Graphics Card Upgrade

[RolyG]

Hi All,

This is my first post on this forum so be kind please!

I have a pretty old system the spec for which should show up under my User ID I think. My Mobo has an older style AGP slot and I am wondering if it is possible to up grade my graphics card. I suppose I will have to bite the bullet and just get a new system if the benefit of any available up grade is not that great.

I really only want to be able to play more modern games at high res fps etc. I also play online.

All help will be gratefully received. Cheers.

[NightshadowUK]

AGP cards are pretty expensive and a bit of a dead end tbh, plus I'd be looking to get 2GB RAM if I were you so you might as well just save up for a full upgrade. You could get something like:

- Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2160 ~ £42
- Gigabyte GA P31-DS3L ~ £48
- 2GB Corsair TwinX PC6400 ~ £34
- 450W Corsair VX ~ £44
- 512Mb ATi HD3850 ~ £100

Overclock the CPU to around 3GHz and you're away - all for under £270.

What resolution is your display by the way?

[Aez]

+1 nightshadow, recently built a pc with more or less that spec and its performance has been very pleasing

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

A cheap upgrade from Ebuyer would cost around £120 with the free Supersaver delivery:

Nvidia GF 7900GS 256MB DDR3 AGP Graphics Card £59.99 £51.05

OCZ 1GB DDR-400 PC-3200 CL 3-4-4-8 VALUE MODULE (LIFETIME WARRANTY) £27.99 £23.82

Antec EarthWatts 380W 80%+ Efficiency PSU - 80mm Fan 4x SATA PCI-E £31.15 £26.51

Total:£119.13

[Pob255]

First thing, what is you PSU? wattage, make and model
You may have to get a new one as graphics card are a large power draw.

That AGP 7900GS going on ebuyer for £60 would be a great card for you
So would an extra 1gb of ram.

In fact I think CAT-THE-FIFTH's selection there is very good, short of replaceing most of the internals ala NightshadowUK's sugestion (which is also pritty good)

[RolyG]

Hi All,

Many thanks for all the replies. I am not sure what PSU I have got.Is it possible to find out without getting into the case? My monitor is running at 1280 x 1024.

Cheers

[Pob255]

Nope pritty much the only way is to open it up and look with your eyes.
Only other hope is if it's a prebuild system then the manufactor should have the details on website or your original paper work.
However that can be more complex and time consumeing than opening the case and looking some times. Also you can kill 2 birds here and look see if you have any free memory slots.

play more modern games at high res fps

1280x1024 isn't thought of as high res any more execpt from some of us oldies who remember the joys of going up from 640x480 to 800x600 to 1024x768
Heck I remember the joy of going from CGA 16 colour to VGA with 256 seperate glorious colours

Please don't expect crysis to run well no matter how good a graphics card you get.
however a 7900GS and 2gb of memory and you're pc should still cope with many games out at high settings and still be playable FPS.

On the PSU will be a sticker, normally on the side, sometimes top or bottom, looking like this
Clicky
Post the model, make, total wattage and the Amps for +3.3v +5v +12v (there may be more than one +12v)
Also the E number if it has one, look for the logo that looks like a backwards LR and by that is a number starting with E, this can be used to trace the true manufactor of a PSU.

[RolyG]

Hi All,

OK I have checked my PSU and find that it has 350 watts power. Is this going to be good for the 7900 card or do I need to upgrade/give you more info? Are there any alternatives (could be slightly lower spec ) as the 7900 seems to be scarce - ebuyer has none.

Cheers

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I would personally get a new PSU as if your system is old the PSU may struggle to deliver enough power!

You can get a 7600GT AGP:

Inno3D 7600GT 256MB DDR3 128bit VGA DVI TV Out AGP Graphics Card - Ebuyer

However the 7900GS is 20% to 30% faster. Since the 7900GS is not made anymore it maybe entirely possible that it may not be restocked anymore. Hopefully they may have some more stock. You need to grab these deals while they last as it was a very good price IMHO especially considering it is the AGP version!!

Dabs have it for £92:

dabs.com - XFX GeForce 7900GS 256MB AGP 2xDVI (PVT71KUDF3)

[-iceblade^]

that's too expensive - the HD 3850 comes in at £8 more, but is infinitely more powerful... if you can afford the £££, upgrade following cat the fifth's suggestions

[Biscuit]

Keep an eye out on the hexus classified section for second hand stuff. A lot of people seem to be shippin on old old ram etc, you may be lucky enough to pick up an old gfx card. Would definately recommend a power supply with whatever you do though, you may find an old generic 350W psu with some nice new equipment results in no equipment at all