Its time to upgrade!!!

S

Shadao

New Member
ok so heres my dilema...

i currently have an out of date video card running on an out of date everything else... unfortuneatly i do not have a whole lot of funds to throw around...

i just upgraded my ram upfrom 2gig to 4gig for 50$(i gave my old 1gig sticks to my roomate and upgraded his comp too)

im not the most computer savy person but i do enjoy my games and recently my fps have been hitting an all time low of 1-3fps and i can not handle it anymore, sure i only play wow and a couple shooters but guh its horrid... im looking at all of these threads about vid cards and i really just get myself more confused...

so i guess the best place to start is with my motherboard... i just upgraded the ram and i am at maxx capacity 4gig's which is more than enough for me. im also running windows XP service pack3... some ofthe older games i enjoy are not vista or 7 friendly...

http://www.foxconnchannel.com/product/Motherboards/detail_spec.aspx?ID=en-us0000201

my current video card

http://www.nvidia.com/page/geforce_7100.html

ive been told by some fellow gamers that i should look at ati 5750 pci ex... but then i see alot of people talking about 4890's and 5770 and 5850 and blah i get over whelmed and dont know which one will work, if i choose the wrong one will it create a bottleneck... will it even work... and because of this i dont want to go to a shop and get ripped off... i have about 150-200 to spend and maybe a bit more if absolutley neccessary... just cant tell the wifey

so please guide me, show me the light, err video card that is the right one for me... oh computer savy people help a guy out who is out of the loop... i grew up with commodore pets, 64's, 286's, floppy disc drives that sounded like pencils being sharpend... playing games like wolfenstien, commander keen, duke nuke'm and many other classics... but now its wow and CS:source... a bit of halo and other simulation games... and now the technology has advanced faster than i keep up with and like my heritage is to many, computers have become all greek to me...

thanks for the read and response

Kevan
 
like i said out of the loop...

i have no idea what to say or where to look...

ive got my comp open at the moment and by PSU im assuming you mean power supply unit... the model on it says

win-480ps pentium 4

i hope thats what your asking... lol...
 
Your motherboard is a bit of a cork since the PCIe slot only runs at 4x....and it's even only a 1.0 slot too so it's like having 2x at 2.0.

I would actually only recommend like an 8600gt-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143112

It doesn't require any external power plug, it's decently powerful for it's size/price (easily 10x better than you have now), won't likely to be bottlenecked by your motherboard, and also mixing Nvidia and ATI drivers is sometimes not good so stick with Nvidia.

On the power supply unit, does it give any wattage or amperage numbers? Can you take a pic of the tag on it?

And also what resolution are you gaming at?
 
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87dtna said:
Your motherboard is a bit of a cork since the PCIe slot only runs at 4x....and it's even only a 1.0 slot too so it's like having 2x at 2.0.

I would actually only recommend like an 8600gt-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143112

It doesn't require any external power plug, it's decently powerful for it's size/price (easily 10x better than you have now), won't likely to be bottlenecked by your motherboard, and also mixing Nvidia and ATI drivers is sometimes not good so stick with Nvidia.

On the power supply unit, does it give any wattage or amperage numbers? Can you take a pic of the tag on it?

And also what resolution are you gaming at?
Click to expand...
I think that you should go with something under $130 for the video card, like this for Nvidia:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=GEforce_GTS_250-_-14-143-211-_-Product
and this for ATI:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...9&cm_re=Radeon_HD_5670-_-14-102-869-_-Product
and then spend the money you save on a better CPU, like a Pentium dual-core or Core2 Duo. I'm not sure what your motherboard supports, though. Also, you have to make sure that your power supply will support the card that you choose. It will most likely support the ATI one I listed, but it may not support the Nvidia one. If it doesn't, then if you want Nvidia you may have to skimp a bit and get this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=Geforce_9600_GSO-_-14-130-509-_-Product
Of course, that is still a good card though, and if you get that one then you'll save enough money to make up for the performance in a better CPU. What CPU do you currently have?
 
