WARNING: I'm completely new at all of this, so please bear with me.

I'm looking at upgrading my graphics card (mostly because I've been encountering problems in-game with choppy display, blurry clothing, absolutely no water reflections in neighborhood view, and crashes) that turns out can be damaging my current graphics card. I am on a very tight budget and need to know what is the absolute minimum I can expect to spend on a graphics card that will run all the Sims 2 Expansion Packs and Stuff Packs, including the ones expected to come out in the future before Sims 3. I'm not interested in running the Sims 3 currently because I have invested so much time and money in the Sims 2 (and haven't been able to even play it as much as I wanted to because of these problems) so I don't need this new graphics card to run the Sims 3, just the Sims 2. The only other "game" I play other than the Sims 2 is IMVU which is a 3D instant messanger, if that has anything to do with it. Anyway, I'd like someone who knows what graphic cards my computer can take and which ones will work with all the Sims 2 games to tell me which one to buy; that way I know how long I have to wait inorder to fix it with my miseally budget! If you can help me I'd greatly appreciate it! THANKS!



==System==

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600)
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.20GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 504MB RAM
Page File: 900MB used, 761 available
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
Dell Model Number: NOT A DELL (It's an HP)

==Display==

Name: Intel(R) 82915G/GV/910GL Express Chipset Family
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip Type: Intel(R) 82915G/GV/910GL Express Chipset
Approx. Total Memory: 128.0 MB
Main Driver: ialmrnt5.dll
Version: 6.14.0010.4363 (English)

==Sound==

Name: HD Audio render

What is your budget like, and have you checked your computer for expansion slots (if so, what type are they?), and to see what the capabilities of your power supply is?

http://forums.sims2community.com/showthread.php?t=38662

There's more info on that there. The "best" card for TS2 is kind of subjective, but if you can give us a bit more info on your budget and your PC, we can recommend a good card for you based on that.

By the way, you may also want to look into more RAM for your PC too. RAM is pretty inexpensive these days, and with only 512 MB, you're going to have a lot of problems with slowness and lag, especially with all EPs. I had basically the same specs (including the exact same graphics chip, and 512 MB of RAM) when I first started playing, and you wouldn't believe the miraculous difference upgrading to 1.5 gigs of RAM (that's 512 x 3) and a nice graphics card made.

Also, where are you located in the world? If you're in the US, newegg.com has some of the best prices and selection out there and can be a great source for parts. The one problem is that you have to install them yourself, but it's actually quite easy as long as you read some guides to it first (which are readily available on Google).

The graphic chipset you have now is an integrated one I believe, which will explain the the graphics quality you are getting. Before recommending a graphic card it would be helpful to know how much you are willingly to spend and also what expansion slot you have, if you have one.

The expansion slot will be where you insert the replacement card into so it is important to know what type you have. You MAY NOT have one. Many budget machines from Dell and HP do not have a slot for a graphics card which mean you will not be able to upgrade your graphics.

You also have only 504Mb, I suspect this is actually 512Mb, which is very low and the recommendation is have at least 1024Mb.

Additionally, it is almost guaranteed you will have to buy a new power supply to run a new graphics card. Between the need for a new psu, additional ram, and a new graphics card, you may be better off buying a new computer.. That's a lot of money to put into something of that age (judging by the chipset and single core cpu).

Okay, sounds like maybe buying a whole new computer would be the better way to go. *sigh* What computer brands do you recommend? How much should I expect to spend on a new computer of this quality?

Well, first it would give us some information about the new computer.

1) Price range
2) Country to be bought in
3) Would you consider building your own computer?
4) If you don't want to build the whole thing, would you feel comfortable doing a little work on it.. say adding more ram, a graphics card and maybe even a power supply, if it meant saving some money? Sometimes it's more cost effective to buy something less powerful that's pre-built and upgrading some things on your own.
5) What other programs, other than TS2, do you plan on running on the new computer? Especially, tell us any other games.