upgrading my dell 4700's graphic card

hi,i'm new to all this so please be patient.i have a dell 4700(details below)i was wondering can anyone tell me how and where to get a new graphics card as some new games won't work.i have recently ordered extra ram(1gb)it will follow soon.thank you

OS Information:
PropertyValue
OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition|C:\WINDOWS|\Device\Harddisk0\Partition1
Service Pack 2.0
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS


Processor:
PropertyValue
Current Clock Speed 2992
Description x86 Family 15 Model 3 Stepping 4
Manufacturer GenuineIntel
Name Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz


Memory (RAM):
PropertyValue
Bank Label
Capacity 268435456

Bank Label
Capacity 268435456

Total Memory Deteced in Hardware: ~512 MB
Memory Reported to Operating System: 510MB

Disk Drives:
PropertyValue
Description Disk drive
Manufacturer (Standard disk drives)
Model WDC WD2500JS-75NCB1
Media Type Fixed hard disk media
Size 249999160320 (~233 GB)
Number of Partitions 1


Installed Printers:
PropertyValue

Motherboard:
PropertyValue
Manufacturer Dell Inc.
Model
Name Base Board
Part Number
Product 0M3918
Serial Number ..CN7082149500LX.
Version


BIOS:
PropertyValue
Manufacturer Dell Inc.
Name Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A03
Release Date 20040823000000.000000+000
Version DELL - 7


Monitor:
PropertyValue
Description Default Monitor
Name Default Monitor
Screen Height 768
Screen Width 1024

Description Default Monitor
Name Default Monitor
Screen Height
Screen Width


Keyboard:
PropertyValue
Description Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard


Pointing Device:
PropertyValue
Manufacturer (Standard system devices)
Name USB Human Interface Device


Sound Card:
PropertyValue
Manufacturer Microsoft
Description Unimodem Half-Duplex Audio Device
Device ID MODEMWAVE\0\{CD16E4A6-4CA5-4C3F-A0A7-AD03849198CB}

Manufacturer Analog Devices, Inc.
Description SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio
Device ID PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_266E&SUBSYS_01811028&REV_03\3&172 E68DD&0&F2


Video Card:
PropertyValue
Adapter Compatibility ATI Technologies Inc.
Adapter RAM 134217728
Description RADEON X300 Series
Installed Display Drivers ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version 6.14.10.6444
Driver Date 28/05/2004 09:57:50
Video Mode Description 1024 x 768 x 4294967296 colors

Adapter Compatibility ATI Technologies Inc.
Adapter RAM 134217728
Description RADEON X300 Series Secondary
Installed Display Drivers ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version 6.14.10.6444
Driver Date 28/05/2004 09:57:50
Video Mode Description


DirectX Installation:
PropertyValue


Modem:
PropertyValue
Model Intel(R) 537EP V9x DF PCI Modem
Name Intel(R) 537EP V9x DF PCI Modem


Network Adapters:
PropertyValue
Description Intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection - Packet Scheduler Miniport
Description Packet Scheduler Miniport
Description USB Cable Modem 351000 - Packet Scheduler Miniport
Description Packet Scheduler Miniport
Description Microsoft TV/Video Connection
Description Microsoft Tun Miniport Adapter
Description WAN Miniport (IPX)
Description USB Cable Modem 351000
Description Packet Scheduler Miniport
Description Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network)
Description Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network)

External Ports:
PropertyValue
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator
External Reference Designator

Expansion Slots:
PropertyValue
Slot Designation PCI_1
Slot Designation PCI_2
Slot Designation PCI_E_1
Slot Designation PEG
-------------------------------------------------------on,thank you

That board takes a PCI_E x16 card.

The X300 that you have is a decent basic card.

Your PSU is 305 Watts. As you go towards higher end cards the more power required as well as the possible need for dedicated lines from the PSU which yours does not have.

That being said here is a selection with many filters on the left menu you can add in searching: (price; memory; brand; etc.)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...CI+Express+x16

Post back any you like and we can look further. You would, for example, not be able to use the high end 8800's as they are too big and require too much power for your current configuration.

thanks for the help,could you recommend any of these cards as i still don't know what i'm looking at.how much better are they than my existing card?

What is your price range?

What games do you want to play?

hi,my budget is about 250 euro.one game i have is supreme commander.when i try to run it an error message pops up saying to check system meets minimum requirements.i think it does,but am getting an extra 1g of ram to help as well.most new games seem to require more ram and better graphics cards than come standard with most pcs.

Your Manual

My first concern is that your RAM slots run by the rear of the PCI_E slot. Therefore you have to be careful of the length of the PCI_E card. They are not all the same. Many high end cards are just too long for your motherboard. However your PSU appears to have a single PCI_E power supply line in P4:





Next concern is the monitor connection. There is DVI and VGA (D-SUB). Most new cards are using only DVI. I am just guessing that your monitor is VGA (D-SUB). So you either need an adapter or choose a card with 1 DVI and 1 VGA (D-SUB). Also you will lose your upper PCI slot as these cards are basically two slots deep due to their heatsinks and fans.

For your budget you can get a very good "high mid-end" card. I am still concerned also about your PSU which Dell states at 305 Watts. You can use this page to try and add up your systems' needs:

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/p...ulatorlite.jsp

This first filter is US dollars $100 > $200

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...24100+-+%24200

This is $200 > $300 (only 2 with D-SUB)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...24200+-+%24300

If you click on these cards you get details as well as user reviews. You can also Google the card for other reviews and details. I also do not know what is accessible in Europe rather than the US (Newegg).

You might try your existing card with your new RAM and just see how it runs games. I would say the X300 are low end PCI_E but superior to AGP cards. Your budget would buy a card 2 to 3 times the price of X300 cards and you do generally get what you pay for.



...

wow,thats a lot of info!i'll take your advice and wait for ram but you have given me a lot to think about,thanks again