New Graphics Card

[i have no life [DAM]]

Yea i'm wanting a new grahpics card for my compy but i don't really know what to get. At the moment I have a GeForce FX 5200 that came with compy about four years ago. I need to upgrade it really badly as from the screenshots I've seen, mine look nothing like those at all. So, I ask what i should get and a possible price for it.

Thanks.

 

[mindful23]

Well the first thing I would ask you is if are willing to upgrade your processor, motherboard, and RAM so you can upgrade to PCI-Express... a significantly faster graphics type.


If not, a decent video card that is both AGP 4X and 8X compatible is the 7600GS.

[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121064]ASUS 7600GS 256MB GDDR2 128-bit SILENT[/link]
$100



Although I would just plain recommend upgrading CPU / MOBO / RAM / GFX all at once.. you may not have the resources to do that therefore this is an alternative.

 

[i have no life [DAM]]

i've upraded the ram already and the motherboard and cpu are fine right now.

 

[mindful23]

I am just saying if you want PCI-Express you would have to upgrade the motherboard. Then you'd have to upgrade ram and CPU to suit the new mobo. See what I'm saying?

But anyway I definitely recommend the:

[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121064]ASUS 7600GS 256MB GDDR2 128-bit SILENT[/link]
$100

 

[i have no life [DAM]]

just a question is it compatalbe with a demmension 8300?
i wanna know that before buying it.

 

[rawr]

if you're gonna bother buying a new graphics card, i'd say you NEED to buy a new mobo that can support pci-express. You would notice a huge difference for less money. I'm talking a monumental difference between what you have now. I can't say for sure what's gonna be compatible with your d3ll without knowing a lot more about it, certainly alot of questions that i'm not sure you'd be able to answer (no offense).

 

[Duality]

Heres like 5 mins of looking if you need a whole pc... you can sub out the Hard Drive, DvD burner and Case if you want to gut your current dell. But you'll def need/want everything else. Obviously this isnt tweaked to any particular style or taste but this will give you the general idea of the price you'll pay for a kickass pc. If you have any requests or specifics you want I can definitely track them down.. I used only newegg cause I'm too lazy and apparently not that nice haha.

Sony NEC Optiarc 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model AD-7190A - OEM ----------- $24.99
[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118003]Item #: N82E16827118003[/link]


COOLER MASTER Ammo 533 RC-533-SWN1 Black/ Silver Case --------- $30.00 Mail-in Rebate $69.99
[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119098]Item #: N82E16811119098[/link]


Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive ----------- $69.99
[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822144701]Item #: N82E16822144701[/link]


SAPPHIRE 100216L Radeon HD 3850 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 ------------- $179.00
[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102714]Item #: N82E16814102714[/link]


Rosewill RD550N-2DB-SL-BK ATX 550W Active PFC Power Supply ------------- $59.99
[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182089]Item #: N82E16817182089[/link]


OCZ Vista Upgrade 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 ------------- $20.00 Mail-in Rebate $45.99
[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227189]Item #: N82E16820227189[/link]


MSI P31 Neo-F LGA 775 Intel P31 ATX Intel Motherboard --------------- $72.99
[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130129]Item #: N82E16813130129[/link]


Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 Allendale 2.2GHz LGA 775 65W Processor Model BX80557E4500 --------- $124.99
[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115031]Item #: N82E16819115031[/link]


Subtotal: $647.93
Shipping: $27.33
Grand Total: $675.26 ($625.26 After Rebates)

 

[imported_GreenMonkey]

Nolife, nobody can make a good reccomendation if you dont tell us your current pc specs. Thats about as awsome as walking into joe's car repair and saying what do i need fixed? Anyone who answers your question without asking this question shouldnt be given pieve of mind by you.

 

[rawr]

for the love of god, do not waste your money on a rosewill power supply as duality suggested. or rosewill anything for that matter. everything they make is junk.

 

[mindful23]

Duality I don't think the MSI P31 motherboard you suggested is PCI-Express 2.0. Infact all it says for the slots is
"Expansion Slots
PCI Express x16 1
PCI Express x1 1
PCI Slots 3"

So .... you can't tell him to buy a PCI-Express 2.0 video card without a PCI-Express 2.0 compatible motherboard lol.



Or are is PCI-Express 2.0 cards backwards compatible? Hmm.

