Upgrading my PC

I believe it is time to upgrade my main pc now. Ive used it for 2 and a half years and only began to upgrade it recently.

My Specs:
Dell XPS Gen 3 Desktop
Intel P4 Prescott (I think) 540 3.2ghz 800mhz fsb 32bit cpu
Intel 925x based mobo
1gb (2x512mb) DDR2 533mhz RAM PC2-4200
ATI Radeon X800se 128mb PCI-Expressx16 gpu (Dell OEM version)
Teac DVD+RW burner and Lite-on SHM-165S (i think) lightscribe burner
Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS 5.1 Sound Card (OEM Version)
460watt PSU
160gb Seagate hd
linksys wifi card

Thats all I'll give without delving into a listing of my copious peripherals

Ive been having minor issues with my current sound card: It doesnt play any 3d sound under EAX, and it doesnt work with my 5.1 speakers properly. My GPU is good enough for some games but not really up to par when compared with the modern generation of GPUs.

I was thinking of upgrading three things: RAM, GPU and Sound
Another Gig of RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145526
plain Corsair one gig; two sticks

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130056
an EVGA 7900gs: Price is more important than performance: want to step up from a 7600gt but dont want to go along with the price bumps sure to come with the upcoming 8800gs, 8600gt, etc. I can play up to 1600x1200 on my dell 20" lcd woot, Im planning to play F.E.A.R., COH, COD1 and 2.

Sound Card (im sure quite controversial):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6829127002
thats right not a creative (ive read very good reviews of this card). I use sennheiser HD212 headphones for most uses[/img]

I have several questions regarding my upgrading:
1. My current GPU gets its power from the bus. What kind of power connector do I need to power a 7900gs? I looked around in my case and found a 6 pin power cable:

2. Should I get the 2-Dimm package of RAM or should I go for a 1gb stick?
I dont think Ill ever need to upgrade the RAM again, by the time this upgrade has run its course, ddr3 will be standard anyhow.

3. In what order do I uninstall the physical card and drivers for my sound card and GPU (this is my most pressing issue) What program do I need to remove the old drivers? I have driver cleaner pro.
Most importantly the order? uninstall drivers then card or vice-versa? Install card then drivers??

I would like to order these parts in a day or two so I would appreciate your quick responses:

P.S. I know this thread is a little OT (its under GPUs) but I wanted one place that I could check and write back to.

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Why, gosh-darn thank you for all of the quick responses

Reply to billdcat4

fun!

Reply to billdcat4

The next time you find yourself on public transport or an aircraft, sitting
next to someone who cannot resist chattering to you endlessly, I urge you to
quietly pull your laptop out of your rucksack, carefully open the screen
(ensuring the irritating person next to you can see it), and hit this link

http://www.thecleverest.com/countdown.swf

Reply to billdcat4

repost

Reply to billdcat4

PC2 4200 isn't bad, and 2 gigs sure as hell ain't bad. Less sticks is optimum but where as your not conformantly upgrading to faster ram, go for the cheapest (1 or 2 dimms, whichever). You won't notice much of a gain.

eVGA 7900GS, why not? Good company. That 6-pin will often plug into the rear of it. On occasion, you find a 7900 that will take two connectors. Rare as I've seen although.
It's always good to use a brute force driver cleaner when changing videocard drivers. I recommend you download Driver Cleaner then uninstall the drivers through the ATI uninstaller. Restart in Safe Mode (this is to ensure that what is left of the ATI drivers doesn't load), and run Driver Cleaner.
More info and step by step about videocard driver removal and Driver Cleaner here: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=965852

The soundcard outputs a clear 192khz sound @ 7.1. Sounds good. However; Creative's X-Fi Gaming edition is about that much. Food for thought.

Make sure you know about your PSU's +12v rail amperage rating.

