Posts by Sarah Turner98

Upgrading from a 7600GT to a 7300GT? That’s just madness...
Especially if you're looking at cards with DDR2 memory. Seriously, don't even touch DDR2—stick to DDR3.
Just hang in there for a bit. Keep hunting, keep digging, you'll find something decent eventually.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing

William Robinson2 said:man, I've even got some random Samsung stuff sitting there, external, around 400 bucks

That power supply might work for you, I guess... personally, I wouldn't trust cheap junk like that, but I'll admit one of my old 300W units lasted me 4 or 5 years, and honestly, another one is still kicking after 5 years just running these tiny little builds...

Once you figure out which GPU you're grabbing—and if it isn't some powerhouse (remember, power isn't about VRAM, it's about wattage consumption)—plus whatever your CPU pulls, you might not even need to swap the PSU...

But if you go for something beefier? I’d strongly suggest picking up a decent, newer unit. Doesn't have to be top-of-the-line, just something you can actually trust.👍

William Robinson2 said:Do I really need a beefier power supply if I swap in a 256 MB card and a 3000 MHz processor? Right now I'm running an AMD Sempron 3000+ at 1800 MHz with 64 MB integrated graphics and a 400W PSU.

What kind of 400W unit are we talking about?
I mean, what brand?

stormywolf39 said:I used to have a 9600xt on my old rig, and running 1920x1200 on Windows was no problem at all.

So it should work... why isn't it? I don't know what's causing the issue...
Have them try it on someone else's PC to rule out hardware failure...

And they should try using the exact same outputs...
Like DVI to DVI...

steelstag13 said:Dammit, does this mean I have to go out and buy a whole new motherboard, CPU, and GPU?

1. Just hit the edit button if you've got more to add to a thread you already posted in..
2. Look into other solutions first..

Because once you start buying parts, you'll blow through a few grand easy and still be missing stuff...

steelstag13 said:I was thinking it’s probably not worth upgrading this ancient setup anyway.
Just asking for info—why does it have to be an AGP card?
Which one of these four is the best bet, or does it even matter?

See, this is why I say forums are tough. You have to explain every single acronym because people can't be bothered to just Google it.🙂 Admit it.👍

AGP stands for Advanced Graphics Port.
AGP is just the slot type on your motherboard; the card needs to match that specific slot style. There's AGP, there's PCI Express... you get the idea.

Since you've got an AGP slot, you're stuck with it. It's an old standard, which is why you only see four options left, whereas for PCI Express, you've got hundreds to choose from...

To be honest? I wouldn't touch any of those four. They're way too overpriced for what they are.
And I highly doubt they'll actually perform better than what you're running right now...

If someone gives you a genius suggestion, great. But I'm not going to recommend anything to you just so I don't have to deal with you complaining when it doesn't work.👍

@William Gray90/">@@William Gray90..

I know they were built for CRT monitors, which is why most of those cards hit that 2500x1xxxx range. It's not about raw power; it's just that those old cards struggle with modern monitors and Full HD resolutions.
Take my old junker, for example—an AGP 8x with a 9250 128MB. It handles plenty of resolutions, but once I plug it into my 23" monitor, 2048x1128 is a total disaster. I can only really use it at 1440x900...🙂 and even then, the image quality is pretty crappy.

posast said:I have no clue which graphics card would even work with this CPU. Anyone got a suggestion?
Intel Pentium 4
Prescott 90nm Technology

You don't pair it with the processor, you pair it with the motherboard....
Honestly? You need someone who actually knows their way around a PC to sit down and do this with you. Trying to fix this over the internet isn't going to get you anywhere since you're clearly out of your depth, and troubleshooting this online would take forever..

You need a card that fits an AGP 8x slot...
Once you track one down, just swap it out for the one you've got..
Let me be real with you... finding anything better than what you currently have that still uses AGP is going to be a struggle..
And spending more than $300$133 isn't worth it because the computer itself isn't worth nearly that much...

The only thing that might fit your needs if you want something brand new from a store is this:
http://www.bestbuy.com/index.php?option...orija=05180603

steelstag13 said:The image is blurry, and this LCD gets even worse as I move my head—the viewing angles are a total disaster. At least there's no flickering. I've tweaked the settings as much as I can, but I'm still not happy with it.

Well, to actually be satisfied, you'd probably need a better GPU...