______________________________________________________
Edit:

I looked up the specs on the system... here they are

Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3 GHz
Chipset: Intel 875P
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Video Output Interface: AGP 8x
Memory: 256 MB
Max Supported RAM: 4 GB
Supported RAM Speeds: 400 MHz • 333 MHz
Expansion Slots: PCI x 4 • AGP Pro x 1
Hard Drive Capacity: 80 GB
Optical Drive Type: CD-RW

Here are the various requirements for TF2:

Team Fortress 2 Minimum System Requirements
CPU: 1.2 GHz Processor .......... MEETS
RAM: 256 MB .......... MEETS
Graphics Card: DirectX 7 capable graphics card ...... MEETS
Windows 2000/XP/ME/98
Mouse
Keyboard
Internet Connection
CD or DVD rom drive

Team Fortress 2 Recommended System Requirements
CPU: 2.4 GHz Processor ..... MEETS
RAM: 512 MB ........ FAILS
Graphics Card: DirectX 9 capable graphics card 256 MB... FAILS
Windows 2000/XP/ME/98
Mouse
Keyboard
Internet Connection
CD or DVD rom drive

Team Fortress 2 Ideal System Requirements
For running the game smooth in 1280x1024 with High Quality graphics.

CPU: 3.4 GHz Processor ...... FAILS
RAM: 1024 MB ..... FAILS
Graphics Card: Radeon X800 or Geforce 6800... FAILS
Windows 2000/XP/ME/98
Mouse
Keyboard
Internet Connection
CD or DVD rom drive




All in all... you can only seriously run the game on minimum settings on 1024x768 even with 512MB ram and that video card I suggested.


So as these guys are saying.. it is a great idea to rebuild your PC if you have the money.


There are some nice rigs for under $700 you can build. I posted on elsewhere on the forums but here it is again:


[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103773] AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ (Dual 3.0GHz)[/link]
$160
Benefits: Not too expensive, can burn a DVD while playing TF2 with no lag (I've tested). AMD.
Cons: Slightly expensive compared to some of the nicer Intel processors.

[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131022]ASUS M2N-E AMD Motherboard[/link]
$94
Benefits: A mid-range motherboard, not cheap low quality dirt but not the really expensive ASUS motherboards. Oh and it is Asus.. an awesome brand.
Cons: RAM has to be 1.8V if you don't want problems. Isn't PCI Express 2.0

[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146118]Mushkin 2GB (1GBx2) DDR2 800 RAM[/link]
$50
Benefits: Works well with motherboard, 2GBs runs perfectly with Vista, etc. DDR2 800.
Cons: Only 1.8V

[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148215]Seagate Barracuda 320GB 16MB Cache 7200RPM[/link]
$95
Pros: Inexpensive, 5 Year Warranty, lots of space, 16MB Cache and can transfer up to 85MB a second.
Cons: Not a 10,000RPM drive.


[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127303]MSI RX2600XT 512MB GDDR4 128-bit PCI Express x16[/link]
$144 after rebate
Pros: 512MB, can run Crysis at Max Settings with 4X AA
Cons: Not PCI Express 2.0 (2.0 doesn't work with mobo), 128-bit, uses 169W of the bat.
Mixed: Huge!! (dunno if that is good or bad)

[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156078]RAIDMAX Smilodon Extreme Black Case w/ Window Panel and LEDs[/link]
$80
Pros: Attractive, Nice LEDs, Inexpensive, Windowed Side Panel
Cons: No Power Supply, LEDs might get annoying after awhile (depends on you)

[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002]OCZ GameXStream 700W PSU[/link]
$99 after rebate
Pros: Lots of watts, high quality brand, VERY inexpensive after rebate, long cables, aweeesommee.
Cons: Rebate isn't always goin to be there! (so act fast!)


[link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106072]LITE-ON Black 20X DVD Burner w/ Lightscribe[/link]
$37.99
Pros: This brand is something I've never had anything but happiness. Great, cheap.
Cons: Not commercial grade


Not sure I am forgetting something... but this is a cheap, great gaming rig for people who don't feel like spending 3k.

Total Cost: $661 w/o tax or shipping.


Some people may prefer Intel or Nvidia or whatever. But that is just a cheap rig that will get you max settings on the game, for sure. Not exactly going to get you 1280x1024 with 8x AA on Crysis.... but will run Crysis well on 1280x1024 with 4x AA ^^

 

[imported_Hostile]

MinDFuL, PCI-Express 2.0 is backwards compatible. Works no different in a regular PCI Express x16 slot, and in a 2.0 slot it doesn't currently make a difference because we aren't maxing out the bandwidth of PCI-Express yet.

