Best Video Card for a Rig with Stock Power Supply?

[Smoolean]

Hello everyone,

I will surely get flamed for this topic, but it's an honest question, and I really wouldn't know where else to begin. I tried various searches with Google, but didn't find what I was looking for.

I've got a Vista HP rig from 2007. It's dual 2.4ghz AMD, 2GB RAM, with integrated graphics, and an empty PCI x16 slot.

I'd like to become a casual gamer again so I'd like to drop a dedicated card into my machine. I don't know much about hardware, and I don't feel like investing in a new power supply or anything other than a video card.

Are there any video cards that offer "good" (I won't be playing THE most demanding games, maybe some of the new C&C titles or sports games or older FPS) performance that don't need a special power supply? Is there such a video card that exists that would fit my description? One that I can just plop in, maybe install some drivers, and be done, and notice a huge performance increase?

If anyone knows any online articles about this subject that I missed on Google, that would be greatly appreciated, but direct feedback would be even better

*EDIT* - If it helps, price isn't really an issue, because I know the limiting factor of no special power supply will limit the price for me


Thank you so much,
These forums have helped me so much in the past,
Peace,
Brad

 

[happy medium]

Can you give me the specs of your power supply?
At least the model # of your HP system?

Then I can tell you what card to buy.

 

[Smoolean]

Hi happy medium,

Thanks for the help, I knew I missed something in the first post! The model number of my HP system is a1730n. I'll try to search around and find out the specs of my power supply, but you'll probably be able to figure that out much faster .

 

[Smoolean]

I just found the following quote on the following page about my rig:

If you want to play any modern games, get at least a nvidia 7600GT which at this time is the best bang for the buck for graphics cards. The 300W power supply will handle the 7600GT but anything more may cause lock ups or random reboots due to a lack of power.

http://reviews.pricegrabber.com/desktop/m/32673067/

Can anyone here vouch for that statement's validity, haha? Thanks again, all.

 

[IL2SturmovikPilot]

Thats a OLD Review,a lot has changed since then,a HD 3650,HD 2600XT or 8600GT would be your best bet,they're good for non-demanding games,though i don't know how well with the newer C&C games coming out,they should handle most if not all current sports games and older FPS'es like HL2 and FEAR quite easily.

 

[happy medium]

It seems you have a 300 watt psu with a 18 amp 12v+ rail.

Its funny I was just in a thread where the guy had a stock Dell with a quad Q6600 cpu (major power draw compared to your duel core AMD) with a 350watt psu with 18 amps on his 12v+ rail and we recommended him a 8800gs/9600gt.

heres the thread..

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=31&threadid=2166631

I'd say the same for you looks like a 8800gs/9600gt will work for you also considering you only have a duel core cpu.

The 8800gs is on sale at newegg for 139.00$ plus a 30 dollar rebate 109.00$ dollars shipped after rebate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150275

Just don't overclock anything :thumbsup:

Edit: if you want something cheaper that uses less power try a 8600gts.
Your power supply will easily handle that card. It's about as good as a 7900gt. The 8800gs is twice as fasts though!

8600gts 99.00$ plus 20 dollar rebate ..79.00$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814141064

 

[bryanW1995]

:thumbsup: for 8800gs 384. that $109 price tag is a smokin' deal on a very good card!

 

[thestain]

that deal on the XFX is not that smokin.. 1.4 ns memory versus e-geforce 8800 GS that uses 1.0 ns memory from Samsung.. not sure what the more expensive XFX uses, maybe 1.2ns??

anyway.. for $10 more much better memory on the evga gs.

 

[SorryImLate]

I just got my EVGA 8800GS and it says on the box "400w power supply with a minimum of 26a on the +12v Rail". Maybe the XFX is different?

 

[Smoolean]

Originally posted by: happy medium

if you want something cheaper that uses less power try a 8600gts.
Your power supply will easily handle that card. It's about as good as a 7900gt. The 8800gs is twice as fasts though!

8600gts 99.00$ plus 20 dollar rebate ..79.00$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814141064

Money isn't really an issue in my decision. My biggest issue is having just as stable a machine with the new video card as I do now with integrated. The fact that you said my power supply will easily handle the 8600gts, makes me want to choose it just for that fact alone.

So with regards to the 8800gs or 9600gt, I don't mind paying more, but will those create a less stable rig, or will they take many years off the life of my power supply?

Thank you for all the help so far everyone! It is greatly appreciated.

 

[v8envy]

If money isn't the limiting factor -- upgrade your PSU! First thing I did in my old hpaqs when upgrading video. HP doesn't overspec the PSUs because that would cost them money.

You can pick up a quality PSU like the Antec Earthwatts 500 or Coolermaster 550 for around $50 AR. Replacing a PSU is pretty much a no-brainer, HP uses standard form factor PSUs. Then your options open up quite a bit.

The reason NV and ATI specify a '400 watt' psu is the optimistic ratings on some of the white box PSUs. They die if asked to provide even half their rated capacity, taking boards and other components with them.

Open up your case and see who made that PSU. If it's Delta feel free to plop in a 3870, it'll handle it. Ditto 8800GT, 9600GT, etc etc. Another question is: does your PSU have a 6 pin PCIe plug? Your CPU is rated at 65 watts, leaving over 10 amps for the GPU and other. It's enough, OEM PSUs from the likes of Dell and HP run at rated capacity.

 

[s44]

Originally posted by: v8envy
If money isn't the limiting factor -- upgrade your PSU! First thing I did in my old hpaqs when upgrading video. HP doesn't overspec the PSUs because that would cost them money.

You can pick up a quality PSU like the Antec Earthwatts 500 or Coolermaster 550 for around $50 AR. Replacing a PSU is pretty much a no-brainer, HP uses standard form factor PSUs. Then your options open up quite a bit.

:thumbsup:

 

[GEOrifle]

Don't compare DELL's 350w PSU with HP's 300w because DELL uses QUALITY parts with high amperage and even better than some stitty 700w PSU's from brand manufacturers.

 

[toyota]

I have the HP a1730n and have been using the stock psu with an 8600gt for nearly a year. To be honest you would be pushing your luck with anything more powerful than an 8600gts. The 300watt psu that HP uses can come from 3 different companies and only has 19amps on the 12v. It is NOT a high quality psu and running a card like an 8800gs or 9600gt would not be advisable for long term reliability.