PC Hardware Gfx Cards

[Laddey]

Hail, well my graphics card is very old, whatever i do my PC locks up every 3-5mins with my Gforce 2. Updated drivers etc and nothing worked. So i think its time to shop around and unloosen the grip on my bank card.

So does anybody have a nice website that I can buy a good Gforce from, and delivery anywhere in the UK? Thanks in advance!

 

[Twist]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/ is prolly the most popular UK site, http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/home/ is another. If you're only upgrading the gfx card then make sure you get the right sort (agp for your old mb rather than pci-e) and try to avoid the FX series - they're very loud

 

[Twist]

Just a though, but if you have any plans to upgrade the rest of your PC soon then wait and do it all together. Reason is that if you buy a new mb it will support pci-e gfx only (for any pedantic gits reading this: not all but 99.9%) meaning you'd need another new gfx card

 

[Laddey]

Well i'm using a GeForce MX/MX 400 Series, it's a PCI Graphics card, so surely i'll just get another PCI card and it should fit straight in. Going from a 400 to a 5500 Think i'll see a difference?

EDIT - I think so atleast. PCI Slot 1 (PCI bus 0, device 9, function 0) is where its currently located, so if it was AGP it'd probably say AGP Slot 1. I think.

 

[Saggy]

Well i'm using a GeForce MX/MX 400 Series, it's a PCI Graphics card, so surely i'll just get another PCI card and it should fit straight in. Going from a 400 to a 5500 Think i'll see a difference?

You are playing DAoC with GF MX PCI-card? Rest of the computer specs? Duron/Celeron ~800mhz?

 

[Laddey]

You are playing DAoC with GF MX PCI-card? Rest of the computer specs? Duron/Celeron ~800mhz?

512mb of ram, AMD 1600 ...

Far from the best PC i know, with a decent graphics card i could play TOA (for rvr) in fullscreen mode fairly well with 1 account. Would you aggree?

 

[Saggy]

512mb of ram, AMD 1600 ...

Far from the best PC i know, with a decent graphics card i could play TOA (for rvr) in fullscreen mode fairly well with 1 account. Would you aggree?

Your motherboard most likely has AGP in it so personally I would go for Ati X700 or Nvidia 6600 series and another 512mb of ram would do miracles.

 

[Ctuchik]

Your motherboard most likely has AGP in it so personally I would go for Ati X700 or Nvidia 6600 series and another 512mb of ram would do miracles.

yeah i agree, having a gig ram helps loads and loads if u dont have a decent processor...

and i'd take that nVidia insted of the ATI tho... but i'm biased so

 

[confused]

If you've got agp 8x then go for a x800 "GTO 2"/ x850 XTPE ati card, if you're on a budget as they're superior to the agp 6600 /6800 cards and clock well. If you're not on a budget go for a gainward 7800gs. As mentionned above another 512 of ram and a new gpu will work wonders

Edit: PCI-E cards will work in a pci slot iirc, just if you do infact not have a agp

 

[Laddey]

Ok to be safe, how does one find out if their PC is AGP/PCI/PCI-E ?

Also, i'm going to buy another 512 stick of ram.

System Identification:
Manufacturer:
Model: 730S
Processors: AMD Duron(tm) Processor ,
Operation system: Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Motherboard Details:
Manufacturer:
Motherboard Model:
Bios: AMIINT - 1000
Memory Details:
Total No. of Slots: 4 (Currently Two slot in use)
Installed RAM: 495 MB
Maximum RAM: 512 MB
Front Side Bus: 66 MHZ


http://www.offtek.co.uk/sdram.php?subcat=33&subcat1=6&subgroup=3&memtype=PC133&source=GoogleSDRAM

The top one should do the trick hopefully?

 

[Ballard]

Edit: PCI-E cards will work in a pci slot iirc, just if you do infact not have a agp

good lord no These are definetly NOT combatiable. If there were every old motherboard could suddenly be turned into a SLI beast

 

[Saggy]

Ok to be safe, how does one find out if their PC is AGP/PCI/PCI-E ?

Download this.

