PCI-Express, Upgrade from X300 to...?

[itsanss]

Currently have a Dell Dimension 8400. Not the most exciting thing in the world, but it gets the job done...until now.

Purchased Call of Duty 5: World at War a few weeks ago to find that it requires 256 MB graphics card and I only have a 128 MB ATI Radeon X300 series card.

I was going to replace my entire machine with something much newer and much faster (not to mention really expensive), but my dad talked me out of it and I think, for now, I am going to just replace my card so I can play COD 5 and 4. All I play is COD 4 and I would still like to even after I get COD 5 up and runnin'. What can ya'll recommend for a graphics card to play these two games at not extreme settings. I never touced any of the settings on COD 4, all default, and I have hundreds of hours of game time. Never had a problem with it.

From the sticky, "The Short List: the Best Gaming Videocards for the money", the Radeon 4850 would be the "higher end" of the cheaper single cards. Would this card fit in my machine, do what I want it to do, and be the most reasonable option for my particular wants and needs in this upgrade?

Yes, I am a total newb. If ya'll need any more information or anything, just let me know.

Thanks a lot

 

[Shadow703793]

PROVIDING your PSU has enough power get 4850/4830 (I'm guessing your Dell PSU doesn't have the power needed)

Else,

get a 4670.
here is benches for Cod4:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/ati-radeon-hd-4670-review/9
Gets 44fps on 1280*1024.

edit: 7900th Post!
W00t! "Forum Master"

 

[chin311]

I think you need a new PC.

 

[itsanss]

PROVIDING your PSU has enough power get 4850/4830 (I'm guessing your Dell PSU doesn't have the power needed)

Else,

get a 4670.
here is benches for Cod4:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/ati-radeon-hd-4670-review/9
Gets 44fps on 1280*1024.

edit: 7900th Post!
W00t! "Forum Master"

Is there a way to find out what PSU I have without cracking the case open? System information?

I have a never been used Bestec ATX 300 12EB3 sitting under my desk in the box it came in. Says 300W maximum on the side of it. What kinda' damage would this PSU do if the one in my computer simply won't cut it?

From what I've read, if the cooling fan spins up all the time, it is probably on the short side of power. Playing COD 4, my stock cooling fan is pretty much spinnin' to the moon. lol

I think you need a new PC.

Either $2,500 new computer to more or less just play COD 5 OR $200 more/less to play COD 5 (at max. settings, mind you) and get an iPhone.

However, it would be really awesome to upgrade the whole thing. It'd be smokin' fast!

 

[itsanss]

.

 

[itsanss]

PROVIDING your PSU has enough power get 4850/4830 (I'm guessing your Dell PSU doesn't have the power needed)

Else,

get a 4670.
here is benches for Cod4:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/ati-radeon-hd-4670-review/9
Gets 44fps on 1280*1024.

edit: 7900th Post!
W00t! "Forum Master"

Is there a way to find out what PSU I have without cracking the case open? System information?

I have a never been used Bestec ATX 300 12EB3 sitting under my desk in the box it came in. Says 300W maximum on the side of it. What kinda' damage would this PSU do if the one in my computer simply won't cut it?

From what I've read, if the cooling fan spins up all the time, it is probably on the short side of power. Playing COD 4, my stock cooling fan is pretty much spinnin' to the moon. lol

I think you need a new PC.

Either $2,500 new computer to more or less just play COD 5 OR $200 more/less to play COD 5 (at max. settings, mind you) and get an iPhone.

However, it would be really awesome to upgrade the whole thing. It'd be smokin' fast!

This is the one I've had my eye on...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:VRI&item=290301287492

Got a 10% coupon for eBay that expires at midnight tonight. 10% up to $100. I could get that machine, with media package, for $2,300 ready to go out of the box. 'Twould be sweet.

 

[delluser1]

The D8400 came equipped with a 350 watt 28 amp psu, certainly capable of powering the 4670 that was suggested by shadow703793, and probably wouldn't have a problem with a 4830, though the P4 would likely choke it's performance.
I ran an overclocked 7900 GTO on mine, it's power consumption was greater than the 4830.

 

[itsanss]

The D8400 came equipped with a 350 watt 28 amp psu, certainly capable of powering the 4670 that was suggested by shadow703793, and probably wouldn't have a problem with a 4830, though the P4 would likely choke it's performance.
I ran an overclocked 7900 GTO on mine, it's power consumption was greater than the 4830.

The 4670 it is then.

The ones on NewEgg that I am seeing say they are for PCI Express 2.0. Do I have 2.0 or will it still work with regular PCI Express?