Reply to blacken

Quote :

The next time you find yourself on public transport or an aircraft, sitting
next to someone who cannot resist chattering to you endlessly, I urge you to
quietly pull your laptop out of your rucksack, carefully open the screen
(ensuring the irritating person next to you can see it), and hit this link

http://www.thecleverest.com/countdown.swf

Heh. :lol: That would be one jumbo jet full of frantic suicidals. Kinda got me shook up wondering what was about to happen.

Reply to blacken

thanks for the help

I dont want to mess with Creatives drivers again, I have quite the grudge against them

Reply to billdcat4

I dont know my PSU's ratings except that it is 460watt
dunnno how I would find out... Ill contact dells xps online thnagy now thnx

Reply to billdcat4

nope theyre closed

IF ANYONE IS OUT THERE? WHAT AMPERAGE RATING DO I HAVE ON MY DELL XPS GEN 3 460watt PSU????

thnx

Reply to billdcat4

Yes i would add 'PSU' to the list of things to upgrade Dell tends to skimp on the important things :?

Reply to Valtiel

I think I have a non-standard PSU; its crammed into a very small space

besides what do I need a new one for, my current one is fine right?

Reply to billdcat4

Your 7900GS is going to claim 21amps. Though you may get away with 20a, it's always good to have the clearance for stability and topped out performance. PSU's are cheap anyhow. :wink:
Hope I helped man.
GL

Reply to blacken

My PC could have been configured with a x800xt, dell uses a 375watt psu in their XPS 400 series which can be configured with up to a 7950gx2!!

So, do you think my PSU will be able to cater to the needs of a powerhungry 7900gs???

Reply to billdcat4

Over time the PSU's +12v rating has increased for more power hungry CPUs and GPUs. 2 or 3 years ago, a 500w PSU's max +12v rating was from 15 into the 20's.

Reply to blacken

I know how you feel man.
Call Dell when they are open and ask them what the '12 volt rating on my 460w generation 3 PSU is'. And say it really slow as most of them are foreign and can't understand much english. Easier-->Either that or open your case and look for a graph on the PSU itself.<--Easier

Reply to blacken

I contacted a dell rep and got this:

Jonathan, I checked the specification we do not have the Exact Amps information about the 12 Volt connector, but it is designed for a computer and the Amps would be enough for the computer Devices.

glee!

But, yes, I have the complete Amps information, it is 50 to 60 Hertz.

thats all he gave me

hes checking if the evga 7900gs would be compatible with my PSU, dont ask me how

"fixed-voltage power supply — 110 V at 50/60 Hz

manual selection and auto-sensing power supplies — 90 to 135 V at 50/60 Hz; 180 to 265 V at 50/60 Hz; 100 V at 50/60 Hz for Japanese computers"

And the Video card is not compatible with this computer, Because of the Power supply, The Power would not be enough for the card. Basically hes speaking through his a@#. He says it wont work.