Used GF4 ti4200 would probably serve that computer best if you can find used one for ~£15. Major upgrade would be the best choice tbh

 

[Ingafgrinn Macabre]

Edit: PCI-E cards will work in a pci slot iirc, just if you do infact not have a agp

No offence but that's a load of crap...

the slots don't even look thesame and a PCI-E slot is a lot longer. You wouldn't be able to fit one in there if you tried, and if you did.... well.... dunno but something would be smelling funny after turning the PC on...

PCI, AGP, PCI-x16 and PCI-x1:

Spoiler

The left two slots are PCI, then there's an AGP slot followed by two PCI-x1 and one PCI-x16

 

[Laddey]

Download this.

Used GF4 ti4200 would probably serve that computer best if you can find used one for ~£15. Major upgrade would be the best choice tbh

Thanks, on the BUSES & DEVICES section it says i have;
PCI BUS 0 (1/1x PCIClk)
also
AGP BUS 1 (2/1x PCIClk)

I take it its AGP?

 

[SkarIronfist]

I admire your fortitude for sticking with that setup for so long.

If you are considering doing a new machine. Then do that, don't waste any money on a GFX card for that PC, it really really would be a waste of money.

 

[Ingafgrinn Macabre]

I'd say, open your case up and do a visual check aswell... Sometimes if you got onboard graphics on the system it is connected thru agp but no actual agp slot will be on the board. Do take care not to touch anything inside that looks complicated

An agp slot is usually reddish, but colors may differ between manufacturers and boards...

Take the picture I posted above as a guideline, or take a picture of the slot from above and below the card and post those two pics here so we can identify it for ye if you're unsure.

It's pretty certain you atleast one, very likely more of those PCI slots in there... (the two on the left on the picture above). It's also pretty damn sure you don't have any PCI-Express (x1 or x16) on your board since it's a tad too old for that.

 

[SkarIronfist]

It doesn't have PCI-e.

If you put a semi decent modern gfx card in that board, it will be like putting a Porsche Engine in a Fiat Uno. Loads of power with no where to go.

 

[Laddey]

I admire your fortitude for sticking with that setup for so long.

If you are considering doing a new machine. Then do that, don't waste any money on a GFX card for that PC, it really really would be a waste of money.

Lol, thanks.

Well since i'm a biff with computers, i'm going to buy 512 stick of ram and a Sapphire ATI Radeon 9600 128MB AGP8X Graphic Card with DVI & TV-Out Lite graphics card. Will be a big step for my machine i suppose!

 

[confused]

So a pci would fit in a pci-e slot then, otherwise i'm totally confused at how I got mixed up

 

[Deadnala]

Lol, thanks.

Well since i'm a biff with computers, i'm going to buy 512 stick of ram and a Sapphire ATI Radeon 9600 128MB AGP8X Graphic Card with DVI & TV-Out Lite graphics card. Will be a big step for my machine i suppose!

I got a ATI Radeon 9800 with 256mb this works verry well but it gets verry hot with the defoult cooler. i recentely bought a new cooler for my card and the speed difference is enourmous. To be honest i think for daoc 128mb is a bit low. but on the other hand as you got a old computer i would guess it is a AGP4 or even worce AGP2 so the card will not be used the fully 100% anyway.

Anyway
- with ATI cards dont stick with the original coolers.
- Make sure the hot air can get out you case allso. a aditional fan may be needed.

here is the cooler i use for my graphics card:

http://www.zalman.co.kr/usa/product/view.asp?idx=173&code=013

Greetings,

 

[Darzil]

So a pci would fit in a pci-e slot then, otherwise i'm totally confused at how I got mixed up

Sorry, Ingafgrinn Macabre's picture is pretty clear, PCI and PCI-E aren't pin compatible in either direction.

Darzil

 

[Darzil]

Lol, thanks.

Well since i'm a biff with computers, i'm going to buy 512 stick of ram and a Sapphire ATI Radeon 9600 128MB AGP8X Graphic Card with DVI & TV-Out Lite graphics card. Will be a big step for my machine i suppose!

A dangerous move. I think the AGP2x slot in your board and the AGP8x graphics card will use different voltages. I know someone who blew up a couple of graphics cards like that.

