Graphics Card Trouble

R

RapierWit

New Member
Alright so I'm a big fan of the Total War games, and I bought Medieval 2 about a year and a half ago but my computer wouldn't run it because of my graphics card. Now Empire's coming out, so I've decided just to upgrade my computer already so I can play both. I'm basically going to by 1GB of RAM and a graphics card that'll run both Medieval 2 and Empire. However, a while ago when I went to a local electronics store, the guy there looked at my CPU and told me I wouldn't really be able to update my CPU's graphics and such, because it was a certain model, yadda yadda. I'm not sure where to find my system information on my computer (I have a Dell/Windows EXP), so if you guys could point me to where it is I'd be appreciative. Then, once I find it, I'm going to post it on this thread so you can tell me what graphics cards/RAM would work with my computer (and bear in mind I need a graphics card that'll run Empire). I'm basically an idiot when it comes to hardware and such, so I appreciate any help you can give me!
 
Software like CPUz or PC Wizard should give you all the information you need to know about your computer. My guess is you're computer has intergrated graphics with either AGP or PCI slots (IE not the current PCI Express) thus getting a new GPU would almost be a waste. Provide us with the model of your computer, or if it's Dell, the service code located on the back and we could find more information on the specs...
 
I got this off of systemrequirementslab let me know if you need any other info:
CPU: Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 2.53GHz
System RAM: 510 MB
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (Build Service Pack 32600)
Video Card: Intel(R) 82865G Graphics Controller (Intel(R) 82865G Graphics Controller)
Free Disk Space: 50.9 GB

Yea my video card is integrated but why does that make buying a graphics card pointless?
 
I wasn't saying because it was intergrated it would be a waste. I was referring to the age of the computer and the lack of reasonably priced upgrade options. I really need the model number/service tag/main chipset to really research this computer, but I feel quite certain you'd be limited to PCI video. On top of this, your CPU isn't exactly a gaming processor either. You'd probably be better off saving up and buying a new computer than trying to invest money into this one.
 
I'm surprised that my computer's age would be a problem it's only three years old. The service tag is FF03Z81, and I'm not exactly sure which number is the model number; there are several numbers on the side of the CPU.
 
The_Other_One said:
You'd probably be better off saving up and buying a new computer than trying to invest money into this one.
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I'd second that, you can build a decent economy rig like the one in my sig for around 500-600 bucks if you look for the deals and put it together yourself. Not worth upgrading any computer with the price of computer parts dropping like rocks.
 
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I mean is there anyway to put in a new graphics card in my current CPU? I'm not looking for a state-of-the-art computer, just something that'll run Medieval 2 and Empire. Plus I really don't want to spend more than $200 on this ordeal
 
RapierWit said:
I mean is there anyway to put in a new graphics card in my current CPU? I'm not looking for a state-of-the-art computer, just something that'll run Medieval 2 and Empire. Plus I really don't want to spend more than $200 on this ordeal
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I don't know because I don't know if you have a AGP slot or just a PCI slot. If you have a AGP slot you can buy a card off ebay or something just to get you along.
 
The_Other_One said:
I wasn't saying because it was intergrated it would be a waste. I was referring to the age of the computer and the lack of reasonably priced upgrade options. I really need the model number/service tag/main chipset to really research this computer, but I feel quite certain you'd be limited to PCI video. On top of this, your CPU isn't exactly a gaming processor either. You'd probably be better off saving up and buying a new computer than trying to invest money into this one.
Click to expand...

Agreed, AGP is a dying connector w/ no good options for the most part. PCI you can get decent cards but they are more expensive than what they should be.
 
Just go to My Computer > Properties. If you're looking for your hardware, go to Hardware > Device Manager. There you'll get everything
 
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