5 Year Old Card Dead - Need Replacement Info

[walkure]

Hello,

My old (2005 built) system has been freezing lately after about 1-2 hours of usage (no response to mouse or keyboard input). Now it doesn't even make it into Windows.

Today I opened the case and noticed that the fan on my Leadtek 6600GT video card isn't spinning. So, I think I need to replace it. I simply need advice on a cheap replacement ($100 max, but hopefully $50-$75 or less), as this is an old system only used for basic tasks (i.e. no modern gaming).

Will my Asus A8N SLI Deluxe motherboard support PCI Express 2.0 x16 cards? On Newegg there are 408 cards in that category, but only 9 for PCE Express x16 (i.e. without the "2.0").

I cannot find this info in my manual or the Asus website.

Asus A8N SLI Deluxe mobo:
http://usa.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=e1h9yUaMZAsTwIEN

Leadtek PX6600GT TDH GeForce 6600GT 128MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814122201

Thank you AT!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Any old PCI-E card should work. Look into 8400GS, if all you need is a desktop card.

 

[Termie]

The HD4350 is often recommended for people in your situation: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127436. I've actually used this exact card in a build for basic home use. At $28 after rebate, it's in your price range, although it has been cheaper in the past. Sounds like you need it now, of course.

You won't have a problem running a PCIe 2.0 card in your 1.0 slot. It's backwards compatible.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Any PCI-E card should work because PCI-E 2.0 is backwards compatible with PCI-E 1***, but I'd advise getting a newer card, with newer features, over an older one like an 8400GS. Look into an HD 5450, HD 5550, HD 5570, GT 220, GT 240, GT 210, GT 430, and other low end cards.

Now if you're doing some old school gaming, you will probably want something that at least matches your 6600GT. This means you should look at second tier cards - like the HD 5550 or GT 220 - and not first tier cards - like the HD 4350, 5450, GT 210. In some cases these first tier cards aren't any faster than a 6600GT, while second tier cards are decidedly faster.

***On occasion some 1.0 motherboards do not work with 2.0 cards.

 

[Termie]

Any PCI-E card should work because PCI-E 2.0 is backwards compatible with PCI-E 1***, but I'd advise getting a newer card, with newer features, over an older one like an 8400GS. Look into an HD 5450, HD 5550, HD 5570, GT 220, GT 240, GT 210, GT 430, and other low end cards.

Now if you're doing some old school gaming, you will probably want something that at least matches your 6600GT. This means you should look at second tier cards - like the HD 5550 or GT 220 - and not first tier cards - like the HD 4350, 5450, GT 210. In some cases these first tier cards aren't any faster than a 6600GT, while second tier cards are decidedly faster.

***On occasion some 1.0 motherboards do not work with 2.0 cards.

If you're willing to deal with a big rebate, this GT240 for $65 (or $35 AR) is an amazing deal. This is a 9600gt-class card, but uses very little power: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814261060. It's the fastest of the cards listed by abelincoln and ironically among the cheapest.

 

[walkure]

If you're willing to deal with a big rebate, this GT240 for $65 (or $35 AR) is an amazing deal. This is a 9600gt-class card, but uses very little power: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814261060. It's the fastest of the cars listed by abelincoln and ironically among the cheapest.

Thanks for this recommendation. For the price it looks very good. I certainly don't want anything weaker than my current 6600GT. I like games but only very rarely. I'm not even sure which of the newest games my system could handle. However I still enjoy some old games.

With my 5+ year old AMD Athlon64 3200+ (2.0Ghz) CPU and 2GB DDR400 RAM on the Asus A8N SLI mobo, just how limited is my system? How much overall benefit could I get I were to spend a bit more on a higher model, such as:

GTX460 - $200 range (indeed more than I'd like to spend)
GTS450 - $129.99 range (slightly more than my planned budge but acceptable if there is enough benefit)
GT440 - appears to be OEM only
GT430 - $60-$80 range on Newegg (seems like a good compromise on price)

 

[toyota]

there is really no point in anything much stronger than a gt240 with an old single core cpu. the gts450 and especially gtx460 would be laughably wasted on your cpu and the gt430 is slower than the gt240. I would just get the gt240.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

You would be better off getting a GT 240, or other $50-$80 card, and upgrading to a dual core, like a 3800+, than spending your inflated budget entirely on the video card.

 

[-Slacker-]

Plus one on the gt240

 

[evolucion8]

GT240 or Radeon HD 5450 if you are a video junkie.

 

[bubapapua]

You also can choose the GeForce 9600 GT or GeForce 9800 GT. Now, the price of the GeForce 9800 GT for about $90 - $100, you can use this video card for various purposes, and (perhaps) if one day you want to play 3D games (newest), the video card is still pretty strong. I think this is a very good investment.

 

[Termie]

You also can choose the GeForce 9600 GT or GeForce 9800 GT. Now, the price of the GeForce 9800 GT for about $90 - $100, you can use this video card for various purposes, and (perhaps) if one day you want to play 3D games (newest), the video card is still pretty strong. I think this is a very good investment.

Sorry, but the 9800gt for $90 is overpriced and not a good solution. The 9600gt is EOL. I notice that nearly all six of your posts so far have recommended these two cards, but this advice is a bit outdated.

 

[evolucion8]

Sorry, but the 9800gt for $90 is overpriced and not a good solution. The 9600gt is EOL. I notice that nearly all six of your posts so far have recommended these two cards, but this advice is a bit outdated.

But his system was built on 2005, which CPU he may have? A Pentium D? A low end Athlon X2 5600+ Doesn't worth the investment of anything faster than a HD5670.

 

[Termie]

But his system was built on 2005, which CPU he may have? A Pentium D? A low end Athlon X2 5600+ Doesn't worth the investment of anything faster than a HD5670.

That's why I suggested a $35 GT240.

 

[walkure]

Bought the $35 (after rebate) Palit GT240 from Newegg. Thanks all. I'll let you know how it works out later this week. My first priority is simply getting the computer working again! I hope I've diagnosed the problem correctly (i.e. dead fan on current video card).