He does say that the BFG 7600gt will be compatible

As I understand you need specification with regards to the 460 watt Power supply am I correct?
2:12:32 AM You yes
2:12:49 AM Gautam_01114437 Okay.
2:14:09 AM Gautam_01114437 Jonathan, could you please elaborate the question, what rating do you need?
2:14:17 AM You the 12 volt rating
2:14:22 AM You measured in amps
2:14:38 AM Gautam_01114437 Okay.
2:14:59 AM Gautam_01114437 You need to Amps for the 12 Volt connector, am I correct?
2:15:02 AM You yes
2:15:39 AM Gautam_01114437 May I place this session on hold for 2-3 minutes, while I research my resources for the best possible solution?
2:15:44 AM You yea
2:16:09 AM Gautam_01114437 Thank you.
2:20:50 AM Gautam_01114437 Thank you for staying online.
2:20:59 AM You mmhmm
2:21:49 AM Gautam_01114437 Jonathan, I checked the specification we do not have the Exact Amps information about the 12 Volt connector, but it is designed for a computer and the Amps would be enough for the computer Devices.
2:22:30 AM You do you have a complete list of power supply specifications
2:23:10 AM Gautam_01114437 No, I don't.
2:23:32 AM You do you have any power supply specifications
2:23:41 AM Gautam_01114437 But, yes, I have the complete Amps information, it is 50 to 60 Hertz.
2:23:57 AM You is that all you have?
2:24:21 AM Gautam_01114437 I apologize, but yes.
2:24:37 AM You thank you
2:24:41 AM Gautam_01114437 I can get more information but that might not be accurate.
2:25:24 AM You wherefrom?
2:25:31 AM Gautam_01114437 Jonathan, are you looking forward to upgrade any Part on the computer?
2:25:56 AM You yes
2:26:05 AM You the graphics card
2:26:21 AM Gautam_01114437 Okay
2:26:21 AM Gautam_01114437 To which card?
2:26:51 AM You EVGA 7900gs
2:27:11 AM You requires at least 20 amps on the 12 volt rail
2:27:21 AM Gautam_01114437 Let me check if this card would be compatible with the current Power supply.
2:27:21 AM Gautam_01114437 Okay.
2:29:53 AM Gautam_01114437 I am checking the same, please give me 2 more minutes.
2:30:04 AM You thank you
2:32:53 AM Gautam_01114437 This is the only Information about the power supply that I have.
2:33:03 AM Gautam_01114437 http://support.dell.com/support/ed [...] #wp1052939
2:33:27 AM You what did you find out about its compatabilty?
2:33:43 AM Gautam_01114437 And the Video card is not compatible with this computer.
2:33:47 AM You why?
2:34:32 AM You why not?
2:34:43 AM Gautam_01114437 Because of the Power supply.
2:34:51 AM You what part of it?
2:35:23 AM Gautam_01114437 The Power would not be enough for the card.
2:35:48 AM You the watts?
2:35:58 AM You 460 watts isnt enough
2:36:04 AM Gautam_01114437 Could be.
2:36:04 AM You or is it the amps?
2:36:48 AM You could you check the BFG 7600gt for compatability?
2:36:54 AM Gautam_01114437 The card is not compatible with this computer
2:37:04 AM Gautam_01114437 Even if we upgrade the Power supply, we might face issues in Future.
2:37:14 AM Gautam_01114437 Sure.
2:41:45 AM Gautam_01114437 It will be compatible.
2:41:56 AM You the difference being?
2:43:16 AM Gautam_01114437 The 7600GT is a Mid range card.
2:43:33 AM You and thus it requires less of what?
2:44:07 AM Gautam_01114437 I am getting more Information.
2:44:11 AM You thnx
2:46:06 AM Gautam_01114437 The 7600 GT does not require an External Power at the 7900 GS.
2:46:53 AM You But my computer DOES have a external power connecter that is compatible with the 7900gs
2:47:08 AM You is that the issue?
2:47:17 AM Gautam_01114437 Yes, but that is not enough.
2:47:37 AM Gautam_01114437 It will work, but you might face issues, like No video, games locking up.
2:47:47 AM You because of?
2:47:57 AM Gautam_01114437 Less Power to it.
2:47:58 AM You you know the exact issue?
2:48:15 AM You well thank you for your help
2:48:48 AM Gautam_01114437 Sir, as per the specification of the XPS GEN 3, the 7900 GS is not a card for it.
2:48:54 AM You thank you
2:48:58 AM Gautam_01114437 Jonathan, the 7600 GT will work.
2:49:05 AM You thank you

gleeful I am not, I might have to get a 7600gt instead.

Does anyone know what kind of performance increases I could see from upgrading to a 7600gt (my current card is equivalent to a 6600gt.)

love and hate for all

Reply to billdcat4

Ive decided to tone down the upgrade, I have no choice seeing as the 7900gs is incompatible with my PC .

Im getting the BFG 7600gt and the 1gb of Corsair RAM, dropping the sound card.

Reply to billdcat4

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/v [...] 0gs_6.html

The 7900GS is about the least power hungry card in it's class. It does use more than the 7600GT.

