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Few questions about upgrading my video card

J

johnxstone

Junior Member
I'll try to keep this as short as possible... I'm not a heavy gamer, but I would like to be able to play newer games with reasonable settings. My current specs are as follows...

HP A15010N
ASUSTek NAGAMI2 Motherboard (NVIDIA GeForce 6150/nForce 410/430 MCP)
300W PSU
AMD Athlon 64 3800+ (Venice)
1.5GB DDR PC3200 Dual Channel (2x512/2x256)
ATI x600 All-In-Wonder
2x SATA Harddrives (200GB/160GB)
DVD +/- RW Drive

And I'm considering getting this...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121031

My questions are as follows...
1. Is this a worthwhile upgrade?
2. (a) Will I have enough power to run it?
2. (b) If not, is it possible for me to use a 2nd PSU (off to the side, jerry-rigged) just for the card?
3. Just looking for a ball park on how long this will allow me to play newer games.

Thanks,
John
 
If you look at the specs for that specific video card, it requires a minimum of a 450 PSU. Therefore you would also have to upgrade your PSU. I think the card is overkill for your needs. I would get the eVGA 7600GT and leave it at that.
 
450-Watt power supply or greater, 30 Amps, 12 volt rail is recommended (assumes fully loaded system)

Thank you for the response but I'm able read the specs. I was looking for actual, real world, experience based input. I've used the PSU requirement calculator and come in at about 280W, if that matters.
 
No need to be snippy but you did ask whether you would have enough power and by the numbers, no you won't. As far as jerry rigging PSU's, you'd be better off just buying a better PSU and installing it on your computer. Will the card be worth the upgrade? Sure, everything will be faster and prettier. How long will it last you for newer games? Well it's already falling behind (http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics....lx=33&model1=519&model2=607&chart=204) and when DX10 comes out, it'll be that much farther behind. I think your best bet is to wait till bargain DX10 comes out.
 
You did not specify the model or the age of your psu. Many cheaper psus cannot be expected to put out their rated power. The older it is, the more degraded it is as well (all psus degrade over their lifetime, some faster than others).

If you look, you can almost always find deals on decent psus in the $40-60 range.

DX-10 doesn't mean anything unless you are going to run Vista soon.

Save a little more on the vid card if your budget is tight (NE has a 1950gt for $120AR) and upgrade your psu.
 
I bought an XFX 7600gt a couple of months ago after my EVGA 7800gtx died and I will buy an 8800gts soon. The 7600GT has worked fine for me. it can play most games at a fairly high detail level (BF2142, Oblivion, HL2, Farcry, Test Drive Unlimited, etc.) When I bought the 7600GT it was around $140 USD.
 
"I'm not a heavy gamer, but I would like to be able to play newer games with reasonable settings."

Solution:
Buy a 7800GS.
 
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