Tom's Hardware Forums » Graphic & Displays » ATI » upgrading my gfx card
 

upgrading my gfx card

Add a reply



 Word :   Username :  
 
Bottom
Author
 Thread : upgrading my gfx card
 
<a href="http://bd1.battledawn.com/referx.php?serv
Profile: member
More Information

Im gonna upgrade my crappy 7300GT to a ATI card so i can get a taste of ATI.
I have a crap PSU 250W
+12V 14Amp
+5.5V 25A
+3V 18A

Related Pr oduct
Register or log in to remove.

Profile: Faithful Poster
More Information

And your point is? I have no idea what card can run on a 250W/14A PSU. I'm not even sure the 7300GT is crap, maybe its just starved for power. I believe even current lowend cards call for 350W, not sure about the amps. I think you should upgrade your PSU to something better. See if your 7300GT gets less crappy. If you still don't like it, perhaps a 3650 will be more to your liking. With as few details as you gave up, its hard to say. (If you'd like real advice, let us know whats in your computer, what res you game at, what games you like to play, etc.)


---------------
The voice of REASON
Do NOT feed the TROLLS!
Always a DEMON!
Profile: Honorary Veteran of THGC
More Information

14 amp 12v is going to limit your options. Will you consider a PSU upgrade? What is your total budget? what games do you hope to play? and what resolutions?


---------------
MSI P6N SLI Platinum, Q6600, 2GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC8000,
SLI BFG 8800GT OC 512MB, SB X-Fi Fatality, Antec TruePower Trio 550W, Windows XP pro
<a href="http://bd1.battledawn.com/referx.php?serv
Profile: member
More Information

Im not gonna upgrade anything else Im building a new PC in a few months. Basically i want a taste of ATI cards, if it sucks like crap (well lets face it its not gonna be as bad as the 7300GT) its not gonna affect me.

 

And 4745454b the 7300GT doesnt need any PCIe connectors.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by sabot00 on 05-13-2008 at 12:37:16 AM
Profile: Forum Veteran
More Information

sabot00 wrote :

Im not gonna upgrade anything else Im building a new PC in a few months. Basically i want a taste of ATI cards, if it sucks like crap (well lets face it its not gonna be as bad as the 7300GT) its not gonna affect me.

 

And 4745454b the 7300GT doesnt need any PCIe connectors.


A few months without gaming? How will you live! :na:

 

Just wait it out. No reason to pour in any more money. Doesn't matter how cheap it is, it's still a waste. :p


---------------
Q6600@3.6ghz, GA-EX38-DS4 X38 chipset motherboard, 8gb 800mhz ddr2 4-3-3-12, 8800GTS(g92)@780mhz, 1TB 7200rpm 32mb cache hdd, 850watt 12v rails=4x20amp powersupply
Profile: Faithful Poster
More Information

I never said it needed one. The 7300GT gets its power from the AGP/PCIe socket. If the PSU is so bad that it can't supply enough power, then the 7300GT could be starved for power, and run like crap.

If you are going to build a new PC in a few months, I would not buy a video card now. New cards from AMD are supposed to be here by perhaps the end of this month, Nvidia's are supposed to arrive around June/July. Even if you don't buy one of these, they should help force the prices of current cards down. Seeing as you need one anyways, I'd spend your money on a good PSU, one that will carry over to the new build.


---------------
The voice of REASON
Do NOT feed the TROLLS!
Always a DEMON!
Profile: Honorary Veteran of THGC
More Information

Odd reasoning, but I'll forget that and continue. :)

If you are in the USA, there are some real cheap HD2600 pro and 2600XT cards now. Make sure it's 128-bit not 64-but. But you can get a 2600 pro with the Witcher game for about $40AR. The 64-bit power color would be slower and is loud. I have an MSI 512MB that is $39.99 AR and it's quiet. 256MB is about $5 less shipped.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] HD+2600pro

Faster would be the 2600XT, for $50-60AR. Problem is I think you are pushing it with the PSU with the pro even never mind the higher clocked XT.


You could also go for a crappy HD3450 since it's dirt cheap and even less power hungry.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814121230


Message edited by pauldh on 05-13-2008 at 12:51:59 AM

---------------
MSI P6N SLI Platinum, Q6600, 2GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC8000,
SLI BFG 8800GT OC 512MB, SB X-Fi Fatality, Antec TruePower Trio 550W, Windows XP pro
LANiMAL
Profile: member
More Information

I recommend spending a little bit of money on a new PSU, then upgrade the gfx card after the newer series comes out as there should be "MEGA" price drops.

= More bang for buck = Logical = Happy :)


Go to:
Add a reply
  Tom's Hardware Forums » Graphic & Displays » ATI » upgrading my gfx card
 

Google Ads
Ad
News

Albatron intros PCIe bridge card for AGP graphics cards

Published on September 12, 2005

Albatron today announced the "Atop" card, a PCI Express board that connects to AGP graphics cards. Read more

Kingston packs data recovery software on Compact Flash cards

Published on August 15, 2006

Kingston today said that will be upgrading its "ultimate" line of Compact Flash (CF) cards by preloading Ontrack's Easy Recovery Professional software 6.1 onto the devices. Read more

Crucial launches Radeon X850 XT graphics card

Published on March 09, 2005

Crucial, mainly known for performance system memory modules, today announced a new high-end graphics card. Read more

SanDisk intros 512 MByte micro SD card

Published on July 13, 2005

Samsung claims it is first to offer a 512 MByte microSD card. Read more

Latest Reviews & Articles

Part 4: Avivo HD vs. PureVideo HD

Published on September 29, 2008

The 780G chipset/Radeon HD 3200 and the MCP78S chipset/GeForce 8200 provide the first integrated graphics solutions that can accelerate Blu-ray playback. We dig deep into how well they work with high-quality Blu-ray 1080p video playback. Read more

Four GeForce 9600 GT Cards Compared

Published on September 26, 2008

Manufacturers really love the first Geforce 9. The graphic chip is fast, the cards are inexpensive, and some retailers offer more than ten variations. Read more

Maxtor's Shared Storage Does NAS At Home

Published on September 25, 2008

What do you do with all the data you collect at home? Network attached storage is the solution. We test Maxtor's Shared Storage II and find that it is also suitable for use in small businesses. Read more

SLI & Centrino 2: Gaming Laptops Battle

Published on September 24, 2008

Take four gaming laptops. Arm two of them with SLI and make the others Centrino 2-compatible. You're looking at a high-end collection of the latest mobile technology battling it out for benchmark supremacy and your hard-earned dollars. Read more