Graphics Card for Photographic Digital Workflow?

H

Howler

New Member
Hi guys,

I'm not a computer boff - but I am looking for a graphics card suitable for photographic digital workflow. I have a Dell Dimension 4600 that uses the motherboard for graphics. I am under the impression that if I buy addtional RAM and a separate graphics card (AGP 8X?) it would serve me better. I also view the occasional DVD but I'm not a gamer. I was thinking of spending in the region of about UK£60. Any ideas?
 
AOpen GeForce 6600 128mb AGP
Highest Resolution/Colors/Refresh Rate - 2048x1536 / 32bit / 85Hz
Absolutely Blazing 2D Performance - 2048x1536 @ 85hz
Revolutionary 3D Accelerator Features - Optimized DirectX and
OpenGL acceleration
Connectors - DVI connector x 1, HDTV-Out (D-Connector) x 1, TV-Out(S-Video) x 1, VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub) x 1

or summin like..
Gecube Radeon X1300 512mb DDR2 AGP
DVI + HDTV + D-sub support
Get high image fidelity with CRT and LCD displays, TVs, rear projection and plasma TVs, and projectors.
New ultra-threaded core 3D architecture with ATI’s revolutionary Avivo video and display technology to drive performance to new heights with incredible speed and intense 3D graphics.
Shader Model 3.0 Support
New High Dynamic Range fetures visual effects, and enhances realism with adaptive anti-aliasing and lightening fast performance. CATALYST™: Full Windows Vista LDDM support including Aero Glass visuals
 
ghostfacesuk,

Thanks for your speedy response and recommendations. Can I ask why you suggested these two cards? The Gecube Radeon X1300 512mb DDR2 AGP appears to be a good choice with the extra memory, however would the AOpen GeForce 6600 128mb AGP be underpowered? How do these other cheaper cards compare:

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/66309

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/89201

I know that this card comes highly recommended by PC World but is more expensive:

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/dev/gui_w...</b></a></i></u></em></strong>#fichetechnique

The trouble is that there are so many cards out there and I don't know what I should like for. Apart from memory size, I understand that clock speed is also important?

Other models that stand out are:

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/ProductInfo.aspx?ProductID=5822&GroupID=27

http://www.dabs.com/productview.asp...PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11137,50758,42220000

Please help. :confused: Thanks.
 
well due to the heat problem, i dont think the x1300 would be a good choice unles you plan on upgrading its cooling system, the 6600 is a cool card and was on my list of purchase before i had enough for a 7800gs

out of the cards shown the XFX GeForce FX5500 256MB DDR AGP 8x DVI/TV-Out - Retail Box,

i say this from personal experience, they are not gaming cards but they are the best for computers who wont demand top of the line performance and quality,

overall good card for cost and works well with word processing and animation programs, i guess it should be ok for photo's.

what card have you got now?
 
Hi Christian,

Thanks for contributing. :D Currently, I use the motherboard to provide the graphics. I also use a Samsung TFT that would benefit from DVI linkage so a graphics card would also solve this. I want to be able to run Photoshop without having to wait for my next birthday. :) I will be upgrading the PC from 512Mb to 1GB of memory. Do I generally need to worry about the PC overheating with some graphics cards? Is it worth upgrading the cooling system as I believe that this can be done cheaply?

So you reckon either the AOpen GeForce 6600 128 Mb or the cheaper GeForce FX5500 256MB for my needs?
 
Howler said:
Hi guys,

I'm not a computer boff - but I am looking for a graphics card suitable for photographic digital workflow. I have a Dell Dimension 4600 that uses the motherboard for graphics. I am under the impression that if I buy addtional RAM and a separate graphics card (AGP 8X?) it would serve me better. I also view the occasional DVD but I'm not a gamer. I was thinking of spending in the region of about UK£60. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

What part of your workflow are you looking to improve? Loading images? Processing images?
What type of image processing software do you use? What size images do you work with? The reason I ask is I went this route a while back and was dissapointed with the results, however, I was stuck with PCI, not AGP. The onboard graphics card seemed better.
More memory is a must. I wouldn't run image processing software with less than 1GB of memory.
 
Crypto said:
What part of your workflow are you looking to improve? Loading images? Processing images?
What type of image processing software do you use? What size images do you work with? The reason I ask is I went this route a while back and was dissapointed with the results, however, I was stuck with PCI, not AGP. The onboard graphics card seemed better.
More memory is a must. I wouldn't run image processing software with less than 1GB of memory.
Click to expand...

Hi Crypto,

I guess that I am looking to mainly improve image loading. Apart from Photoshop, I also use other applications that came with the cameras - Fuji's Hyper-Utility 2 and FinePixViewer and Canon's PhotoImpression 5 - some of which are quite clunky. I've started to use RAW/ TIFF formats so the images are pretty big (25Mb). I thought that I would use the AGP bus in the Dell as it would support a better graphics card. No doubt the memory upgrade will help things substantially. So, going back to the choice of graphics card would the FX5550, 256Mb, 256bit be a good bet? As mentioned, I am willing to go to UK£60 if the card is right. Thanks for your input.

Howler
 
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