Graphics card suggestions?

[TheGame]

Sooo... I officially gave up on my laptop and got myself a desktop. I didn't get a very good one, but I wasn't exactly "trying" to have a strong gaming one. I grabbed a Compaq Q from walmart for $400 roughly.

I only really play one PC game, and that's world of warcraft. I've looked around for reviews on the card I have, and it seems its even somewhat sub par to run that game with good settings. So I wanted to know if you guys have any suggestions for which type of graphics card I should go for.

Current system~
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4400+ 2.30 GHz
Memory: 2.93GB (Running vista so yeah that memory is eaten alive)
32 Bit Operating system

Current graphics card~
Nvidia GeForce 6150 nForce 430

So any suggestions for me that's not overkill for my processor and not over expansive?

[Jason1]

Yea, thats an integrated graphics card so you definatley want to get a dedicated card...that being said, personally I have been a fan of ATI's cards for a long time, but its really just a matter of preference. I would think something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131068 would suit you just fine, and its only $24.99 after the mail in rebate. Thats insane.

[Happydude]

seeing as how you have an nvidia chipset mobo, i would actually go with an nvidia card for compatibility purposes.

for a card below $50 i would go with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162018

for a card below $100 i would recommend http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127379R

[manasecret]

Here's the best link for video card comparisons. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-graphics,2086-7.html

[birdman]

Yea, thats an integrated graphics card so you definatley want to get a dedicated card...that being said, personally I have been a fan of ATI's cards for a long time, but its really just a matter of preference. I would think something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131068 would suit you just fine, and its only $24.99 after the mail in rebate. Thats insane.

Do you know if that would run any Source based games well? I'm still running integrated over here.

[TheGame]

Thanks for the tips guys. That Newegg site has some awesome prices compared to store prices... If my PC runs WoW at decent settings to begin with I'll just order from there and be patient. But if it runs very crappy I'll end up spending $50+ more to buy from a store like best buy.

[Jason1]

Do you know if that would run any Source based games well? I'm still running integrated over here.

I would think so, that card is actually similar power wise to my Radeon X800 that is a 3 year old card now, and I run source games fine. Maybe not on the super best maximum settings, but they are perfectly playable.

[TheGame]

for a card below $50 i would go with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162018


I'm very close to buying this one, but I only have one question because that review is bugging me. How can I tell if I have a 400 watt power supply? I have looked allover the net at my model (Compaq Presario SR5610f Desktop PC) and none of the specs show what supply it has. It says N/A on every site when I look at the power supply specs.

I'm almost betting I'm over thinking it, but I'd rather ask and be sure before laying down the $60ish for it to be shipped out.

[Jason1]

I'm very close to buying this one, but I only have one question because that review is bugging me. How can I tell if I have a 400 watt power supply? I have looked allover the net at my model (Compaq Presario SR5610f Desktop PC) and none of the specs show what supply it has. It says N/A on every site when I look at the power supply specs.

I'm almost betting I'm over thinking it, but I'd rather ask and be sure before laying down the $60ish for it to be shipped out.

Hm, not positive...you might have to physically open your computer and look on the side of your power supply...im not positive their might be an easier way to do it...anyone?

[Seth]

Game, yeah just check your power supply. And shame on you for buying a 400 compaq. Have you checked to make sure your motherboard's compatible with the card you want? I'd also like to throw my support towards an nvidia card. I've had nothing but pleasant experiences with them an my last radeon always had performance issues despite it's superiority over my 2002 geforce ti4600. yeah, i could run HL2 with that card at a decent fps. the radeon crapped out after 4 months.

[TheGame]

Game, yeah just check your power supply. And shame on you for buying a 400 compaq. Have you checked to make sure your motherboard's compatible with the card you want? I'd also like to throw my support towards an nvidia card. I've had nothing but pleasant experiences with them an my last radeon always had performance issues despite it's superiority over my 2002 geforce ti4600. yeah, i could run HL2 with that card at a decent fps. the radeon crapped out after 4 months.

I'm going to take it apart today to check, I just thought there'd be an easier way to check such a simple spec, and was being lazy. I've already opened it up once, the motherboard has both PCI and PCI express slots.

What's also wierd is when I was hunting down info on that card, most places praise it for being able to run on almost any power supply...

