Looking to upgrade my graphics card

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yrsocrazy

Junior Member
Mar 29, 2011
7
0
0
hey this is my first time posting here. I like to play a lot of games on my pc but I have been only using the integrated graphics so far which has been pretty limiting in terms of what I can play. I did a little looking around trying to decide what kind of card I would like to get and I have it down to these 2 choices

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeo.../dp/B0035K6H2C

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100284VXL Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

I think I'm leaning towards the first one a bit more, but if you have any suggestions of something better in a similar price range let me know.

Anyways, I'm using a fairly old rig and I am just wondering if I would be able to use this card properly with it. Here are the specs:
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.100216-1441)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Gateway
System Model: 510 2900353
BIOS: BIOS Date: 01/23/04 19:02:20 Ver: 08.00.10
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.00GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 1006MB RAM
Page File: 677MB used, 1747MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode

I'm planning on upgrading the ram and processor in the futuer but right now I only have the money for the card. Will I be able to run modern games decently with just these specs and the upgraded graphics card?

(also, I know this isnt the section but if you would be able to tell me what kind of processor would be compatible with this computer that would be great too)
Thanks :D
 
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yrsocrazy

Junior Member
Mar 29, 2011
7
0
0
insurgent said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-348-_-Product

Cheapest GTX 460 1GB I can find in newegg is around 180+? That would be good too.

edit:
Regarding the CPU, it would be better to save up and buy a new system I think, rather than upgrading just that processor... and I just found this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-476-_-Product
Click to expand...

Do you know of any fairly priced mid range systems that will be able to run games decently? I'm not really tech savvy so I would rather not build my own.
 
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insurgent

Member
Dec 4, 2006
133
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You should really start building your own now, it will certainly save you more money down the line, at the very least you can have the best bang for you buck. I'm not really up to date right now, I'm sure the others here can help.. or you can try http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/
 
cusideabelincoln

cusideabelincoln

Diamond Member
Aug 3, 2008
3,268
11
81
It looks like you don't have a PCI-E slot, so for all intents and purposes upgrading the video card is out of the question as new video cards would not be compatible.

You are really best off saving up and buying a new computer at once. Your current one is simply too old to upgrade - to upgrade cost effectively.
 
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yrsocrazy

Junior Member
Mar 29, 2011
7
0
0
So I was looking around and I found this card.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161315

Its pretty cheap and it seems to have good reviews so I think I'm going to end up just getting that for now. I will save up so I can just get a whole new system in the future. As for bulding my own, I don't know if I would trust myself to do that without messing something up. and I was looking on walmart and they have a thing where you can build your own http://www.walmart.com/ip/Build-Your...ng-PC/15374646
so i might end up doing that.
 
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yrsocrazy

Junior Member
Mar 29, 2011
7
0
0
cusideabelincoln said:
It looks like you don't have a PCI-E slot, so for all intents and purposes upgrading the video card is out of the question as new video cards would not be compatible.

You are really best off saving up and buying a new computer at once. Your current one is simply too old to upgrade - to upgrade cost effectively.
Click to expand...

no im pretty sure this one has a slot, I had a really older card in it before but I found that using the intergrated graphics worked better lol
 
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insurgent

Member
Dec 4, 2006
133
0
0
Yeah the 4670 is a huge upgrade from integrated video, best check if you still have an agp slot like cusideabelincoln said, my P4 had PCIe but it's better to be sure. If money is really tight maybe second-hand is an option for you.
 
1h4x4s3x

1h4x4s3x

Senior member
Mar 5, 2010
287
0
76
Build your own! :thumbsup:
You'll save tons of money, avoid garbage components and ugly cases.
It's not as hard as you imagine it to be and you can always ask questions or look around in the interwebs for HOWTOs.
 
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yrsocrazy

Junior Member
Mar 29, 2011
7
0
0
cusideabelincoln said:
Your BIOS date says it's from 1/23/04. I don't think PCI-E was mainstream at that time; it was just starting to arrive though.

http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/510Series/2900353/2900353cl2.shtml
http://support.gateway.com/s/MOTHERBD/Intel2/2520914/2520914nv.shtml

That link has a picture, presumably of your motherboard. That's an AGP slot, not a PCI-E slot.
Click to expand...

oh really? then I might be screwed lol. I will have to open it to check again. Thanks for the help :)
 
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yrsocrazy

Junior Member
Mar 29, 2011
7
0
0
So I just checked and it is indeed an AGP slot! Thanks alot you most likely just saved me some money and heartbreak lmao.

I still would like to get a card to be able to use just until I get a new pc though. Any suggestions for ones that might be able to play current gen games (even if not at max)?
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...2172&CatId=318

I saw this one when searching google

Edit: I saw this one on craigslist for 45 bucks.
http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-HD3850-512MB-Graphics/dp/B00145CQUC

this should fit in my pc right? if it does I will probably get it.
 
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cusideabelincoln

cusideabelincoln

Diamond Member
Aug 3, 2008
3,268
11
81
You'll struggle with any new games. That card should work, but you should look to spend as little as possible.

Really I'd suggest going on eBay or some other used site and looking for old, cheap cards. Here are model numbers to check out

Radeon: X1600, X1650, HD 2600
Geforce: 6600, 6800, 7600

Whatever you can find the cheapest is what I'd recommend.
 
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betasub

Platinum Member
Mar 22, 2006
2,677
0
0
Eww, AGP. Definitely not worth spending anything other than the bare minimum on the used/resale market. Even the fastest AGP cards are considered slow today (albeit a step up from old P4 era integrated graphics!). OP's P4 system isn't going to handle much other than old-school, legacy games. Get saving for a full system replacement!
 
Cerb

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
33
86
The bottom link really matters, but I included needed steps, in case anyone wants to confirm/disprove (getting there took a little Google-fu).
http://support.gateway.com/support/supinfo/index.asp?pg=2&file=510series.html
http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/510Series/2900353/2900353cl2.shtml
http://support.gateway.com/s/MOTHERBD/Intel2/2520914/2520914nv.shtml

Yup, AGP. A P4 3GHz w/ DDR (865G?) and AGP...nice when it was new, old as dirt and not worth putting money into today. If you really want to add a card, go for it, but the drivers will not be performance-optimized, the GPU itself will suffer from expecting the higher bandwidth and generally superior access to main RAM of PCI-e, and your CPU/RAM will bottleneck any game from about '04/'05 onwards (anything equal to or more detailed than HL2 or Doom 3 will struggle, if it's playable at all).

I'd second the used Geforce 6-series and Radeon X1-series recommendation, if not just saving up for a $5-800 new PC. Also, if you get an older card, it might not hurt to also get older drivers, for performance/features.
 
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