Advice on a video card

[jonc30]

Ok, new guy here, so please go easy one me . I have an older comp. that will run Lord of the Rings ok on the lowest settings, but lags in the big cities so I'm needing to upgrade my video card. (already up the ram to the max of 1 gig, ya i know its an old comp.) Also i'm looking to spend about 100-150 on the card, and am not expecting it to run the game on the highest settings at maxed frame rates. I'm just looking to be able to run the game lag free, and if it looks really good thats a plus. So I've already figured a couple things out by reading on here. One is I need an AGP based card, and the other is that I need some major help on the rest of the specs. Haha so all kinds of thanks to anybody that can help me.

Here is my comp

VPR Matrix ft-6100 2.53ghz
1gig ram
intel d845ebt board
no idea of the power supply or of how to check it?
anything else ya'll need to know to help?

Thanks a lot,
Jonathan

 

[Anoobis]

Are you talking about the new Lord of the Rings Online?

The only way to learn of the PSU is buy opening the case and looking at the label on the inside of the machine. Careful not to touch anything and release a static charge. Touch the frame of the case to ground yourself before touching anything else inside.

What graphics card are you using now?

Just a shot in the dark but I'm guessing one of these will set you straight. The power requirements are very tame on this card and looks to be adequate according to the system requirements for LOTR:SOA.

 

[kaotao]

Without seeing your PSU specs, I'd second that 7600GS.

 

[jonc30]

So I opened it up and it appears that my max power output is 300w. Is that going to be enough to run these cards?

 

[cleeve]

...ok on the lowest settings, but lags in the big cities so I'm needing to upgrade my video card.

Lags in MMO's - especially in cities where there are lots of other players on the network - is usually caused by server lag. A new videocard might have no effect.

 

[Anoobis]

That's really cutting it close. Can you please let us know a few more things. First, on the label for the PSU does it list the amperage on the voltage rails? Most of the time there is a chart that shows each voltage rail (12V, 5V, etc...) Can you please tell us what it says the amperage on the +12V rail is?

Also, what are you currently using for a graphics card now?

The 7600GS is a very power efficient card but 300W may be pushing your luck. You have an older socket 478 motherboard in that system which is good because it should mean that your 2.53 CPU is either a Northwood core Pentium 4 or a Prescott Core Celeron D core. The Northwood is more power efficient but the Cely isn't too bad. A full Pentium Prescott core would be cause for concern as they are very power hungry CPUs.

How many hard drives, CD/DVD drives or case fans do you have as well? All of those things use power too and should be considered. You may need to think about adding a new PSU. Hopefully you're not stuck with some proprietary unit already.

@Cleeve that's a good point but the OP is playing the game at the lowest settings so even though they may not get a lag free experience they may at least be able to enjoy the view a bit more if they're willing to spend the money.

 

[jonc30]

If I'm lookin where I'm supposed to be lookin it says

+3.3v=28.0A
+5v=30a
+12v=15a
-5v=.3a
-12v-.8a
+5vsb=2A

What any of that means, or if that was the chart you were tellin me about i dont know. I don't see a chart. Also I've got a pent 4, one 100gb harddrive, 1 dvdr/rw drive, 1 dvd rom, and one fan cooling everything it looks like. Thanks again for all the help.

 

[jonc30]

Sorry, forgot to answer some more questions. Yes it is the new Lord of the Rings online game. The MMO one. I installed the extra ram and that has allowed me to run through the bigger towns and even go to the auction house without much lag on the lowest settings and frame rat maxed at 30. So now, I would just like it to look a little bit prettier. Thanks

 

[Anoobis]

Yep, that's the correct info. You've got 15A on the +12V rail.

Could you please tell us what you're currently using for a graphics card? Are you using onboard or a stand alone card?

The 7600GS is a very efficient card and consumes about 28W of power during peak 3D usage. I think you'll be able to get by with the current PSU but probably not for long as it's old and a low wattage unit to begin with. It's hard to say for sure how long it will last so I'm not saying you need to get a new PSU at this time. However, here's a decent little 400W Unit that you could purchase at the same time as the Gigabyte 7600GS I linked to earlier and you would still come in under your $150 budget. Again, I'm not saying it's necessary to buy a new PSU at this time. I'm just giving you a little food for thought.

 

[jonc30]

I once again failed to answer all your questions. I guess thats what I get for rushing around to post. First off, my current video card is (i think) a geforce3 mx420 64mb. I'm pretty sure thats what it is, but I won't be back on that comp until monday morning to check for sure. Second question is, how hard would it be to install that psu on my comp? Ive never done anything like that. The most I've done inside of a computer case it plug in some video cards, and some ram. Just simple stuff like that.

 

[Anoobis]

Hmm, I don't recal a GeForce 3 MX420. I think you mean a GeForce 4 MX420. In which case I think you'll be fine with your current PSU for the time being with a 7600GS. But I wouldn't recommend anything more powerful than that card with that PSU (i.e. no X1600XTs or X1650Pros).

Give it a shot with your current PSU and see how it goes. Make sure to remove any old drivers for the old video card first and use some sort of driver cleaning software before removing the old card and installing the new one. The 7600GS will require a power connection directly to the PSU. Try to give it's one separate connection by itself. Avoid running it on the same connection as your hard drive or DVD/CD-Rom drives. Play your LOTR game and see what happens. Most likely if the PSU is insufficient the system will reboot during gaming as that's when the card's 3D Clockspeeds kick in.

If it turns out you need a new PSU, don't fret as they're pretty easy to install. It's as simple as unplugging everything, taking out a few screws. Reverse the process with the new one. Make sure to ground yourself on the case before touching the internals of the the system.

 

[jonc30]

I took your advice and ordered the 7600gs and the new psu you suggested. Usually newegg is pretty quick with their orders so, i should be able to let you know in a couple days how it is working out. Thanks again for all the help you've given to me. Also, I love the Jack Burton quote. Big trouble in little china is one of my favorite older movies for some reason haha