Recommend a video card for me.

superrandall64

superrandall64

New Member
hiya. here's what i have going - sony vaio VGC-RB53. P4 - 3.0 ghz with HT. 512 mb PC3200 (i think). 305 watt power supply. 1 pci-e slot x16, 1 pci-e slot x1. i saw the ati radeon x1900 xtx and wanted it pretty damn bad... but then i noticed i needed at least a 3.4 or 3.6 ghz pentium and i think it was a 400 watt power supply. my number might be wrong there, but i know for sure that my system specs didn't meet the requirements. i want a video card. nvidia... ati... i'm middle of the road so far. i'd like a really REALLY high quality 256 mb. or if you know of a 512 mb that is around 500 dollars and has requirements that my system specs meet... i'm open to the suggestion. i like first person shooters, strategy games and emulators. currently and more specifically... as of right now - painkiller, roller coaster tycoon 3, mame32, and even though i've never been able to run it - quake 4. i dont necessarily want them to run on max settings... but i do need them to run very smoothly. i'm giving up buying an xbox 360 for this card... i dont want to regret it... know what i'm sayin? i understand the whole "you get what you pay for" thing, so i'd be willing to buy a 256 in a 512 market... as long as it represented my spent money visually. so there you go... lemme know if your amazed by your video card, and if my machine qualifies... i'll consider it. so again... my computers specs a.k.a. - why i can't have the ati x1900 xtx -

budget - somewhere between 5-700 dollars.
3.0 ghz P4 - with HT
512 mb ram (pretty sure it's ddr pc3200)
305 watt power supply
PCI-Express x16...one slot available
PCI-Express x1....one slot available
PCI ...................two slots available
200 gig scsi hd

if you need to know anything else about it... just ask. also i was considering a cordless laser mouse. is it really that noticable of a difference compared to optical? thanks for your time. you might ask yourself... "why doesn't he shop around himself?" here's a nice simple honest answer... dial-up. i'd rather search your suggestions than the world of available video cards. save myself a week. thanks again - randall
 
i think you can get an x1900 xtx because you do have a pci-ex16.
THe only thing is that your lacking on the power supply part..
If for some reason you cant get a x1900xtx, get a 7800GT, there awesome.
 
If you want to stay with a 350w, try http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814122230
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Depends if he has a reasonable quality 350W. I wouldn't want to try running a 7800GTX on a generic 350W PSU. What's the amperage on the +12V line?

If you can afford a better PSU, try http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814143036
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Overpriced, IMO. I consider this to be better value than either that or the X1900XTX (for which you are paying a premium for higher clocks, which you can do yourself): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814131006

Of course, this will also require a better PSU, but with the money saved from the downgrade from X1900XTX to X1900XT, you can afford it.

i needed at least a 3.4 or 3.6 ghz pentium
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Unless i'm horribly mistaken, that's not a requirement for the card to run. However, you'll find that your CPU will be a huge bottleneck in many games, which I would imagine is what they're referring to. Perhaps a 7800GT would better match the rest of your system? (Of course, I'd still look at the PSU)

as long as it represented my spent money visually
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What video card do you have now?
 
Don't make useless comments.
I would recommend a x1900xt. Although the CPU will be a bottleneck, it will still have better performance than with the 7800GT. If you want, you always have the option to upgrade the CPU in the future to be better matched for your GPU.
 
update.

