Differences explanation needed

[flopcabbage]

Hi guys, firstly i apologise if i am putting this in the wrong forum

I'm not very computer minded but I did manage to build a very cheap tower system last year with a basic motherboard with an onboard graphics card, I did have quite a bit of help to get it running from a friend who is computer minded and has built several systems in the past. He was the one who actually told me about Overclockers.

The only information I have been able to find out about the components is the following:

Motherboard says on it: NVidia GeForce 7050PV/NVidia nForce 630a
and it has 2 1Gb memory cards.

I know, i should have paid more attention when installing compenents, but I used a few that were from a slimline PC that had crashed, ie Hard drive etc.

Now, this computer runs quite well, for my average needs, but i play WOW and since Blizzard have launched their latest patch 4.01 i get terrible framerate and poor latency. I threw in an ATI Radeon X600 256MB graphics card that i had lying around and the framerate has improved somewhat but not enough.

When looking at the in game video settings, I can see that a lot of functions now require 'Shader 3 enabled grahpics card' and i have no idea what this is.

I dont have oodles of cash to spend and i am completely confused by DDR2,3,5 etc.....as to which one i can put in. I have looked at the 'New Build Post' in the forums and they seem to be mixing and matching DDR3 motherboards with DDR5 graphics cards. Can i do this ? can i put a DDR3 card in? what does DDR stand for, where will it tell me if its shader 3 enabled etc

Sorry for sounding like a complete idiot..but in this instance i am i really am only looking for something around the £30-40 mark as i'm not a 'hardcore' gamer but i do like to be able to move about when I'm playing

Please dont laugh, as everyone starts somewhere and I really would appreciate the help, having browsed these forums for a while before taking the leap to become a member and post my question, as i cant seem to find the answers I'm looking for

Thanks in advance

 

[Dutch Guy]

Uhmmm, DDR3 or DDR5 doesn't matter, you don't need to match motherboard RAM with Videocard RAM.

What you need is a Shader Model v3.0 card ansd I think ATI cards feature that from x1--- onwards.

Any current card you can buy is several times faster than what you have now, what is your budget?

 

[ShakeNBake]

well first you need to know whether your motherboard has a "pci-express" or "pci-e" expansion slot.

also knowing your power supply wattage will help someone recommend you a card.

this is all i can really find in your budget
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=56&subid=1010&sortby=priceAsc
doubt they will be any good for gaming.
try to save up for at least £50-100 and get something a lot better.

 

[aln]

Right click "my computer" go to properties. The general tab should display what CPU you have.

Go to start => all programs => Accessories => System tools => system information. On system summary (where it starts) look at System Model. This _should_ show your motherboard.

 

[sambot]

from looking at http://www.nvidia.com/object/mobo_gpu_tech_specs.html

that mobo has pci express 1x16 and 3x1

 

[Cleeecooo]

Possible cards

Here are some more expensive cards:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=56&subid=1673

This is my recommendation for your budget:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-116-HT&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=168

But if your mobo can only support nVidia cards then these are OCUK's cheapest:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=56&subid=1833



The DDR 2/3/5 is the RAM (memory) that the card has but it doesn't have to match the RAM your motherboard can support or the RAM you have in you system. DDR5 is faster than DDR2/3.

Apologies if i'm being patronising.

 

[flopcabbage]

You are most certainly not being patronising, that is exactly what i needed to know in relation to the DDR2/3/5 thing and i appreciate your nice simple explanation. One more thing in relation to this, does the speed at which my motherboard operates have an effect on the speed of the graphics card?

I appreciate the points about saving up to get a better card but if my motherboard cant cope with a DDR5 card is there much point as i cant afford to change my motherboard? Though i have to say Clee that i like the look of this one http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-120-HT&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1673 that you recommended and in another couple of weeks i should be able to afford it

How do i tell if they are compatible is another question?

I'm really sorry for asking such simple questions, but i really am a novice is this area.

Thanks for your answers so far

 

[Hagar]

One more thing in relation to this, does the speed at which my motherboard operates have an effect on the speed of the graphics card?

Thanks for your answers so far

The speed of the graphics card is only limited by the speed of the pci-e bus, normally 100MHz, think of it as a separate computer dedicated to graphics with its own processor and ram memory (hence the quite high cost). It supplements the CPU and takes the load from it for graphics requirements.

The graphics card capability or throughput can be throttled by a weak CPU but it will operate at its maximum speed internally. Buy a card based on what you can afford and your requirements. Most midrange cards are quite capable