You know, it's a wimpy 460W to not support a 7900GS. They may just be wrong about it. Ask them if it supports a GF6800 Ultra. They use more power than a 7900GS, but I wouldn't be supprised if Dell tells you that yes it's OK.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/v [...] wer_2.html

Reply to pauldh

You know I dont think that their issue was with my power supply's wattage rating... I think it was about the amps on the 12v rail they just didnt know it.

Heck I wish I could have a 7900gs, but I really dont want to have to RMA it if it doesnt work.

Reply to billdcat4

maybe I should just order both cards and RMA the loser

Reply to billdcat4

A 350W PCI Express compliant system power supply (with 12V current rating of 20A or more)

thats about the BFG 7600gt that according to Dell should work fine

Minimum of a 400 Watt power supply.
(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 20 Amps.)

thats the 7900gs which doesnt work? They both require 20+ amps on the 12volt, but the 7900gs requires a 400watt PSU while I only have a 460watt

help? Why would the 7600gt work but not the 7900gs?

Reply to billdcat4

Since they seem to be lazy and retarded, open up the case and check it out for yourself. A voltage graph is most usualy on the side or bottom of the PSU. As for a 7600GT @ 20a or a 7900GS @ 20a, the GS will suck a bit more wattage; 460w will be plenty. You just gotta open that thing up.

Dell appears to be running down the road with both hands covered over thier ass.
" but it is designed for a computer and the Amps would be enough for the computer Devices." What in the hell else is it used for?

Reply to blacken

Unfortunately for me the PSU is encased in the bottom compartment of the case, and I cant see any way of getting to it apart from taking apart my whole case

Im stuck between the 2 gpus

Reply to billdcat4

If dell's issues with the 7900gs are because of the wattage rating not the amps then I dopnt see why it wouldnt work... Ive got plenty of watts, and the 7600gt requires the same amperage as the 7900gs.

no glee

Reply to billdcat4

My two cents....and speaking from experience having tried unsuccessfully to run a Sapphire x1900xt card (2 cards RMA'd, one for artifacts, one for plus-85C load temps in tandem with a 200 point drop in 3DMark06 score) in my Gen 3 with a 460W power supply:

Aside from the power supply question (with dual +12v rail amp ratings @ 18A each being a critical minimum) is case heat buildup with a high wattage video card like the x1900xt card. I seriously question whether the 8400 case design - and lack of exhaust fans - will NOT affect performance of the x1900xt(x) - assuming it'll even boot up. While it's true Dell uses RMS watt ratings for the power supplies, if the +12v rail amps aren't at least 17A each you can expect problems - assuming it will even boot up if your +12v rail amps are less than 17.

XPS Gen 3, 3.6 GHz processor, 2 GB 533 RAM
SB Audigy2 ZS, Altec ADA745 4.1 speakers
80 GB SATA HD, CD/RW, DVD-ROM
eVGA 7900GTX 571 AR OC'd 700c - 900m, 5292 3DMark06 score
MX-518 mouse, CH 568 Combatstick USB, CH Flight Sim Yoke USB
Dell Multimedia KB, Dell 2001FP monitor,
460W Power Supply w/dual 17 amp +12v rails, A07 BIOS

looks as if ive got 17amps on dual 12volt rails

what does that mean and will I be able to run a 7600gt???

Reply to billdcat4

My two cents....and speaking from experience having tried unsuccessfully to run a Sapphire x1900xt card (2 cards RMA'd, one for artifacts, one for plus-85C load temps in tandem with a 200 point drop in 3DMark06 score) in my Gen 3 with a 460W power supply:

Aside from the power supply question (with dual +12v rail amp ratings @ 18A each being a critical minimum) is case heat buildup with a high wattage video card like the x1900xt card. I seriously question whether the 8400 case design - and lack of exhaust fans - will NOT affect performance of the x1900xt(x) - assuming it'll even boot up. While it's true Dell uses RMS watt ratings for the power supplies, if the +12v rail amps aren't at least 17A each you can expect problems - assuming it will even boot up if your +12v rail amps are less than 17.

