Video Card Upgrade

Drewen · 23rd Nov 2008, 02:39 AM

Hi all,

I want to upgrade to play games better and allow myself to turn the settings up higher (if not max)- I mainly play WoW, but occasionally other games.

I'm not sure which cards will A) be compatible and B) work well in this system- I don't want to buy a $400 dollar card when the performance of a $200 dollar card will be the same.

This computer is a Dell XPS 400 that came with a Geforce 7300 LE which is PCI-E - I'm thinking that getting a PCI-E 2.0 card will just be a bottleneck with my processor and/or the Power Supply. (why I'm asking though)

Full specs of this computer after a memory upgrade are:
Pentium D CPU 2.8GHZ with 3GB of RAM- and a 375W Power Supply. (And I guess *some* of the newer Cards have additional power inputs that come from newer power supplies- that I more then likely won't have).

When I go to the NVIDIA site I get some recommendations- but the top 3 require 400W: (which is kinda close, not sure if it would work)?
8800 GTS 640MB
8800 GTS 512MB
8800 GTS 320MB
8600 GTS
8600 GT

Basically I'm looking for suggestions on what to buy - and if you think the 8800's will work with the current set up. A Power Supply upgrade is a possibility- only if say a high end 8 or 9 which requires a lot of power would substantially improve gaming vs a 8600 GT in this system, but I think that the processor could more then likely be a bottleneck.

Any Suggestions are appreciated- itching to put something on order, but don't want to rush it *that* much!

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read.

g0tanks · 23rd Nov 2008, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drewen

Hi all,

I want to upgrade to play games better and allow myself to turn the settings up higher (if not max)- I mainly play WoW, but occasionally other games.

I'm not sure which cards will A) be compatible and B) work well in this system- I don't want to buy a $400 dollar card when the performance of a $200 dollar card will be the same.

This computer is a Dell XPS 400 that came with a Geforce 7300 LE which is PCI-E - I'm thinking that getting a PCI-E 2.0 card will just be a bottleneck with my processor and/or the Power Supply. (why I'm asking though)

Full specs of this computer after a memory upgrade are:
Pentium D CPU 2.8GHZ with 3GB of RAM- and a 375W Power Supply. (And I guess *some* of the newer Cards have additional power inputs that come from newer power supplies- that I more then likely won't have).

When I go to the NVIDIA site I get some recommendations- but the top 3 require 400W: (which is kinda close, not sure if it would work)?
8800 GTS 640MB
8800 GTS 512MB
8800 GTS 320MB
8600 GTS
8600 GT

Basically I'm looking for suggestions on what to buy - and if you think the 8800's will work with the current set up. A Power Supply upgrade is a possibility- only if say a high end 8 or 9 which requires a lot of power would substantially improve gaming vs a 8600 GT in this system, but I think that the processor could more then likely be a bottleneck.

Any Suggestions are appreciated- itching to put something on order, but don't want to rush it *that* much!

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read.

The "better" cards in the 9 series will be definitely bottlenecked by your CPU, imo it's not really worth to get an 8800GTS either. I would go with an 8800GT, the cheapest on newegg is $115: Newegg.com - PNY VCG88512GXPB GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards It will run WoW just fine like any recent game (won't be able to play Crysis on high but it will still look good

)

As for the PSU i'm not sure or it will be able to run the 8800GT, 375w might be just enough but it also depends on the amount of amps you have. If it won't be able to run it I recommend this PSU: Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies or Newegg.com - 401 - 500W, Cooler Master, Power Supplies, Power Supplies, Computer Hardware

The last one is pretty cheap but has lower efficiency.

Zenphic · 23rd Nov 2008, 05:52 AM

If you are on a budget I would suggest the 8800GS. It's pretty cheap but it overclocks well. Not sure if your powe supply will have no problem running it though.

Adrian Wong · 23rd Nov 2008, 02:50 PM

No need to worry about the power supply requirements too much. Just make sure it has at least one 6-pin PCI Express power connector.

I would avoid the GeForce 8600 series. They are too weak to bother buying. Of the three GeForce 8800 cards, the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB is the best choice. It's faster than the GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB or 320MB (these two cards are older and slower).

