Considering a New Video Card

[MDNos]

Okay basically i have a pretty old system that i recently decided i wanted to upgrade.

Ive been playing 2d games for years but i finally decided to try out WoW with my friend ( i know i know ) and i wanted my computer to perform a little more satisfactory to the standards of running it at a recommended level.

Right now i have a NVIDIA GeForce 5500 fx.

Im running wow in the open world at about 10 Fps max.

This is the mainboard im using which is fairly old.

http://i135.photobucket.com/al...hateverness/UO0140.jpg

and a little about my cpu

http://i135.photobucket.com/al...hateverness/UO0142.jpg

So the problem im having is i want to know what video card options i have with the main board im using now.

I wouldnt want to have to go the route of getting a new motherboard and video card right now because im only working with 512 ram so before i get the video card im going to buy 2g of ram first but before i went into buying anything i wanted to see if theres even a decent top of the line videocard capable of working with my system.

And right now i dont know the specs on my PSU but i can post that later when needed.

Any help is really great im not the best at knowing the specifics of computer hardware i just know the general info about it, im basically looking to run wow at what i hope i can achive at least 40-60fps if i have to go that low

 

[Cookie Monster]

Wow an nforce 3 board. Times have gone real fast fosho.

I guess finding a 6800GT/X800XT would be quite an upgrade over the FX5500. AGP is quite dead so your options are limited to few available cards that are still selling for retail (expensive), or buying ones that are used. Id say try looking for the following cards (performance of the cards increase as you move along the list)

9700/9800pro, 6600GT, 6800GT, X800XT/XL 7800GS AGP, X1950PRO AGP, HD3850 AGP (the last three cards are probably overkill for your system and way too much $$$ to justify upgrading a ~6 year old system)

edit - Id say instead of upgrading your PC, try saving up to buy a completely new one. Even with a low budget, the new PC will definitely blow doors off your old one.

 

[MDNos]

Haha yeah you know i kind of laugh when posting it because the pc is so old that ive never had a problem with it playing all my old games but now as i try the new ones its like... a real dissapointment to face the reality of any low market pc now a days pretty much takes the cake on what i have.

I figured if i could do the lazy route i would see what card would fit my motherboard, but than i think about it and consider the idea that if i were to buy a nice video card for it i suppose it wouldn't be worth it because when i go to upgrade my mainboard it would defeat the purpose.

 

[ther00kie16]

don't get x800/x850 (only shader 2.0 and many new games require 3.0 or higher). geforce has had 3.0 since 6000 series.
ebay has a lot of choices. i'd start with 7600/7900gs (was there an agp 7600gt?). also look for some x1600/x1650/x1800/x1900.
i hate looking up old video cards on ebay since there were all those different extensions (xl, xt, gt, gto, xtx) that some people would put on the end of the number (x1800gto, which btw was unlockable to a x1900).
actually, it may be easier to start looking at newer cards (3650/3850, 2600). There's talk of a 4650/4670 agp coming out so maybe wait a little as the 4600 cards are very fast (on par with 3850).

 

[lavaheadache]

Originally posted by: ther00kie16
don't get x800/x850 (only shader 2.0 and many new games require 3.0 or higher). geforce has had 3.0 since 6000 series.
ebay has a lot of choices. i'd start with 7600/7900gs (was there an agp 7600gt?). also look for some x1600/x1650/x1800/x1900.
i hate looking up old video cards on ebay since there were all those different extensions (xl, xt, gt, gto, xtx) that some people would put on the end of the number (x1800gto, which btw was unlockable to a x1900).actually, it may be easier to start looking at newer cards (3650/3850, 2600). There's talk of a 4650/4670 agp coming out so maybe wait a little as the 4600 cards are very fast (on par with 3850).

False, the x1800's of any flavor do not have dedicated shader units and cannot be flashed to an x1900.

 

[MDNos]

So what about if i try to ditch the video card idea...

and.

whats a good buy right now for pcs?

as far as companys producing decent computers for around say 6-800 dollars?

 

[ther00kie16]

well, i don't want to argue about such an old video card but go google his x1800gto unlock.
as for $600-800, I'd say get one of those ~$400 Dell e7400 pc + 20" lcd deals (though there doesn't appear to be one like that now, only 19"). Make sure to get the deal with the regular size case rather than slim case. The e7000 series cpus from Intel are monster overclockers so pick up an aftermarket heatsink (anything with heatpipes should do). Also get a hd4670 (most powerful card without need for pci-e power connecters), which performs about as well as the 3850, the most powerful agp card. And when you are getting a Dell, consider upgrading stuff until it's $499 because then you get free shipping.

 

[Arkaign]

Read Denithor's post in this thread : http://forums.anandtech.com/me...erthread=y&STARTPAGE=1

 

[Denithor]

Just rebuild your innards instead.

AMD PhII 720 + Foxconn A79A-S combo $247 - $34MIR
G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2-1066 $41
Gigabyte 4870 1GB $200 - $30MIR
WD6401AALS Caviar Black $80
OCZ 500W PSU $60 - $20MIR

Total: $628 - $84 = $544

WoW really needs a lot of CPU muscle & RAM to run properly, GPU is somewhat important too because of your high resolution. This is the best balance of CPU & GPU you're likely to find and much more powerful for the money than you'll find from any of the OEM builders.

