Buying a new graphics card - (read first post)

Looks like I've got 215W on the 12V rail.

Is that gonna bottleneck me? And if it is, how bad?

Thanks.

It’s definitely bottlenecking things, and quite significantly at that 🙂
. You are going to need to pick up a new power supply unit; the current one is just far too weak for this setup

Alright, I finally cracked it open and here’s what it says:

12V 18A 216W

Just like I thought. So, which one should I grab?

Corsair 400CX
Fortron 400W PNF

ASUSTek.computer Inc P5PL2-E
Version: PCIe
Name: Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 bundle: SOCKET 775 LGA
DDR2: Currently running 1 GB, plus an extra 2 GB stick ready to install..

I need a graphics card. Maximum budget is $200 Best Buy doesn't have anything nearby...

Resolution is just 1024x768 or 800x600. Medium settings are plenty.

Ethan Flores37 said:ASUSTek.computer Inc P5PL2-E
Version: PCIe
Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 bundle: SOCKET 775 LGA
Memory: I have 1 GB of DDR2 right now, plus an extra 2 GB stick sitting there waiting to be installed..

I really just need a graphics card that can handle $200 my local Best Buy or Micro Center nearby...

I'm mostly just playing at 1024x768 or 800x600 resolutions, so I don't need anything crazy, just something that handles medium settings just fine.

HD 4670 ☕

Looks fine enough... but does the Nvidia GeForce 8500 GT actually hold any weight?

Ethan Flores37 said:it looks alright.. but is there actually any point in getting an Nvidia GeForce 8500 GT..

Oh man, nooooo, please don't buy that, seriously! Just go over to the desktop PC forums and look up the 9500 GT thread to see what people are saying, though you should probably just ignore gogovg and those other "experts" who think they know everything...

I honestly haven't looked into the 4670 myself since I haven't dug through all the reviews yet, but based on what everyone else on the boards is recommending, it seems like a pretty solid choice. 🙂

So this card is basically useless, right? It’s currently in my rig and I can tell you it isn't great. It’s definitely failing me—I can't even play anything above 1024 resolution without massive lag. I guess it’s time for a better GPU.

Grab the HD 4670 http://www.google.com ...it’s definitely your best bet here.👍

P.S. You should probably add those 2 gigs of RAM too.

Hey there!
So here’s my current setup—running an AMD 2.4 on an Albatron KX18DS Pro Socket A motherboard with 1GB of dual DDR-A memory... and honestly, I really need to upgrade my graphics situation since I'm currently stuck using an ATI Radeon 9550 AGP. I'm just rocking a 17" monitor for now.
Since AGP cards are way more overpriced than PCIe ones these days, does it actually make sense to hunt down a decent used motherboard with a PCIe slot just so I can pick up an ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT?
What’s the verdict on that card... worth it?
And if I go that route, what kind of motherboard should I be looking for?
Budget for the graphics card is around $133!

Catch ya later!

If you swap out the motherboard, you're looking at needing a new CPU and RAM too. You'll probably need a new GPU and power supply as well...

Maybe just sell the whole lot and in about $367 grab a setup with a CPU, a motherboard featuring integrated HD 3200, and 2GB of RAM.

I was mostly thinking about just grabbing a motherboard that could actually handle all this old gear I've got lying around
By the way, my current power supply is some Codegen 400W
Do you think I'll need to pick up a new PSU to go along with that new graphics card?

Gerald Rodriguez20 said:I was just thinking about picking up a motherboard that would be compatible with all these old parts I have lying around.
I'm currently running a Codegen 400W power supply.
Do you think I should upgrade to a new power supply to go along with this new graphics card?

It's spelled Codegen. And yes, you'll likely need to swap it out.

So, what’s actually wrong with that power supply?

Do you think I should just grab an ATI HD 3450 AGP card for my setup?

I mean, my CPU is pretty weak... so there's no way it would actually pull much performance out of an HD 3850 anyway...

Gerald Rodriguez20 said:What's wrong with that power supply?

Do you think I should get an ATI AGP HD 3450 graphics card for my setup?

Since my processor is pretty weak, I probably wouldn't be able to get much out of an HD 3850 anyway.

Look, it’s clearly not built with high-end components in mind. If you pick up a Fortron 350W PNF (around $67), you can finally sleep easy at night. Besides, there is no reason for you to grab anything stronger than a 3650, even though that won't be fully utilized either.

Nah, I wouldn't mess with the power supply just yet—not until I'm ready to drop the cash on a whole new rig!
I really just want to slap in a decent enough graphics card so I can actually play some games for a bit...

So, what's the deal with the XD 2600 XT?
I read somewhere that it isn't a total disaster for older builds...

It’s not bad, but you're stuck with AGP... I don't think there's a motherboard out there that supports both a socket and PCIe at the same time.

So, I've finally pulled the trigger on that Sapphire HD 2600 XT AGP card
$100 It’s coming to my local Best Buy

Now, the only thing keeping me up at night is this Codegen 400W power supply
My setup is pretty basic—just one stick of GB RAM and two 256 MB sticks
Plus a burner, a 40 GB hard drive, and an AMD 2.4 processor

Do you think this PSU can actually handle the load? Honestly, I'm basically broke right now... 🙂

Quick question for the group.
I’ve got this ancient Nvidia GeForce4 sitting in my rig. If I head over to the official Nvidia download zone and grab the absolute latest driver available for it, am I actually going to see a noticeable boost in performance, or is it just going to be one of those negligible, barely-there updates?
Thanks!