Darzil

 

[Deadnala]

A dangerous move. I think the AGP2x slot in your board and the AGP8x graphics card will use different voltages. I know someone who blew up a couple of graphics cards like that.

Darzil

As far as i know the AGP ports are compatible. i believe the AGP4 slot is shorter so the end of the card (the small connector) will not be connected.

 

[Laddey]

So ok, whats a good solution to be able to run DAoC with TOA client for RvR, run in fg's in SI area without loosing stick. Able to do FG vs FG fights in rvr without having my PC reboot, go on ML raids without shitloads of lag?

You're all making my head hurt!

 

[Darzil]

As far as i know the AGP ports are compatible. i believe the AGP4 slot is shorter so the end of the card (the small connector) will not be connected.

Answer seems to be, it depends.

Nice guide here :

http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=50009562&f=67909965&m=750004173631

 

[Darzil]

So ok, whats a good solution to be able to run DAoC with TOA client for RvR, run in fg's in SI area without loosing stick. Able to do FG vs FG fights in rvr without having my PC reboot, go on ML raids without shitloads of lag?

You're all making my head hurt!

Make the RAM change. 1Gb will make a big difference.

If after that you still feel you need more, you'd probably be better off going for new motherboard, processor, memory and graphics card than trying to get something that'll work in the old computer.

Darzil

 

[Laddey]

Make the RAM change. 1Gb will make a big difference.

If after that you still feel you need more, you'd probably be better off going for new motherboard, processor, memory and graphics card than trying to get something that'll work in the old computer.

Darzil

I can't play with this graphics card, it freezes my PC etc and i have to do TD's looking at the ground.

 

[Chronictank]

ok DO NOT buy a solution where you have to mod the card yourself, if you arent comfortable with modding hardware (you will need to remove the original heatsink and the memory heat disipators, then screw on a new kit. Its not hard but it is fiddly). This does void the warranty and if you break it you wont be getting a replacement.
You can buy already modded gear for a very reasonable price, and it means you dont void the warranty so can always get tech support.

Now part 2, set a budget

Part 3:
download a program called CPU-Z from here:
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

This will tell you the make, model and more importantly speed of your memory under the SPD tab.

it will also tell you what motherboard you have (altho the best method is to open up the case and see what it says)

Look up the motherboard specs on the manufacturers website, your board may not even support a 1gb Dimm in 1 slot/has a max memory capability of 1gb so find out you can add more ram 1st.

Graphics cards;
i personally wouldnt get anything below a Radeon 9800 Pro 128Mb, this is pretty much the minimum to run newest games at a reasonable rate tbh and even that i would not really buy as you want something above the minimum.
the latest and greatest AGP card available at the moment is the Geforce 7800GS "Superclocked" from EVGA (who like BFG take standard cards and overclock them with additional cooling etc then sell them as a package) but is very hard to get for a good price because the card is very impressive.
The BFG Geforce 7800GS is pretty readily available (review comparing the 2 http://tomshardware.co.uk/2006/02/14/nvidias_geforce_7800gs_becomes_a_better_buy_uk/index.html)

 

[Chronictank]

my usual haunts in no particular order to buy stuff:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/
http://www.dabs.com
http://www.komplett.co.uk
http://www.aria.co.uk/
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/
http://www.ebuyer.co.uk
http://www.insight.com - take with a pinch of salt, i only used them once and the delivery time sucked
http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/index
http://www.crucial.com/uk <-- look here for memory as they sometimes have offers which are VERY cheap
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/
http://www.scan.co.uk
http://www.refreshcomputers.com/ - dont usually find cheap deals on here but worth a look anyway
http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/index - not used them myself

 

[Saggy]

Graphics cards;
i personally wouldnt get anything below a Radeon 9800 Pro 128Mb, this is pretty much the minimum to run newest games at a reasonable rate tbh and even that i would not really buy as you want something above the minimum.

Wouldn't that be same as putting Ferrari engine on Skoda? I bet Duron 1600 (66mhz bus speed :S) and 1Gb of ram is bottleneck even for GF4 serie and anything above just offers DX9 support.