Graphics card

[Bright_Star]

I just downloaded a game & I found out too late that my PC doesn't have a powerfull enough graphics card to handle the game's graphics. So short of getting a refund, what should I do?

[VComps]

...Buy a new graphics card?

[MadMike]

Moving this to Tech Help, where you're more likely to get the help you're asking for.

I'd go with what VComps said -- a new graphics card. If you tell us what game it is, someone might be able to help you pick a card that will work with your game and won't cost you an arm and a leg.

[Ravenzfire]

Yup, your only real option is to pick up a new graphics card. What game is it? Also, if possible, do you know if your current video card is PCI, AGP or PCI Express? Depending on what slot type your motherboard has will depend on what kind of card you can get.

[Bright_Star]

Moving this to Tech Help, where you're more likely to get the help you're asking for.

I'd go with what VComps said -- a new graphics card. If you tell us what game it is, someone might be able to help you pick a card that will work with your game and won't cost you an arm and a leg.

It was "Splinter Cell:Chaos Theory".

[Chromatix]

I think that's a fairly new one, so I would recommend the Radeon 5600 or 5700 series cards to get good performance without too much cost.

This assumes that you have a PCI Express x16 slot to put it in. Your power supply should have a 6-pin power connector if you get the 5700 series, too - I think the 5600 is designed to work without it.

If even the 5600 is too much, you might be able to find an older Geforce 8800GT on sale cheap. That's a respectably powerful card, but people *think* it's old. It does need the 6-pin power though.

If you only have AGP, we'll need to find a different card to fit that - all the new cards are made for PCIe. If you don't even have AGP, you're probably out of luck. So check inside your case and find out what you've got.

[technical.angel]

Here's a pic to help you figure out which slot you have...

[MrTim]

Might want to put down your computer specifications. You can buy a brand new graphics card and then find out that :a) You don't have a strong enough power supply, b) you don't have the right connection (as mentioned earlier,) or c) Your existing processor doesn't have the speed necessary to run it. There are a bunch of other factors that play into it, so post your computer specifications or put down the manufacturers model number & serial number, or whatever more info you can give. The more info you give, the more likely you will get a correct response.

Quick edit: Found the minimum requirements from Bestbuy.com (can't access gaming sites while at work.) Does your PC meet or exceed these Minimum PC System Requirements? I will check more later because a AMD Athlon™ 64 3800+ looks like it was only available up to 2.2-2.4Ghz but the processor speed says 3.2Ghz as a minimum, so I think BestBuy's info may not be accurate.

PC Processor Type: Intel® Pentium® D processor, AMD Athlon™ 64 3800+
PC Processor Speed: 3.2GHz (?)
PC Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
PC System Memory: 1GB RAM
PC Hard Drive Space: 10GB
PC Video256MB DirectX: 9.0c-compliant video card
PC Sound CardDirectX: 9.0c-compliant sound card
PC Drive Type and Speed: DVD-ROM