11-14-2010, 10:50 PM
(11-14-2010, 08:53 PM)MEAT Wrote: @LavCat
You've been giving me some thought about the video card. That machine says it has "512MB (dedicated)". What would you recommend? It also says it has "2 PCI Express x1". What do you think that means (i.e. can I use PCI Express 2.0 and/or 2.1 devices)? Is 1gb of dedicated video memory enough for today's games, or is there an even higher standard that will work with that machine?
Thanks for all the input so far.
P.S., and 16gb of memory? Seriously, what do you need that for? Even 8gb seems excessive to me! Are these upcoming applications really utilizing that much memory at a time?
The 5450, as I've seen it reviewed, has 512MB memory. I'd go with a card that had at least 1GB but 512MB is the least of the 5450's problems for current games.
The "x1" indicates the number of PCIe data lanes, not the PCIe standard revision number. Examples of x1 cards would include sound cards, USB cards, network cards. Video cards are x16. Unless you are running Crossfire or SLI you only need one x16 slot.
As to memory, my system has 4GB and that seems plenty to me. You have to be running a 64-bit OS to take advantage of even 4GB. Keep in mind that the only game I play is WoW, and I can't really address the games you listed.
"I may be old, but I'm not dead."