|
Graphics card help- Can my computer support it?
|
|
|
dataoneil
Junior Member
|
5. October 2009 @ 16:55 |
Link to this message
|
Our family owns a Windows XP Home desktop that?s about four years. But recently I discovered that it doesn?t have a proper graphics card. A friend helped me find one on newegg.ca that seems reasonably priced appears promising. But I need to know if it is actually able to work with my computer. My computer has an Intel 915G Express chipset. Someone out there please help me! The real question is whether this card will support (or can be upgraded to support) Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic.
Here are the tech specs of the card. If you need to know more about the computer let me know.
Model
Brand EVGA
Model 256-P2-N753-TR
Interface
Interface PCI Express x16
Chipset
Chipset Manufacturer NVIDIA
GPU GeForce 8600 GT
Core Clock 540MHz
Stream Processors 32
Memory
Memory Clock 1400MHz
Memory Size 256MB
Memory Interface 128-bit
Memory Type GDDR3
3D API
DirectX DirectX 10
OpenGL OpenGL 2.0
Ports
D-SUB 1
DVI 1
TV-Out HDTV / S-Video Out
VIVO No
General
Tuner None
RAMDAC 400 MHz
Max Resolution 2560 x 1600
RoHS Compliant Yes
SLI Supported Yes
Cooler With Fan
Dual-Link DVI Supported Yes
HDCP Ready Yes
|
|
Advertisement
|
 |
|
|
AfterDawn Addict
|
5. October 2009 @ 18:19 |
Link to this message
|
|
Not enough information.
1. Does your card have a Pci-E slot? It's 4 years old so possibly (probably not)
If not, then no, that card won't work.
Need specs on your PC first before any educated guess can be made on the graphics card.
|
|
dataoneil
Junior Member
|
5. October 2009 @ 18:41 |
Link to this message
|
|
If you mean PCI Express slots, then yes I do: One x16(J6C1, whatever that means) and one x1 (J9C1)
|
|
ddp
Moderator
|
6. October 2009 @ 14:46 |
Link to this message
|
|
does the videocard need extra power from your psu & if so then what size does it want & what do you have?
|
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
6. October 2009 @ 16:33 |
Link to this message
|
|
Need to know the PC brand, or the case and power supply specification to say if it's compatible.
|
|
dataoneil
Junior Member
|
6. October 2009 @ 18:40 |
Link to this message
|
For the graphics card, there were no specs concerning power
These specs come directly from the owner?s manual on my computer, under the heading ?Power? (sounds kinda obvious but just to make it clear)
DC power supply:
Wattage 305 W
Heat dissipation 434.6 BTU/hr
Voltage 90 to 135 V and 180 to 265 V at 50/60 Hz
Backup battery 3-V CR2032 lithium coin cell
As for brand, the computer is a Windows XP Home Edition, Version 2002, made by Dell. Its processor type is Intel® Pentium® 4 with HT Technology.
|
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
6. October 2009 @ 18:44 |
Link to this message
|
Still need to know which Dell it is, for example Dell Dimension 3000.
|
|
dataoneil
Junior Member
|
6. October 2009 @ 19:25 |
Link to this message
|
In system info, it says Dell Dimension DIM4700. That what you're looking for?
|
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
6. October 2009 @ 19:57 |
Link to this message
|
|
|
dataoneil
Junior Member
|
6. October 2009 @ 20:11 |
Link to this message
|
|
Thanks, but I think I'll go for the one I already chose. Besides, I'm Canadian, which means I'd have to spend more money even before S&H, and I'm not exactly made of money at the moment. So, thanks, but no thanks.
But the question still remains: Will this graphics card support (or can be made to support) Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic?
|
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
6. October 2009 @ 20:15 |
Link to this message
|
|
|
dataoneil
Junior Member
|
6. October 2009 @ 20:32 |
Link to this message
|
|
I couldn't use them even if I wanted to. I dont (think) I have PCI Express 2.0 slots, and both that you suggested still cost too much for my budget. If you could find a card that can perform better than the one I've decided on, is $50-, and is compatible with my computer specs, I might consider it. But can you answer the KotOR question?
|
|
dataoneil
Junior Member
|
6. October 2009 @ 20:35 |
Link to this message
|
|
Also, the one I found had good reviews and ratings, and was recommended to me by my friend, who is a computer techie kind of guy
|
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
6. October 2009 @ 20:36 |
Link to this message
|
|
PCI express 2.0 cards are still backwards compatible with PCI express 1 slots.
Still almost twice as fast as the 8600GT, and $50.
