graphics card question

[[Q]]

ok so my game used to work with old drivers, but now that I updated them, the game crashes on startup...

2.1 Ghz AMD XP-M Processor
512 MB RAM
RADEON 320 IGP-M 64 MB SHARED memory graphics card

I tried the EAsy Info utility that comes with the game ad it says that my "driver memory" is set at 0, where the required is 32... could anybody explain to me how the shared memory works or how to fix this problem?

[paradizecityz]

try going back to your old drivers

[curious101]

I can explain a little bit about that shared memory you asked about.

If you have a "shared memory" graphics card, then most likely it's a card built into your mobo. The main reason why built-in graphics cards exist is COST. Instead of buying a separate graphics card to be able to use a PC, mobo manufacturers thought it would be cheaper for consumers to buy PC's that have graphics cards as well as sound cards, ethernet cards, USB and RAID controller integrated right into the mobo itself. In other words, it's an all-in-one deal. Of course the ideal setup would be to have separate/dedicated cards for these components, but COST would significantly rise. Having a separate/dedicated hardware would mean a reduction in CPU and RAM workloads, thus, a better performance. It all boils down to the consumer's budget. A high-cost PC would oftentimes mean a "better-performance" PC.

When the graphics card is shared, it means that it gets its power from other sources. A few of these sources include the CPU, memory, and power supply. Therefore, in your case, a built-in graphics card borrows 64MB from the 512MB memory that you have. It also borrows a certain CPU load when it's on-the-go. In my case, I had 256MB of memory and a 32MB shared built-in graphics card. When I looked at my System Properties in Windows XP and Windows 98 SE, I only got a 224MB reading. I soon found out that 256 - 32 = 224. When I finally got an FX5200 128MB graphics card, my RAM already reads at 256MB.

Digital graphics in modern times demand an enormous power. Pair them with digital animation and 3D, and the result is a very high demand in power. Nowadays, a dedicated AGP or PCI-E graphics card and a fine power supply unit (Enermax, HEC, Task, etc.) is a good investment in terms of overall PC performance and longevity.

[[Q]]

thanks for the help guys
going back to old drivers worked