View Full Version : New Video Cards for this computer
Currently have a GeForce 7300LE and I need to upgrade.
Abit IP35-Pro MB
Q9550 @ 3.6 GB
8 GB PC6400 Ram
4 Harddrives
DVD-R
circa 2005 Fortron 500W powersupply with two 16A 12V rails
17" LCD widescreen monitor
Win 7 x64 RTM
Main concern is power, I don't want to uprade my power supply and I don't want to lose any stability. Not a big gamer but since upgrading to Win7 I am noticing my GPU's weakness (3.7 score on the windows ranking.)
Would the low cost Asus 9600 GSO use too much power ? Any under $100 suggestions would be appreciated.
ratbuddy
09-28-09, 09:33 AM
If Windows rating is your only reason for wanting an upgrade, don't even bother. Those scores are fairly meaningless.
No I'd like to be able to try a game or two, just looking for a card under $100 that wouldn't force me into a new power supply and would run 3D games.
baditude_df
09-28-09, 09:47 AM
ATI 4850, which requires one PCIe 6pin power cable from the PSU, or an ATI 4670 which runs off PCIe slot power and does not require a PCIe 6pin power cable from the PSU.
You should hopefully be able to find both of those for less than $100.00, the 4670 for sure.
I currently have a GeForce 7300LE (nvidia drivers) is it possible to upgrade to an ATI card? I thought that would cause a driver conflict?
sandyduff
09-28-09, 10:36 AM
If you do get an ATI card you just uninstall the nvidia drivers, boot into safe mode... run driver sweeper then boot into windows, install ATI drivers and you will be good to go!!
Its been 6 years since I had a decent video card, back then you couldn't switch from nVidia to ATI without serious problems.
Are the games now a lot better than say Quake of 5 years ago? I searched on youtube but couldn't find any real quality shots, the Crysis 2 looks good but thats a 9 months away. What game should I look for as a target ?
jstutman
09-28-09, 12:34 PM
Its been 6 years since I had a decent video card, back then you couldn't switch from nVidia to ATI without serious problems.
Are the games now a lot better than say Quake of 5 years ago? I searched on youtube but couldn't find any real quality shots, the Crysis 2 looks good but thats a 9 months away. What game should I look for as a target ?
What kind of games do you like?
Have you checked
http://cyri.systemrequirementslab.com/srtest/
Thanks for that link, it said I couldn't run Crysis because it isn't supported by Win 7. Odd but I can still boot into XP off my older har drive.
Daddyjaxx
09-29-09, 06:07 AM
It had better support Window 7 because 7 will be out next month. There are very few programs that will run on XP or Vista that won't run on 7. It's generally Antivirus or system programs like System Mechanic that have problems going from OS to OS....not games.
sandyduff
09-29-09, 06:09 AM
Crysis seems to be very buggy in windows 7... a few people seem to be having that problem. Also i cant get cryostasis to work at all in windows 7...
I downloaded the demo and it worked with Win 7x64. The game play actually isn't too bad with my old card.
This Asus 9600 GSO for $40 looks good but I can't find the power requirements, any chance my PS would be enough ?
MattNo5ss
09-29-09, 06:21 PM
I would get a ATI HD4770 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102835&cm_re=hd4770-_-14-102-835-_-Product) in your situation. I would say it's the best $100 card around. Great performance and very low power draw (~80W, and uses 1 PCI-E Connector).
ratbuddy
09-29-09, 06:22 PM
I would get a ATI HD4770 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102835&cm_re=hd4770-_-14-102-835-_-Product) in your situation. I would say it's the best $100 card around. Great performance and very low power draw (~80W, and uses 1 PCI-E Connector).
Only problem is it underperforms the 4850 while costing $15 more.
MattNo5ss
09-30-09, 09:06 PM
Only problem is it underperforms the 4850 while costing $15 more.
If you look at the specs of the HD4770 & HD4850 (http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=612&card2=566) they aren't far apart at all. And they're actually about the same price @ NewEgg: Sapphire HD4770 & HD4850 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%2050001561%20106792627%201069633099%2 01068310557&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&CompareItemList=N82E16814102835%2CN82E16814102824)
HD4770
Bandwidth: 51.2 GB/sec
FLOPS: 960 GFLOPS
Pixel Fill Rate: 12000 MPixels/sec
Texture Fill Rate: 24000 MTexels/sec
Max Power Draw: 80 W
HD4850
Bandwidth: 63.552 GB/sec
FLOPS: 1000 GFLOPS
Pixel Fill Rate: 10000 MPixels/sec
Texture Fill Rate: 25000 MTexels/sec
Max Power Draw: 110 W
I like the smaller size and less power consumption of the 4770. I'm not sure about the the 4850, but the 4770 overclocks well too.
Really, either one would be a good choice.
ratbuddy
09-30-09, 09:42 PM
If you look at the specs of the HD4770 & HD4850 (http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=612&card2=566) they aren't far apart at all. And they're actually about the same price @ NewEgg: Sapphire HD4770 & HD4850 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%2050001561%20106792627%201069633099%2 01068310557&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&CompareItemList=N82E16814102835%2CN82E16814102824)
HD4770
Bandwidth: 51.2 GB/sec
FLOPS: 960 GFLOPS
Pixel Fill Rate: 12000 MPixels/sec
Texture Fill Rate: 24000 MTexels/sec
Max Power Draw: 80 W
HD4850
Bandwidth: 63.552 GB/sec
FLOPS: 1000 GFLOPS
Pixel Fill Rate: 10000 MPixels/sec
Texture Fill Rate: 25000 MTexels/sec
Max Power Draw: 110 W
I like the smaller size and less power consumption of the 4770. I'm not sure about the the 4850, but the 4770 overclocks well too.
Really, either one would be a good choice.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127414 is a 4850 for $80 AR though.. I wouldn't pay $95 for a 4770 knowing that :beer:
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