PCI-slot coolers, and system/GPU RAM

[Killer Carebear]

First off, thank you to everyone on here for your quick and educated answers of all my questions. Without you I would have aged ten extra years, ripped out all my hair by hand, and probably have given up by now.

So, on to my questions:

I want to know if the coolers that go into the PCI slots under the graphics cards help or hurt. My guess would be help, since it pushes air out of the case in an area that usually gets relatively little ventilation. But I have heard others state that they actually hurt since they pull air away from the card before it goes through the heatsink or something like that.

And next I have a question about system RAM and video card RAM:

Does system RAM combine with GPU RAM? Currently I have 2GB of system RAM, and will soon be receiving a video card that has 1GB of RAM. So, does this mean that my system will have 3GB of RAM available for use? Will it be able to be used whenever, will it only be able to used when gaming, or are they completely different things altogether?

And, I will add in one more while I am here:

Is 2GB of DDR3 1066 RAM + 1GB 5670 enough to run games with decent graphics and framerates?

Sorry to ask so many questions in one post, and thanks in advance for any answers.

 

[Chuckles_]

Slot coolers are not inherently bad, but yeah, they're more harm than good when they are facing the GPU fan, and thus competing with it. The second question depends entirely on the resolution.

 

[Killer Carebear]

Thank you for the info on the slot cooler.
So I understand that resolution along with other factors effects how smoothly a game will run, but if I turn down the resolution and graphics on some games it should be fine right?
(I am guessing this is what you were talking about when you said "2nd question". This was actually the third, were you really talking about the 2nd one?)

And I will just restate my other question: Does the 1GB of RAM I will be receiving add to the total system RAM, so it would be like having another gig, or is it something that is only used for the cards own operations?

Once again thank you for the info chuckles, and thanks in advance to any future posters.

 

[Chuckles_]

Yeah, by 2nd I meant 3rd. Either a typo, or I miscounted.

No, the 1GB memory on the video card does not contribute to system memory. And yeah, if you're monitor supports the lower resolution, you can use that to get better FPS. It may not be a better gaming experience though.

 

[jsc]

If you have an LCD monitor, it will work best at its native resolution. You are better off turning down details than lowering the resolution.

 

[Killer Carebear]

I know you can turn down details and resolution to increase resolution, but will I be able to run it with my equipment at all at whatever settings was the intent of my original question.

Thank you for the answers though, every little piece of information helps.