You could save a bit by going with an Intel dual-core instead (and the same other parts above).

e5200 (2.5GHz, 2MB cache) $73
ASRock G41M-LE $62

Total: $516 - $50 = $466

And you could also trim that video card if your budget is really tight:

Powercolor 4830 $90 - $15MIR

Intel total: $406 - $35 = $371
AMD total: $518 - $69 = $449

 

[Denithor]

Originally posted by: ther00kie16
well, i don't want to argue about such an old video card but go google his x1800gto unlock.
as for $600-800, I'd say get one of those ~$400 Dell e7400 pc + 20" lcd deals (though there doesn't appear to be one like that now, only 19"). Make sure to get the deal with the regular size case rather than slim case. The e7000 series cpus from Intel are monster overclockers so pick up an aftermarket heatsink (anything with heatpipes should do). Also get a hd4670 (most powerful card without need for pci-e power connecters), which performs about as well as the 3850, the most powerful agp card. And when you are getting a Dell, consider upgrading stuff until it's $499 because then you get free shipping.

What're you smoking these days? I want some!



Dells don't overclock...their BIOS is locked so you have no options for boosting the FSB.

 

[ther00kie16]

You serious Denithor?
I recall people reporting 3.0ghz overclocks on the q6600 PCs from Dell. Have they really locked the BIOS now?
Well, if they do, just buy a cheap $50 board.

 

[s44]

Originally posted by: Denithor
Just rebuild your innards instead.

AMD PhII 720 + Foxconn A79A-S combo $247 - $34MIR
G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2-1066 $41
Gigabyte 4870 1GB $200 - $30MIR
WD6401AALS Caviar Black $80
OCZ 500W PSU $60 - $20MIR

Total: $628 - $84 = $544

Mostly good, but a 4870 will need better power than the cheap high-ripple under load StealthXtream. Spend a bit more on the Corsair 550W instead, and you're still under budget.

This sort of build will be so much better than your current setup that you may cry.

 

[imported_wired247]

AGP is too uncommon/ expensive unless you are looking at old used cards.

System Rebuild Imminent. Almost anything you could build, at any budget, would be better than what you've got.


That said, if you can pick up a used 6800GT or 6800Ultra or something for cheap, that would be a decent upgrade. Those cards can still run WoW at reasonable fps.

 

[wjgollatz]

Stop.

Try the Eve-Online demo. www.eveonline.com Its like WoW, but spaceships shooting at each other, and better.

 

[A554SS1N]

If all you intend to play is wow, I see no reason to pay out for a completely new system; just getting one of the AGP graphics cards mentioned seems fine tbh.

 

[Denithor]

Originally posted by: ther00kie16
You serious Denithor?
I recall people reporting 3.0ghz overclocks on the q6600 PCs from Dell. Have they really locked the BIOS now?
Well, if they do, just buy a cheap $50 board.

Dell has always locked their BIOS against overclocking. Why the hell would they want some computer-illiterate monkey tinkering with settings they have no idea about and then calling tech support to complain their system overheated & died?

The only way to OC a Dell is with the BSEL mods. Which can work but are above the level I'd suggest for most new builders. And if you're going to buy a new motherboard to drop in the Dell - entailing a complete rebuild & Windows going ape shit on you - why not just build it from scratch from the start?

:beer:

 

[MDNos]

Originally posted by: Denithor
Just rebuild your innards instead.

AMD PhII 720 + Foxconn A79A-S combo $247 - $34MIR
G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2-1066 $41
Gigabyte 4870 1GB $200 - $30MIR
WD6401AALS Caviar Black $80
OCZ 500W PSU $60 - $20MIR

Total: $628 - $84 = $544

WoW really needs a lot of CPU muscle & RAM to run properly, GPU is somewhat important too because of your high resolution. This is the best balance of CPU & GPU you're likely to find and much more powerful for the money than you'll find from any of the OEM builders.

You could save a bit by going with an Intel dual-core instead (and the same other parts above).

e5200 (2.5GHz, 2MB cache) $73
ASRock G41M-LE $62

Total: $516 - $50 = $466

And you could also trim that video card if your budget is really tight:

Powercolor 4830 $90 - $15MIR

Intel total: $406 - $35 = $371
AMD total: $518 - $69 = $449

So this drives me away from AGP

Yeah i really like the AMD setup, and that gets me away from AGP only question i have left because its been a while since i have torn apart my computer and rebuilt obviously, is there any other things i should be concerned with such as warranty's, cords, tower size, right now i think i have about a midsized tower and the motherboard is pretty huge its like dinosaur style in there, barley fits lol.

I just wanna make sure because im not so keen on computers that i can look back on this to make sure im doing things right.

and the single core processor is fine for now and i can possibly upgrade later to whatever i want with this mainboard?

 

[MDNos]

.

 

[Denithor]

Check to make sure you've got an ATX motherboard in there already (how many PCI slots does it have?) and everything should fit fine. And what single-core processor are you talking about? The two options I presented are an AMD Phenom II X3 720 (triple-core) or an Intel e5200 (dual-core). Either way a considerable upgrade from your current system, I think you'll be satisfied whichever option you choose (and you could even go with the 4830 video card to save more cash and upgrade just that part in a year or two when it starts chugging).

 

[Qbah]

He's running on a FX5500 now for Pete's sake! That card was terrible on the day it was launched.

I'd say go the e5200 and HD4830 route. You will be blown away by the difference. It's like changing from walking 20km to work everyday to teleporting instantly to your working chair. Seriously.

And all that for what? 370-ish $ ? Go for it man and don't look back.

 

[MustangSVT]

what 2d games did you play? do you plan to play other new games as well? if yes, total upgrade makes more sense. otherwise, just get a used 6800gt

 

[KingstonU]

Wow I just switched from almost the exact same system (AMD 3200+, Nforce3 Board, FX5200) that I got 4 years ago to my new Q9550, ASUS P5Q Pro P45, HD4870.

That's a good recommendation for you for ~$1000 or less (bought my parts a few months ago). Full rig in sig.