graphics card for vista advice

[MKA]

i`ve just had a look, theres an ide HDD i dont use which may hinder it but it will get taken out, i dont use the thing anyway.

and scan said if it dont fit i can return it. i was expecting them to say; NO, of course you can't return it.

[Pob255]

It's longer as mike has said and also a double width card, due to the size of the heat sink.

Sure it's overkill for 1280x1024 but for once and at that price I'd say overkill is good.
(unless I'm getting my threads mixed up, still applies though, it'll spank any game at 1280x1024)

EDIT: an excuse to buy a bigger case? or get a drimmel/hacksaw out

[MKA]

It's longer as mike has said and also a double width card, due to the size of the heat sink.

Sure it's overkill for 1280x1024 but for once and at that price I'd say overkill is good.
(unless I'm getting my threads mixed up, still applies though, it'll spank any game at 1280x1024)

EDIT: an excuse to buy a bigger case? or get a drimmel/hacksaw out

hopefully not, on the last bit, getting a new case, better than what i already have will cost me too much.

i will see what happens when it gets here, the inside of my pc needs a bit of a tidy up anyway, i will use the new gpu as an excuse to do that. if it dont fit, i`ll begrudgingly send it back. and yes mate, the right thread i think my tft only supports 1280x1024 but if prices are reasonable and i have the money i may look into getting a bigger TFT after the new year.

[staffsMike]

Well for £90 theres no point getting a different card.. save £10 and get the x1950pro but this will last a good while i'm sure.

And all that talk of these ever reliable sonys jinxed mine..started bluescreening on me earlier..it's behaving itself again now though

[MKA]

Well for £90 theres no point getting a different card.. save £10 and get the x1950pro but this will last a good while i'm sure.

And all that talk of these ever reliable sonys jinxed mine..started bluescreening on me earlier..it's behaving itself again now though

yeah, the 1950 pro seems the best alternative. been sorting the insides of my pc today with my bro, making sure all the wiring is out the way for the 7900 gtx, had to move a few things here and there but i`m confident it should be ok now. he says lol

and not good about the VAIO, at least it is sorted now mate. hopefully thats the last trouble it gives you. you decided if you will fork out for a new build yet, or you gonna behave yourself

[staffsMike]

Well that whole reliable back up seems like a good excuse now eh

[MKA]

haha yep it sure does. can never have too many back ups. when i can afford more HDD's and have enough confidence to do it, i may go down the raid avenue. may be cheaper all round for you as well staffsMike, if that is you see it as an option.

funny story about my bro here and his backup HDD. made me laugh anyway.

he was fixing someones PC and had his external HDD plugged in to their machine, as he was doing a format, he accidently clicked to format his own HDD as well at least a couple of hundred GB's worth of content were lost. i had some stuff on there as well. to be honest i saw the funny side, you have to laugh when that type of thing happens.

[staffsMike]

haha unlucky for him..and you lol

I was just thinking all my movies are on there at the moment..all those hours on encoding wasted lol

[MKA]

just thought i`d post an update. got my 7900 gtx today, i only ordered it yesterday. excellent service from scan. in anycase, it is installed and works beautifully. i`ve only tried halo 1 on it so far but there is a considerable difference in image quality and how fast the game runs. i think before i ran the game using 600x800 or something like that anyway. now i am using 1280x1024 and it runs faster! very pleased with my purchase and thanks to everyone who helped me pick out this beaut of a card. you guys are legends.

one last thing, my vista performance rating for my graphics has shot up from 3.7 to 5.9! yes 5.9, thats the max you can get. my overall system performance is 5.0 now. the 7900 gtx has also help boost my CPU score by 0.1 somehow, but i`m not complaining.

[staffsMike]

lol good to hear it worked out so well

dont hesitate to run any game you have or can get now on full detail as it will take it in its stride

[dfour]

Good choice in the end. Hope it keep you satisfied for a while yet

[Pob255]

Damb I was just going to get one and they've sold out.

That's the 2nd really good card bargin I've missed on scan

[MKA]

i may have to return it actually. fits just about, but occassionally the fan makes a scary noise when i first switch the pc on. i mean the noise is as if the fan is going to blow any second and take my house with it. but if i shut down and start again the noise levels are normal. its actually not happened today and mainly happens on the first boot of the day.

scan said to try it in another pc and send it back if it continues. will try it in another pc today or tomorrow. other than this though card works fine.

you have all been thanked as well for your help on this. i think only now i have been able to use the "thank user" option

[staffsMike]

lol yeah its unlocked after so many posts.

Shame about the fan.. at least they can replace it if it is faulty.

[Pob255]

Get something better than Halo 1 going
Oh and in halo1 turn off the the frame limiting (or switch it to v-sync) and it should fly at 1280x1024
I get around a 74fps avarage on halo1 with my 7900gs.

Download a copy of the BioShock demo and see how that plays

[MKA]

the fan has actually been behaving itself last few days. very odd indeed. but definately good odd.

and yep should be getting halo 2 at some stage. will just have to find a xp patch for it, i know they exist. i`ve given up with vista, more hassle than it is worth IMO. it will be good vista, but only once MS sort it out.

and yep when i get a chance bioshock demo will get downloaded. crysis also looks decent.