video card question...

[mx344]

hi, im going to buy a computer,but the graphics card is kinda outdated,so i would like to update it,but im kinda stuck on which one i should get.

I want something alongthe power of an 8800gt
(not a hard core gamer,but would like to play tdu & MOHAirbourne etc.)


But could someone explain to me what ddr2/ddr3 means///pci express/pic exress 2.0...

the computer just has a standard motherboard.ASUS NVIDIA nForce 560

But it has a pci express slot. wil it be able to play pci express 2.0?whats he diffrence from the original pci express?

and do you have to have a certain morthboard to play ddr3 video cards,or is it just an improved/fast version.?

 

[_-..zKiLLA..-_]

well all PCIe cards work in a PCIe slot wether its 2.0 or not. 2.0 the bandwidth is higher i believe. no biggie tho.the video card memory runs on its own on the card and the motherboard has no effect on which works and doesnt. there is all kinds of DDRs when it comes to vid cards. i would recomend a ATi 4850 its probably in ur price range and kicks the 8800's butt

 

[worshipme]

But could someone explain to me what ddr2/ddr3 means///pci express/pic exress 2.0...

PCI-E 2.0 is backwards compatible with PCI-E 1.0a and 1.1, so as long as your motherboard has a PCI-E x16 slot, any PCI-E graphics card will work.

GDDR2/GDDR3/GDDR4/GDDR5 are just the type of memory the card uses. GDDR3 is faster than GDDR2, and you can figure out the rest. The faster the memory frequency, the higher the bandwidth, but also pay attention to the memory interface. For example, a 256 bit interface provides twice the bandwidth of a 128 bit interface. Another example, a 128 bit memory interface with GDDR3 running at 2000MHz will provide the same bandwidth as a 256 bit interface with the memory running at 1000MHz. You get the jist?

and do you have to have a certain morthboard to play ddr3 video cards,or is it just an improved/fast version.?

It doesn't matter, as long as your motherboard has a PCI-E slot.