[TheGame]

The power supply is 250 Watt... ripped it apart this morning. So I guess I'll either be buying http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016 or if I can find a card cheaper then the new card I want + the power supply which can run well on 250 watts.

Like I said in the first post, I only really play WoW, so it doesn't have to be TOO strong.

[thatmariolover]

Yeah, sorry I was just about to post that it's a 250w PSU. I guess it depends on how much you want to spend. Personally, I'd suggest:

XFX GeForce 8600 GT 512MB $69.99 ($59.99 after $10 MiR):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150247

And a 400w PSU with a great rating ($36.99):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104953

The Galaxy graphics card you're looking at only has one review. The XFX I'm linking has 223 reviews (73% of which are 5-star), plus comes with a double lifetime warranty. The PSU I'm linking has 166 reviews (80% of which are 5-star). All in all it'd be a big jump for about $100.

[TheGame]

Is a PSU hard to install? I guess I get to consider my current computer a learning experience for now.

[Jason1]

I have never personally installed a power supply, but it couldnt be that bad...I mean just look at how stuff was connected on the old power supply, and re-connect it the same way, I would think it should be pretty easy.

But, this is what you get for buying a cheap Compaq computer...:)

[TheGame]

Yeah I know. :P I'm never buying from a store again, getting them built form now on. But I don't really ask for much in terms of preformance since I just use the net, watch videos, download MP3s and play WoW.. And even my play on WoW as of late has been very light.

When I buy my speakers I'll be at just over $600 spent (Around $700 with taxes).. if it does the jobs I want it to do, and does it well.. then I think I made out pretty good.

Also, I looked up replacing the PSU... doesn't seem too hard at all. As long as I'm not extremely distracted while replacing it, it should be easy. :P

[Jason1]

Yea, he next time, a good website that will custom build computers to your specifications is www.ibuypower.com. I got one from them a long time ago and its been a great computer for me. Pretty good prices I think, I was playing around and I can get a killer rig for just under $1000

[TheGame]

Yeah, my problem was I had $800 to spend, and didn't have the patience to wait on a custom one this time. At my house my only entertainment is my Ps3 and my computer. I don't have cable or anything else to waste time on. :P

After I get my newer car I'll worry about getting a computer, this one is kinda just a detour from what I was really saving for.

[TheGame]

I like how I got the overnight shipping for the Video card, and its scheduled to be in today, then I ordered the PSU seperately with its free 2-3 days shipping and the tracker also says its scheduled to be in today.

I gtuess it helps that the orgin of the orders are straight from California. Badwin park Cali is where they both originated, though they're taking differnet routes for some reason.

[thatmariolover]

What did you order, if I might ask?

[TheGame]

I went with your sugestion for the PSU since it was lower price and had a lot of good reviews. I went for the Galaxy GeForce 9400 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 one however though.

To give exact timing, I ordered the card early in the morning after my post, but before you posted as overnight. And I ordered the PSU the same day in the evening time after I got off from work as the free 2-3 day shipping. However... the PSU (according to the tracker) made it here to bakersfield 2 hours earlier than the graphics card did. If I'd have known it'd be that fast and they were based in california I wouldn't have paid more for overnight.

Also its a possibility that they're rushing for the holidays.

[TheGame]

The PSU I bought simply isn't working, I have to check if I did something wrong. When I installed the old one the computer runs fine again. Gonna have to look that up. The graphics card works, but since I'm on low voltage I'm not about to try and push it.

[Seth]

I've never really fiddled with a psu but is it possible that you have to go into your bios settings and change the power wattage?

[TheGame]

Nah you don't, I found out the problem is that Compaq has a special set up to where it can only read their own power sources. So I'm going to have to order straight from the horse, or have to find one that's directly compatible with compaq presario.

I'm using my new graphics card, and its working fine for now. But I want to get the new source before any new issues develop. I don't play any intense games so there's no stress on the card, and on the power supply it is running just as quiet and cool as always. I'm just not about to buy a power sucking game and test my luck :P

[Jason1]

Nah you don't, I found out the problem is that Compaq has a special set up to where it can only read their own power sources. So I'm going to have to order straight from the horse, or have to find one that's directly compatible with compaq presario.

