Should you update the graphics Adapter on a 4 year old computer??

TheCreator

New member
Judging from the spec of your PC your going to get a lot of bottleneck with that 2 ghz cpu. An x1600 pro could be a bit too good, that's not to say it won't work but the cpu will bring down the framerates that card can do. An x1600pro, or sometihng like an x800gto, is the highest you should get.
 

Crazy!

Road Runner!
Wow! so almost everything about my computer is incapable of supporting even a decent-ish graphics card. My cpu's a problem, RAM, power supply and even my motherboard! I think I'll just forget about it for the time being it seems like WAY to much hassle, I thought it'd be simpler. Butters was making it sound more simple and less hassle... I'm miserable now...:dry: :(
 

Psycho_Symantic

New member
Wow! so almost everything about my computer is incapable of supporting even a decent-ish graphics card. My cpu's a problem, RAM, power supply and even my motherboard! I think I'll just forget about it for the time being it seems like WAY to much hassle, I thought it'd be simpler. Butters was making it sound more simple and less hassle... I'm miserable now...:dry: :(
i never said your power supply wouldnt support a new card, i said check it to make sure.
also 2ghz is fine for a decent card like a 9800 pro (i have 2.26ghz, and my shit flies) the only thing i can see is that you need for ram and thats realitivily cheap and easy as hell to install
 
Last edited:

Jale

Active member
RAM is fine. My brother has a 256 MB computer and a Radeon X1600 and runs very good (well, he has 512 MB now). The only bad thing is that you'll need at least 512 MB for modern games. I think that's what Psycho is trying to tell you, but for emulators such as Project64 it's fine.

Don't worry about the power supply, but make sure it's over 250 W (most of them are of 250-300 W). Mine, for instance, is 250 W.

EDIT: I'm gonna make a video tutorial tomorrow to show you how to install an AGP video card.
 
Last edited:

Crazy!

Road Runner!
Hiya peeps - @ Psycho: So that's cool, I'm confused...anyway so my CPU's ok and the only thing that you can see that might be a problem is my 256MB of RAM, right I'll consider getting more RAM. Thanks.

@ Butters: I do have a feeling my 256MB of RAM will be ok for me I'm not too fussed with playing the current PC titles (last year & new) just more modern games than my computer can cope with at the mo and to play newer games more reasonably. For example with the RAM I have at the mo would I be able to play a game like Battlefield 2 or Halo 1/2 at a good/reasonable rate?? And I'm happy about the emulators working better!

My Power Supply is {I just checked} - 300W So that's ok too.

And thanks Butters! that tutorial will help, even though I think I've got quite a good idea on how to plugin a new card, but still do it, it'll confirm my thoughts! :) Thanks to both Psycho & Butters :D

EDIT: Look at this card also (The card you're mentioning...) will I be able to insert this into my computer without installing anymore RAM and for the game to work well in my computer??

Look --->>> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Sapphire-RADE...oryZ3762QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

If someone could just tell/suggest to me what the best card there is available that will drastically upgrade my system and will work and be compatible with my computer at it's current configuration, I'd really appreciate it.
 
Last edited:

Psycho_Symantic

New member
My Power Supply is {I just checked} - 300W So that's ok too.
unfortunatly not, alot of these cards plug directly into the power supply (through one of the molex cables) so you need to check the power requirements of the cards.
the 1600 pro you posted is a nice card but your power supply wont handle it, the card requires a 420watt psu
http://www.diamondmm.com/X1600AGP512.php
i dont know why butters is only telling you what you want to hear. but as a person who has numerous builds under his belt your system needs some upgrades before you can even think about getting some gaming parts.
the ram weve discussed

but that psu (power supply unit) is piss poor it needs to be upgraded (unless you go with a much older card that doesnt plug into the psu)
 

Crazy!

