Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
For those that know how to build computers...
JK-Kanosi
Member Posts: 1,357
I have a question. I am looking to buy 1gig of RAM; since I am not educated in such things, knowing which one I should buy is beyond my grasp, . I was told by someone who knows a bit more than I do about this kind of stuff that I should make sure that the new RAM that I buy is just like the RAM I have now, so I can avoid problems in the future. Well here is what I have now: DDR2-SDRAM PC2-4300 (266 MHz). I have two of those that equal 1gig. Like I said, I am looking for 1 more gig. Can anyone please link me to a memory card out there that would be compatible and maybe even a good deal?
I will probably be looking to buy a new video card sometime in the future as well. I have a Geforce 7300 LE right now, but I am unsure if 2 gigs, plus this video card will run Vanguard well or not. But if it doesn't, and it is because of my video card, and not the game being unpolished, I will replace it asap. So if after you are able to find me a memory card, maybe you could find me a good video card as well. Some of you all probably think I am crazy by asking for help. How dare me, right? The reason I ask is because someone helped me once before while in-game (DAoC) with my last gaming system and found me the video card I have in that one now (Geforce 5500 for $40, a year ago). I am counting on there being more helpful people out there and especially in this game, since I have found most people who will be playing to be pretty helpful already.
Anyways, thanks for any help you can offer.
MMORPG's w/ Max level characters: DAoC, SWG, & WoW
Currently Playing: WAR
Preferred Playstyle: Roleplay/adventurous, in a sandbox game.
Comments
download cpu-z first so you can tell what the timing and maybe the model number for your ram .
http://www.filehippo.com/download_cpuz/
i would get 2 extra sticks of 512 thow.
2 gigs of ram is enough. as you said, you probably want to buy another set of the same ram you have the ddr2 4300. theres different prices, high for ram with faster timing, like the guy posted above. you can see the spec of ur ram. you will want a ram with similar spec to yours because even if you bought faster ram, your system will run at the slower speed ram.
and i dont know if your 7300le will be enough. i have a x850 and im running close to the lowest settings. performance in game gets better after every patch, but i still get crazy lag in the cities.
Manufacturer : Infineon
Part Number : 64T64000HU3.7A
Serial Number : 0108D114
Type : DDR2-SDRAM PC2-4300 (266 MHz)
Format : Regular UDIMM (133.35 x 3)
Size : 512 MB (0 rows, 1 banks)
Module Buffered : No
Module Registered : No
Module EPP : No
Width : 64-bit
Error Correction Capability : No
Max. Burst Length : 0
Refresh : Reduced (.5x)7.8 µs, Self Refresh
Voltage : SSTL 1.8v
Prefetch Buffer : 4-bit
Manufacture : Week 37 of 2006
Supported Frequencies : 200 MHz, 266 MHz, 266 MHz
CAS Latency (tCL) : 3 clocks @200 MHz, 4 clocks @266 MHz, 5 clocks @266 MHz
RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 3 clocks @200 MHz, 4 clocks @266 MHz, 4 clocks @266 MHz
RAS Precharge (tRP) : 3 clocks @200 MHz, 4 clocks @266 MHz, 4 clocks @266 MHz
Cycle Time (tRAS) : 9 clocks @200 MHz, 12 clocks @266 MHz, 12 clocks @266 MHz
Min TRC : 12 clocks @200 MHz, 16 clocks @266 MHz, 16 clocks @266 MHz
I hope this helps. I have PC Wizard and this is what it tells me. Again, thanks for your help. Oh, I have no idea what your video card is equivalent to, because I have always used Nvidia, so telling me which video card you use, if it is not Nvidia does not really help, because I have no idea how good that is in the first place. But other Beta testers are telling me that I will run Vanguard fine with my current video card, but I will need 2 gigs of RAM for sure. But of course, there are some people who have high end machines that aren't running the game as those with lower end and vice' ver'sa. So it seems to me that the video card situation is a case by case basis, or one or the other is lying in order to discourage or encourage people against playing or joining Vanguard respectively.
MMORPG's w/ Max level characters: DAoC, SWG, & WoW
Currently Playing: WAR
Preferred Playstyle: Roleplay/adventurous, in a sandbox game.
Well, you could go the more expensive but reliable way with Best Buy. Here is a link to a 266Mhz 1Gb stick of Kingston RAM:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7322391&st=ddr2&lp=11&type=product&cp=1&id=1118844598493
Otherwise, you could resort to Ebay or PriceGrabber.com. Just look for a model that matches the chipset in your motherboard. Most unbuffered PC4300 or PC4200 266Mhz sticks of DDR2 will probably work fine. But with Ebay or some online sites, if you have problems you might have a hard time returning/exchangeing.