You guys keep making recommendations taking NO consideration to the hardware he has currently. He gave you links for crying out loud.


It appears his motherboard only supports 65nm or older officially. So that only leaves conroe C2D.

I highly suggest a complete overhaul. A new motherboad, and CPU...might as well throw a PSU in there too.

Might as well spring for the E3300-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116264&cm_re=E3300-_-19-116-264-_-Product

With this mobo-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128388

This PSU-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152028



And this card once it becomes available again-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143119&cm_re=8800gts-_-14-143-119-_-Product



With this much hardware change, you will most likely have to re-install the operating system, but trust me it will be worth it. This setup I listed here is so much faster than you have now you aren't gonna know what to do!
 
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so basically what your saying is im screwed... joyful

i do not have the money to completly replace my computer... it is just not there...i also do not want to completly over haul... i just want a simple effective upgrade so that i can play my games with out laggin out...

my PSU DC output is 480 Watts

as for my CPU... lol... i cant really tell.. i dont know the difference between coreduo and duo core and omfg im gonna have a stroke...!!!!!!!! ffs

when i click on properties on my computer(remember im runnin XP) under the general tab, under computer i get this:

intel(r)
pentium(r) d CPU 3.00ghz
2.99ghz 3.25gb of ram
physical address extension

in my device driver page under the processor tab i get this :

intel(r) pentium(r) D CPU 3.00ghz
intel(r) pentium(r) D CPU 3.00ghz

again i do not have the money to upgrade my computer from top to bottom, i just spent some money on going from 2gig ram to 4gig ram and it has made a difference with a bunch of stuff for me but when im playing wow, and CS:Source and other games my FPS poops the bed and i lag out beyond belief yesterday i had 3fps and i thought my comp crashed because the screen was not doing anything but frozen...

i have provided links to what i have and tried to figure out the rest.. please help me out with have...
 
Shadao said:
so basically what your saying is im screwed... joyful

i do not have the money to completly replace my computer... it is just not there...i also do not want to completly over haul... i just want a simple effective upgrade so that i can play my games with out laggin out...

my PSU DC output is 480 Watts

as for my CPU... lol... i cant really tell.. i dont know the difference between coreduo and duo core and omfg im gonna have a stroke...!!!!!!!! ffs

when i click on properties on my computer(remember im runnin XP) under the general tab, under computer i get this:

intel(r)
pentium(r) d CPU 3.00ghz
2.99ghz 3.25gb of ram
physical address extension

in my device driver page under the processor tab i get this :

intel(r) pentium(r) D CPU 3.00ghz
intel(r) pentium(r) D CPU 3.00ghz

again i do not have the money to upgrade my computer from top to bottom, i just spent some money on going from 2gig ram to 4gig ram and it has made a difference with a bunch of stuff for me but when im playing wow, and CS:Source and other games my FPS poops the bed and i lag out beyond belief yesterday i had 3fps and i thought my comp crashed because the screen was not doing anything but frozen...

i have provided links to what i have and tried to figure out the rest.. please help me out with have...
Click to expand...
That processor isn't that bad. I still think that it's doable. You would still see an improvement going to a Conroe Core2 Duo, though. Go on ebay and search for any core2 duo in the E4xxx series. A newegg alternative would be this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116092&cm_re=Celeron-_-19-116-092-_-Product
About the PSU: it probably supports the Geforce GTS 250, but you may as well go with the Radeon HD 5670 I listed earlier to save some cash. It's still pretty powerful.
 
87dtna said:
Ohhhh OK you got a pentiun D you are fine on the CPU.

