3-D Now! Video RAM

[Guest]

My son's Compaq 5360 has a system board 3-D accelerator using the SiS530 (3-D Now!) chipset. It is allocated 4MB of video RAM. Can I increase the video RAM to 8 MB, and if so will there be any significant improvement in gaming performance? There is no AGP on this mobd, and I almost don't see the point in a PCI board. Is there any way to increase the video RAM from 4 MB to 8 MB on a COMPAQ 5360 with the SiS530 (3-D Now!) chipset? If so, will this actually enhance 3-D performance, or is this chipset too slow to make a difference? Any experience with this?

 

[Smilin]

It will make NO difference in any modern game. It might help a bit with something like Quake II (4 years old?)

The kinda good news: Your system WILL benifit from a good PCI video card. Something like a TNT2Ultra or maybe a GF2 MX.

Ask around...someone here can give you a good suggestion on a PCI card. I haven't really looked at em since the voodoo days.

Don't put too much money into that thing...save it towards a new one.

 

[AMD_Man]

No point! It's not like that will help. The SiS530 (3DNow is on the processor, AMD K6-2 and not directly related to the graphics card). You're 3D performance will be SO LOW either way that it would be impossible to make any modern game playable on that system without at least a new PCI graphics card.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

 

[Crashman]

Bad deal. The best thing you could do would be to put a standard TNT2 PCI card on the system, but it will still perform poorly in games. It's a hopeless situation with that motherboard. Expect gains of up to 50% with a TNT2 PCI, which is still not that good.

What's the frequency, Kenneth?

 

[AMD_Man]

Well, I had a AMD K6-2 450MHz with the same mobo. I added a Voodoo4 PCI and my 3D performance doubled in DirectX and OpenGL games and tripled when using Glide on those same games. UT loves glide.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

 

[Crashman]

Glide is DEAD, long live D3D!

What's the frequency, Kenneth?

 

[flamethrower205]

Ok, I have a Quadro DCC, which is an OpenGL monster. It should run glide very well, as glide is a spinoff of OGL, right? Long live OGL!

What if your life moved.....2 inches to the left?

 

[AMD_Man]

I know that!! But it's the only viable option in his case.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

 

[Crashman]

Hey, if they would have stuck with OGL to begin with for games, moderately priced gaming cards would be professional grade 3D modeling cards! (that is, the commonality of OGL would have put all the developement and competition there, instead of into D3D).

What's the frequency, Kenneth?