I'm using my new graphics card, and its working fine for now. But I want to get the new source before any new issues develop. I don't play any intense games so there's no stress on the card, and on the power supply it is running just as quiet and cool as always. I'm just not about to buy a power sucking game and test my luck :P

What a load of bull. Thats utter garbage, another reason why I will never buy a name brand computer again...hell, im suprised the Graphics Card worked...

[TheGame]

What a load of bull. Thats utter garbage, another reason why I will never buy a name brand computer again...hell, im suprised the Graphics Card worked...

I won't either, but I'm actually glad I did for this itme, screwing around with this piece of crap has taught me a lot about building computers alone. And the graphics card not only works, it works very well. I guess WoW isn't even a challenge for it, jhust out of curiosity I put all the settings to the highest, and most of the time it stays around 50 FPS, except when I'm in areas heavily populated, but even then it doesn't drop below 30 FPS.

It doesn't get hot or have any noticeable problems, but I'm still going to get a power source from Compaq.

Considering I get it to play the game I want at highest settings, with good sound, and does everything else I want my computer to do, the end amount spent of $600-650 (650 if I count the power source waste) I think I made out pretty good.

[Jason1]

I won't either, but I'm actually glad I did for this itme, screwing around with this piece of crap has taught me a lot about building computers alone. And the graphics card not only works, it works very well. I guess WoW isn't even a challenge for it, jhust out of curiosity I put all the settings to the highest, and most of the time it stays around 50 FPS, except when I'm in areas heavily populated, but even then it doesn't drop below 30 FPS.

It doesn't get hot or have any noticeable problems, but I'm still going to get a power source from Compaq.

Considering I get it to play the game I want at highest settings, with good sound, and does everything else I want my computer to do, the end amount spent of $600-650 (650 if I count the power source waste) I think I made out pretty good.

I suppouse, but WOW is a 4 year old game...I mean it still looks decent, but not exactly cutting edge anymore...thats almost like saying the Gamecube is a powerhorse...

[manasecret]

To give exact timing, I ordered the card early in the morning after my post, but before you posted as overnight. And I ordered the PSU the same day in the evening time after I got off from work as the free 2-3 day shipping. However... the PSU (according to the tracker) made it here to bakersfield 2 hours earlier than the graphics card did. If I'd have known it'd be that fast and they were based in california I wouldn't have paid more for overnight.

That's something I've come to learn at my work, since I order parts all the time. Usually if you're getting something shipped from the same state and you live in a city, then if you get it shipped ground it will still come the next day and you will save lots of money. (It makes me happy that Mouser.com is based out of Dallas. :))

Glad to see you're successfully tinkering with your computer. That was a wise decision to think about your PSU (and a mistake I made when I bought a new videocard recently). Too bad about Compaq forcing you to buy one of their PSUs, but at least Newegg is good about taking back parts. Good luck on the rest of your adventure.

[TheGame]

I know this is a LAAAATE reply, but my friend and I were having a conversation about this and I thought I'd give an update.

I ended up not buying a power supply from compaq, and ended up keeping the 250 watt one that came with the computer. The graphics card is supposed to require a 400 watt power supply minimum, however its been running perfectly on a 250 watt supply for over 7 months.

[gekko]

Power Supply ratings are a joke. It's a gross overestimation on their part. The problem is, no consumer sits down and calculates what each piece of the computer might need at any point (don't blame them).

The 9400 GT uses a maximum of 50W. NVIDIA lists 300W as the minimum system power supply, but by the time it reaches the card manufacturer (the thing I hate about NVIDIA products) it now requires 400W.

In reality, it depends on what you're running. If you use less than 200W for the rest of your computer, you'll do just fine.

[Professor S]

I recently upgraded to a GeForce 260 OC from BFG and it is f$%#ing rediculous. I crank up everything on Empire:Total War on a 24 inch widescreen montitor and it looks amazing with zero slowdown.

BTW, I previously upgraded my power supply to a 750w, so make sure yours can take it before installing.

As for buying computers, I've long loathed the idea of building my own, but I definitely will next time. I bought a gaming PC from Cyberpower three eyars ago and it was utter shit, with the graphics card and motherboard not even being compatible and the power supply constantly causing crashes.

So I started upgrading myself, and my fears were quickly aleviated as it's not like constructing a mix of an erector set and legos and now my machine purrrs. My advice? Buy a barebones and then install the rest yourself. It's so much better that way in both performance and frustration levels.