You can also consider the GeForce 9600 GT. It's a good card for the price.

The_YongGrand · 23rd Nov 2008, 03:36 PM

8600 is not that great for much newer games. How about the 9800GT?

Lacus · 23rd Nov 2008, 05:21 PM

hmm, how bout ATI cards? does the 4670 wins over the 9600gt?

Chai · 23rd Nov 2008, 06:00 PM

Are these cards still for sale? I thought they have been replaced by 9800GT or 9800GTX?

slugbug · 25th Nov 2008, 01:12 PM

As long as you have one 6 pin pci-e power cable then a 9800GT should do the job just fine.

Lacus · 25th Nov 2008, 04:25 PM

hmm, not sure if the current PSU has it :/..

Max_87 · 25th Nov 2008, 05:38 PM

Molex to 6-pin convertor if it doesn't.

23rd Nov 2008, 02:39 AM	#1 (permalink)
Drewen Newbie Join Date: 23 Nov 2008 Posts: 2 Reputation: 0 Rep Power: 0	Video Card Upgrade Hi all, I want to upgrade to play games better and allow myself to turn the settings up higher (if not max)- I mainly play WoW, but occasionally other games. I'm not sure which cards will A) be compatible and B) work well in this system- I don't want to buy a $400 dollar card when the performance of a $200 dollar card will be the same. This computer is a Dell XPS 400 that came with a Geforce 7300 LE which is PCI-E - I'm thinking that getting a PCI-E 2.0 card will just be a bottleneck with my processor and/or the Power Supply. (why I'm asking though) Full specs of this computer after a memory upgrade are: Pentium D CPU 2.8GHZ with 3GB of RAM- and a 375W Power Supply. (And I guess some of the newer Cards have additional power inputs that come from newer power supplies- that I more then likely won't have). When I go to the NVIDIA site I get some recommendations- but the top 3 require 400W: (which is kinda close, not sure if it would work)? 8800 GTS 640MB 8800 GTS 512MB 8800 GTS 320MB 8600 GTS 8600 GT Basically I'm looking for suggestions on what to buy - and if you think the 8800's will work with the current set up. A Power Supply upgrade is a possibility- only if say a high end 8 or 9 which requires a lot of power would substantially improve gaming vs a 8600 GT in this system, but I think that the processor could more then likely be a bottleneck. Any Suggestions are appreciated- itching to put something on order, but don't want to rush it that much! Thanks in advance for taking the time to read.

23rd Nov 2008, 05:52 AM	#3 (permalink)
Zenphic Super Active Join Date: 23 Apr 2006 Location: Quebec, Canada Posts: 1,098 Reputation: 467 Rep Power: 9	If you are on a budget I would suggest the 8800GS. It's pretty cheap but it overclocks well. Not sure if your powe supply will have no problem running it though. __________________ E2160 @ 1.8Ghz (0.95V) \| XFX 650i Ultra \| 2x1GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 \| Gigabyte GeForce 6600 \| Hitachi Desktar T7K250 250GB \| CM Mystique 632 \| 2x Noctua NF-S12 800RPM \| CM RPP 550W

23rd Nov 2008, 02:50 PM	#4 (permalink)
Adrian Wong Da Boss Join Date: 10 Oct 2002 Location: In front of my ASUS F8V notebook! Posts: 32,208 Reputation: 3531 Rep Power: 75	No need to worry about the power supply requirements too much. Just make sure it has at least one 6-pin PCI Express power connector. I would avoid the GeForce 8600 series. They are too weak to bother buying. Of the three GeForce 8800 cards, the GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB is the best choice. It's faster than the GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB or 320MB (these two cards are older and slower). You can also consider the GeForce 9600 GT. It's a good card for the price. __________________ Dr. Adrian Wong Tech ARP \| Blog @ Tech ARP \| The Free Trade Zone DYKT : The only offshore account I have is at the sand bank? We need PROGRAMMERS and TECHNICAL WRITERS! Contact us if you are a hot shot programmer or technical writer! My items for sale : 50x SD Card \| Memory Stick PRO \| Cyclone Energy Saver \| Seiko SS watch \| Tiger/Carlsberg beer jugs \| Travel Speakers \| Motorola V600 \| Nokia N90 SOLD! \| New Lowepro Mini Trekker AW Other items for sale @ the FTZ : Zalman CNPS9500 LED @ $20 \| Zalman CNPS7700 Cu @ $20 \| Zalman CNPS7000 Cu @ $20 \| Swarovski bracelet watches \| Dell 17" LCD \| Hi-Fi speakers \| English DIVX movies \| HP LaserJet toners! \| Office chairs Last edited by Adrian Wong : 23rd Nov 2008 at 04:36 PM.