hello again. thank you all for your posts. i was asked what video card i currently have... it's a bfg geforce 256 5500 oc - pci. bought it at wal-mart. does decent for games from around the quake 2 era, but with painkiller - on the lowest settings... chugs horribly. and with roller coaster tycoon 3, on lowest settings... freezes for about 20 seconds, then rushes the gameplay for a split second... then freezes again. if you'll notice (and i'm not sure it makes much of a difference) but i stated my power supply is a 305 watt... not 350. i can't say for certain... it was stock... but i believe it is a quality power supply. my basis for the opinion is this... the pc is a sony. they just have to be overpricing these vaio's for a reason. somebody at the vaio factory must be saying... "you know... somebody is paying 900 dollars for a 400 dollar emachine. let's at least give them better quality components.") just a theory. based on the gpu recommendations you've posted, i like the 7800. i've been looking at the evga version. yes.. no? i've never heard of evga... but the number sure where impressive. one thing i probly should have mentioned is this is my tax return... i dont usually have money for things like this. i probly wont have the money to go back and replace the cpu later... so do you think it would be better (performance wise) to say... invest in a new motherboard/athlon combo fry's advertises every week... and maybe a midrange gpu? or would a upper mid-range gpu + my current system do me just fine? again... thank you all for your posts. even the guy that mentioned the one available in 10 years. it didn't help me really... which is what i feel these forums are for, but it did make me laugh a little. thank you all... please post again for the new question. also... how about the laser mouse? nobody mentioned it. worth the money? is it really a quantom leap over optical? thanks -randall.
 
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superrandall64 said:
hello again. thank you all for your posts. i was asked what video card i currently have... it's a bfg geforce 256 5500 oc - pci.
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I asked to get an idea of your current performance, and how much of an improvement you would realistically be looking at. I think you will find it significant.

but i believe it is a quality power supply. my basis for the opinion is this... the pc is a sony. they just have to be overpricing these vaio's for a reason. somebody at the vaio factory must be saying... "you know... somebody is paying 900 dollars for a 400 dollar emachine. let's at least give them better quality components.") just a theory.
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It would have to be a very good 305W power supply to be stable with a 7800GT. Pull off the side of the case, there should be a sticker on the side of the PSU which will give it's specs. What, specifically, is the amperage on the +12V rail?

based on the gpu recommendations you've posted, i like the 7800. i've been looking at the evga version. yes.. no? i've never heard of evga...
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eVGA are quite good, I believe that their returns policy is quite impressive. Personally, I would look first at the cheapest of the 7800GTs. There are differences between them, but are usually minor things like factory OCs, software bundles, and perhaps improved cooling.

do you think it would be better (performance wise) to say... invest in a new motherboard/athlon combo fry's advertises every week... and maybe a midrange gpu?
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Realistically, with the budget of a 7800GT (~$250-$300), you won't be able to afford a significant upgrade on the CPU/Mobo as well as a midrange video card. Thus, I would say a new video card is the better option.

While a 7800GT is a great card, you may want to consider a 6800GS as well. While it won't give the performance of the 7800GT, it's probably a better match for your hardware, and at $154 from newegg, isn't going to break the bank (although we're moving further and further away from your dream, X1900XTX:D )
how about the laser mouse? nobody mentioned it. worth the money? is it really a quantom leap over optical?
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I'm not an expert at mice, but I've always been happy enough with optical.
 
power supply specs

here is what the sticker on my psu says...

input: 100-127v~8a , 200-240v~4a 50/60hz
output: +12va/18a +12vb/18a
300w max +5v/25a -12v/0.8a
+3.3v/25a +5vsb/2a
+5v & +3.3v 180w max
+5v & +12va & +3.3v 288w max
+12va & +12vb 22a max

sorry i wrote everything on the sticker, but i wanted to be sure i posted the right info. the brand on it is bestec model: ATX 300 12EB3. currently i have been looking at the "stickies", and i still like the 7800 gt... and the was it 6800gs? something like that. i've always been a console gamer. i liked that if it said xbox or nintendo on the case, i'd know whether or not i had what i needed to play it. i love the versatility of pc. how upgradable they are... how many functions they serve... how not redundant they are... my point is - while researching i saw things like pipelines, and vivo and pixel shaders... what's all that? again thanks for the input. i'll stay content with my optical also... it's never gave me trouble, outlasted two computers, plus points the HEELLLL out of things! why change? though i would have that whole cordless freedom thing... and ergonomics... enough to pay like 50 bucks? doubtful. goodnight everyone. thanks for the advice again. -randall.
 
Your PSU is decent enough to handle :)


and i still like the 7800 gt... and the was it 6800gs?
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If u can afford it, the 78GT is significantly better :)

while researching i saw things like pipelines, and vivo and pixel shaders... what's all that?
Click to expand...
Defined in the VideoCard 101 :)
 
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