GFX Help!!

[RBO]

Hi guys.. New to the forum and I'm looking for some advice and maybe a little bit more knowledge.

In a previous topic a resident stated that:

BEST PCI-E CARD FOR UNDER $100: TIE
Geforce 7600 GS
Codename: G73, 90 nanometer technology
12 PixelShaders, 5 VertexShaders, 12 TextureUnits, 8 RasterOperatorUnits
128-bit memory bus
400 Mhz core, 400 Mhz DDR (800 Mhz Effective) Memory

With identical features compared to it's faster 7600 GT brethren, the 7600 GS lacks only the core and memory clockspeeds - however, the GT's clockspeeds are so much higher that the GS pales in comparison. Nevertheless, the 7600 GS is a good performer in the sub $100 segment vs. the X800 GTO and X1650 PRO.

Sounds good to me.. Does any one know the Power Supply it requires? I also need to know how to find out my own and what to actually write down.

My main reason for my search is my old card is slowly dying and the overall performance of my PC is now lacking.

My Current Card is: NVIDIA GeForce 6200 TurboCache 512mb and I feel it is slowly burning out!

Any help would be really appreicated!!

~Rb

 

[mpjesse]

what kinda system you got there? you may just want to wait for nVidia's sub $100 DX10 card that is supposedly coming out when R600 comes out (march)

 

[Anoobis]

I believe the newer X1650Pro trumps the 7600GS now. Cleeve hasn't updated his list yet.

Read the label on the side of your power supply for MAX wattage and 12V Amperage. You may have a 12V1 and 12V2 listing but I doubt it.

A good 400W PSU could handle either card easily.

 

[RBO]

I have a Dell Dimension 5000.. Intel Pentium 4 .. 3.00GHz pfft? just need to know if my computer would actually handle it.. when is that new card going to come out?

~Rb

 

[Slava]

If you are uncomfortable opening your PC case and poking around inside, get the Service Tag number from your PC case, go to the Support Section of Dell web site, enter the tag number in the appropriate field then check your system specifications. Your power supply should be listed there.

If not, then do what Anoobis said.

 

[Anoobis]

Word on the street is that you've got a model #N305P-00 power supply which is a 305 Watt unit with dual 18A 12V rails. That should be the unit's actual wattage output, not it's MAX wattage output. It has enough juice to run either card. I don't believe it has a PCI-E power supply line to plug into a PCI-E card, but the PCI-E versions of the 7600GS and X1650Pro are powered by the PCI-E slot and do not require additional power from the PSU.

The X1650Pro is available. I'm guessing you're in the U.K.

Here's a nice H.I.S. one.

Although for the same price, you can get this BFG 7600GT which is a much better card than the X1650Pro or the 7600GS. The 7600GT doesn't require additional power from the PSU either.

Here's the cheaper 7600GS.

 

[Slava]

you've got a model #N305P-00 power supply which is a 305 Watt unit with dual 18A 12V rails.

Yeah, sounds about right.

 

[cleeve]

I believe the newer X1650Pro trumps the 7600GS now. Cleeve hasn't updated his list yet.

You're right, but both the X1650 PRO and 7600 GS are still in the list.

I'm leaving the 7600 GS in there because even though the X1650 PRO will beat it most of the time, the 7600 GS isn't that much slower, and depending on availability and pricing I want people to know it's an option.

I reckon a good quality 300w power supply is the least I'd use with one of those cards, assuming the CPU isn't overclocked. A Dell 300w should do it because on average they underrate their PSUs from what I've seen and heard.

A 400 watter would be better tho.

 

[Anoobis]

My bad. I just didn't see the X1650Pro as it surely is there, as clear as day.

Sorry.

On second thought, no. You're a lying, godless bear who just edited the list to cover the error I discovered and you should be put to sleep and incinerated.[/Colbert]

 

[RBO]

Thats great!!! All the infomation i needed.. What is a reliable place I can purchase a card from?? Im looking at the BFG 7600GT would you say this would be the best bet?? Is it good for gaming and also overal computer performance?? I won't need additional power, just simily slotted in?

Another quick1 the main reason for my urge for a new card is the repetitive shutting down due to unresponsive windows drivers.. IS this the graphics card?? Its not going to affect my decision as my gaming and games are limited due to poor Frames Per Second!

~Rb

 

[Anoobis]

Where to buy, depends on where you live. I've heard a lot of people recommend Overclockers UK on these forums. If you're in the U.S., it's hard to beat Newegg all around. ZipZoomFly would be a good second choice.

Regarding your other problem. More info is needed before we can help.

 

[RBO]

I play games that obviously are too powerful for the card..

I often get the 'Blue Screen' with an error message stating that windows was stuck in an infinitive loop. Which I can only guess is due to the card. Once I got an error message actually come up that said 'Windows driver was not responding...' but wasn't quick enough to catch any more of it.

~Rb

 

[Anoobis]

Sounds like you should do a fresh install of Windows XP or download and run DriverCleaner Pro.

 

[RBO]

Why might I need to install Windows again? What would it do?

~Rb

 

[RBO]

Refreshing Topic!??

~Rb

 

[Anoobis]

Windows has a knack for bloating itself overtime if it isn't properly tended, which is something the average user isn't aware of. Previous driver versions, spyware, unnecessary programs taking up resources, etc...

The re-install may be an unnecessary step at this point. It can also be a hassle since you may not have a Windows XP installation disk. You may have to create recovery disks from a hidden partition, or you may already have a recovery disk that came with the system. These will return your system to the original state as when you bought it. Which may not be much better because most OEMs load their home systems with a bunch of bloatware to begin with.

Try downloading the free version of Driver Cleaner Pro and see if it helps. It is recommend to do anyway when you change driver sensitive hardware like graphic cards. Then defrag the machine and use the Disk Cleanup utility located in the Accessories folder of the Programs menu.

Follow this order once you've received your new graphics card:

Run Disk Cleanup
Uninstall the drivers for your current graphics card
Run Driver Cleaner Pro
Remove the old card from the machine and put the new one in
Install the new drivers for the new card

You may also want to check the website's for your computers other hardware and see if there are any drivers available for them as well. Check with Dell and see if there are any driver updates for the motherboard, sound, NIC, etc...and install them too.

Run Driver Cleaner Pro one more time after you've done all of the above.