Ok I can install Desperate Housewives and I meet the system requirements. I'm using a Radeon 9200 128mb graphics card but when I try to run it it displays the program for a few seconds and then just returns me to the desktop. I've heard of other users with this problem and I think basically the game probably wont work for me unless I get a better graphics card but does anyone know of a way around this without getting a new graphics card?

Your system *may* meet the minimum requirements, but just barely. For one thing, 256MB isn't enough RAM to run XP well, let alone play games with it. And the Radeon 9200 is a weak card that doesn't support DX9.

"System Requirements
Operating System: Windows XP
CPU: Intel® Pentium® 4 processor 1.4GHz
RAM: 256MB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 2.5GB
VIDEO: 64MB 32-bit NVIDIA GeForce 3 or equivalent DirectX 9-compatible video card
CPU: 16-bit DirectX 9-compatible sound card
CD: CD-ROM 8x"

If my card doesn't support DirectX 9 then how come the DX tests work and such? As far as I know the card is supported in some way or another by it. Yeah I know my ram is low, I'm planning to upgrade my ram and graphics card next year so it's no big deal for now.

ATI's DX9 support didn't start until the Radeon 9500...your card supports up to DX8.1

http://www.techpowerup.com/gpudb/55...

What are your detailed system specs? What's an AMD 2.1GHz...is that an AthlonXP, Sempron or A64? Does your board have an AGP slot or just standard PCI? If it has AGP, you're OK, but if it only has standard PCI, your card choices are few.

If you don't have a decent power supply, you'll probably have to limit an AGP video card upgrade to one that doesn't require an aux power plug-in, otherwise you'll have to upgrade the PSU too. You can get a Radeon 9600 series card (9550, 9600, 9600Pro, 9600XT) with 256MB/128-bit memory for about $50 or less

As far as I know I don't have PCI ports, only AGP and as for the power supply, I have no idea about that but the computer is a few years old.
As for the processor, it's AthlonXP, however I don't know much about what that means.

BTW, when did the first release of DirectX get released because I bought the card in 2005? I want to buy a decent graphics card that isn't too expensive but has the power to run most games well.

u could get a nvidia 8600 series grafix cards for about 120-140$
or...
Go for the directX 10.1 ready ATI 3850 card, its about 170$
The 8600gt is good at DX 9 and performs just ok at DX 10.1 (low res!)
The Ati 3850 is 2-3 times better than the 8600GPU... Check out online retailers for spec

southern dragon

"As far as I know I don't have PCI ports"

All boards have "PCI ports". Don't confuse them with PCI-Express, that's a totally different slot. PCI-E has replaced AGP.

"As for the processor, it's AthlonXP, however I don't know much about what that means"

It's a model of CPU produced by AMD...lol. Do you actually have a 2.1GHz CPU or is it a 2100+. There's a HUGE difference. The 2100+ actually runs at 1.73GHz. But if your CPU actually runs at 2.1GHz, you have either a 2600+ (2.13GHz), 2700+ (2.16GHz) or 3000+ (2.1GHz). All are configured differently & are based on different cores.

"when did the first release of DirectX get released"

DirectX 1.0 was released in 1995.

"I bought the card in 2005"

Maybe so, but you bought a card that was developed in 2003, so when you got it, the technology was already 2 years old. The Radeon 9200 only supports up to DX8.1. You can use it on newer systems that have DX9 or DX10 but it won't be able to take advantage of the newer DX features because it doesn't support them.

"I want to buy a decent graphics card that isn't too expensive but has the power to run most games well"

That's sort of a contradiction in terms. If you want decent performance, you're gonna have to pay for it.

I think you're gonna have to clarify your system specs but from what I can see, the bare minimum you need to be able to play games well is more RAM & a video card. At the very least, you should add another 512MB to the 256MB you already have...more would be even better. And if you wanna a decent AGP gaming video card, you're gonna have to pay at least $75 for something like a Radeon X1650 Pro. Newer AGP cards are power hungry though & the AGP slot can't provide the required juice, so a direct plug-in to the PSU is necessary. That's why having a powerful enough PSU is critical...& it's not wattage so much as it is having enough amperage on the +12v rail.

You have decide how much it's worth investing in your aging machine. Is it worth spending $200 on?

I meant something in the middle, like between not spending over $150(AU) and still getting a worthwhile Graphics card.

And yes I think investing in more ram and a new graphics card is worth it because I can possibly afford that soon but not a new computer.

Hey an Auzzie! If you live in South Australia, Victoria or Queensland, MSY is pretty much the cheapest computer shop you can find they have locations written here:
http://www.msy.com.au/

You can Get a X800GTO for $88, A gig stick of DDR400 for $61 or 512MB for $32.
And since the X800 uses a bit of juice you can get a 430W Thermaltake PSU for $39.

Here is the parts price list:
http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/PARTS.pdf

But as jam says, is it worth spending this much on this computer? Look at the cost of getting a new Motherboard, CPU, RAM etc and its not much more money to get a completely new setup.

You could just grab a Nvidia 6200, and an Extra 512MB of ram to run the game and save some money for a new computer later.

Oh, and no. I dont work for MSY and I'm not trying to advertise. It's just the cheapest I have found so far.

Mattwizz3 :
My Take of the super P3:

P3 Tualatin @ 1.58GHz
SL-65DVB Motherboard
640Mb PC133 @ 150MHz
Sparkle 6600

I checked out the site, thinking it was one of those online places where you need to get it delivered and pay online and such but to my delight they have actual stores and the price range looks really good, thanks for the links!
No I did not thing you worked for them, LOL.

The one thing I would like to know is do can they install the parts or does that need to be done off site? I am not very good when it comes to hardware and have never installed any myself(my ex used to do it). I know there are instructions for such things online but I am worried I will stuff it up.

As for saving up for another computer, well I will be getting this money as a non usual payment to me early next year otherwise I would not even be able to afford any of this! So saving up for a computer is not something I am realistically able to do for awhile so I see this alternative as better than nothing and good enough for me.

Since I can not edit my previous post I will just say that I have found that they do seem to install parts for a prince(as expected) but graphics cards are not on the list mentioned on this page
http://www.msy.com.au/SERVICES/Char...
It does say N/A for memory so maybe that means they wont charge for installing any RAM I buy there.

Yet another update. I realise I posted and read the wrong link. This one says $10 for a VGA card(I'm assuming that means any graphics card) and $5 for memory but then it says for installing parts it is $70. From the look of it the latter is optional and a full on test so hopefully I can skip that. Here's the correct link.
http://www.msy.com.au/SERVICES/Char...

I am not planning on upgrading until early February next year so I'll check back for what they have in stock and/or on special then.

Yeah, it should only total $15 to get RAM and Video card installed.

Its actually really easy to do. Its installing the drivers thats a pain in the bum. You should see if you can get an old computer you can pull apart and put back together. That's a good way to get your confidence up and if you stuff something up it dosent matter.

Mattwizz3

Core 2 Duo E4500
2GB DDR2 800
Gigabyte P35-DS3R
512MB Asus 8600GT