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2600 XT in old system.. Enough power?

Forum Graphic & Displays : ATI - 2600 XT in old system.. Enough power?

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drealar   09-12-2008 at 10:14:55 AM

Hi all the good guys in tom's community. I've been browsing graphic cards for a very long time and now since I'm finally working I got enough money to buy something for my old rig with my own bucks. The only thing worth or should I say affordable to upgrade now is my graphics card.

The plan here is to buy a Sapphire HD 2600 XT 256MB DDR3. So far, it's the only card I can afford that won't hurt my budget and savings :D and since AGP 8x cards are scarcely available around my area or nearby states. So the BIG question here is how much POWER do I need for my power supply.?

My Very Old rig's specs are:
Pentium 4 2.6Ghz HT
2GB DDR333 RAM = 512x4 <-- first major upgrade :D
Intel 875P Chipset
Sony DVD writer <-- second major upgrade :na:
Sound Blaster Value series
Some brand 80GB HDD
Floppy Drive
PCI-to-Firewire card
And most importantly .. a 250W power supply

Soooo... if I add up HD 2600 XT into that spec, I know most of you will say that my power is insufficient or I will be pushing it, but I need to know if it's okwith a 350W/400W PSU upgrade. Ever since I read this forum, I found out there're many experts around, so I humbly begging for your advice. Much appreciated to those willing to give any advice/recommendation. Thanks in advance.


Message edited by drealar on 09-12-2008 at 10:27:07 AM
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pulasky   09-12-2008 at 11:20:38 AM
- 0 +

400W PSU is ok.
my rig: Pentium D(dual core :)) 3.2
2BG DDR 400
2600 XT(AGP 8x)
PSU 520 W
so 400 is ok.

Reply to pulasky
dirtmountain   09-12-2008 at 11:32:49 AM
- 0 +

use these links
http://forums.atomicmpc.com.au/index.php?showtopic=264
http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] 011-6.html
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
remember that capacitors lose power with age.
that said i agree with pulasky a 400w PSU would be the minimum i'd recommend. Just remember that a quality power supply will move to your new system as you upgrade or change it. Don't shortchange yourself and get something "barely adequate" or "it'll do" Get quality.

Reply to dirtmountain
drealar   09-12-2008 at 12:02:26 PM
- 0 +

That's very quick. Thanks a lot guys!! dirtmountain, very resourceful links there, just what I need although never crossed my mind before. In that case I'll go with the advice to get 400W or more PSU. Currently surveying those with "80 Plus" award and 12cm fan.

True, true.. go with quality ones, sadly I can only find 2600 XT for quality around here. Saw other AGP cards but they're a half more or twice the price. Anyway, 2600 XT is already 9 hierarchy above my current card :p and I mostly play MMORPGs that are not very demanding (tho it can look much better with 2600 XT soooon :na: ). Suddenly my cloudy and crowded mind is clear again. Thanks so much again guys!!


Message edited by drealar on 09-12-2008 at 12:09:16 PM
Reply to drealar
megamanx00   09-16-2008 at 08:51:32 PM
- 0 +

Yeah check out the extreme outervision psucalculator to be sure.

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

I think that 250W is too small for a 2600XT. Anyway you should consider a 3650 instead since it's about the same price, and is made from a smaller process so it should use less power. You'll see that most 3650 AGPs have a floppy power connector instead of the molex connector on the 2600XT. You should at least get something like an Antec Earth Watts 380W. Get a good quality PSU around 400W and get a high efficiency one to save on your power bill ^_^


Message edited by megamanx00 on 09-16-2008 at 08:54:45 PM
------------------------------ Playing X-Men Origins: Wolverine Athlon 64 X2 5000+ @3.24 Brisbane | GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-DS4 | 4GB Mushkin DDR2 1066 | Plextor 760A| 2x 3850 512M CF| WD 1TB Black| Fortron Blue Storm II 500W | APEVIA X-Dreamer Black | Win XP Pro & Vista Buisness 32bit
 Reply to megamanx00
drealar   09-18-2008 at 02:58:46 AM
- 0 +

Hi and thanx megamanx00. Anyway I've already bought the 2600XT and a cooler master 460W PSU. I'm from Malaysia and here the retailers are more or less trying to clear their stock of AGP cards. So, yeah, AGP cards are scarcely available here as they're reluctant to sell them anymore.

Compared to Europe and USA, the PC enthusiast community here is quite small that replenishing AGP stock isn't very good for their profit, as more and more PC makers/DIYers are using PCI-e MBs. Another thing is that even though its like only $10~$20 diff between 2600 and 3650.. that's like RM35 ~ RM70 here, a budget for 1 week worth of fuel for traveling to work and lunch.. hahahaha.

Reply to drealar
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