Upgrading video card?

Right now I got NVIDIA GeForce 6100

I need a higher one like the following to work for the Sims 2

Supported video cards:



* ATI Radeon(TM) series 8500 or better (9600 or greater required for Vista)

* 8500, All-In-Wonder 8500

* 9000, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800

* X300, X600, x700, X800, x850

* X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950



NVIDIA(R) Quadro(TM) series

Quadro, Quadro2, Quadro4



NVIDIA GeForce series GeForce2 GTS and better (GeForce 6200 or greater required for Vista)

# GeForce 2, 2 GTS

# GeForce 3, 3 Ti

# GeForce 4, 4 Ti, 4200, 4600, 4800, MX 420, 440, 460

# GeForce FX 5200, 5500, 5600, 5700, 5800, 5900, 5950

# GeForce PCX 5300, 5900

# GeForce 6200, 6600, 6800

# GeForce 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950

# S3 GammaChrome

# S18 Pro

# S18 Ultra Intel(R) Extreme Graphics (see note below)

82865, 82915 and above



NOTE: If you have a non-T&L capable video card, such as Intel Extreme Graphics, then you need at least a 2.4 GHz processor.





What card do you recommend? How much will it be? Would it be best if I went to a place to upgrade it?|||i recommend you get something from Nvidia Geforce 7600 and higher.



A 7300 would do fine for the sims 2, coze that's what i'm running but if you're going to ungrade, might as well give yourself some power room for future games. I reckon a Geforce 6800 GTX would do the trick too.



I have the 7300 and I'm going for the 8800 GT as it is the best graphics card in terms of power vs price. It's quite powerful, yet it doesn't break the bank with it's 200$ price tag(if you shop around, you can get it for 150-new). High end radeon cards go up to 400$.



one thing you need to remember is that a high end video card often requires a better power supply unit or PSU. A 8800 will need at least a 400watt PSU otherwise you run the risk of crashing and/or shortening the lifespan of your computer's components. Often overlooked is that you also need a specific number of amps on the +12volt rail also. Thats a little too in-depth, so do some research yourself or go to an expert in the store.



To recap, go for a nvidia card, since those cards work best for 3d gaming, and they've been used since forever for gaming PCs like the alienware series.

Before buying, check in store or on internet to see if you will also need to upgrade your PSU. Allow room in your budget for a new PSU costing up to 100$ dollars. If you buy a psu in store, it can cost even more.



PS: before buying, either open up your case, or search on internet to find out what kind of graphics card interface your motherboard has. AGP, PCI or PCI-E. AGP cards will be cheaper as it is older technology. If indeed your motherboard is AGP, then you're in luck(or unlucky, however you'd like to see it), you'll be able to a get a good card, for as little as 100$ and it'll be quite a good card too.



Bestbuy would be a good place if you're not computer savvy. Or a computer shop, but go to a reputable one. Can't give any info because I dunno which aprt of the world you're in.



Radeon cards were primarily for video/DVD/movie playing. only recently did they optimize newer models for gaming. I find that their cards are usually slightly more expensive for the same amount of computing power.|||I'd recommend the ATI Radeon series. I have a 9550 and it runs the Sims 2 perfectly. It only costs around 100 bucks, which is pretty good for a decent card, and I got it at BestBuy, and had them install it for me. Besides, you know ATI is quality because Nintendo (at least used to in the Gamecube days) uses them in their systems.