XPS Gen 3, 3.6 GHz processor, 2 GB 533 RAM
SB Audigy2 ZS, Altec ADA745 4.1 speakers
80 GB SATA HD, CD/RW, DVD-ROM
eVGA 7900GTX 571 AR OC'd 700c - 900m, 5292 3DMark06 score
MX-518 mouse, CH 568 Combatstick USB, CH Flight Sim Yoke USB
Dell Multimedia KB, Dell 2001FP monitor,
460W Power Supply w/dual 17 amp +12v rails, A07 BIOS

help me

Reply to billdcat4

oh good a repost ....

should I just get a 7600gt, and will that work???

NOW!!

Reply to billdcat4

Quote :

XPS Gen 3, 3.6 GHz processor, 2 GB 533 RAM
SB Audigy2 ZS, Altec ADA745 4.1 speakers
80 GB SATA HD, CD/RW, DVD-ROM
eVGA 7900GTX 571 AR OC'd 700c - 900m, 5292 3DMark06 score
MX-518 mouse, CH 568 Combatstick USB, CH Flight Sim Yoke USB
Dell Multimedia KB, Dell 2001FP monitor,
460W Power Supply w/dual 17 amp +12v rails, A07 BIOS

So this dude is apparently running a 7900GTX and your PSU has 2 rails @ 17amps. If I were you, I'd find one more source about the PSU just to coil the information. If it's true that you have 2 rails @ 17a, your on your way to 7900GS heaven. I'd think you should be fine; not to mention that this guy even has the GTX overclocked.

Reply to blacken

2 rails @ 17a doesn't =34amps together, yet it should be over 22amps combined easily. This is your PCI-E +12v bus combined with that 6-pin connector.

Reply to blacken

I was wondering how he copuld have a 7900gtx since I cannot have a 7900gs...

Sweet Jesus I think im good

Reply to billdcat4

:lol:
Your alright.

Reply to blacken

itskrom-

I've got all the info you need. I had to actually remove the psu to see the specs sticker. Here's what it says:

+5v= 35 0A
+12v_A= 17 0A
+5vfp= 2 0A
+12v_B= 17 0A
-12v= 0.8 A
+3.3v= 40 0A

The +12v is 34 amps, so we're fine for the xtx. I think I might wait and see Nvidia's next card, though.

what does this mean? Does this say dual 17amps? So im good right?

Reply to billdcat4

Quote :

2 rails @ 17a doesn't =34amps together, yet it should be over 22amps combined easily. This is your PCI-E +12v bus combined with that 6-pin connector.

Together they may put out around 25.
+12v A (rail 1)
+12v B (rail 2)

Yeah though, looks like your set. Have fun.

Reply to blacken

Quote :

2 rails @ 17a doesn't =34amps together, yet it should be over 22amps combined easily. This is your PCI-E +12v bus combined with that 6-pin connector.

Together they may put out around 25.
+12v A (rail 1)
+12v B (rail 2)

Yeah though, looks like your set. Have fun.

glee! just wondering now If I should go for the sound card...

Reply to billdcat4

I have passed the unpassable barrier of 100! I am now able to bring forth from the undead.... MY AVATAR....

its from a tshirt im wearing now...

quote: "Its all fun & games until the flying monkeys attack"

Reply to billdcat4

lol man
I'd get the soundcard with it. Don't think the card will use that much juice.

Reply to blacken

It wouldnt be about the power it would be the cash... oh hell Ill probably get it.
Im done with college applications, regents, SATs, SAT 2s, APs, Midterms....

might as well screw around with computer games

Corsair 1gb ram $98
EVGA 7900gs GPU $155 ($20 MIR)
Bluegears Sound card$109

total: $362

glee? heck its not that bad.... I just wish I could benchmark my system w/ 3dmark 05 but I cant dl it. My dl bandwidth is too slow and my crappy router would conk out in the middle leaving me stranded... wish i had a torrent of it...

Reply to billdcat4

Quote :

Corsair 1gb ram $98
EVGA 7900gs GPU $155 ($20 MIR)
Bluegears Sound card$109

total: Priceless

Reply to blacken

Hey thanks for the help .....

