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Geek Culture / Any advice on a good graphics card?

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Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 11:02 Edited at: 27th Aug 2010 11:06
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Hey, my computers graphics card is getting really dated.
I brought this graphics card many years ago because it had something along the lines of 'Pixel Shader 2.0' so i could play MTW.
What i have atm would make a gamer most likley cringe now, it has (if i remember right) 128mb of memory, i cant find the box atm but X5500 or something rings a bell.

[edit] i found it in DXDIAG, its radeon X1550 series

My system specs are:
2GB of RAM (not sure what type of ram, once again windows 7 seems to be too vague)
Pentium(R) Dual-Core 2.60GHz processor (E5300 is its number)
im running on windows 7 32bit.

So can anyone tell me what good graphics card i can get, without spending a bucket load?

Smoke me a kipper, ill be back for breakfast.
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PAGAN_old
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 13:34
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radeon HD5870

dont hate people who rip you off,cheat and get away with it, learn from them
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heyufool1
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 17:16
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What's your motherboard?

"So hold your head up high and know, it's not the end of the road"
Impulse Game Engine
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Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 17:27 Edited at: 27th Aug 2010 17:30
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Quote: "What's your motherboard?"

how do i find out w/o physically inspecting

Quote: "radeon HD5870"

found it on amazon, it looks very nice, can you vouch?

Smoke me a kipper, ill be back for breakfast.
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heyufool1
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 17:47
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Quote: "how do i find out w/o physically inspecting"

Try using Everest.
(Download Page)

Also, I use a Radeon HD 5770, while not as good as the 5870, it can still run most games maxed (Can't run crysis at full resolution and maxed AA). It also cost a little bit over $100 less then the 5870.

Here's the exact card I use: PowerColor Radeon HD 5770

"So hold your head up high and know, it's not the end of the road"
Impulse Game Engine
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Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 18:44
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$151 is a very good price.

Smoke me a kipper, ill be back for breakfast.
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heyufool1
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 18:47
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Quote: "$151 is a very good price."

Indeed it is, but I'm not sure if either of the cards are compatible with your motherboard.

"So hold your head up high and know, it's not the end of the road"
Impulse Game Engine
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Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 18:52
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Quote: "Try using Everest."

Been trawling around this app for a few min and it seems very well done.
Under Motherboard - Motherboard i get this info:

Field Value
Motherboard Properties
Motherboard ID 63-0100-009999-00101111-061609-Bearlake$G31T-AM_
Motherboard Name Acer EG31M

Front Side Bus Properties
Bus Type Intel AGTL+
Bus Width 64-bit
Real Clock 200 MHz (QDR)
Effective Clock 800 MHz
Bandwidth 6400 MB/s

Memory Bus Properties
Bus Type Dual DDR2 SDRAM
Bus Width 128-bit
DRAM:FSB Ratio 10:6
Real Clock 333 MHz (DDR)
Effective Clock 667 MHz
Bandwidth [ TRIAL VERSION ] MB/s

Chipset Bus Properties
Bus Type Intel Direct Media Interface

Motherboard Manufacturer
Company Name Acer Inc.
Product Information http://us.acer.com/acer/product.do
BIOS Download http://us.acer.com/acer/service.do
Driver Update http://driveragent.com?ref=59
BIOS Upgrades http://www.esupport.com/biosagent/index.cfm?refererid=40

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Aaagreen
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 19:07
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Download CPU-Z. It gives you details for each seperate ram stick, motherboard, pro`cessor (including current speed) and graphics card.


I'd love to see things from your point of view but I can't get my head that far up my bum.
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heyufool1
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 19:10 Edited at: 27th Aug 2010 19:13
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Well I can't really find any info on your motherboard but from what I can tell it supports PCI Express x16. So, that means you should be able to run these cards at full speed:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600007852&IsNodeId=1&name=PCI%20Express%20x16
(The link is giving me troubles)
Although PCI Express 2.0 cards are backwards compatible with PCI Express x16, but you won't get the full speed as you would if the slots matched. So the other cards mentioned (HD 5770 and HD 5850) should be compatible with your motherboard BUT they will not run at max speed. It would also be good to check if your power supply can handle a newer card.

"So hold your head up high and know, it's not the end of the road"
Impulse Game Engine
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Aaagreen
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 19:15
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Motherboard

I'm assuming Acer built the PC.

Anyway, it isn't the motherboard that is important, it's the power supply. You'll need to take a look at the side of the PSU to find that out, so physical inspection is unavoidable.


