Graphics / RAM QUestion

J

Jaybezia

New Member
Hi guys, First post,

Basically

I have an E5200 Pentium Dual Core Processor running XP SP2.

I currently have an old graphics card ... Nvidia GeoForce 8400 GS

I have been looking to upgrade but it seems to be very difficult to know which to choose? I want it for Gaming purposes only... should i stick with the 8 series? or go to the new GFX series which seem to be tailored towards gaming? I have a budget of around £20- £50 and would love to know my options..

Also, can anyone recommend how to get more RAM and if my motherboard has additional slots ? As currently I have 2gb DDR2 ...

PLEASE HELP !
 
Shlouski

Shlouski

VIP Member
Looking at your specs for you if you are wanting to game i would think it best to update your GPU, take a look on tomshardware for gpu comparisons and consider buying second hand of ebay, to get best bang for buck. Ive seen 275's and 280's go for just up from £50 and they preform like gtx 460's.
 
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J

Jaybezia

New Member
Will they work on my PC then ?

And, is it better to go Nvidia or should I look at the ATI's ?

Would that suggested card be much more powerful than the one I currently have ?
 
Shlouski

Shlouski

VIP Member
8400 gs uses pci-e slot on the motherboard, as do all new graphics cards, so it will fit, as long as your case is big enought as some cards can be very big. I highly recommend checking the PSU ampage requirements on any card you plan on buying. Nvidia vs ATI is a matter of opinion and i dont want to start any arguements, just get the best performance for your money.
 
J

Jaybezia

New Member
Shlouski said:
8400 gs uses pci-e slot on the motherboard, as do all new graphics cards, so it will fit, as long as your case is big enought as some cards can be very big. I highly recommend checking the PSU ampage requirements on any card you plan on buying. Nvidia vs ATI is a matter of opinion and i dont want to start any arguements, just get the best performance for your money.
Click to expand...

Right ok, thats a great help now at least I know most graphics cards should work for me... how would I check the PSU ampage ?

And, I have had a look at GTX 275 and GTX 280, how can they perform similar to GTX 460 if they are a lot cheaper?

And I only want it to run games like Fifa 2012, Skyrim etc... which require a graphics card on par with say an 8800 GT or something that has at least a 1gb speed....

Thanks for your help
 
Shlouski

Shlouski

VIP Member
8800gt was a very good GPU in its day, but its basically at the end of its life. The GTX 460 is newer and supports DX11, which is why it more expersive, but in my opinion DX11 in that card is pointless as my gtx 580 can stuggle with DX11. I still have a gtx 275 2GB version, which out perfoms my friends gtx 460 1GB. PSU wise you will need to open the computer and google the man/model number.
 
J

Jaybezia

New Member
Wow ok thank you... so what would you choose if you were me ? Say like in order of rating..

1) NameA £100
2) NameB £80

Etc... that would be brilliant then I can compare them and see what I think is best for price/performance
 
Shlouski

Shlouski

VIP Member
You will only find a 275/280 second hand, ebay i suggest, i think you could get 1 for about £50 and a GTX 460 will be around the £100 mark second hand. If you use ebay i cant help other than to say, compare the cards you a bidding on using google and wait and get the best card for your money. If you want to buy new tell where you would buy from? I found a card here which is good for the money: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11...56?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1325008834&sr=1-56
 
J

Jaybezia

New Member
Guys, thanks for the help.

Have been looking at a few cards including the GT430, what are your thoughts on that card in terms of being able to run Fifa or Skyrim ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CCL-Choic...raphics_Video_TV_Cards_TW&hash=item2a16d1b4b7

It seems to have very good stats for the price including the clock speed etc...

However, bit confused as to what the difference is between CCL Choice, EVGA and Palit, but to name a few, I don't know if they sell the Nvidia part or it is a cheaper lesser component...

The only difference I can see is that it only runs DDR3 rather than DDR 5 or 6 but both support DX11 so am not sure as to the difference...

Please let me know
 
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Okedokey

Okedokey

Well-Known Member
You will need to spend 200 to play those games properly.

Can you propoerly post your specs pls? Download PC Wizard and run it. Go to FILE, SAVE AS and click OK. Then copy the text out of that file and click ok. Paste it in here and also PLEASE POST THE MAKE and MODEL of your PSU. Only then can proper advice be made.

Cheers
 
J

Jaybezia

New Member
My stats are as follows.... not sure how to find out my PSU

Mainboard - Foxconn G31MX Series
Chipset - Intel G31/G33/G35
Processor - Intel Pentium E5200 @ 2.5ghz
Physical Memory - 2048MB (2x1024 DDR2-SDRAM)
Video Card - Nvidia GeForce 8400 GS
Hard Disk - 250gb
Hard Disk - 250gb
DVD-Rom Drive - ELBY Clonedrive
Monitor Type - AOC International 2216 - 22 Inches
Network Card - Realtek Semiconductor RTL8168/8111 PCIe Gigabit Ethernet Adaptor
Network Card - Belkin Research & Development Labs
Operating System - XP Home SP2 (32 Bit)
Direct X - Version 9.0c
 
linkin

linkin

VIP Member
You still need to tell us the specs of your power supply. Though at this point i would tell you to buy a 4GB DDR2 kit and a HD 5670 card.
 
S

SMGOwnage

New Member
A HD 5670 Crd is very good for its price.

I picked mine up for 60 dollars at my local computer shop and Maxes out TF2 and Minecraft on 1920x1080 resolution.

Of course if your going very hardcore gaming like MW3 on max or BF3 or Skyrim on max then your going to have to look for a higher end graphics card.
 
J

Jaybezia

New Member
The HD 5670 card is a 1gb graphics card, whats the difference between that and the one I selected, the 'Nvidia GT430' ?

And both these cards would be able to play games like Skyrim etc on a very low setting well enough wouldn't they ?
 
jonnyp11

jonnyp11

New Member
yes a 5670 would be perfectly fine ang do good on any game, and that power supply might run it but it might not be the greatest idea.
 
J

Jaybezia

New Member
jonnyp11 said:
yes a 5670 would be perfectly fine ang do good on any game, and that power supply might run it but it might not be the greatest idea.
Click to expand...

And the GT 430 would not run it ? Only the stats seem to be the same in terms of its capabilities and I have found it cheaper....
 
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