Either of the cards will run KOTOR, but you certainly stand to get the best performance from the HD4650.
Edit: just realised it's a US link.
The HIS card posted is about as cheap as you can get for 4650s in canada, but $9 for double the performance? Hardly seems much to ask.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 6. October 2009 @ 20:37
|
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
6. October 2009 @ 20:38 |
Link to this message
|
|
There are lots of "computer techies" I know that have almost no clue when it comes to stuff like this. While I'm not suggesting your friend doesn't know what he's talking about, in this day and age really, cards like the 8600GT are poor value for money because they are too old.
|
|
jony218
Suspended due to non-functional email address
|
6. October 2009 @ 20:47 |
Link to this message
|
|
go to youtube and type in the model of the video card you want and there will be video reviews of the card in action. The newest games require that the card have at least shader 3.0. The older games where happy with shader 2.0.
|
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
6. October 2009 @ 20:48 |
Link to this message
|
|
I'd advise against youtube reviews, they provide absolutely no insight on what detail levels the cards are able to produce because the image quality of the video is so poor. If you want to know what they're really like, study benchmarks like those found at bit-tech.net, driverheaven.net, techreport.com and hexus.net.
|
|
dataoneil
Junior Member
|
6. October 2009 @ 21:41 |
Link to this message
|
Originally posted by sammorris:
PCI express 2.0 cards are still backwards compatible with PCI express 1 slots.
Still almost twice as fast as the 8600GT, and $50.
Either of the cards will run KOTOR, but you certainly stand to get the best performance from the HD4650.
Edit: just realised it's a US link.
The HIS card posted is about as cheap as you can get for 4650s in canada, but $9 for double the performance? Hardly seems much to ask.
Does this mean I can install it without having to go through too much installation trouble? And what about the reviews on newegg.ca? The one I chose had far more positive reviews
|
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
7. October 2009 @ 08:43 |
Link to this message
|
Sadly, most of the people on newegg are idiots, who thought the card was bad because they broke it. Also don't forget most people who have no problems with a product won't think to come back and review it, but typically people with negative experiences will.
Most of the people moan about fan speed, which takes all of 5 seconds to fix.
Installing a new graphics card isn't difficult, you just need to uninstall the old graphics drivers and then install the new ones (preferably updated ones from the AMD website - the CD ones are always outdated).
|
AfterDawn Addict
|
7. October 2009 @ 15:39 |
Link to this message
|
Most people will give an item 5 eggs simply because it works fine and they're happy with it, the fact still remains that the 8600GT is a lot worse than any of the cards Sam suggested - he speaks nothing but the truth :)
PSP, all the way from 1.00 to 5.50 GEN D2 - DS Lite w/ M3DS Real (M3 Sakura v1.34)
PS3 3.01 - iPod Touch 2G 16GB Jailbroken - Xbox 360 60GB - PC, Q6600, 3GB DDR2, GTX260 (216) 896MB |
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
7. October 2009 @ 15:41 |
Link to this message
|
|
This might seem incredibly petty, but I'd really prefer not having "yeah he's right, he's always right" posts around - they're certainly appreciated, but the more suspicious members might think I have my own little army of suckups going around :P - it's been suggested before!
|
AfterDawn Addict
|
7. October 2009 @ 16:32 |
Link to this message
|
|
Yeah, but you're not always right ;) Haha, well, at least we've had a couple of disagreements in the past :D Just in this instance I'd definitely have said the same thing about the 8600GT - over a year ago one of my friends got an 8600GT for a budget build and even back then I told him he shouldn't have :P
PSP, all the way from 1.00 to 5.50 GEN D2 - DS Lite w/ M3DS Real (M3 Sakura v1.34)
PS3 3.01 - iPod Touch 2G 16GB Jailbroken - Xbox 360 60GB - PC, Q6600, 3GB DDR2, GTX260 (216) 896MB
|
AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
|
7. October 2009 @ 16:34 |
Link to this message
|
|
Mmm, to be honest, the 8600GT was only really alright in the first few months of its release, back in when was it, early 2007 I think?
|
|
dataoneil
Junior Member
|
8. October 2009 @ 04:42 |
Link to this message
|
|
Okay, in order to convince me you're going to have to:
1. Choose which card is the better money buy.
2. Tell me how to make it work in a PCI Express 1 slot
3. How to fix the fan speed that everyone on newegg.ca complains about
|
|
Advertisement
|
|
|
|
dataoneil
Junior Member
|
8. October 2009 @ 04:45 |
Link to this message
|
I'm leaning toward the Sapphire card you suggested, since the review is not very informative on how good or bad it is
|
