Video upgrade for Dell 4700

[AndyinNYC]

My father in law has the Dell 4700 using the integrated onboard video. This is the Intel Extreme 900 I believe.

He is a web and office app user, but wants to begin seriously editing the RAW files from his camera with an advanced image editing package (which requires more memory than he presently has installed; ie 1GB).

We just ordered 2 GB of memory for an upgrade from 512K. < $50 delivered

Would a POWERCOLOR HD2600XT 512MB DDR3 Radeon HD 2600XT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 from Newegg for $50 after rebate make a BIG performance difference post memory upgrade? The memory will clearly impact his performance and perceived performance since the system won't be using virtual memory.

Is there a better < $80 card (if the performance bump would actually be seen) to pick from?

thanks

Andrew

 

[Phynaz]

Simply put, image editing doesn't load a video card.
An upgrade would be a waste of money.

 

[DaveSimmons]

You'd see a small improvement in moving from motherboard shared-memory video to a dedicated PCI-E card but unless your monitor is over 24" then any card will do.

Look on newegg for a card under $50 with good reviews for reliability and quiet, speed doesn't matter.

Edit: before going shopping make sure your Dell -has- a PCI-E slot, Dell for years sold intel-based systems that did not have a PCI-E slot.