Road Runner!
Oh ok...that's dissapointing, I'll have to go with an older card then, do you know a card that will upgrade from onboard S3 ProSavage DDR quite a bit but will also work in my system as it is now? (Best buy)?? Thanks

EDIT: Also to Psycho, I didn't know that these cards plug in to the PSU, thanks for that but as I understand the card I want is a card that plugs into my AGP slot and will work with my 256MB of RAM, Cpu & also PSU as it is now. Thanks :)

All info:

Mother board Name - Epox EP-P4MKI-S (VIA)
Memory Slots - 256MB of system RAM {32MB Shared with onboard Graphics} - 2 other slots available
Graphics: S3 Pro Savage DDR {Onboard}
PSU- Peak Load 300W
CPU - Intel Celeron 2.00Ghz
AGP compatible

Thanks!
 
Last edited:

Psycho_Symantic

New member
Oh ok...that's dissapointing, I'll have to go with an older card then, do you know a card that will upgrade from onboard S3 ProSavage DDR quite a bit but will also work in my system as it is now? (Best buy)?? Thanks

EDIT: Also to Psycho, I didn't know that these cards plug in to the PSU, thanks for that but as I understand the card I want is a card that plugs into my AGP slot and will work with my 256MB of RAM, Cpu & also PSU as it is now. Thanks :)

All info:

Mother board Name - Epox EP-P4MKI-S (VIA)
Memory Slots - 256MB of system RAM {32MB Shared with onboard Graphics} - 2 other slots available
Graphics: S3 Pro Savage DDR {Onboard}
PSU- Peak Load 300W
CPU - Intel Celeron 2.00Ghz
AGP compatible

Thanks!
your cpu is fine, your ram needs upgraded, your psu needs upgraded your motherboard is fine.
as your computer stands now, it wont work because the ram and psu are holding you back.
once those are taking care of then get your monster card.

you can get a 500watt psu for about 30 pounds maybe less
and an extra 256mb of ram for about the same.

also check the links i posted in the other reply and youll see what im talking about
 
Last edited:

Jale

Active member
@ Butters: I do have a feeling my 256MB of RAM will be ok for me I'm not too fussed with playing the current PC titles (last year & new) just more modern games than my computer can cope with at the mo and to play newer games more reasonably. For example with the RAM I have at the mo would I be able to play a game like Battlefield 2 or Halo 1/2 at a good/reasonable rate?? And I'm happy about the emulators working better!
I've ran Halo with my X1600 at 1024x768 with Anti-Aliasing and I'm satisfied with it, but I can't say the same with Halo 2. First, it requires Windows Vista. Second, your RAM memory is not enough to run either Halo 2 or Windows Vista. And third, Halo 2 is a DirectX 10 game and the X1600 is a DirectX 9 card. At this point I don't know if the game will also support DirectX 9 rendering.

You need at least 512 MB as a minimum requirement for any modern game. The same goes for Battlefield 2, but this one doesn't require Vista to play, but a good amount of RAM is a must.

Psycho, my PSU is 250W and it accepts the card just fine. I've done stressful tests and it went all good. Plus, the video card box/manual didn't say anything about how much power it needs, it only says this:

"3. If the VGA card requires extra power supply, please make sure the power connector is connected with power from the power supply unit".

And the warning notes below are referred to avoid BIOS flashing, remove serial number, etc. Nothing to do with power supply.

psuvv1.jpg
 
Last edited:

Crazy!

Road Runner!
Thanks Butters, that's ok about tutorial, and thanks for explaining about the games, so the main thing I have to worry about is RAM, I'm gonna consider buying some and slotting it in my comp, and then getting a new card. And about your power supply if the card works in yours and your supply is less than mine then...:confused:

And to Psycho thanks for going through all of that, so the main things are RAM and PSU and about 30pounds each *WoW*, thats really cheap, I might actually consider getting both {but I'm out of work at the mo so...}but it's just about installing them both etc...:confused: :p haha *Clueless, moi!*.. I'm sure I'll be fine...:(

Also another thing...can someone suggest a card that will work well {best} in my computer as it is now and a card that will be best to get when I've upgraded RAM to 512MB and my PSU, and to make sure they are affordable enough {Maximum budget price of 65pounds}

