Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphic & Displays > Graphics Cards > upgrading my card; avoid bottleneck
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ronsputin   03-26-2007 at 02:33:20 PM

hello,

i want to upgrade my GeForce 3 to up performance when playing online games such as Counter Strike Source. What card would be good for this while not "bottle-necking" the system.

p.s. i don't really know what bottlenecking means other than that a high spec card might be a waste of money as my other components couldn't handle it

my specs:
intel pentium 4 CPU 2.00GHZ
512 MB ram
80GB hard drive
GeForce 3 Ti200

THANKS!

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ronsputin   03-26-2007 at 04:08:35 PM
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ya i saw that, but someone else was telling me that with my specs, it wouldn't be worth getting some newer graphics cards because the rest of my computer wouldn't be able to handle/use it

Reply to ronsputin
TyroneShoelaces   03-26-2007 at 04:13:59 PM
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There are other factors to be considered, such as what type of games you typically play, and at what resolution.

RTS usually are more CPU dependant, as opposed to FPS which is more GPU dependant.

Also, if you want to play newer FPS, you will have to bump up to at least 1GB of RAM.

-TyShoe

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Cleeve   03-26-2007 at 04:48:33 PM
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Your system wouldn't bottleneck CS source nearly as much as your current Geforce 3 is.

I'm confident you'd see MASSIVE gains with an X1650 PRO or 7600 GS. Just make sure your power supply can handle it.

Hell, a $40 9700 PRO from ebay would show you a colossal jump in performance.

Reply to Cleeve
kaotao   03-26-2007 at 05:05:26 PM
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Quote :

Your system wouldn't bottleneck CS source nearly as much as your current Geforce 3 is.

I'm confident you'd see MASSIVE gains with an X1650 PRO or 7600 GS. Just make sure your power supply can handle it.

Hell, a $40 9700 PRO from ebay would show you a colossal jump in performance.



Agreed. :)

Reply to kaotao
phreakindee   03-26-2007 at 06:18:31 PM
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i had a system EXACTLY to your specs a year and a half ago, geforce 4 though. i bought an AGP nVidia 6200 card and it blew me away with the difference, and it was only $60 back then! and it uses almost no power (ran it on a 180W PSU)

Reply to phreakindee
prozac26   03-26-2007 at 08:44:38 PM
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Quote :

Hell, a $40 9700 PRO from ebay would show you a colossal jump in performance.


Yea, I was going to recommend a 9800Pro from eBay for like $50, would run Source games much better than a GeForce 3. :)

Reply to prozac26
enforcerfx   03-26-2007 at 09:09:27 PM
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9800pro like Prozac said, or even a 6600GT:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] &CatId=880

If your willing to do the rebate, then its a good deal.

Reply to enforcerfx
mactronix   03-26-2007 at 09:26:55 PM
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yea ive got a 9800 and its a good card i can even play oblivion on it to a certain degree

Reply to mactronix
ronsputin   03-27-2007 at 01:57:53 PM
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thanks for the input people. i'm gonna get one of those cards you suggested. my only question left is what do you mean when you say, "just make sure your power source can handle it" my power source as in the sockets in the wall?

i feel stupid. :oops:

Reply to ronsputin
Cleeve   03-27-2007 at 03:30:32 PM
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Every computer has a power supply... it's the box inside your machine that the power plug goies into.

power supplies are not created equal. Some are cheap and underpowered. And if you're using an old computer, but upgrading to a new videocard, your power supply might not be able to handle it.

If so, it will cause crashing and instability.

Reply to Cleeve
SuperFly03   03-27-2007 at 03:32:51 PM
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What they are getting at is newer cards consume more power and if your power supply isn't sufficient it can cause instability or it will just turn off because there isn't enough power to keep the system afloat.

In reality the recommended cards don't consume much power at all, but they will consume more than your GF3. Do you have any idea how big your power supply is(as in watts rated, as well as the voltages on each rail)?

Dang it cleeve... you beat me to it... darn my slow typing! :tongue:

Reply to SuperFly03
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