Does my pc meet the games system requirements?

[Leight0n]

I have bought a game but it does not run.

It asks for
Windows XP
512 MB RAM
2Ghz processor
128MB Direct 3D compatable video card and DirectX 9.0 co mpatable driver.

I have XP, a better processor, 504MB RAM but am not sure about the video card.

I have a DVD player and have played newer cames than this one that you need a DVD drive in order for them to run. I don't think that my pc has a graphics card but arn't too sure.

How can I check my system to see if I have a graphics card? If I need to buy one, how much are they and can I simply open the back of my PC and put the card in?

Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated,

Or if you need any more info from me to try and help me get this sorted then please ask.

The game has installed fine but when I start it I get an error message.

Thanks

[Mac70]

Whats the make and model of the computer?

[Leight0n]

Its a Dell Dimension 3100 compuer. Had it about 4/5 months, the game is from the begining of last year.

[rojash]

I couldn't find a spec on the Model you have, but a review on CNet.com says that it lacks decent graphics and sound. The fact that your system reports an odd (504Mb) system memory would seem to indicate that it has a low spec graphics adaptor using shared system memory.

You should be able to disable the on-board adaptor and replace it with a decent Nvida or card quite simply (assuming that there is a free AGP slot on the motherboard).

Some examples here:

http://www.bizrate.co.uk/graphicscards/brand-- nvidia/products__att259--42881-.html

[rojash]

Sorry, that should have read "a decent NVidia or ATI card"

[vehelpfulguy]

AN IMPORTANT THING

A graphics card has to plug into a special slot on the motherboard.

In newer PCs the slot is called PCI Express, on older PCs it is called AGP.

I ASSUME your PC has PCI Express as it is fairly new, but it MAY have an AGP slot.

You have to buy the correct type of card (AGP or PCI Express) for your motherboard. A card of one type will NOT fit in a slot of the other type.

Check the documentation that came with the Dell to see if it tells you which slot you have.

[vehelpfulguy]

Moving from on-board graphics to a graphics card does involve taking a few important steps.

If you are using on-board graphics then the graphics capability is built into the motherboard. The graphics capability needs some memory, so it uses some of your main memory.

Your monitor is plugged into a slot on your motherboard that connects to this on-board graphics.

You then need to start up your PC and go into the BIOS and tell it to STOP using on-board graphics. Next time it starts up it will look for a graphics card.

When you buy the new graphics card you plug it in the correct slot on the motherboard, but then you have to UNPLUG the monitor cable from the current slot and plug it into the graphics card.

You now start up windows and it SHOULD find the graphics card and install the drivers for it. You should now get the Windows desktop.

Most graphics cards come with drivers, and some extra programs to help you get the best out the card.

Install these drivers and extra programs and reboot, and you should now be using your new graphics cards.

The biggest problem you may have is the switch over, when you have told it to stop using on board graphics, but have not installed the graphics card.

At this point if anything goes wrong you have no graphics at all. If this is the case, go back into the BIOS turn the on-board graphics back on, and at least Windows will load.

[rojash]

I can't find this model on the Dell site, only in clearance houses, so I suspect that it was bought as an end-of-line, and is a pretty old model. Consequently I'd be surprised if it has PCIe, and would expect it to have an AGP socket.

[rojash]

HOLD EVERYTHING!
It seems you've got a bit of a white elephant there. Just found this:

"Upgrading simply isn't an option when it comes to the system's Intel-integrated graphics. Scoring a woeful 4.5 frames a second in our Doom 3 test, the graphics just can't cope with the latest games - and because the proprietary Dell motherboard has no AGP or PCI-Express 16x slot for a graphics card, you can't replace the graphics card with anything better. "

Here:
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/buyer/reviews/83738/del l-dimension-3100.html

[vehelpfulguy]

I had heard that Dell PCs were difficult to upgrade, and after seing the append from rojash I can see why.

If the motherbord has no graphics card slot then you are stumped, I dont think there is any way to improve the graphics.

It may be your best option is to buy a new system unit, one made from standard parts. You can use your existing screen, keyboard, mouse, speakers etc.

Companies like novatech can build PCs to order
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/

Look under System Solutions, and see if there is one that says it is a gaming PC. Or phone them up and ask what gaming PCs they offer.

Or find a local PC builder who will build a PC for you. Look in Micro Mart magazine, available at W H Smiths etc
http://www.micromart.co.uk/

I am afraid your Dell has no future as a gaming PC.

[rojash]

Yeah, vehelpfulguy, if there is one word I hate in this industry it's "proprietary". One of my clients had 30 desktop machines all assembled by a local shop. If anything failed we could have it up and running again in around half an hour. But their previous IT guy had insisted on Compaq servers. When one of their server PSUs failed we discovered that they were proprietary, and it took 3 weeks to get a replacement (which cost about the same as a complete desktop system).

[Leight0n]

Thanks guys for your answers. The game was only an impulse buy anyway so I don't think i'll be getting a new pc so I can play a �10 game! lol.

But at least I know the I can't be playing these sort of games in the future so you've all saved me potential money loss as I know not to but them again!

But one other thing...... How come I could play the DVD game? Are they manufactured differently so that you use the power of your dvd drive as opposed to a graphics card?

[rojash]

Nothing to do with DVD or not. Some games are just have more demanding graphics requirements than others. As games are often judged on the quality of their graphics, most publishers really try to push the envelope when they release a new game.