I'd love to see things from your point of view but I can't get my head that far up my bum.
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Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 19:21 Edited at: 27th Aug 2010 19:23
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yeah its from acer, i got it at christmas cos my old pc didnt support windows 7, then i just added some extra ram and entered my old graphics card (because the one that came with the pc was worse)

do u just want to know the wattage of the CPU? and while im down there is there anything else you need to know?

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heyufool1
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 19:23
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Quote: "do u just want to know the wattage of the CPU?"

No, the Wattage of the PSU. Example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153132 It's a 750 Watt PSU, that's the important info.

"So hold your head up high and know, it's not the end of the road"
Impulse Game Engine
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Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 19:30 Edited at: 27th Aug 2010 19:31
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sorry i ment PSU, typo.
Ill look in 10mins, i gota clear some space in my room to get my pc in so i can look at it.

Smoke me a kipper, ill be back for breakfast.
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Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 20:48
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I am back!, it looks like i accidently lost the cable for my speakers (you dont wana know how many cables are behind my pc).
But dont fear, i have the info(i think).
(i didnt write down the chinese bits)
Model: DPS-250AB-22 D
rev: 06F
Input: 220v - 240v ~ 12.15a 50Hz
Output: 250w MAX

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heyufool1
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 21:18 Edited at: 27th Aug 2010 21:19
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Ok 250 Watt Max is a problem. The Radeon HD 5770 Requires a 450w PSU minimum. So both cards that have been mentioned so far are out of the picture. To be honest I don't think there are any cards you can really put in there that would be any substantial improvement. So in my opinion you have 3 options:

1. Don't Upgrade
2. Get a new PC
3. Upgrade motherboard and PSU

"So hold your head up high and know, it's not the end of the road"
Impulse Game Engine
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Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 27th Aug 2010 21:21
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Thanks for your help, im going to look around then for some good deals that have those requirements, more saving up needed though =/

Smoke me a kipper, ill be back for breakfast.
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Aaagreen
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Posted: 28th Aug 2010 00:20
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So basically, you need a new motherboard, processor, power supply, ram and graphics card.

It'd be cheaper to buy all of those than buying a new pre-built PC.


I'd love to see things from your point of view but I can't get my head that far up my bum.
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heyufool1
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Posted: 28th Aug 2010 00:47
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Quote: "processor, ..., ram"

Why new processor and ram?

"So hold your head up high and know, it's not the end of the road"
Impulse Game Engine
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Lemonade
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Posted: 28th Aug 2010 03:32 Edited at: 28th Aug 2010 03:32
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Check out this GFX card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-150-467&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=3#scrollFullInfo

$95 for a DX11 card that can run most games on max! =O

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heyufool1
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Posted: 28th Aug 2010 05:33
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Quote: "Minimum 400 Watt or greater Power Supply Requirement"

He only has a 250 Watt PSU.

"So hold your head up high and know, it's not the end of the road"
Impulse Game Engine
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Lemonade
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Posted: 28th Aug 2010 08:41
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Missed that part. I have heard of several people who run this with 300W, but I wouldn't recommend it...

Time for a PSU upgrade?

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creator of zombies
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Posted: 28th Aug 2010 16:43
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It all depends on what resolution you play your games at, and the speed of your processor. If you game at 1600x1200 or below, then I would suggest a ATI 4870 1GB which will handle all modern games at max settings. The 1GB of DDR5 memory will also hold its own at resolutions such as 1920×1080 when you have AA and AF applied.
However, when buying a new graphics card, you must also consider your CPU and PSU. For the 4870, don't get any less than a 520W, and also go for a high-standard such as corsair (The corsair 520W is great and provides penty of stable power). CPU wise, depending on your resolution, a 2.6Ghz E5300 will prove to be quite a bottleneck on your GPU if you game at anything below 1600x1200. You will still see a big performance increase, but you wont be getting the most out of your card, especially in modern games at lower resolutions. I would suggest that you sometime in the future invest in at least a 3Ghz Dual core (or quad) to keep you golden in the next year or two.

CoZ

-Demon Sun: Lead Developer-
Dead Man's Cradle: Lead Developer
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PAGAN_old
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Posted: 31st Aug 2010 21:07
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if you get a good graphics card make sure the PSU is no less than 600w. a weak/bad psu can degrade your system over time and cause major problems. and break your hardware. so dont be cheap on PSUs buy a good brand powerful expensive psu that costs no less than 100 bucks

dont hate people who rip you off,cheat and get away with it, learn from them
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Fatal Berserker
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Posted: 31st Aug 2010 21:59
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Yeah, im gona have to leave it a bit though to make some more money. Im probably going to assemble it myself though this time, i just have never wanted to before cos i have feeling ill just snap the motherboard lol ^^.

Smoke me a kipper, ill be back for breakfast.
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