would be acceptable, though not the best. an 8600GT is in my opinion the best choice as far as Costerformance ratio goes.

Ram: At least 1 gig of ram on windows XP, and at least 2 gigs on Windows Vista.


That laptop of yours unfortunatly is not upgradable like a desktop is, so chances are you wont get it running SL.

Also, try not to buy a graphics card in a store. You can expect at least twice the cost in a store that you would find online.

I like tigerdirect. Though there are a few good online stores out there.

Thank you Dante...this is one that I am looking at in my budget... would this be sufficient?


AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 dual-core processor 5000+* for increased multitasking performance; improved security with Enhanced Virus Protection**; Cool'n'Quiet™ Technology to minimize heat and noise
3GB PC2-5300 DDR2 memory for multitasking power, expandable to 4GB
SuperMulti DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL or DVD-R DL media; also supports DVD-RAM
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AMD dual-core technology enables you to work or play with multiple programs without impacting performance
512KB + 512KB L2 cache memory for efficient system processing
400GB Serial ATA II hard drive with 8MB cache (7200 rpm); Gateway Portable Media Drive bay lets you easily add a second removable hard drive (Portable Media Drive not included)
NVIDIA GeForce 8300 GS graphics with up to 256MB on-board video memory and DirectX 10 support; high-definition audio (8-channel support); DVI-I, VGA and S-video outputs
High-performance 15-in-1 digital media card reader supports CompactFlash Type I/II, Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, MultiMediaCard Plus, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick PRO Duo
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All around I think You will be happy with that computer for Second Life.

Except for it's graphics, the 8300gs is the lowest of the 8 series. You may run SL but don't expect good performance, and you may even grind to a halt in some busy areas.

Normally I would buy a computer such as that, then upgrade the card, as it's specs look as if it is a nice starting point.

i agree (just to add in another opinion)

JUST MAKE SURE IT HAS A SLOT!! pci-express 16x

aside from the graphics maybe the speed of the ram, its on the low end of the middle market, not a major deal, and not worth going out of your way to upgrade, but if its an option ...

Ok, really showing my ignorance here...what is the slot for. It's ok, you can roll your eyes LOL

The "slot" is where you plug your graphics card (or other hardware devices or cards) into. There are 3 major type of slots. AGP........an older type of slot made specifically for graphics cards (it's pretty fast but it's almost extinct in the motherboard world). PCI.......a newer but several years old slot for almost any hardware card from network cards to high end graphics cards (its not as fast as AGP but much more efficient and versitle) And PCI Express.........the newest interface slot on most modern motherboards. It's much faster than either AGP or PCI. Most motherboards made within the past 6 months will have at least one PCI-e slot........some will have more.

What Osgeld was getting at (I think) is that if you get a video card make sure it matches what your motherboard supports. And, if you have a PCI-e slot, get a PCI-e video card. It's the fastest out there today.

yes


bzzt no, pci is the upgrade to ISA, something that went mostly extinct in the 486 days, back when the slots on your pc were basicly hard wired directly to the cpu, 8 bit, then 16 bit, in an effort to break away from direct cpu connections there was a slew of 32 bit slots, eisa, mca, vlb, and pci

eisa was expensive and didnt really solve the issue, mca was ibm propitiatory to the ps/2 series computers, and vlb wile faster (barley) than pci still tied directly into the cpu, mainly the 486 and was instantly useless when the intel Pentium (yes p1) was released and PCI took over as the expansion slot for nearly a decade

what the problem is with pci, its slow, only a few hundered megabits (not bytes) per second, as computers grew more complicated and graphics performance was needed the AGP slot was introduced for video systems, a 1x agp slot is like 16X faster than a pci slot ... 8x agp is much much much faster than that, getting into the 2gigabytes per second range

pci-e is the new standard, and comes in a veriaty of configurations, pci1x is about the same speed as agp1x, but now you are not only limited to your video card

pci-e 16x is roughly 2x faster than agp8x and is the current most standard interface for graphics boards, altho stuff like pci-e version 2 are starting to become more common

if you do not have a pci-express 16x slot you will be limited to normal pci slots, and basicly shooting yourself in the foot as your degrading your "state of the art" computer to 1994 limitations

before you buy make sure it has a pci-express 16x slot so you can add a beefy video card to your system

personally screw anyone that has a tv commercial, you pay much more for stuff you probally dont want (you just paid 300$ for your free printer stupid!) look at someplace like ibuypower.com along with your shopping, that way you know when gateway is selling you a 699$pc for 1200$

Thank you all for your help... to a non tech person such as myself, this is a bit like reading greek.

Can I reasonably expect to order a computer... again, I do not need anything but the tower, but will get it all if that is how it works out.... for this for under $600?.. I just can't justify going higher, when I have a brand new laptop too.

and if you happen to know of a specific suggestion, I'd be grateful to be pointed to it. Thanks.

The 8300 Video card is the bottom of the barrel and not much better than the laptop's integrated video. It has less performance than a 2001 era Nvidia Ti 4200 and it is painful to try to use SL with. Problem with low end computers is they come with el cheapo power supplies so you may end up having to upgrade the power supply and the video card if you go that route. Tiger Direct and other retailers sell gaming rigs that are set up correctly and can be just as inexpensive if you know what you are looking for.