Ive just got to convince my dad to lend out the credit card...

gonna order another gig of ram for his Dell Inspiron 8600 (Kingston), a 50pack of verbatim dvdr s, and a router.... kinda caught between the Dlink 4300 and the Buffalo WHR-HP-G54.

We now have a crappy Verizon supplied one that only cost 15 bucks...
I guess the... damn I dont know

anyhow have a good one

Reply to billdcat4

Get the d-link for the router. I own a d-link and I've had good experiences with it. Its been working solid for about 3 1/2 years.

Also, the 7900gs should definitely work, but don't assume that you really get 34 amps. I don't know a lot about power supplies, but i do know that if you have a duel rail PSU, you can't simply add the two rails. I think duel 17amps would be about 28-30 amps in total, so if you decide to upgrade your graphics card again in the future, don't buy one that recommends more than about 30 amps.

Reply to Konut

hey thanks.... but what Dlink do you have that works so well?

the 4300 fancy shmancy one?

Reply to billdcat4

I can tell you from actual experience... one of my friends just got a 7950 GT for his 3.6GHz Dell XPS gen 3 and it works great.

Reply to AndonSage

Quote :

The next time you find yourself on public transport or an aircraft, sitting
next to someone who cannot resist chattering to you endlessly, I urge you to
quietly pull your laptop out of your rucksack, carefully open the screen
(ensuring the irritating person next to you can see it), and hit this link

http://www.thecleverest.com/countdown.swf

I shouldnt be laughing but that is kinda funny :lol:

Reply to blade85

Yea Im just waiting until it gets back into stock at Newegg... it says the 2nd....
The whole time I was deciding over it, it was in stock, but now its out for 4 days

Anyhow I just ran 3dMark05 on my pc and it got 3584. Of course I have no idea what that means but I think its safe to assume that after upgrading I'll see around a 150 percent increase in performance.

My Full Specs: Dell XPS Gen 3 Vintage from 8/04
Intel Pentium 4 Prescott CPU 540 3.2ghz 800mhz fsb
1gb (2x512mb) PC4200 DDR2 RAM
160gb Seagate 3.5" internal HD 7200rpm
Two Western Digital 80gb external 3.5" hard drives 7200rpm
Western Digital Mybook 500gb external hard drive
Lite-On SHM-165S 16x DVD+-RW Lightscribe DVD burner internal
Teac 8xDVD+RW Internal dvd burner
460watt Power Supply with Dual 12 volt rails each with 17 amps
Intel 925x based motherboard
ATI Radeon X800SE 128mb (thats what I bought it as, Catalyst and 3DMark05 recognize it as the X800GT)
Dell 2001FP 20" LCD 1600x1200 16ms Display
Creative Audigy 2 ZS 5.1 sound card
Sennheiser HD212 Stereo Headphones
Dell 5650 5.1 speaker system
Logitech MX3100 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse (MX1000)
Linksys WMP54G 802.11b/g wifi card
OCZ Rally 1gb USB Key (1st generation)
Sandisk Cruzer Micro 512mb USB Key

My Dad's PC: Dell Inspiron 8600
Intel Centrino 725 1.6ghz
512mb (2x256mb) 333mhz PC2700 RAM
ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 128mb Graphics Adapter
15.4" Widescreen WUXGA 1900 x 1200 LCD
60gb 2.5" internal Hard Drive
Two Western Digital 320gb External Hard Drives
Western Digital MyBook 500gb Premium External Hard Drive
Sandisk Cruzer Micro 256mb USB Key
Sandisk Cruzer Micro 512mb USB Key
EP Memory 1gb USB Key
Adata 2gb USB Key

Its good to be thorough eh?

However in good time there should be some upgrades including:
Kingston 1gb (1gb x 1) PC2700 RAM 333mhz for the Laptop
Corsair 1gb (512mb x 2) PC4200 533mhz RAM for the Desktop
eVGA 7900gs 256mb GDDR3 Graphics Card
Bluegears B-enspirer Sound Card Oxygen HD Processor 7.1 DTS

lovely...

