Posts by Paul Hernandez49

darkowl72 said:1

6. So now I see you're running an old Radeon X1600—and look, word on the street is the official AMD drivers for this thing are basically dead, so people use modified ones instead, but they should still work fine enough:

https://www.google.com/search?client...xt+driver+win7

Just be careful when you're downloading stuff—you don't want some sketchy adware, bloatware, or random "PC optimizer" junk infecting your system, so watch where you're clicking. 😬 From what I can tell, this link shouldn't be complicated; it just gives you a straight download for the driver:

http://www.driverscape.com/download/...adeon-x1600-xt

And obviously, make sure you check your version of Windows—whether it's 32-bit or 64-bit.

I tried updating the driver, but it keeps telling me I already have the latest one... I think I actually installed the one for Windows Vista 64-bit by mistake. I can't find anything specifically for Windows 7—not the official stuff, and honestly, not even the unofficial versions either. Everything I come across (including this YouTube video) shows people installing that "10-2_legacy_vista32-64_dd_ccc" driver.
That one on driverscape seems to be for a Sapphire Radeon x1600—which isn't even the exact same card I have, and I couldn't find a specific driver for mine anyway—so when I tried it, my resolution dropped to 800x600 and now I'm stuck because I can't change it back.🤔

Maybe I’ll just pick up some cheap used card for peanuts—something a bit newer than what I’ve got that actually plays nice with Windows 7... at least for now... until I finally bite the bullet and build a whole new rig.
That said, my current setup handles HD movies (mkv) in BS Player just fine... no stuttering or anything like that whatsoever.

darkowl72 said:1. Why would you think anyone's making fun of you? You're wrong there. We're just stating the facts. No one is mocking you—we all realize the average user isn't hardware-literate, and we know how sales reps and repair shops can try to talk you into things you don't need.

2. Don't buy anything yet. Just wait. That RAM might be fine, or it might be totally incompatible with your motherboard.

3. What graphics card were you using before, and is there any actual reason to swap it out other than the video stuttering?

4. How exactly is it stuttering over the internet? Are we talking about watching a live stream, or maybe a movie on YouTube, or what? Or are you playing a video file from your PC and streaming it over your local network to some smart TV with an ethernet port? How does the video behave when you play it directly from the hard drive on your computer and watch it on your monitor—do those problems happen then too?

5. What’s your internet speed like? Which provider and plan are you on? Go ahead and hit up speedtest.net to check your download, upload, and ping.

6. Looking at this now, I see you've got an old Radeon x1600. Online, people say drivers for it exist—not official ones from AMD, obviously, but modified versions that should work:

https://www.google.com/search?client...xt+driver+win7

Just be careful when downloading so you don't accidentally install some junkware, "advisors," or random downloaders—watch where you click. 😬 I think this link here doesn't complicate things and just gives you the clean driver download:

http://www.driverscape.com/download/...adeon-x1600-xt

And obviously, make sure you check your version of Windows 7, whether it's 32-bit or 64-bit.

7. Regarding memory, look on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace—something local, near you. Or if there's a local shop or a guy selling old parts, grab some 2x1GB DDR2 RAM, but only if you can test it first and return it if it fails. If you look on the local listings, a stick shouldn't cost more than $17, ideally less. You have 4 slots on your board, so if you fill them with 4x1GB, that's plenty; you won't need to buy anything new.

8. Since your priority is changing so many things, a major investment in this machine isn't worth it. Not even the power supply, which really should be the first thing you replace. Honestly, just leave it alone; the config isn't demanding, so if it works, let it work...

And those video playback issues could easily be caused by a bunch of other factors—software stuff, mostly—long before we even get to the graphics card. It all depends on how you're watching the video, like I asked before...