 

[mindful23]

Is it, eh?

Interesting.

 

[i have no life [DAM]]

so acording to your list i meet all but the graphics.

i forgot to mention that i upraged to 2GB of ram so the only thing i don't meet is the graphics card.

 

[mindful23]

Yes for the recommended settings.

 

[Duality]

Yea the P31 isnt PCI-e 2.0 but thats because otherwise he'd have to buy a $180+ mobo... the HD3000 series from ATI are all 2.0 ready and still 1.0 compliant.

I build hundreds of pcs every year so dont tell me I'm wrong. And rosewill components are lightyears better than the heaps of junk they put in Dell PCs --- and FYI Rosewill is really just Neweggs own components so they replace out any components w/out hesitation and I've never gotten a rosewill piece of junk. They're great for budget builds but I see where you come from cause I personally wouldnt use one.

EDIT:

Oh yea about your Dimension 8300... you'll have to upgrade that mobo (and consequently your CPU and Ram) because all it supports is AGP 8x. Also that power supply needs to go cause they use either 250w or 305w neither of which are Ideal let alone are garunteed to work w/ new components like a high powered GPU or even compatible w/ a new mobo... may need a 4 or 8 pin 12volt and a 24 pin main power molex.

Just buy more new stuff already lol or wait to buy mine after I build a new one.

 

[mindful23]

You can just upgrade your PSU to a 350W ... the extra 4 pins are an option. They just slide off the main power tap that goes into the motherboard.


And everything else is compatible. The video card, the one I suggested, is 4x / 8x compatible... and the Dimension 8300 is AGP 8x Pro.... so it works fine.


Just need a [link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153023]New PSU[/link] and that video card.




edit:

Seriously.... don't try to sales pitch your PC here. Atleast PM him.

 

[Duality]

Was a joke, take it easy.

Or he can buy this PSU [link=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171016&CMP=EMC-IGNEFL120707&ATT=N82E16817171016&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL120707-_-PowerSupplies-_-E1L-_-17171016]Cooler Master eXtreme Power Series 550w[/link] for $69.99 then enter this code @ checkout EMC1207CASE01 and get another $30.00 off instantly then send in the $30.00 MIR and only end up paying $9.99.

 

[mindful23]

In that case... lets roll like the stock market!

BUY BUY BUY!!
NOW SELL SELL SELLLLLLLL!

 

[imported_GreenMonkey]

I wish he would just give us his full system specs so we can reccomend the AGP he wants instead of ignoring what he wants and telling him what we think

And P.S. Rawr - why do you hate rosewill PSUs? I have found them to be pretty good. As long as you understand that they -liek EVERY company - have base modles ... and good ones and they are neever the same lol.

 

[rawr]

[quote1197241074=Duλ|ity ΞΩΞ]
Yea the P31 isnt PCI-e 2.0 but thats because otherwise he'd have to buy a $180+ mobo... the HD3000 series from ATI are all 2.0 ready and still 1.0 compliant.

I build hundreds of pcs every year so dont tell me I'm wrong. And rosewill components are lightyears better than the heaps of junk they put in Dell PCs --- and FYI Rosewill is really just Neweggs own components so they replace out any components w/out hesitation and I've never gotten a rosewill piece of junk. They're great for budget builds but I see where you come from cause I personally wouldnt use one.

EDIT:

Oh yea about your Dimension 8300... you'll have to upgrade that mobo (and consequently your CPU and Ram) because all it supports is AGP 8x. Also that power supply needs to go cause they use either 250w or 305w neither of which are Ideal let alone are garunteed to work w/ new components like a high powered GPU or even compatible w/ a new mobo... may need a 4 or 8 pin 12volt and a 24 pin main power molex.

Just buy more new stuff already lol or wait to buy mine after I build a new one.
[/quote1197241074]

I had no idea rosewill was newegg components. that really surprises me since i have a lot of respect for newegg. I do agree it'd be better than whatever dell threw in there tho.

green: i just don't think rosewill is quality at all. i certainly wouldn't trust my computer innards to be powered by something that's not totally dependable. if the psu goes out and fries everything you're screwed.

the few rosewill things i cheaped out on totally let me down. never again will that happen