Dell Dimension 3100 compatible card for gaming

[coupe93]

Just acquired a Dell Dimension 3100 off my girlfriend and its a few years old and i really want to get it to be able to play games like Skyrim, Call of Duty etc but i NEED to update my graphics card. All i know is that i need the following;

- PCIe 1.0/2.0 as 2.0 is backwards compatible
- x1 BUS Interface
- Maybe DDR2 (Not quite sure)

This is the spec for my computer;
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim3100/en/sm/specs0.htm

I came across a couple of cards already which look fairly compatible but as i said im not sure what to look for properly;
http://www.ginger6.com/powercolor-g...ource=Google&G6SID=0mgurgq67q4osphtcteqk7hus1
http://dealforu.co.uk/epages/eshop3...s/CGNX-G522X1&ViewAction=ViewProductViaPortal

If anyone can help me figure out whats compatible and what isn't it would be VERY much appreciated!

Lastly i don want to be spending over £100 as I'm a student so funds are fairly limited

 

[Deemo13]

You are going to have to run those games at pretty low settings.

Also, both the 5450 and the GT520 suck hard for gaming. For your budget, I would go with something like this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11192-12-20G-HD6670-Graphics-GDDR5/dp/B005G4XC5K/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1342547396&sr=8-4

But even with that you are going to have problems in modern games, as the CPU is going to hold you back hard.

What kind of CPU do you have? The spec sheet does not really specify.

EDIT: It seems as if you dont have a PCI-E X16, so you are not going to be able to upgrade the graphics card. There are PCI-E X1 cards out there, but there is no way they are going to be able to game at all.

Your PC does have PCI though, and this card is the fastest that runs with a PCI interface:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zotac-ZT-40605-10L-512MB-Silent-Graphics/dp/B00558MS1G/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&qid=1342547592&sr=8-23

Still, I wouldnt really recommend either until you do a full system upgrade.

What processor do you have?

 

[coupe93]

I don't mind the low settings just as long as they run smoothly.

I have an Intel Pentium 4 single core 2.8GH/z
- Its DDR2 memory
- PCI 2.3
- PCI EXPRESS 1.0/2.0 x1 Bus speed

Thats pretty much all i know

 

[Deemo13]

Well you can't run any regular graphics card, you have to either use a PCI interface graphics card or a PCI-E X1 interface. Like this:

 

[simon12]

That PC is more than a few years old and without a PCIE 16X slot or even an AGP slot please don't spend any money on it as its never going to play skyrim.