Buying a new graphics card - (read first post)

thanks

Hey everyone,
A buddy of mine asked me to look into something for him...
Basically, he picked up an HP desktop (not sure which exact model). It doesn't have a dedicated GPU—just whatever integrated graphics it came with.
I know it’s running a quad-core processor and has 4 GB of RAM. I’m not totally sure about the power supply, though he thinks it's around 400W, but you never really know what kind of random parts they throw into those pre-built rigs.

So, the guy wants to start using AutoCAD and some other heavy-duty software, and he’s wondering which graphics card would actually be up to the task. His budget is sitting right around $533.
If you guys could toss a few suggestions my way, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

swiftnomad12 said:Hey,

Pentium 4 CPU
3.00 GHZ
1G RAM
I have no clue what the power supply is—that link from the original post seems to be dead🙂—but it was replaced about a year ago... current GPU is an Nvidia Geforce 6600 (PCI)... the new Tomb Raider Underworld keeps stuttering.... maybe a new graphics card would fix the issue? Any recommendations for something under $200? I know, it's an old bucket, but what can you do...🤷

Thanks in advance!

An ATI 4670 might work, though honestly, it probably isn't worth the investment for this specific build. And it wouldn't hurt to throw in another stick of RAM while you're at it...

Thanks!👍

Daniel Parker6 said:So, I'm thinking about swapping out my 8600 GTS for something newer, maybe something in the $183 range. I've been looking at the HD 4670 and the HD 3850 lately, but I wanted to get your thoughts first. What do you all think about those options?

👍

Thomas Martin4 said:an ATI 4670? Honestly, probably not worth it for that setup. Might be better to just grab another stick of RAM instead...

It’s likely an AGP slot, so if that's the case, you should probably look at an X1650GT AGP.

placidcanyon2 said:It’s likely an AGP slot—if that's the case, you might have to settle for an X1650GT AGP.

But he did mention PCI... so I suppose that means it's an Express card... or maybe not?

I’m going to run some software later today just to confirm whether I'm dealing with AGP or PCI Express, then I'll get back to you with an actual recommendation...🤷 what are you guys even talking about? I don't really know my way around tech stuff all that well... though I did mention earlier that it's PCI...

swiftnomad12 said:I'll run some software later today to verify whether it's AGP or PCI Express, then I'll get back to you so we can figure out a proper recommendation... 🤷I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to all this tech stuff... and I think I mentioned earlier that it's PCI...

Well, just let us know which motherboard you have—the exact model. That should make things much easier. You can just use a little utility called CPU-Z to find out. http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

Will this card run COD5, Far Cry 2, GTA4, and Crysis 2?

Sure, assuming the rest of the rig holds up.

Hey,
can someone please take a look at post #282?

A buddy of mine is breathing down my neck because he needs an answer ASAP—it’s getting a bit annoying.

Thanks

dustyridge44 said:Hey,
can anyone weigh in on post #282?

A buddy of mine is breathing down my neck because he's in a bit of a rush.

Thanks

Maybe tell him to hunt down an HD2600, ideally one with DDR3 or DDR4, and then try modding it into a FireGL:
http://forum.pcekspert.com/showthread.php?t=80409

Thomas Martin4 said:Just let me know which motherboard you're running—the exact model, if you can. We'll figure it out from there. You can just pull that info up with CPU-Z and call it a day. If you ever find yourself needing to actually know what’s going on inside your rig, just grab CPU-Z from here: http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

👍Thanks for the link, here you go:

I was digging through some old hardware yesterday and stumbled upon an Intel Pentium 4 Core Voltage 1.382 V Motherboard that actually still powers up, which feels like uncovering some kind of ancient relic from a lost civilization. It’s funny how much effort we used to pour into these specific voltage settings back in the day, acting like we were rocket scientists just to squeeze out a tiny bit of extra stability.
I was messing around with the Intel Pentium 4 Core Voltage 1.382 V Motherboard the other day, just seeing how much heat I could pull out of it before things got dicey. It’s one of those situations where you think you have everything under control until a single spike turns your setup into a very expensive space heater.
I was digging through my old tech stash the other day and found an Abit motherboard—an Intel 925 x - ICH6R. It’s funny how much space these things take up once they stop being useful.
The graphics card uses PCI Express...

Well, I guess I actually nailed it on my first try for once.😁

Eto, if you need anything else, just let me know.

swiftnomad12 said:👍Thanks for the link, here we go:

Intel Pentium 4
Core Voltage 1.382 V
Motherboard: AA8 (Intel 925 x - ICH6R) from Abit.com,
Graphics card: PCI Express...

So, I suppose I actually got it right the first time.😁

Eto, let me know if you need anything else...

It comes down to an ATI 4670 or an Nvidia 9600gso. The latter is slightly better, I guess... while the ATI is a bit cheaper... either way, you won't really regret the choice.

fadedorca66 said:Sure, assuming the rest of the rig can handle it.

The rest of my setup is an Intel Core i7 1.8 GHz, 2GB RAM, a 400W Chiftec power supply, some Asus motherboard, and the PC is about a year and a half old.
Will it run?

It'll work, but it won't be great... if you overclock the processor, it should perform much better.👍

Andrew Flores8 said:It’ll work, but it won't be great. Overclock the processor and you might actually get some decent performance out of it.👍

So, if I overclocked the CPU to 2.2 and picked up another stick of RAM, would that actually get these games running at 720p or higher?
I've noticed Intel processors tend to be higher quality, which gives them better overclocking headroom. I could probably push my 1.8 GHz chip up to 2.5 GHz.

Gary Price7 said:so if I clocked my CPU to 2.2 and grabbed another gig of RAM, maybe I could actually run these games at 1280 or higher
I've noticed Intel chips seem a bit higher quality, which is probably why they overclock better. I might even try pushing my 1.8 up to 2.5

They aren't necessarily better; honestly, AMD and Intel are pretty much on the same level. It just seems like Core 2 Duo tends to overclock more easily than Athlon 64 x2

I'm torn between these GPUs

Is there anything better for this kind of money?