Video card, DDR2 ,DDR3?

[alphalanos]

Im looking at a new graphics card. I see DDR, DDR2 and DDR3 advertised. What are the differences and how do I know what kind I should be looking for? My current card is a cheap Geforce 4 mx4000 128mb. Id like to have at least a 256. my mobo is
ASrock P4V88 DDR400 AGP 8x

Any recommendations for a decent card around $200?

[l_eclipse_l]

The difference is primarily speed. Obviously, the faster the better.

Hmmm lets see...you could get a decent card for well under $200. Here are a few examples of decent ones.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814143046

^That^ one has a $50 rebate, so it would only cost you about $170 after shipping.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150210

This one is also a good good, and a little cheaper.

Either card may be a little cheaper if you find it on ebay or shop around a little more. I just chose Newegg because I always buy stuff from them.

[alphalanos]

what about this one? Its about the same price for more memory. Is that a bad thing http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814195031

[l_eclipse_l]

Originally Posted by alphalanos

what about this one? Its about the same price for more memory. Is that a bad thing http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814195031

That one looks pretty good too.

[Knifeblade]

If it's DDR400, your'e most likely running 400 or so Mhz, and possibly a pc 3200 RAM. The key question is whether the mobo will support a DDR2 or 3 card. I went through quite a learning curve when I decided to add a graphics card to replace the onboard crummy Dell Graphics.

Determined that my system won't support DDR2 or 3, just straight DDR. But, then, Dell said I couldn't put in a card in the first place, ppppptttthhhhhhh on Dell [jerks, LOL]. However, you seem to have space for an AGP drop-in, where I had only PCI options. I'm not sure if AGP has some effect on allowing a DDR2 or not.

Anyhoo, the first thing is to determine if your system will support DDR2 or better. If so, go for it. Better speed at a minimum. Don't forget RAM, I had only 256 onboard, and the card [while it worked much better than the onboard] still didn't quite perform until I added 512 more. Once the extra RAM was put in, it sings. It would scream if I could have 1G or more RAM, but then that gets into the same old issue of how much RAM your mobo will support.

Most gamers have told me 1G RAM minimum to utilize a new card effectively. And most mobo's will support 1G, some will go 2G's or more, added on total.

[l_eclipse_l]

Originally Posted by Knifeblade_03

If it's DDR400, your'e most likely running 400 or so Mhz, and possibly a pc 3200 RAM. The key question is whether the mobo will support a DDR2 or 3 card. I went through quite a learning curve when I decided to add a graphics card to replace the onboard crummy Dell Graphics.

Determined that my system won't support DDR2 or 3, just straight DDR. But, then, Dell said I couldn't put in a card in the first place, ppppptttthhhhhhh on Dell [jerks, LOL]. However, you seem to have space for an AGP drop-in, where I had only PCI options. I'm not sure if AGP has some effect on allowing a DDR2 or not.

Anyhoo, the first thing is to determine if your system will support DDR2 or better. If so, go for it. Better speed at a minimum. Don't forget RAM, I had only 256 onboard, and the card [while it worked much better than the onboard] still didn't quite perform until I added 512 more. Once the extra RAM was put in, it sings. It would scream if I could have 1G or more RAM, but then that gets into the same old issue of how much RAM your mobo will support.

Most gamers have told me 1G RAM minimum to utilize a new card effectively. And most mobo's will support 1G, some will go 2G's or more, added on total.

I think you are confusing system RAM with the memory built into the video card itself. You do not need a motherboard that accepts DDR2 system RAM to have a video card with DDR2 or DDR3 memory. They are separate entities.

Also, AGP is a thing of the past. It is a dying platform for graphics. PCI-e (express) is the way to go and much cheaper.

[Knifeblade]

yeah, pci express, I agree, but the OP stated AGP, so I presumed only AGP slots available. That depends on the available slots, and whether they are pci X, right? If the OP's slots aren't pci X, then that becomes a moot point.

And, yeah, I may have stumbled on system vs. card RAM. Thanks for pointing that out.

Just for point of discourse, all my research led me to believe that my mobo wouldn't support a DDR 2 or 3 card. Maybe I am wrong, willing to listen to an explanation, learning is all good, IMO>

Or are we getting confused with DDR 2 and 3 RAM for the motherboard, instead of the card itself? Or am

[l_eclipse_l]

Originally Posted by Knifeblade_03

yeah, pci express, I agree, but the OP stated AGP, so I presumed only AGP slots available. That depends on the available slots, and whether they are pci X, right? If the OP's slots aren't pci X, then that becomes a moot point.

And, yeah, I may have stumbled on system vs. card RAM. Thanks for pointing that out.

Just for point of discourse, all my research led me to believe that my mobo wouldn't support a DDR 2 or 3 card. Maybe I am wrong, willing to listen to an explanation, learning is all good, IMO>

Or are we getting confused with DDR 2 and 3 RAM for the motherboard, instead of the card itself? Or am

If I remember correctly, you only had regular PCI slots in your MB right? As long as the card is a PCI interface, the type of memory will not matter in the respect that it will work with your system. You can have a PCI card with DDR2 and DDR3 memory if they make it, but I think that platform has pretty much died so they stopped making cards for it, hence the newer memory architectures are not available to you.

However, your board will most likely only accept DDR system memory and not DDR2 memory. DDR3 system memory is not quite the standard yet and very few motherboards utilize it, but in a year or two it will become more prevalent. Does that help?

[Knifeblade]

Yes, it clears a few things up. Very few pci cards run 2, and none at 3, from what I've gathered. So, the OP is cool with a DDR2 card, within AGP slots [which I understand are the OP's available slots].