( http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=4670 )

Thanks

 

[delluser1]

It's backwards compatible

 

[itsanss]

It's backwards compatible

Being backwards compatible, it can do everything it was designed to do, correct?

No limitations with the card being an older version, PCI Express vs. PCI 2.0, everything'll operate properly?

If everything is good, I'll order it today.

Ya'll recommend NewEgg?

Thanks a lot

 

[Shadow703793]

^Yes. It will work just fine. PCIe 2.0 will not affect anything other than dual GPU cards/SLI/CrossFire. Even then difference is only about 4-5 fps MAX compared to a PCIe 1.x.

Yes, most here buy from Newegg.

 

[itsanss]

Update!

Got new graphics card installed.

Sapphire ATI Radeon 4670.

Installed it, did all the recommended stuff that came with the card.

Searched and installed all new driver updates via Internet.

Re-installed COD 5 and it is doing the same thing. Open it, displays COD 5, displays black screen, screen size reconfigures like the game is loading, black screen, then error, send report/don't send error report.

What gives!!??

On the COD 5 box, it has a list of the minimum system requirements.

Operating System: Vista or XP
I have XP

AMD 64 3200 or Intel Pentium 4 3.0 Ghz or better
I have Intel Pentium 4 2.994 Ghz

8GB free hard drive space 512 MB RAM (XP)/1 GB RAM (Vista)
I have 150 GB free hard drive space and 2 GB RAM (XP)

Shader 3.0 or better 256 MB NVIDIA Geforce 6600GT/ATI Radeon 1600XT or better (onboard chipsets not supported)
I have ATI Radeon 4670 512 MB

Is the game itself screwed?

Should I return card to NewEgg (got 30 days to do so) and buy a whole new machine or what?



Thanks, ya'll

 

[Shadow703793]

Did you uninstall old drivers completely? (run Driver Cleaner http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=745 )

 

[itsanss]

I downloaded the driver sweeper. I analyzed and cleaned all of my drivers.

Still same sad story...

Open it, displays COD 5, displays black screen, screen size reconfigures like the game is loading, black screen, then error, send report/don't send error report.

"Unhandled exception caught."

The details for that error is literally about a billion different numbers. Can scroll downward to read them for days on end without seeing the bottom.

Next idea?

Thanks

 

[itsanss]

Computer was lagging real bad. Restarted it. Decided, for kicks, to try COD 5.

Still did not work, but I got an error different from all the others I have been getting before and after new card.

"DirectX unrecoverable error."

I have both DirectX 9 and 10 to make COD 4 and 5 happy.

Another couple interesting notes...

I can't register the new graphics card because site for registration is down for maintenance.

Also, restarting my computer resets my desktop settings. I have it set on 1280 x 960 pixels, but a restart loses them somehow.

Either of those significant in any way?

Thanks again

 

[spathotan]

Go into the control pannel and find the ATI drivers, should say catalyst. Uninstall it ALL, then run driver cleaner and check all ATI boxes, run it and restart when its done. Get the newest drivers off the ATI site and install them on restart.

If another round of that dosent work then the nearest culprit would be a directX issue of some kind. A reformat might help.

 

[stephanbuttweiler]

its not call of duty 5 its call of duty world at war if it were five it would say that on the box. any ways i have a problem myself i need i new graphics card for my system but it has to be a low profile pci express 2.0 x 16 or something like that how ever i dont wont the bare min i want somthing with a hdmi output so i can use my big screen oh and how is it that the 360 can use a non dedicated chipset but my comp cannot if you have an answer for me about the graphics card please email at sebshifty07@yahoo.com

 

[itsanss]

its not call of duty 5 its call of duty world at war if it were five it would say that on the box. any ways i have a problem myself i need i new graphics card for my system but it has to be a low profile pci express 2.0 x 16 or something like that how ever i dont wont the bare min i want somthing with a hdmi output so i can use my big screen oh and how is it that the 360 can use a non dedicated chipset but my comp cannot if you have an answer for me about the graphics card please email at sebshifty07@yahoo.com

It's the fifth game of the Call of Duty series. Perhaps not "5" in the title, but you get the point.

By the way, sent in my card from NewEgg back to 'em, paid my shipping and restocking fees and the game is sitting here in my desk drawer, still inop.

I think it wound up costing me $25 or so to find out if a new card would make it playable. Heh

One positive note, I did get to play a few games of COD 4...errr...MODERN WARFARE ...with waaay improved graphics.

Good luck!!!