I am trying to run a game Medieval II Total War. When I started the game it said I needed a video card that supported pixel shader 1.1 or better. The game also requires DirectX 9.0c. My computer is a Compaq Presario S4000V with a Intel Pentium 4 cpu. The product number is P8656E-ABA. The HP web site gave me two graphic cards that I could purchase from them. One was a Radeon 9200 ,RV280,128MB DDR-SDRAM, NTSC and the second card was an Nvidia GeForce FX 5600 Ultra 128MB DVI NTSC.

So what I was wanting to do is get a card that would work with my computer and play this game. From what I read, the Radeon only supports DirectX8.1 Can some one give me an idea as to what cards on the Newegg web site would work for me? Am I locked in to just the two cards the HP web site said would work with my computer?

I'm gunna assume for a minute that your slot is a PCI slot. The best bet for that is to get an ATI Radeon X1550. It supports DirectX 9 and has 256MB or GDDR2 RAM (the good stuff). And it's about $95.

If you have an AGP slot, the best bet is a Radeon 9550 and supports DirectX 9 and has 256MB of DDR RAM and is about $42.

If you only have a PCI slot, the X1550 is the least expensive card that supports DirectX 9 and you'll have to shell out some money, but the performance will be a significant increase, like night and day. Same goes for the AGP, only its not as expensive.

I'm looking now and I'm trying to find information on your computer as to whether it has PCI or AGP, I'll post back with information when I find it...

Also, If you want to improve system performance I'd recommend upgrading your RAM as well. How much RAM do you have in your computer now? (Find it by right-clicking My Computer ->Properties and it'll say it in the bottom of the window)

Regards,
TheYoda

I have upgraded my RAM to 1 gig and I belive my computer supports PCI and AGP.

Ahh, ok. 1GB is perfect for what you need it.

If it can support AGP, I suggest getting the AGP card I linked to you. If you want one with more power or memory, just say your budget and I'll look for you to see what'll be the best deal.

Regards,
TheYoda

Im wanting something for less than $100. I was just thinking about the possiblity of if i bought a game that needed an even higher pixel shader then Total War which is a minimum of 1.1 or better if were to purchase one with 1.1 and later need one with like 1.4 or somthing.

I'd say the best card for that price would be the card I purchased recently. It was the Radeon X1550 AGP. It was about $78 with shipping but before a $15 mail-in rebate and it works great! Here's the link. I highly reccomend it.

Regards,
TheYoda

I also want somthing that will run my games without lagging. Also somthing with good reviews so i can get a card that works well.

Your games won't lag with it, so long as you have good amount of RAM (1GB or more). And I can give you a personal review because I bought that exact card and it runs fantastic! My setup is in my profile if you wanna look. It's a great card and I recommend it.

Regards,
TheYoda

OK ill check it out

tomshardware.com reviewed the best cards for the money.

I'm having a hard time figuring out my power supply but i think it is like 250 watts. Would that card you suggested work with my power supply if it was 250?

How many watts does that card need?

It depends. How much hardware do you have in your system? (ie, how many harddrives, how many optical drives (CD drives), what are teh specs of your computer like CPU and how many sticks of RAM is in your system? Also, any add-on PCI cards you might have)

Here's a good guide to help decide if you need a bigger PSU (you probably will need atleast 350W) and how much bigger.

Well i can buy a 500w from newegg for like 27 bucks.

Don't go cheap on a PSU. EVER. I'd recommend spending at least 40 bucks on a PSU because if you go cheap on your PSU your putting your entire system at risk. Here's a good one for 50 with free shipping.

Regards,
TheYoda

Does it work with my intel pentium 4.

Uh....no... They don't sell ones for P4 anymore. I checked eBay and they're all 3rd world brands and not reliable. How about this...what state do you live in? I have an extra 350W PSU that I have no need for. It's new, unopened and it'll be enough for the card and everything else. I'll give it to you for free if you want it (less shipping) and it'll work fine. If you want it, PM me your info and we'll work from there. Otherwise you can get one from ebay and run take the risk.

Regards,
TheYoda

Or NewEgg.

I checked newegg, they don't have PSU (good ones anyway) that have the cable for P4s.

Regards,
TheYoda

...ok upon more searching, I lied. Here's a good 580W PSU that'll last you. It's only $20 and shipping.LINK

What is the difference between PCI and AGP?

Two different buses (plugs) for the cards to be put into. The order as far as I know from oldest to newest goes PCI, AGP, and then PCI Express x16. I was just browsing and I think this may be a card you would like. If you are willing to dish out $160 then this is the best buy, as in SLI it has shown to beat out the 8800GTX. HERE IT IS.

Ryan3000:
It's not AGP, he doesn't have PCI Express...

jpj:
I think your best bet for the money and performance is the X1550. It's not expensive, it's very straight forward, and it's from ATI, so it's good.

Regards,
TheYoda