What graphic cards can I upgrade to?

[joostlobe]

Hey guys,

Ive ordered a AMD opteron 175 dual core for my old A8V Deluxe rev 1.xx motherboard in the hope to get more speed.

I was hoping on upgrading my video card as well but I got no clue about video cards so I was hoping some of you could help me.

Right now I got a RADEON 9600 Series (which is 256mb i believe).
Can anyone tell me where I can see what I can upgrade to? And how much would this benefit to my system?

Any help is much aprciated!

 

[boudy]

hmmmm im not sure what to recommend. How fast is your CPU running? and what PSU do you have?

 

[dokk2]

There is a header right here on the first page [Tom's] for graphics cards take a look see therein I believe that your board is an agp ??,so there will be a limit based on availability and co$t,generally speaking there are two things which will limit an upgrade the psu and the cpu..

 

[rolli59]

The best AGP GPU up to date is HD3850 it will go well with your Opty175 if your psu can handle it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%201069609639%20106792462%201067933728&name=Radeon%20HD%203850

 

[joostlobe]

Ok first of all, im really sorry im not so very great with hardware so I have to answer some of your questions with more questions...

How fast is my cpu running? I think you mean the following:
Operating Frequency 2.2GHz
3gb ram

Yes, its AGP

Im not sure about my PSU. Is it the following?:
AC input: 220-240V-3.5A,50Hz
DC output: 300W

Would the HD3850 for instance work on that? How do you check what a graphic card needs?

 

[rolli59]

HD3850 needs approx 450Watt or 30amps on the +12 voltrail

 

[Bluescreendeath]

^ The 3850 is overpriced for such an old card...I suggest you just save up for a new system from newegg and build it yourself.

It'll cost $400-$500

 

[coozie7]

@ JoostLobe; The question really is; Speed for what? Games? Video editing? Excel spreadsheets? Blu-Ray playback?
If it IS for games, the HD3850 is indeed the top card at the moment but you will need a stronger PSU to handle it, about 450W from a good company such as OCZ, Corsair, Antec, Seasonic or PC Power and Cooling. Avoid cheap units, there`s an obvious reason they are cheap and it`s not unknown for a cheap PSU to kill an entire system when it dies.

 

[joostlobe]

Thanks everyone for the comments and advise! I has honestly helped me a lot! Thanks again!

 

[joostlobe]

Hey again guys. Seeing that Id have to upgrade my powersupply for anything more modern I was wondering the following.

Will I get a lot better performance (or any?) if I replace my current RADEON 9600 Series 128mb with a Radeon 9800 XT 256mb?

Becaus, if so I will do that untill I can fully upgrade my computer(money-wise), becaus the 9800xt is like 40 pounds or so in town.

And yea, this would be for gaming purposes(no high end games ofcourse).
And does my 300Watt support a 9800xt?(nvm i think it does, ati recommended at least 300)

 

[coozie7]

This draws less power than the 9800 and is more than twice as fast;

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/256MB-Sapphire-HD2600XT-AGP-4x-8x-128-Bit-GDDR3-D-Sub-HDTV-Dual-Link-DVI-I-Retail

If you intend to persue a new build in the near future I`d suggest you get a big PSU now but keep the old one. That way you can upgrade your existing rig without fears over the power and have a `new` PSU for the next build.

 

[spathotan]

I dont think its wise to further invest in such old hardware. You could build a brand new system from the ground up, with a solid video card, 4GB of RAM, nice CPU, and even a monitor for under $500 for with AMD and Intel.

 

[megamanx00]

Get a Radeon 3850. It will probably be a little limited by your 2.2GHz dual core CPU, but overclocking it will help. That 300W PSU isn't going to cut it so you will have to upgrade to at least an Antec Earthwatts 380W unit. If you don't want to upgrade your PSU then your best bet is a Radeon 2600 or 3650 AGP, assuming you have enough amps on the 12v rail anyway.

 

[joostlobe]

This draws less power than the 9800 and is more than twice as fast;

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/256MB-Sapphire-HD2600XT-AGP-4x-8x-128-Bit-GDDR3-D-Sub-HDTV-Dual-Link-DVI-I-Retail

"11118-00-20R - 256MB Sapphire HD2600XT AGP 4x/8x 128 Bit GDDR3, D-Sub/HDTV/Dual Link DVI-I, Retail"

The fact that im using DDR doesnt prevent me from using this card right? (might be a really stupid question... but i read gddr3 in the middle of those specs and i got no clue what that means, at least i know the AGP fits)

 

[spathotan]

No, thats the memory on the card.

 

[joostlobe]

Great, thanks again! You guys are my heroes.
And yea I do know I should really just build a new system. But I was looking for a little boost for just a short time, caus I promised my gf we are gonna buy her a new one first... So my money spending at the moment is really limited. So thanks again!

 

[boudy]

Alright you graphics are definitely going to be bottlenecked slightly if you get a 3850. Plus, your power supply is not a real help.
So what are you planning on doing? playing games?

 

[firefly4423]

I would also suggest to start over. Get a new MOBO and the like, upgrading an AGP card, is pretty useless nowadays.

 

[spathotan]

He's said hes just stretching this system out a little bit as hes currently strapped for cash. Also I think hes decided on a 2600XT.