What is the best upgrade from a Nvidia 8500 gt graphics card & 300W Power Supply??

[mbhurri]

32bit Windows is a little quirky in the memory management department. It has a hard limit of 4GB, but things don't work quite that way in practice. PCI devices use the last 1GB of the four for address space. And from there it gets worse. If you f.x. install a graphics card with 1GB RAM, Windows will subtract that 1GB from your total memory pool. That's only 3GB in size. In practice you'll end up with 2GB usable RAM. So in practice adding more RAM is marginal at best...

so the DDR3 or 2 makes no difference with my old system?

 

[Insert_Nickname]

so the DDR3 or 2 makes no difference with my old system?

You can't upgrade DDR2 to DDR3. DDR3 uses a differently keyed socket to DDR2 and is very different electrically. There is nothing you can do about that. Other then changing the mainboard...

We're talking about two different things here. Main system RAM (DDR2/DDR3) that's located on the mainboard and graphics RAM (GDDR3/GDDR5) that's located on the graphics card. Unfortunately most manufactures use the term (G)DDR interchangeably, the correct way to refer to graphics RAM is GDDR...

 

[mbhurri]

You can't upgrade DDR2 to DDR3. DDR3 uses a differently keyed socket to DDR2 and is very different electrically. There is nothing you can do about that. Other then changing the mainboard...

We're talking about two different things here. Main system RAM (DDR2/DDR3) that's located on the mainboard and graphics RAM (GDDR3/GDDR5) that's located on the graphics card. Unfortunately most manufactures use the term (G)DDR interchangeably, the correct way to refer to graphics RAM is GDDR...

Ok cool -thanks so much Insert_Nickname for all your help....from what you and others have told me, think I can stretch and run a 7750 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-Graphi...TF8&colid=22D3KQHHA7138&coliid=I2GES792IIYUEF

from my DVI slot with 300W power supply...without unfortunately 4GB RAM (motherboard type - (2GB spare as you said))....
Instead of the 6670 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-Radeon...TF8&colid=22D3KQHHA7138&coliid=I1MIIPT4FR507J


Think these reviews on Amazon have been suading me towards the 6670...but the 7750 from what Ive learnt here will make a difference even on my old system

Thanks so much again for all the advice -going ot order a 7750 tomorrow

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Thanks so much again for all the advice -going ot order a 7750 tomorrow

You will not be disappointed

 

[mbhurri]

Hi again!

Got the 7750 and it seems to be a lot better...but wont get to test it properly, with games for another week..
When the PC starts ups the fan goes really loud until windows is fully loaded and then is silent....is that normal??

Ive also got no sound from monitor now, as the old 8500 GT had a small black and white cable that plugged into the card and there is no equivalent for the new 7750 card.
Ive updated the sound device and graphics drivers and it still wont make any noise..
I have a HDMI and DVI cables going to ther monitor and then a sound cable going to the monitor, from the port connected to the motherboard.....the small black and white (I think this is a sound cable), I have just lopped up out of the way, as there is no where for it to go...but it is still attached, as it is hard to unplug from the board...

Any ideas or help??? would be greatly appreciated (hoping this thread will help anyone else in a similar or same situation)

 

[Lonyo]

The fan thing is normal. The fan goes to max before Windows loads, to make sure the card doesn't burn up, and then when the GPU drivers kick in (when Windows loads) it sets itself to a reasonable speed as per the GPU temp.

 

[DominionSeraph]

When the PC starts ups the fan goes really loud until windows is fully loaded and then is silent....is that normal??

Some video cards will spin up to max on initialization, but not spinning down until windows is fully loaded sounds a bit odd. When you do test it in a game, if it ramps up to high speed immediately upon getting into the game, you probably have a problem with the seating of the heat sink.

 

[Yuriman]

Hi again!

Got the 7750 and it seems to be a lot better...but wont get to test it properly, with games for another week..
When the PC starts ups the fan goes really loud until windows is fully loaded and then is silent....is that normal??