23rd Nov 2008, 03:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
The_YongGrand Hyperactive Join Date: 12 Feb 2005 Location: Somewhere in 甲洞... Posts: 2,726 Reputation: 1144 Rep Power: 18	8600 is not that great for much newer games. How about the 9800GT? __________________ Intel Core 2 Duo E7200, 2GB DDR2-667 RAM, Gigabyte 945GCMX-S2, Sapphire ATi Radeon HD4850 512MB DDR3 Intel Pentium Dual Core E2140, 2GB DDR2-667 RAM, Asus P5B-E Plus, nVidia Geforce 7950GT 512MB DDR3

23rd Nov 2008, 05:21 PM	#6 (permalink)
Lacus Super Active Join Date: 28 Mar 2008 Location: Some gundam factory o.o Posts: 1,302 Reputation: 180 Rep Power: 4	hmm, how bout ATI cards? does the 4670 wins over the 9600gt? __________________ GUNDAM 00[Intel Xeon E3110 E0 Stock\|Asus Rampage Maximus Formula (Rampage Bios Mod)\|Gigabyte HD4850 512MB GDDR3+T-Rad2\|4x2gb DDR2 1000Mhz OCZ SLI-Ready Edition\|Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB\|Creative X-FI XtremeMusic\|Creative Inspire P5800\|Silverstone Strider ST56F\|Acer X233H\|Keyboard=Microsoft Sidewinder X6\|Logitech MX518\|Lian Li PC-7YCF]

23rd Nov 2008, 06:00 PM	#7 (permalink)
Chai Administrator Join Date: 6 Oct 2002 Location: Maranello Posts: 27,870 Reputation: 4630 Rep Power: 81	Are these cards still for sale? I thought they have been replaced by 9800GT or 9800GTX? __________________ Chai (Contributor & Forum Admin) http://www.techarp.com/

25th Nov 2008, 01:12 PM	#8 (permalink)
slugbug Warming up Join Date: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 112 Reputation: 106 Rep Power: 5	As long as you have one 6 pin pci-e power cable then a 9800GT should do the job just fine.

25th Nov 2008, 04:25 PM	#9 (permalink)
Lacus Super Active Join Date: 28 Mar 2008 Location: Some gundam factory o.o Posts: 1,302 Reputation: 180 Rep Power: 4	hmm, not sure if the current PSU has it :/.. __________________ GUNDAM 00[Intel Xeon E3110 E0 Stock\|Asus Rampage Maximus Formula (Rampage Bios Mod)\|Gigabyte HD4850 512MB GDDR3+T-Rad2\|4x2gb DDR2 1000Mhz OCZ SLI-Ready Edition\|Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB\|Creative X-FI XtremeMusic\|Creative Inspire P5800\|Silverstone Strider ST56F\|Acer X233H\|Keyboard=Microsoft Sidewinder X6\|Logitech MX518\|Lian Li PC-7YCF]

25th Nov 2008, 05:38 PM	#10 (permalink)
Max_87 h@x! Join Date: 11 Aug 2003 Location: the land of bandwidth cap Posts: 11,430 Reputation: 2090 Rep Power: 38	Molex to 6-pin convertor if it doesn't. __________________ Max_87 Tech ARP http://www.techarp.com Dell Studio 15 / P7350 / 3GB DDR2 / Radeon HD 3450 / 250GB 7200RPM / 15" @ 1920x1200 E8600 @ 4.4GHz 1.36v / Asus P5E3 Deluxe / 2x2GB DDR3 / Radeon X1800 / Barracuda 7200.9 120GB / 7200.10 320GB x2 / Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS / WD6400AAKS x2 / Dell 2007FP x2 / Silverstone ST56F

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