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Resolved Video card memory

Discussion in 'PC Hardware' started by MikeD, 2011/04/04.

  1. 2011/04/04
    MikeD

    MikeD Inactive Thread Starter

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    I'm looking at upgrading my video card and was wondering if it matters if a card has DDR3 memory and my system has DDR2. Thanks
     
    MikeD,
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  2. 2011/04/04
    retiredlearner

    retiredlearner SuperGeek WindowsBBS Team Member

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    retiredlearner,
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  4. 2011/04/04
    MikeD

    MikeD Inactive Thread Starter

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    Thanks Neil, I'll check it out.
     
    MikeD,
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  5. 2011/04/04
    MikeD

    MikeD Inactive Thread Starter

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    OK, I get that I can't use DDR3 on a DDR2 machine for RAM, so does that mean I can't use it on a video card?
     
    MikeD,
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  6. 2011/04/05
    Evan Omo

    Evan Omo Computer Support Technician Staff

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    Hi MikeD. No, you can use a DDR3 video card on a DDR2 machine. RAM and a video card are different and don't need to both be DDR2 or DDR3 in order to work. The 2 main things that you need to keep in mind when updating your video card is the type of slot it uses whether its PCI-E or AGP and how much power the card uses.

    A gaming graphics card will use a lot more watts than a lower end graphics card so you should check what power supply you have installed and what the maximum output of watts is on it. Also when you buy a graphics card it will tell you how many watts it will need in order for it to operate correctly.

    What graphics card are you intending to buy?
     
    Evan Omo,
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  7. 2011/04/05
    rsinfo

    rsinfo SuperGeek Alumni

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    The main difference between DDR2 & DDR3 is speed. All things being equal, you would get higher performance from a card using DDR3. But why limit yourself to DDR3 when even DDR5 cards are available ?
     
    rsinfo,
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  8. 2011/04/05
    MikeD

    MikeD Inactive Thread Starter

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    Thanks again!

    Thanks everybody. I already have the card and installed it last night after reading about the ddr5 cards so I figured since I haven't seen ddr5 system memory they didn't have to match.

    I have a Sapphire HD5450 1GB DDR3 PCI express X16 card and it works good enough, I wanted to play Total War Shogun 2 and it didn't play well with my old set up. It plays beautifully with the new card. I didn't see the DDR5 cards when I was shopping and I'm on a budget and was trying to keep under $50.00

    It calls for 400W power supply and I only have 300 but I have a 400W on another computer that I can rob if needed. What wil happen if I don't change the power supply? Will it hurt any thing?

    The only thing I see that I don't care for is when running in HD there is a 1 inch border around my desktop like I'm operating in a window. Disregard this I found out about overscan and fixed it.
     
    Last edited: 2011/04/05
    MikeD,
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  9. 2011/04/05
    rsinfo

    rsinfo SuperGeek Alumni

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    400 W is the minimum recommended. I would go in for a bigger power supply.

    It won't hurt any hardware, it would just cause random booting/crashes at best or a burnt out power supply at worst. Best to upgrade.
     
    rsinfo,
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  10. 2011/04/05
    MikeD

    MikeD Inactive Thread Starter

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    I thought so, so I'm off to change power supply. I'll let you know what happens.
    Thanks rsinfo
     
    MikeD,
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  11. 2011/04/05
    rsinfo

    rsinfo SuperGeek Alumni

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    Good for you.
     
    rsinfo,
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  12. 2011/04/05
    Evan Omo

    Evan Omo Computer Support Technician Staff

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    Good luck. Let us know if you run into any problems.
     
    Evan Omo,
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  13. 2011/04/07
    MikeD

    MikeD Inactive Thread Starter

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    Thanks again, I got everything working good. I changed power supply from 300W to 575W and man is it loud (it has two fans) so cooling should be good. The card is just OK but like I said I'm on a budget and it will suffice for now.

    Thanks again!
     
    MikeD,
    #12
  14. 2011/04/07
    Evan Omo

    Evan Omo Computer Support Technician Staff

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    Your Welcome. :)
     
    Evan Omo,
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