Ive also got no sound from monitor now, as the old 8500 GT had a small black and white cable that plugged into the card and there is no equivalent for the new 7750 card.
Ive updated the sound device and graphics drivers and it still wont make any noise..
I have a HDMI and DVI cables going to ther monitor and then a sound cable going to the monitor, from the port connected to the motherboard.....the small black and white (I think this is a sound cable), I have just lopped up out of the way, as there is no where for it to go...but it is still attached, as it is hard to unplug from the board...

Any ideas or help??? would be greatly appreciated (hoping this thread will help anyone else in a similar or same situation)

Can you take a picture of the cable? My guess is that you now need to plug it into your sound card (or integrated sound card) instead of a passthrough on your video card.

 

[Ancalagon44]

My wife's PC has a 6670 in it, it's a decent card - but realize that it's only about fast as a 2900XT which came out in 2007, so expect to have to start dropping settings in games newer than that.

Surprisingly, not. I find it surprising how slow juggernauts of the past are. A 5770 easily beats an 8800GTX, for instance. Anyway, the link below says that in most cases, a 6670 is a fair bit faster than a 3870, which I think was a little bit faster than a 2900XT. Plus far more power efficient.

Linky

EDIT:

OP, regarding your sound issues, not sure if this is related, but remember that modern graphics cards also output sound over HDMI. So perhaps Windows is set up to use HDMI as the primary sound output?

 

[mbhurri]

Thanks for the replies....thought that might be the case with the fan only when starting up...will have to see when I test it with a higher demanding game.

I got the sound working, using the AMD vision engine software/menu, by asetting my monitor as a default, and then it works fine and then it stops working randomly...??!!....very frsutrating....

So I dotn think its the cable, as it has worked...

the options on the MAD menu for deafault sound devise are, speakers, realtek digital output and the monitor......I set the default as the monitr (as that is where the speakers are) and then it works. Then 10 minutes later it pops up with a little box to configure the sound again, so I go and check and its got the monitor still set as default but the xound isnt working......does anyone know why it might be doing this???

(thought it might be as I have a speaker cable, DVI and HDMI cables going to the monitor, supplying too many choices??....I just dont understand why it keeps going mute, when it has worked and I have not made any changes since when it works.....keeps doing it....)

 

[BrightCandle]

I got the sound working, using the AMD vision engine software/menu, by asetting my monitor as a default, and then it works fine and then it stops working randomly...??!!....very frsutrating....

So I dotn think its the cable, as it has worked...

the options on the MAD menu for deafault sound devise are, speakers, realtek digital output and the monitor......I set the default as the monitr (as that is where the speakers are) and then it works. Then 10 minutes later it pops up with a little box to configure the sound again, so I go and check and its got the monitor still set as default but the xound isnt working......does anyone know why it might be doing this???

(thought it might be as I have a speaker cable, DVI and HDMI cables going to the monitor, supplying too many choices??....I just dont understand why it keeps going mute, when it has worked and I have not made any changes since when it works.....keeps doing it....)

I have a friend who had what sounds like exactly the same problem on the 7970. I don't have a second confirmation of the problem with the detail I require for it being definitely a known bug but I think it is likely a bug. I hope someone knows a solution because he gave up and end up buying an NVidia card unfortunately.

If you have the option to run analog cables to your monitor from your sound card ports and set the sound card as the default device that might be an appropriate workaround.

 

[mbhurri]

I called AMD and their technical advisor told me that it is probably he motherboard BIOS need updating, as there is a communication issue with the port where the graphics card goes into and the older motherboard....does that sound rihgt??

Its really annoying as it works and then it doesnt, popping up with a message to configure the sound, so I do it works, then a few hours or minutes later the same message pops up and then even though the right default is set -its doesnt work any longer...!!!....

 

[Insert_Nickname]

You could try and disable the HDMI sound device in device manager. No guarantees, but it might do the trick.

 

[mbhurri]

You could try and disable the HDMI sound device in device manager. No guarantees, but it might do the trick.

is that the 'high definition audio controller'?? or should I do that under the AMD manager menu thing?

 

[Insert_Nickname]

is that the 'high definition audio controller'?? or should I do that under the AMD manager menu thing?

It should read "AMD High Definition Audio Device".

 

[mbhurri]

It should read "AMD High Definition Audio Device".

