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upgrading graphics card

Discussion in 'Computers & Modding' started by killer69, Jul 22, 2009.

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  1. killer69

    killer69 Well-Known Member

    hei, i would appreciate any help given. i have nvidia geforce 4200 ti with agp8x and wish to replace with nvidia geforce 7600GT agp and wish to use it for gaming. it's a fairly old computer and the specs are:

    1) sis645dx motherboard which can support agp 4x
    2)pentium 4 2.4ghz
    3)1gb sdram
    4)300W psu

    is it compatible? can agp 4x slot take agp 8x card? is this a suitable card for gaming and is there better card that is compatible with the system? i will replace the psu unit if it's not powerful. please let me know if u need extra information that will help. thanks
     
    killer69, Jul 22, 2009
    #1
  2. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    While AGP 8x cards should work in a 4x slot, that is not always the case. Honestly, you would be much better off upgrading to a motherboard with PCI express.

    Regardless, if you do decide to upgrade (whether motherboard or graphics card) you will definitely need a new PSU.
     
    Loonylion, Jul 22, 2009
    #2
  3. meganova

    meganova Well-Known Member

    Did you mean this?
    http://reviews.cnet.com/graphics-cards/nvidia-geforce-7600-gt/4505-8902_7-31768928.html
     
    meganova, Jul 22, 2009
    #3
  4. branraf

    branraf Well-Known Member

    Well reading the specs of the machine, the first thing i'd get for a gaming machine is a dam new PSU, 300W would be unable to support the strain of a gaming machine, it'd just keep restarting on you... Then again, depends on what harware you have but 300W is really kinda low. I'd recommend a 750W - 1KW PSU for a gaming machine.

    However i'll allow loony to talk to you about the graphics card, he's the dude with the most knowledge :)
     
    branraf, Jul 23, 2009
    #4
  5. Luk7nk4

    Luk7nk4 Well-Known Member

    As loony says, it's better to upgrade your motherboard to one with a PCI-express slot.
    But if you don't want to upgrade the MB you should get a GeForce 6800GT - can overclock better and isn't such a pain to obtain like the 7600GT.

    About the PSU 300W is weak for the 6800 GT, you should atleast get a 450W PSU, just to be sure.
     
    Luk7nk4, Jul 24, 2009
    #5
  6. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    Wattage isn't the only important thing with PSUs. Brand also matters, and in more modern computers, the number of rails/size of each rail matters.
     
    Loonylion, Jul 24, 2009
    #6
  7. AceKilla

    AceKilla Well-Known Member

    everything is fine except the PSU you should try the 500w (pure). But you will only play the game in minimum set. So if you got some money just upgrade your mobo and processor, do it step by step if you low on budget.
     
    AceKilla, Jul 24, 2009
    #7
  8. killer69

    killer69 Well-Known Member

    alright, can anyone help me with what psu, motherboard, processor and graphics card to choose and i'm on a low budget. i want to play the latest games and i dun mind if its on medium setting, justs as long as it can run. if i change the motherboard and processor, do i need to install windows again or i can just still use my old hard drive with windows xp in it. i guess with new motherboard, i need new ram for it as well. can anyone with computer building knowledge help? it will be cool if you can list all the hardware models and stuff so i can check on net. also which site is reliable and has cheap computer stuff?
     
    killer69, Jul 26, 2009
    #8
  9. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    Can you specify what your budget is? that would help me find suitable parts. You can use your current hard disk, but it would be advisable to reformat and reinstall windows (you may not get a choice).
     
    Loonylion, Jul 26, 2009
    #9
  10. killer69

    killer69 Well-Known Member

    well hopefully i can upgrade the mobo, psu, processor and ram for less than 500 bucks. if not, which upgrade is most important? i got some parts from local shops price lists and i'll list what i have picked:
    1)asus p5kpl-am-ps for $90
    2)core 2 duo e7400 2.8ghz 3mb $175
    3)550W Bp 550 plus antec $145
    4)2gb ddr2 800mhz $65
    5)500gb samsung 7200 rpm 3.5" sata-2 for $110
    6)1gb ddr2 9500GT 550mhz for $105

    this is what i would have picked if i'm to upgrade my computer completely. is it alright? can someone also give me a good site to guide me to upgrade my computer by myself?
     
    killer69, Jul 26, 2009
    #10
  11. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    I would suggest getting an AMD processor rather than an intel, they are cheaper and run cooler. you would need a different motherboard, however.