OK you just need a graphics card, get the one spynoodle suggested it will ok with all your other hardware-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=Geforce_9600_GSO-_-14-130-509-_-Product
Click to expand...
I still think that the Radeon HD 5670 beats the Geforce 9600 GSO, though. But if you want to save some cash, then go with the one above. ;)

EDIT: I didn't think about this, but with the kind of FPS you're getting it's probably completely caused by your video card, considering your still-pretty-powerful processor. In that case, then you should see a major improvement with the Nvidia or ATI card.
 
so with that one it says its a 2.0 pciex the price is lower than my budget which is nice... but being that my mobo is 1.0 will it cause a huge bottleneck issue or will i be fine...

also do i just pull out my old card and put in the new one? or is there more to it and such... i imagine the drivers would be different that much is expected...

i also only run one monitor, only have one to run; but if i wanted to run a 2nd monitor would i be able to use my current vidcard for that and keep the new one dedicated for gaming... i see that the vidcard linked is capable of running 2 monitors... but i just want to not worry about it be over used... again thats only if i were to get a 2nd monitor...

a friend of mine was suggesting before that i should go with an ATI chipset as its a better make than the nvidia, and if im removing the current vid card completly would my current nvidia conflict with a new ati.... or due to my current equipment im stuck with going for nvidia chipsets...

thank you soooo much for helping me out... my head is spinning right now...

im a car guy in the summer anda gamer in the winter... but all winter i play games and read about my car, where as all summer i jut drive my car...
 
Oh no doubt that the 5670 is stronger, but like I said Nvidia and ATI drivers on the same OS just isn't kosher sometimes.

I'm actually starting to think now since he only has a 1.0 pcie slot, it may better if he gets a card with external power plug. A 1.0 slot can only power 50w, a 2.0 slot does 75w. A 6 pin plug is 75w as well. But a 5670 or a 9600gso is 59w TDP.

So, to make sure everything is compatible with his hardware, i'm gonna have to recommend an 8600gts-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143101
 
Shadao said:
so with that one it says its a 2.0 pciex the price is lower than my budget which is nice... but being that my mobo is 1.0 will it cause a huge bottleneck issue or will i be fine...

also do i just pull out my old card and put in the new one? or is there more to it and such... i imagine the drivers would be different that much is expected...

i also only run one monitor, only have one to run; but if i wanted to run a 2nd monitor would i be able to use my current vidcard for that and keep the new one dedicated for gaming... i see that the vidcard linked is capable of running 2 monitors... but i just want to not worry about it be over used... again thats only if i were to get a 2nd monitor...

a friend of mine was suggesting before that i should go with an ATI chipset as its a better make than the nvidia, and if im removing the current vid card completly would my current nvidia conflict with a new ati.... or due to my current equipment im stuck with going for nvidia chipsets...

thank you soooo much for helping me out... my head is spinning right now...

im a car guy in the summer anda gamer in the winter... but all winter i play games and read about my car, where as all summer i jut drive my car...
Click to expand...
To answer your questions:
1. The 2.0 and 1.0 thing will be fine
2.Since you already have the Nvidia drivers, if you get the Geforce 9600 GSO you probably will just have to pop it in and you'll be fine.
3.I know that if you go with the Geforce 9600 you'll still be able to use your Geforce 7100 (it's integrated, right?) and I think you'll still be able to use it with the ATI card, but you would need to still install some drivers.
4. If you wanted an ATI card, you could still use it, and ATI's newest technology (the Radeon 5000 series) is a bit more advanced than Nvidia's current technology until March when Nvidia releases their new cards.
One more quicknote: once you put in the new card, even if you get the Nvidia one, you might still want to update your drivers at Nvidia's site. It's not necessary, but it might help with performance a bit, I think.
 
spynoodle said:
To answer your questions:
1. The 2.0 and 1.0 thing will be fine
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. See my post above. A 1.0 slot can only handle 50w, so any card not requiring external power may not get enough juice to run. The pretty much takes the 5670 and 9600gso out of the question.

Also, it's 1.0, AND it's only a x4 slot. That is the equivalent of a 2.0 x2 slot.


I'm going to really push the 8600gts option now if you want to keep your current motherboard. An 8600gts is a 1.0 card, it has external power plug (comes with molex to 6 pin adapter), your PSU will be able to handle it no problem, it's a decently strong card but not enough to be bottle necked by a x4 slot, and it only costs $50.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143101
 
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87dtna said:
Oh no doubt that the 5670 is stronger, but like I said Nvidia and ATI drivers on the same OS just isn't kosher sometimes.

