Some recommends as I have to upgrade

racass

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I now have to upgrade me graphics card as the games I am beginning to buy are so advanced that it has to be sooner rather than later...plus 2 games i have wont run because of pixel shader problems with card.

When it comes to mobo`s and hdd an other techie stuff thats fine but gfx cards i struggle with so some help is required

Anyway I currently have a geforce 4 mx 440 pci which I upgraded to a few years back from a voodoo 3500 and I would like to upgrade to something that will last for a bit but my budget is £100 maybe £120 max...although personally after looking through reviews I would prefer a gforce 7900 gtx I will have to do with smaller for now, as I have only upgraded my card twice in the 5 yrs I have had my pc i need something that will last a while

I would like something that will play the majority of the latest games around and also supports this pixel shader revolution.
My games spectrum is wide open as I play all styles of games and any help is appreciated on what you have and what is out there for my budget.

I know this questiion has been asked to the death many times....but all help and advice is appreciated.... :)
 

mcnaugha

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Here's my recommendations... but if you have a PCI card at the moment... does your board have "PCI Express" or will you be changing MoBo too?


Gigabyte Silent 7600GT http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=412319

The 7600GT is probably the best Nvidia you'll get for £120. I recommend the slient one because I can't stand how noisy graphics cards can be. I've got an ATI 1900XTX and it's going soon because it's doing my head in.

ASUS EN7600GS TOP (also silent) £100... http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=431452 this is a great buy for the budget conscious. Not only do you get 512MB of video memory, but it's overclocked and should deliver good gaming. I'd like to see some benchmarks of this card pitted against the first card.


ATI suggestions... because ATI focuses more on the shader stuff...

ASUS EAX1600XT £99
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=337844

Ok... there's loads more in your price range... but i think those are the best silent ones. Go to http://www.scan.co.uk/ and use their search facility setting max price to £120.
 

mcnaugha

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If you don't have "PCI Express x16" on your MoBo... then you're best upgrade choice would probably be something from the ranges of cards available here:

ebay.co.uk PCI Cards

The FX5500 is Windows Vista-capable.

If you're not in the UK, you'll need to go to your local ebay.
 

racass

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my mobo an machine spec is

ASrock K7VT4A+
Athlon 850mhz Thunderbird
1Gb Kingston Ram
Geforce Mx 440 Gfx

I know my system is not a super set up and for some reason it runs pretty much all the latest games. I will get round to upgrading as I will change the board to something a bit more decent...........

Is the 7600 GT good for a year or more yet if I was to buy it? and will the bundled software depend on what manufacturer I buy from

Thx for the help so far
 

pauldh

Illustrious
OK, against my better judgement, I am going to assume you are really a new user here and seriously asking a question. You are hoping to find a PCI-e card to fit that motherboard? You can't do that. You have to look for an AGP 8X/4X card. But with a Tbird 850MHz there is no sense in spending too much money. That CPU is way under minimum spec for most of the newer games. Your mobo and memory aren't bad, but the cpu and video card need to go.

Best bet is an all new PCI-e system. If that isn't possible, With a KT400 mobo, I'd look for a cheap AXP 2400+ and Radeon 9700 pro off ebay. That would be the best place to put the money into that system as they can be found for about $100 USD total now. Please don't even think about putting 120 pounds into a video card and keep the TBird 850MHz.
 

racass

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You are correct about me being a new user...as for the mobo is was bought as a cheap replacement as my old mobo blew up so i had to have have a quick fix.....as for the processor thats a different story...

I know its only an 850 tbird but my system plays some of the latest games with no problems, cant figure out why as it shouldnt I dont think.

I know the board could do with upgrading so what is the recommendation on a decent board as well as the card....I have £120 for a card and I can raise money for a board and processor its just the milion $ question of how much....oh and I prefer athlon to intel...........thanks again for your help with this......total newb :D
 

pauldh

Illustrious
Did you replace the RAM when you upgraded the mobo? Is it PC3200 or PC2100? It sounds like you can budget way more than the Cheap used AXP/9700 pro upgrade I suggested, but not high enough to think core 2 duo. Since you are looking to shell out a decent amount of cash for a GPU, it's time to go PCI-e for sure.

Based on our pricing in the USA, a NF4 mobo, A64 3500+, new PC3200 memory if need be, and a 7600GT would be a possibility for you. Here that would cost us roughly $400 ($70 for the mobo, $110 for the CPU, $80 for 1GB mem, and $140 for the 7600GT.) If you can fit X1800XT or 7900GT into that budget...it would be another big step up I'd highly recommend. Also, 2GB mem will help in games like BF2. You will probbaly need a new PSU also.
 

waylander

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I agree that you should probably upgrade to pci-e and probably am2.

You also keep saying that you can play the latest games, which ones? The latest and best tetris sure... FEAR, GRAW and Oblivion... I think not.
 

Cheese

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I put a Geforce 7900GTX in my 286 machine with 1 meg o ram.

I play all the latest games great. Solitaire, Freecell, even Pinball!

I am planning to upgrade to a 50mb hdd soon too so I can install Spider Solitaire.

8O
 

racass

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Thx for the help so far....firstly the latest game I have played on this system is Painkiller, havent tried fear or oblivion but these are 2 on my list to buy.

I have decided that I am going to upgrade and the AM2 mobo seems pretty reasonable and I can pick one up for about £55 dont know if that is reasonable?? As for the processor am I looking at Athlon 64 or Sempron, The athlon x2 looks nice but really cant afford that much.

My memory is Kingston PC3200 ...

I will leave myself at your mercy for the recommendations of a pretty decent gaming system...I will have to use the plastic as well as the cash, stupidly I have just paid out £40 for a 160Gb hdd ata for this system so if I had known before then I would have gone for SATA Hdd.

Thx for your help
 

mcnaugha

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If you can be bothered with "the system" then you can sell all your unwanted computer bits on eBay. This will help you raise cash for new upgrades. eBay and PayPal will take their fees, but if you're lucky you'll get good prices to make it worthwhile.

Remember that AM2 uses DDR2 memory. PC3200 is DDR. You'd need to sell that and then buy DDR2 800MHz.

A complete upgrade, even with lower-end components is still going to be better than what you've got at the moment.

Also consider switching to Intel - the current dramatic price cuts and upcoming VT-less Pentium Ds could put great power in your hands for less than you might have imagined.