Question from frannielyn
"I have a Dell Dimension 8300 computer, WinXP, 3G RAM, and a NVIDIA GeForce FX5200 video card which is AGP. I REALLY need to upgrade this card! ATI has a place on their website where you plug in the computer maker, model, and system; then it tells you which cards are compatible. Can't find the same thing on the NVIDIA site, so I'm done looking there. But here's the thing...I really want the newer card to speed up filters, redraw rate, etc., in PhotoShop. I'm not a gamer. I don't do video editing (although I may get into that). I prefer to watch TV on a regular TV. Just PhotoShop and digital images where the file sizes can get very large. I want the colors to pop on the monitor and speed in PS.

I think I've narrowed it down to an ATI Radeon X1600 Pro, 512MB AGP -or- an ATI All-In-Wonder X800 XT 256MB AGP. My question is this : For my purpose, is it better to go with the 512MB card for the larger memory or with the 256 card for whatever else it does, or does it really matter? Or am I off-base and some other card would be better? Half of what they say in their descriptions, I don't have a clue what they're talking about! I'm not even sure what the difference is between the two except for the memory. I would very much appreciate someone steering me in the right direction. Really. "

Answer from eb239003
"Unless you need the functionality of the AIW (All in wonder), I would stay away from it. AIWs are hybrid cards designed to do many things with general profeciency. they are the ultimiate generalists of the graphics card world. If you just want better graphics processing, go with the x1600. plus the larger on-board memory of the x1600 will speed up the whole system."

Answer from MobiusNZ
"Sorry to disabuse you of your ideas, but changing your graphics card will not affect the speed of Photoshop one Iota. Photoshop does not use a 3D API, nor does it transfer any processing to the graphics card. Photoshop is CPU and RAM limited ONLY. You have a HEAP of RAM (far more than you really need I suspect - and unused RAM might as well be in the top drawer of your desk for all the good it does you.) so the only thing to hasten PS performance is a new/faster CPU.

More disabusing I'm afraid: Memory on a graphics card is only used for storing textures. True, the front and back buffers are there too, as well as a limited amount which is used for anti-aliasing and other 3D effects, but the vast majority is there to store textures in OpenGL or DirectX. So - the amount of memory on your GFx card HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH PC PERFORMANCE OUTSIDE OF 3D APPLICATIONS.

Hope this saves you wasting your money.

If you aren't a 3D gamer, then you most definitely DO NOT NEED A NEW GFX CARD."

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