I'm actually starting to think now since he only has a 1.0 pcie slot, it may better if he gets a card with external power plug. A 1.0 slot can only power 50w, a 2.0 slot does 75w. A 6 pin plug is 75w as well. But a 5670 or a 9600gso is 59w TDP.

So, to make sure everything is compatible with his hardware, i'm gonna have to recommend an 8600gts-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143101
Click to expand...
Dang, didn't think of that.....
Actually, since everything is far inside his budget at this point, why don't you go with the Geforce 8800 GTS 87dtna listed earlier?:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=GEforce_8800_GTS-_-14-143-119-_-Product
You just have to wait for it to come into stock. :(

EDIT: I also didn't think about the fact that the 8600 GTS is PCI-e 1.0 as well. The one thing I'm unsure of, though, is that it can handle WoW no problem. It might be pushing it a bit....
 
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spynoodle said:
Dang, didn't think of that.....
Actually, since everything is far inside his budget at this point, why don't you go with the Geforce 8800 GTS 87dtna listed earlier?:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=GEforce_8800_GTS-_-14-143-119-_-Product
You just have to wait for it to come into stock. :(
Click to expand...

Well he'd have to get a new PSU to power that card, it takes quite a load to power that card. I wouldn't trust a turd no name 480w PSU, but I would with an 8600gts no problem.
 
87dtna said:
Well he'd have to get a new PSU to power that card, it takes quite a load to power that card. I wouldn't trust a turd no name 480w PSU, but I would with an 8600gts no problem.
Click to expand...
Like I said, though, the 8600 GTS is kinda pushing it as a gaming card.
 
I think actually it's right in line with the kind of games his CPU could handle also though.
Anything more than an 8600gts could handle, his CPU wouldn't handle it either. It may be a dual core, but it's one of the originals pretty old tech.

I tried plaing COD WAW with a P4 640, which is a single core but it has hyper threading and 2mb cache, AND I had it overclocked to 4ghz, even with my gts250 I would only get like 10-15 FPS. I popped in an E4300, one of the oldest 65nm core2duo's at stock 1.86ghz I got 90 FPS. A pentium D is just two of those P4's basically, minus the hyper threading even. So really even at 3ghz it's not nearly as powerful as the old core2duo's at less than 2ghz.
 
i dont beleive my current vid card is integrated... as i am looking at it right now... it appears to be plugged into the mobo...

this is it right here :

http://www.vatgia.com/raovat_pictures/1/xte1213193217.jpg

so the 8600 is the one to get? cause im gonna go see what is available today at my local store hopefully they have one in :D i have a raid tonight in icc25 and i need my fps to be up there...lol if the local store doesnt have 8600 or 9600 instock, i guess it would be best to buy online... you guys have been linking newegg, so im guessin that its the site to go to... thank the gods i just got myself an pre-pay CC... lol

i noticed that on the back of the card(8600) where the monitor plugs in it doesnt have vga port, but comes with adapters... where as the 9600 does have both vga and dvi. like my current card... is this something to take into consideration or does it really not make much of a difference..

someone asked earlier what resolution im running at... i was running at 1440x900 in game and im currently running that on my desktop... we tried going down to a 1024x768 but it didnt help my fps out much if any... hell i even tried 800x600 and it made no difference other than make my screen look graining out of focus and ugly... lol

thanks again guru's you've averted disaster.. for now :D
 
Yeah I have a 7200gs for emergency backup and it's only for display. There's no way it will play any game whatsoever.

Whatever you do, DON'T buy a 9400 or 9500gt, they are not NEARLY as good as a 9600gt. There's a huge jump in performance from 9500 to 9600.

Dual DVI, or DVI/VGA makes no difference at all. If all you have is VGA just use the adapter no problem.


Also, beware a store may have an 8600gt but not an 8600gts. The gts is fairly stronger. At 1440x900 resolution, an 8600gts plays that perfect.
 
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