http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=41FC&CategorySelectedId=11137&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11137,43990000
I've just registered for Second Life but after downloading the software it has become apparant that my PC won't run it without a new graphics/video card. I'm not a gamer so all I'm looking for is something cheap that will run SL.
I'm sorry if this has been posted before or if it is a really basic question. I'd just like to get it up and running!
My current PC spec: Dell Dimension 4600, RAGE 128 video card, 2.66Ghz Pentium 4, 2Gb RAM, Hard drive 1 -50GB, Hard drive 2 - 250Gb, Audiophile 2496 soundcard.
If it doesn't work, could someone recommend an inexpensive card that would work with SL and my PC spec.
Thanks for your help!
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Will this work with SL? |
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Jimi Fredrickson
Registered User
Join date: 21 Jul 2006
Posts: 9
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07-21-2006 07:11
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Thili Playfair
Registered User
Join date: 18 Aug 2004
Posts: 2,417
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07-21-2006 08:30
Would prob work, but horrible, LE is very bad graphic cards
NVIDIA® TurboCache™ technology shares the capacity and bandwidth of dedicated video memory and dynamically available system memory for turbocharged performance and larger total graphics memory. ^ is very bad Depends how much youd want to spend you can get any of these, cheap 6600gt 6800gt 7600gt 7800gt expensive |
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Striker Wolfe
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Join date: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 355
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07-21-2006 08:54
http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=41FC&CategorySelectedId=11137&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11137,43990000 I've just registered for Second Life but after downloading the software it has become apparant that my PC won't run it without a new graphics/video card. I'm not a gamer so all I'm looking for is something cheap that will run SL. I'm sorry if this has been posted before or if it is a really basic question. I'd just like to get it up and running! My current PC spec: Dell Dimension 4600, RAGE 128 video card, 2.66Ghz Pentium 4, 2Gb RAM, Hard drive 1 -50GB, Hard drive 2 - 250Gb, Audiophile 2496 soundcard. If it doesn't work, could someone recommend an inexpensive card that would work with SL and my PC spec. Thanks for your help! That video card will not work, a Dell Dimension 4600 has 3 PCI and 1 AGP slot NOT PCI-Express. Depending on your opinion of inexpensive you have some choices, a typical 6600GT AGP will go for around $100 to $130 USD and is well worth the price. _____________________
AMD 4400+ X2 OC 4800+
MSI 7800GTX OC 256MB 2GB OCZ Platinum Rev2 2-3-2-5 1T Timings @ 218MHz Western Digital Raptor 10K RPM 74GB Soundblaster X-Fi Xtreme Music |
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Inigo Chamerberlin
Registered User
Join date: 13 May 2006
Posts: 448
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07-21-2006 09:03
Never mind the card - Google 'Dabs Direct Customer Service'!
The choice is entirely yours _____________________
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Jimi Fredrickson
Registered User
Join date: 21 Jul 2006
Posts: 9
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07-22-2006 03:33
It seems replacing the current AGP card is probably the way to go.
What about this card? http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=3XZD&CategorySelectedId=11137&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11137,42220000 Or this one? http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?TabID=1&ModuleNo=48527&doy=22m7 Thanks again! |
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Thili Playfair
Registered User
Join date: 18 Aug 2004
Posts: 2,417
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07-22-2006 07:38
For Secondlife id avoid ati like plague , since their drivers with OpenGl (what SL use) is >insert something not appropriate here<.
6600 nvidia gt is pretty decent for its price, you definatly want 256mb least , SL actually manage to use over 128 now  yay.Not sure how availible they are , youre in uk right. club3d gforce 6600, 256mb ddr, - 65£ slower ram then the one below, for SL i doubt youll notice that tho. xfx 6800xt 256mb gddr3, - 106£ smallest fan i ever seen on a vid card tho -.- but that one should last awhile till SL decide to use dx10 ( wich will be years :q ) |
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Katier Reitveld
M2 News Manager
Join date: 13 Sep 2005
Posts: 412
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07-22-2006 14:33
For Secondlife id avoid ati like plague , since their drivers with OpenGl (what SL use) is >insert something not appropriate here<. Yes ATI frame rate is inferior in OGL to Nvidia, HOWEVER there have been less issues with ATI cards and SL than their have for Nvidia cards. Plus ATI Image quality is better. The inferior frame rate isn't a problem as it'll still be plenty enough to play smoothly. No reason not to buy ATI. |
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Argent Stonecutter
Emergency Mustelid
Join date: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 20,263
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07-22-2006 18:41
Yes ATI frame rate is inferior in OGL to Nvidia, HOWEVER there have been less issues with ATI cards and SL than their have for Nvidia cards. Plus ATI Image quality is better. The inferior frame rate isn't a problem as it'll still be plenty enough to play smoothly. No reason not to buy ATI. Say what? I've always found ATI's higher performance and better with DirectX, but even there nVidia's had the edge on image quality... and in SL nVidia's had fewer problems than ATI. The only problem I know of with nVidia is the 5x00 series vertex programs not being up to snuff... but that's two generations back now! |
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Joker Opus
Registered Usimibober
Join date: 9 May 2006
Posts: 363
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07-22-2006 20:55
Your omputer specs are just fine, however you are right about the graphics card, if you look here http://secondlife.com/corporate/sysreqs.php it will tell you some video card information.