Nope, that didnt work, tried disabling both the reltk device and then the AMD High Definition Device...didnt work..

The sound seemed to stay on/be ok, if when the little box message to configure the sound came up, I would press cancel, click the box to not show it again.....but then when the monitor had been asleep, the box would appear again...

most of the time if I pressed cancel it would still be working, but isnt now

I think, as this message box appears twice in a row, one is for the realtek and the other for the speakers (which I havent any plugged in)...and there isnt another as the monitor is set as the default....very irritating problem though

 

[mbhurri]

I have a friend who had what sounds like exactly the same problem on the 7970. I don't have a second confirmation of the problem with the detail I require for it being definitely a known bug but I think it is likely a bug. I hope someone knows a solution because he gave up and end up buying an NVidia card unfortunately.

If you have the option to run analog cables to your monitor from your sound card ports and set the sound card as the default device that might be an appropriate workaround.

Cant give up, determined to make this work...as long as this card plays sim city well! .....the guy at AMD said it was the BIOS on the motherboard or something....so still waiting to hear back from them, as he also said dont touch it without their guidance

 

[frozentundra123456]

Cant give up, determined to make this work...as long as this card plays sim city well! .....the guy at AMD said it was the BIOS on the motherboard or something....so still waiting to hear back from them, as he also said dont touch it without their guidance

Can you just get a cheap pair of external speakers and plug them in to the plug directly to the computer? Dont know if that would work, might be worth a try. If you plug in headphones do you get sound through them??

Edit: I just got a HD7770 and had no problems with audio. I was a bit annoyed though when I went to hook up a second monitor and found there was only one DVI output and no VGA output. So if I want to use my old monitor which has only VGA and DVI inputs I have to get a HDMI to VGA or DVI adapter of some sort.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Cant give up, determined to make this work...as long as this card plays sim city well! .....the guy at AMD said it was the BIOS on the motherboard or something....so still waiting to hear back from them, as he also said dont touch it without their guidance

This sounds awfully odd. What exact make/model is your monitor?.

Edit: I just got a HD7770 and had no problems with audio. I was a bit annoyed though when I went to hook up a second monitor and found there was only one DVI output and no VGA output. So if I want to use my old monitor which has only VGA and DVI inputs I have to get a HDMI to VGA or DVI adapter of some sort.

Just run the DVI monitor off the HDMI port and the VGA off the DVI port. It'll cost a few bucks for the requisite adaptors though. Didn't the GFX come with a standard DVI-to-VGA adaptor?. They usually do...

 

[mbhurri]

This sounds awfully odd. What exact make/model is your monitor?.



Just run the DVI monitor off the HDMI port and the VGA off the DVI port. It'll cost a few bucks for the requisite adaptors though. Didn't the GFX come with a standard DVI-to-VGA adaptor?. They usually do...

Its a HP w2207h monitor....Asus were useless, they fobbed me off to contact HP as it an M2N68-LA not an M2N68...so going to try there later..

Seems to happen when the monitor has gone to sleep and then I awake it again (yhe little box pops up each time, and usually 2 in a row (think for the other 2 options))....like the 2 other ports are trying to configure, even though Ive already configured it to the monitor

 

[mbhurri]

Can you just get a cheap pair of external speakers and plug them in to the plug directly to the computer? Dont know if that would work, might be worth a try. If you plug in headphones do you get sound through them??

Edit: I just got a HD7770 and had no problems with audio. I was a bit annoyed though when I went to hook up a second monitor and found there was only one DVI output and no VGA output. So if I want to use my old monitor which has only VGA and DVI inputs I have to get a HDMI to VGA or DVI adapter of some sort.

Yeah I will try that, as I do have a 5.1 speaker system I need to hook up and see if it will just be fine with that -will let you know how it goes

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Seems to happen when the monitor has gone to sleep and then I awake it again (yhe little box pops up each time, and usually 2 in a row (think for the other 2 options))....like the 2 other ports are trying to configure, even though Ive already configured it to the monitor

Found this on HP support:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...veCategory&cc=dk&dlc=da&lc=en&product=3543988

I don't know if its related, but it seems like a firmware update might be required.