EDIT: sorry I know I write SO bloody much! lol anyway here's another game I'd love to play, it's Broken Sword 4, I've looked at game requirements and the only improvement I can see I'd have to make is getting atleast a 128MB shader model compat card compat with my PSU and the game would work fine is this right, look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_Sword_4..just curious! :x

Thanks 2 ya both! mmwwwwaaaa! xThanks
 
Last edited:

Psycho_Symantic

New member
with your current system that 9250 should work just fine.
itll also allow for better performance for emulation.

if you need any help installing the card you know where to go
 

Jale

Active member
The 9250 is too old and it's DirectX 8. It's great for emulation, but you'll suffer with PC gaming. That's why I told you to stay away from the 9250.
 

Psycho_Symantic

New member
hes asking what to use for his current setup until he can afford a better card.
and i think youll agree that anything is better then onboard video
 

Crazy!

Road Runner!
Thanks both of u guys! I might buy that card for the time being then after a while I should upgrade RAM, PSU and card for ultimate performance! :D I'm glad to hear emulation works great and I'm sure more PC games will work better with it than what I have at the mo {LIKE psycho said anything is better!}. But I'm sure I'll upgrade all things I need PSU, RAM for when I get a better card than can handle much more modern games at a good standard! Thanks peeps, another small detail...:happy: About the motherboard, I read earlier that I should do some study on it to see what type of memory, PSU and card I can attach to it, how on earth would I find this out!..sorry all of the seriously dumb questions, but the more info I've got the better!

Thanks boys! ;)
 

Jale

Active member
But at least get a 9600. It's cheap and has DirectX 9 support. The 9250 has DirectX 8 and that isn't nice :confused:
 
Last edited:

Crazy!

Road Runner!
Last edited:

Jale

Active member
The Radeon 9600 XT is faster than the Radeon 9600 Pro, that means it's more expensive. The Radeon 9600 XT's performance is somewhat close (not very) to the Radeon X1600 (same core speed, slower memory speed and a much slower memory bandwidth), but it has older technology such as older Shader Model compared to the X1600. The 9600 was one of the first DirectX 9 cards available from ATI. The Radeon 9600 Pro is much slower than the 9600 XT, but it won't be a problem with emulation (I have been using a 9200 SE, the slowest of its series, and I could play Project64 at 1024x768 without any problem).

Radeon 9600: Shader Model 2.0.
Radeon X1600: Shader Model 3.0.

There's no need to worry about Shader Models, since a vast majority of current games use Shader Model 2.0 such as Half-Life 2. The only game I've played that uses Shader Model 3.0 was "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl", but this game required an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and I couldn't play it. I'm not sure if "FarCry" uses Shader Model 3.0 though.

For emulation, it's a great card. Jabo's Direct3D8 uses Shader Models lower than 2.0 (1.4 probably).

Be sure to check the prices before buying one. Anyway, I recommend you to upgrade your system RAM before buying a video card.
 
Last edited:

Crazy!

Road Runner!
Thanks, I'm gonna upgrade my RAM first when I find the right one, which I'll post on the 'Questions about RAM' topic and I might also come on here ask a question or two about the installation process on that other topic two so BEWARE!! haha :p

So you're saying both the Radeon 9600 XT & Radeon X1600 are better than the PRO one but the Radeon X1600 being the overall best and having the latest shader Models...but I'll probably go for the 9600XT one because the other one requires a 350W PSU. Thanks again. ;)

Also I've just looked around and found another card called Radeon 9800XT I'm guessing this is even better than the 9600XT but I can't find full system requirements for it i.e power supply Wattage etc, maybe I could buy this after installing another 256MB of RAM??
 
Last edited:

Jale

Active member
I forgot to mention I was comparing with the X1600 Pro, which is slower than the X1600 XT.

Oh, and about the PSU, there's no problem about it, I think, since the plug has a standard voltage. I think those plugs are composed of two 5V lines (one positive and one negative) and two Ground lines. It's the same for all power supplies.

I'm not an expert on electronic stuff, but I just did what the manual said. The manual didn't say anything about an specific voltage, so I just plugged it in and let it run.
 
Last edited:
Top