Thanks for the suggestions, but like my OP said, I do not have knowledge of such things. So overclocking is not an option. Even if I had a step by step instruction booklet on how to overclock it, I wouldn't, because I don't know enough about computers to know the advantages and disadvantages of doing this. I bought my 5500 from TigerDirect, so they are naturally who I looked up first and I did see that graphics card you mentioned. But I will not buy it if I have to overclock it, just to run Vanguard. I would rather dig myself in a hole and spend the $500 on the 8800.
I'm not sure what you meant by 128mb or 256mb, but the only place I found either one of those numbers was under BUS and it was 256-bit. Also, the card has 512mb of total memory. Can you get better than 512mb and 256-bit?
MMORPG's w/ Max level characters: DAoC, SWG, & WoW
Currently Playing: WAR
Preferred Playstyle: Roleplay/adventurous, in a sandbox game.
Even with more RAM and I higher rated video card, you might not get the performance out of this game you're looking for.
From all the posts and interviews with Sigil, that I've read, this game appears to be more affected by CPU speed that most other games (WOW, EQ2) are, so even tho I have no doubt that an added 1gig of RAM,and a better video card will help, it looks like the processor will be the determining factor about how well the game will run.
Well I really didn't like WoW at all when I subscribed twice to it, but it looks like I might be better off buying the BC to try out a Blood Elf mage, since I wanted to play an Elf Mage to begin with. I talked to the boss (my wife) and she said it is okay to upgrade my computer, but I don't think I want to go in the hole (credit card) several hundred dollars quite yet, especially since I just bought this computer in September. I really want to play Vanguard, but a $300 sticker price just to play it is a lot to ask, especially when there are conflicting opinions on how well it might run after I upgrade it or with what I have right now. Maybe I will wait a month and see what the true balanced system requirements will be and then upgrade then, especially after some professional and unprofessional objective reviews have been written.
Thanks for the help you all, but unless this game can run on balanced settings with my current video card and with 2gigs of RAM, I would rather wait until they fix the bugs and performance issues until I go and spend $300 on a video card, just after buying the one I have now.
MMORPG's w/ Max level characters: DAoC, SWG, & WoW
Currently Playing: WAR
Preferred Playstyle: Roleplay/adventurous, in a sandbox game.
Very UnderStandAble decision. I wanted to play VanGuard too, but I really just can't afford it. That's why I'll simply be upgrading this Junker to play GunZ and KAL.
But just keep this in mind; The Game's Performance will increase, HardWare Prices will Reduce, and we shall soon roam the lands of Telon on a $600 Machine!
Very UnderStandAble decision. I wanted to play VanGuard too, but I really just can't afford it. That's why I'll simply be upgrading this Junker to play GunZ and KAL.
But just keep this in mind; The Game's Performance will increase, HardWare Prices will Reduce, and we shall soon roam the lands of Telon on a $600 Machine!
I wish my rig cost only $600, but mine cost a little over a thousand. I bought a Dell XPS 400, which is one of their lower model gaming rigs, but still pretty proficient, but obviously not good enough for Vanguard. I honestly didn't think I would have to upgrade for another year or two, especially since I had my first computer for 4 years and didn't have to upgrade it until year 2.5 and I played MMORPG's the whole time. If you ask me, I think the Devs on Vanguard went overboard with their system requirements, which the end result is a smaller community, and less money. But I agree with you. It is better to wait until the price of RAM and video cards go down, before we go blow 50% of what our PC alone cost us. I'll just give WoW another honest shake and hope that it will tide me over for 4 months with a new race and content, rather than the few days it usuallys takes me to be bored to death.
MMORPG's w/ Max level characters: DAoC, SWG, & WoW
Currently Playing: WAR
Preferred Playstyle: Roleplay/adventurous, in a sandbox game.
Is all Ram the same? I see the ram for a Dell Dimension is a lot less then buying at Dell itself. At Dell it's $159.95 per gig totaling $320 w/o tax and at the site given above they have 2 gigs for $229. That's just about $100 less.
So is it probably a cheaper ram although it's 2 gigs or would it be the same as the more expensive one? This is for the same computer, I gave my specs and computer so both rams of both places would work on mine. Any difference?
Thanks
To the OP: If you don't know what this means, it's fine. I don't know exactly how much you are looking to spend on a new video card when you buy one, but you can get something like a GeForce 7900GT for about $200. If you want a card that will last for quite a while, you can get one of the new GeForce 8800GTS cards for $365 (before tax/shipping, after rebate) on Newegg.com (check pricegrabber also, you might find it even cheaper). However, if you think you might be upgrading other core parts (motherboard, for example), or buying a new computer sometime soon, it would probably be much better to go for the cheaper cards.
RAM is slightly more difficult to figure out, since there are many different types. For the type of RAM you already have, it'll probably run you somewhat near or over $100 for an extra 1GB.
Hope that helps slightly.