Reply to billdcat4

Ah yes How could I forget...

The Sound...
All more of my dad's stuff
Sennheiser HD590 Stereo Headphones
2 more Sennheiser HD212 stereo headphones
Panasonic AE700 Projector up to 720p
Projected on 93" Screen
Klipsch 5.1 speaker system
Denon Upconverting DVD Player DVD1910
Canon A520 4.0 Megapixel Compact Digital Camera
Canon Digital Rebel 6.3 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera

glorious revolution

Reply to billdcat4

Unending Glee!

Magically the eVGA 7900gs came back into stock 4 days early and I took action.

See, it pays off to be obsessive about checking these things!

Reply to billdcat4

I just want to make sure I know what to do to install my parts
here is what im planning on doing

1. Shut off pc, open case install RAM, turn on make sure it boots ok (should I use a program to check it? memtest?)

2. Go to Device Manager and uninstall Drivers for my sound card (Creative SB Audigy 2 (WDM)), then go to add/remove programs and uninstall Creative Audio Console

b) Turn off my system, c) swap my creative card for the Bluegears card

c) Turn on my system and Windows will begin to look for drivers, I put in the CD and let it install from there.

3. Uninstall GPU drivers: Go to Device manager, uninstall Drivers for RADEON X800GT and RADEON X800GT Secondary (theyre both listed)
b) then go to ATI's directory under all programs and uninstall the three ATI ulilities in the order of the linked page you sent me
c) Boot into safe mode and Run Driver Cleaner Twice
d) swap out my x800gt and install the 7900gs with its 6 pin connector
e) boot into Windows and let it go thru its autodetection thangy and install the drivers from the CD

After its all done, I'll download the latest Nvidia and Bluegears drivers and Install them. Then I'll run 3DMark05 to check it all out. I ran 3dMark05 yesterday and got a 3dmark score of 3584. I Hope to increase that score my around 150% (250% of 3584= 8960 so to round it out 9000)

Thanks again I expect to be getting the stuff tomorrow

I also ordered a bunch of stuff for my family, Buffalo Router, Microsoft Webcam, Kingston Ram for my dads lappy, Palm Z22 for my Mom

THE END

Reply to billdcat4

Sounds good.
Gonna be interesting to see the score increase. My 7900GS at 575/850 scored 7592. Coffee ready for the complete installation?

Reply to blacken

I was wondering: on the link you sent me it doesnt say anything about uninstalling the ATI Drivers from the Device Manager, it just suggests uninstalling the Programs files and using Drive Cleaner. Ill probably just listen to them.

I got a link to a version of Driver Cleaner Pro from some guy at the EVGA forums months ago and I just installed it. The Link you sent me was to their website which demands payment in terms of 10 bucks. Do I have a real version?

Anyhow I was looking at Anandtech's closer look and roundup of 7900gs cards and at the end they mention that my card, the EVGA 7900gs KO has HDCP support. There is no mention of this on Newegg. Back in september when I seem to remember reading the article; I think there were 2 versions of the evga 7900gs on the egg, one with HDCP and one without. Which one am I getting. Not that it makes a real difference, my LCD is NOT HDCP compliant. Do you know about the Bluray and HDDVD hacks and whether the dvd player program requires you to have HDCP compliant gpu and monitors, or does the hack also strip that protection?

Heck, can't hurt to know

Also I see at the aforementioned anandtech review they managed to OC the evga 7900gs to 591/812. Im not so knowledgeable on OCing, my buddy got a Zalman GPU cooler for his EVGA 7600gt and claims to have figured out how to OC it more along with his Pentium D 805. Would it be worth it for me to try to OC without buying an aftermarket fan (I know doing that and OCing doesnt void EVGA's warranty) or should I go ahead and get the VF-900Cu or the VF700Cu which my buddy got.

Any input on that would be just great.

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