Maybe try taking the monitor over to a friend's place? Or if someone has a newer laptop—say, from the last couple of years—have them bring it over and plug it in. If the picture looks great at native resolution then... yeah, your graphics card is just trash for a monitor like that.

Maybe that GPU actually needs to be pushing Full HD on your monitor...
But there’s a catch. Back when this thing launched, Full HD wasn't even really a thing yet.
It didn't really hit the mainstream until around 2006.

Is the image just looking a bit blurry, or is it flickering and stuff?
I had that exact same issue whenever I tried to push things too hard.

Try messing around with your monitor settings, or just cycle through the different resolutions—go from lowest to highest to see where it looks best. While you're at it, check that refresh rate in Hz too...

And honestly? Having a dual-core processor would probably help a lot, too.

http://www.piriform.com/speccy

It probably won't tell you the exact GPU, so try this instead

Right-click on the desktop. Properties > settings > advanced > adapter

steelstag13 said:Hey, so I've got this 7-year-old PC. Just picked up a 23-inch Samsung LED LCD monitor, but the picture quality is pretty underwhelming. Do I actually need to grab a new graphics card to fix the image, or what?

Well, you didn't exactly mention which graphics card you're running... maybe if you did, we could actually tell you if you need an upgrade or not.
Probably do, though..

List your full specs. We aren't psychics here, we can't just guess.😬

James Morris4 said:I’d go with the NVIDIA GTX 460 with 1 GB. If I absolutely had to wait for $667, I’d just hold off. I wouldn't touch that NVIDIA Fermi GF100—the heat it puts off is insane, and the power draw? Forget about it.
Northern Islands are right around the corner, not to mention prices finally leveling out.

And look... if you consider what he picked for 2100... that Fermi architecture is going to absolutely eat both of them alive... 🙂
meaning they aren't even in the same league, and the gap is $33..

Personally, I'd grab the NVIDIA GTX 460 1GB for $467, then save that extra $700 for New Year's, a trip to Florida, or whatever else.
Either wait for the 69xx series or just pick up something from the 58xx line...

But I definitely wouldn't drop $700 on a GTX 460, and I wouldn't touch the 6870 either. They just aren't worth that kind of cash, especially at Best Buy.🙂

Signing off on Gilbert's suggestions...

shadowsurfer8 said:I'm picking up a new GPU and I'm torn between

6870 - $700

and

the GTX 460 2GB - $700

Which one is actually worth the cash? Or maybe you guys have a third option in mind? Just looking to stay around $667
.

Thanks!

So, walk me through it—why on earth do you even need 2GB of VRAM?
And what kind of CPU are we talking about here?
Seriously, just list out the whole rig you're running.

If I were spending that much, I'd grab this instead:
http://www.newegg.com/p/graphics-cards/details/gr...od1280mb/33839

rustystag18 said:haha, I’ve got 6 LED fans and 3 neon strips—two blue, one red—plus three fans glowing blue and the rest red. Where can I find a case like that?

Ever heard of punctuation? You know, those little things like periods and commas people use in the US?

As for that case you mentioned... you can find it in a coloring book. lol

I’m rocking a Samsung right now and honestly? Not feeling it..

If you want my take, these would be solid picks...
Ranked from best to worst 🙂

Then maybe one of these..

rustystag18 said:Which case should I go with? Cooler Master or Zalman? Help, I have no clue which one to buy.

Man, could you be any more specific? Ugh...

p.s. Whatever has more RGB..

Casey Long2 said:The Corsair Builder CX series is actually made by Delta Electronics, so it's just their entry-level stuff. Basically, even though it has the Corsair name, it doesn't have the pedigree of their higher-end units 😉
If you're choosing between Cooler Master and Corsair, just pick whichever one you like more—you can't really go wrong with either 😉

And let me tell you an old rule of thumb: you can never go wrong with extra wattage. 😁

Casey Long2 said:Don't touch the PSU. Seriously. One slip on a capacitor and you're dead, then you go and slap a low-airflow fan on it and watch the whole thing go up in smoke...
Basically, don't crack open a power supply unless you actually know what you're doing. 😉

So I guess the coils smelling like they're burning is totally fine then? 😬

Just tear down the power supply, reconnect the wires—red and black, I assume—and screw everything back together...

The front one pulls fresh air into the case. Did that really not cross your mind??

If we actually started listing everyone who bought this junk just because of the amount of cheap RAM... 😁