1. Fine, okay, maybe not mocking me, but I was definitely looking at this configuration like "what on earth is this?" 😁
2. Already bought it, so I'm stuck with it... though I can't even get it to fit into the motherboard right now... I'll let you know if it actually works.
3.-4. The card is a Radeon x1600, as you saw... I get what you mean about it being a software issue before, considering HD movies run on my BS Player without any stuttering at all... but it always stutters on YouTube (mostly in FullScreen), and occasionally during live streams.
I wanted to change it specifically because of that... but clearly, I won't. I'll see if I get anything out of the RAM (if I actually get anything).
5. Speed isn't the problem... http://www.speedtest.net/result/4835315730.png
6. Alright, next step is trying to hunt down these drivers... thanks a ton—fingers crossed this actually works. I’ve been scouring the web for driver fixes for ages now—some guy online suggested I try using a Windows Vista 64 driver for this specific card, but that was a total bust. It just wouldn't click.
7. As for my RAM, I'm sitting at 2x1GB right now. I'm really hoping that bumping up to 2x2GB gives me some actual breathing room—right now, whenever I have too many apps running or just way too many tabs open in Chrome, my memory usage spikes up to 95% and everything starts crawling.
8. Seriously, thanks for all the detailed advice...

Ž!!!!

Hey, I forgot to mention—thanks for the input, Adam Moore3.
And one more thing: if I were to pick up a GPU right now, it definitely wouldn't be for a brand-new build. But do you honestly think that CPU would bottleneck a card enough that I wouldn't see any real benefit? What’s actually driving me crazy about my current rig is how much it stutters when I'm watching videos online—especially when I go full screen. As for my current card (that ATI Radeon X1600), there aren't even any drivers for Windows 7, so I'm assuming that grabbing a new, budget-friendly card would finally fix that headache.

rofl
I was just sitting here waiting for someone to start mocking me... but honestly, Adam Moore3, you're spot on.
It’s really just a weird coincidence that this specific build ended up the way it did, but there you have it.
I picked up the Samsung 840 Pro 256 about a year and a half ago because I needed to speed things up—my old PC was driving me absolutely insane—and at the time, I figured I'd just swap the whole thing out for something new relatively soon. And yeah, even though I'm stuck with a SATA II slot on this motherboard and a 3Gb/s limit, I still noticed a massive jump in speed compared to my ancient HDD.
Then I found out I was going to be dealing with a little "budget cruncher," so all plans for a brand-new rig were put on hold because other expenses just took priority. Now, I barely have any time to even think about computers anyway since I mostly just use it for browsing, the occasional HD stream, or watching movies...
As for the power supply, that showed up about six months ago when my system started acting up on the old 400W unit... I took it down to a local repair shop, and they gave me the usual "we'll see if it's the PSU, we'll call you when we figure it out" routine. They never called back, and they obviously just slapped in the cheapest part available... but I didn't have the energy or the desire to get into an argument with them.
So, that's basically the short version of the story behind this crazy build of mine.
Right now, I just want to squeeze every last drop of performance out of this machine, but I don't plan on pushing it too hard because I think it'll still be perfectly fine for my son once he gets a bit older. The only thing is, I definitely won't be leaving him the SSD.

Oh, right—totally blanked on mentioning the drive, it's actually a Samsung 840 Pro 256.
What’s the deal with this "new" thing you mentioned? Are we talking DDR5 memory or what? If I go that route, am I actually going to see a noticeable jump in performance?
And honestly, does it make sense to shell out more for the high-end stuff just to future-proof things? I'm trying to buy something that won't be obsolete by next year since I don't plan on upgrading my rig anytime soon.

Help!

Which new PCI Express graphics card should I pick up for this old setup:
(*just a heads-up—I’m not really a gamer, so I don't need the absolute best thing on the market for this rig)

Motherboard: Asus M2N-E (NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI chipset)
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000 (Socket AM2, Core Speed 3114.26MHz)
RAM: currently 2x 1 GB dual channel, but I'm actually thinking about grabbing some PC-6400, 4 GB, G.SKILL Standard Series, F2-6400CL5D-4GBNT, DDR2 800 MHz, KIT 2x2 GB
Power Supply: Microsoft platinum 550 v4.

Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate

Thanks in advance, everyone