    The motherboard you have chosen is a microATX, these are physically quite small and thus harder to work with. If your case can fit an ATX motherboard I would recommend that instead.

    $110 is a hell of a lot for a 500GB disk, it should be half that price for the capacity specified.

    how many case fans does your current computer have?
     
    Loonylion, Jul 26, 2009
    #11
  12. AceKilla

    AceKilla Well-Known Member

    i agree amd is much cheaper and cooler and more reliable, and you need a motherboard that support am2/am2+ socket. I recommended you if you choose amd processor it would more fit if you use ATI Vga card.
     
    AceKilla, Jul 26, 2009
    #12
  13. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    Not true at all, all my computers are AMDs and most of them have nvidia graphics cards. The drivers for ATi cards cause major problems.
     
    Loonylion, Jul 26, 2009
    #13
  14. AceKilla

    AceKilla Well-Known Member

    Ah, just download the support file from amd.com and all problem is fix. ;)
     
    AceKilla, Jul 26, 2009
    #14
  15. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    not true, ATi drivers are crap and always have been. Regardless of the computer they're in.
     
    Loonylion, Jul 26, 2009
    #15
  16. AceKilla

    AceKilla Well-Known Member

    maybe, but i'm using amd dual core optimation when i have a problem with my card and now it's fix.
     
    AceKilla, Jul 26, 2009
    #16
  17. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    dual core optimiser has nothing to do with the graphics card.
     
    Loonylion, Jul 26, 2009
    #17
  18. killer69

    killer69 Well-Known Member

    my comp has one fan i think. which motherboard and processor should i get? please give detailed model number. my current motherboard is sis645dx and is this the same size as an atx motherboard.if its the same, i'll just use my old case. thanks everyone for ur help.
    Post Merge: [time]1248664719[/time]
    what about the asus p5ql-se for $150? if i upgrade the motherboard, do i have to upgrade all the other stuff as well like RAM and hard drives? my current hard drives are ide drives. what current computer hardware i can keep?
     
    killer69, Jul 27, 2009
    #18
  19. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    That is an intel board, which is fine if you want an intel processor, but will not work for an AMD processor. (also intel are intending to abandon that processor/socket line for something new in the next few months)

    You will need new ram no matter what motherboard you get, SDRAM is nearly 10 years old now, and the board you have listed will not support any IDE drives, so your hard drive will also need replacing.

    here are my suggestions (prices from newegg)

    processor: AMD Phenom II X4 2.8Ghz - $149.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103472
    motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P: $109.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387

    This motherboard will support 2 IDE devices; while I would suggest you replace your hard disk with a SATAII disk and leave the optical drive(s) on IDE (that is what I do), it is nevertheless your choice. My opinion is that SATA/SATAII is wasted on optical drives since they can't even saturate IDE. It is not advisable to run an optical drive and a hard disk on the same IDE channel.

    for a SATAII hard disk I would suggest:

    Samsung Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB - $84.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152102 - I have 4 of these disks and they are great.

    For a CPU cooler I would highly recommend:

    Sunbeam CR-CCTF92-4 92mm Core-Contact Freezer - $29.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207006 - again, I have two of these and they are really good. Get someone to help you fit it, however, as they are quite difficult to fit and having a second pair of hands helps significantly.

    RAM suitable for the above board:

    G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 - $47.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231241
     
    Loonylion, Jul 27, 2009
    #19
  20. AceKilla

    AceKilla Well-Known Member

    Are you sure loony? because this what i read in amd site.

    Publisher's Description

    Improve PC gaming video performance.

    The AMD Dual-Core Optimizer can help improve some PC gaming video performance by compensating for those applications that bypass the Windows API for timing by directly using the RDTSC (Read Time Stamp Counter) instruction. Applications that rely on RDTSC do not benefit from the logic in the operating system to properly account for the affect of power management mechanisms on the rate at which a processor core's Time Stamp Counter (TSC) is incremented. The AMD Dual-Core Optimizer helps to correct the resulting video performance effects or other incorrect timing effects that these applications may experience on dual-core or multiple processor systems. www.techspot.com

    Or maybe i'm wrong, so whatever, as far as i exprience, everything seems fine with my PC.
     
    AceKilla, Jul 28, 2009
    #20
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