-your british friend- _____________________
Jøkêr Øpüs
PLEASE FIX THE WEAPON TESTING SANDBOX - AN OLD SECONDLIFE HANGOUT! |
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Katier Reitveld
M2 News Manager
Join date: 13 Sep 2005
Posts: 412
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07-23-2006 01:32
Erm... "less issues with ATI cards"? "ATI image quality is better?" Say what? I've always found ATI's higher performance and better with DirectX, but even there nVidia's had the edge on image quality... and in SL nVidia's had fewer problems than ATI. The only problem I know of with nVidia is the 5x00 series vertex programs not being up to snuff... but that's two generations back now! 6x00 and 7x00 can have problems with ground textures which AFAIK havn't been fixed ( stand corrected if they have now ). ATI definatly has higher IQ, it's one of the big pluses for ATI, mainly I suspect due to superior AF and AA. |
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Jimi Fredrickson
Registered User
Join date: 21 Jul 2006
Posts: 9
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Power supply?
07-23-2006 02:54
For Secondlife id avoid ati like plague , since their drivers with OpenGl (what SL use) is >insert something not appropriate here<. 6600 nvidia gt is pretty decent for its price, you definatly want 256mb least , SL actually manage to use over 128 now yay.Not sure how availible they are , youre in uk right. club3d gforce 6600, 256mb ddr, - 65£ slower ram then the one below, for SL i doubt youll notice that tho. This card looks good and the reviews suggest it works well. However, I'm not sure my 250W Power Supply will allow it to run. How safe is it to install a new power supply into a PC? Could I install a 400-500W supply without it damaging or hindering any of my other components? From a complete newbie's perspective the idea of doubling my power supply seems worrying (I have images of things blowing up etc.!!) Thanks. |
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Katier Reitveld
M2 News Manager
Join date: 13 Sep 2005
Posts: 412
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07-23-2006 03:15
This card looks good and the reviews suggest it works well. However, I'm not sure my 250W Power Supply will allow it to run. How safe is it to install a new power supply into a PC? Could I install a 400-500W supply without it damaging or hindering any of my other components? From a complete newbie's perspective the idea of doubling my power supply seems worrying (I have images of things blowing up etc.!!) Thanks. It's VERY easy to change PSU's ( assuming your system uses a standard ATX one ). Make sure you get a quality one, for example from Tagan or Enermex as cheap ones like Q-Tec are likely to give up the ghost in a bad way. PC's only draw the amount of power you need, your not going to double the amount of power your PC recieves. Your going to doublt the amount it CAN draw. In fact your PC is safer on a bigger ( quality ) PSU as it's running further from it's limit's. A 250W running close to 100% is more likely to go bang than a 500W running at 50%. |
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Thili Playfair
Registered User
Join date: 18 Aug 2004
Posts: 2,417
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07-23-2006 06:03
ATI Image quality better, used to be true years ago, good luck finding diffrence vs a nvidia nowadays, drivers...ati?, renowned to be buggy fix something and suddenly you cant play another game cause of it , and have to reroll (always found this funny as i used to have ati).
But dont really do the "ati vs nvidia" doesnt matter long as YOU can get it to work, milage may vary as all the diffrent randomness happens with just about every pc as they arent identical even with same components. Psu are very easy to change however some of the wires can be "#"#&  ="#) hard to get out especially if the plugs never been changed much newer stiffer ow ow my fingers every time.Pro in changing psu is the new ones are very very quiet compared to a few years back, some have buildt in (whats the english for it <.< ..... thingie that if its overloaded it will shut itself down and blow a fuse ...litterally easy changeable.Some psu have to short wires for my case (server cube) tho, so i usually get least 90cm ones ( link) (bah stupid firefox broke copy/paste again) <.< |
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Jimi Fredrickson
Registered User
Join date: 21 Jul 2006
Posts: 9
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Finally (I hope)
07-23-2006 08:31
OK, I'm ready to buy some hardware now I think, but before I do:
1. Would this power source http://komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=308622 be ok for this graphics card http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=307924 ? 2. Would they both be happy in my Dell 4600? 3. And would SL run with this combination? |
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Thili Playfair
Registered User
Join date: 18 Aug 2004
Posts: 2,417
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07-23-2006 10:11
First thing i noticed was the lack of atx12v 2.0 standard wich is odd since it says its 20/24pin Fortron; Specification Compliance ATX12V wich should say Specification Compliance ATX12V v2.0x probably left that out since most should be v2.0x, could just ask them to tho, they are pretty fast atx (1.3) on left , 20 pin || atx v2.0 on right 24  24 wich can be deattached if its no room for it, most agp cards dont really need the 24, so detacch off and use 20  Recommend this one < 400watt > Chieftec Psu atx400w, 20/24pin,pcie looked at this one (practicly identical) Fontron/Source atx bulk, 20/24pin for some reason that one has v2.01 (go figure) You can never have enough power ;_; 1000watt :> pcie on this , is just a connector if you ever get a motherboard that has pcie slot you can use that on it, but some agps use only 20pin, newer use 24, but i seen agp motherboards that has 24 to juice up the power to agp, forgot wich one that was. Not sure about your pc case tho, Dell shouldnt have wierdness inside there like compaq cases have , where the ones i touched had to litterally disassemble the entire bloddy case to get to where the screw's where ...greaat design cough (shudder) ( atx v2.0 info ) |