Help needed on upgrading my graphic card

mascott

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Aug 20, 2009
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hi and hope someone can help me please with my problem, i need advice on upgrading my graphic card on my eversham media centre o5 computer with windows xp as my old one has gone wrong(was a ati x300 series)think i might need to upgrade my psu as well so any help or advice would be most welcome.i also would like to play games as well so if possible something with pixel shader 3.have roughly arund £200 to spend if that helps.have tryed to list as much specs as i can if theres anything else you need to know please ask me and i will try to find out....thanks for any advice given.

intel pentium 4 processor 530-3ghz 1mb cache,800hz fsb supporting hyper-threading technology

motherboard msi-ms7133

memory 2048mb duel channel ddr ram 400mhz

psufsp group 270w 3.3v/16.7a 5v/25a 12v/16a
128 ddr ati radeon x300se pci express graphic card with tv-out and dvi

2 x digital tv tuners

200gb sata 7200rpm hard drive with 8mb cache

panasonic dvd/cd rw/duel layer

case size 435x372x95mm
 
I recommend this power supply.

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7.


 

darkvine

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Jun 18, 2009
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Got to agree myself. That would be the best bang for your buck. The only thing I could suggest differently is the HD4770 simply because it's just about the same power level but doesn't run as hot which if you have a media center case is a nice thing.
 
Can you confirm that case size?
If it is a small desktop case and only 95 m.m. tall there may be problems finding a suitable PSU to power a larger graphics card.
And also, can the case (if small) accept a full size card? Small cases often require low profile or 'half height' cards which will severely restrict your choices.
And you're from the UK?
 

mascott

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yes i can confirm that is the case size, it is a evesham ebox. tryed putting a picture on here but not sure how to do it!. i do live in the uk live i by hereford

 

darkvine

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Looks to me from the picture I seen that you 'should' have the room for one but I would say go with the HD4770 because it is a bit smaller, needs less power and puts off less heat. Also quieter then the HD4850. Noise doesn't bother me much at all but that s a factor for a lot of people.
 

mascott

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think the size of my psu is more of a problem it is 125 W 125 L 130 H and there is no room for anything bigger :(
 

darkvine

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I am not sure but I think even the 4770 pulls around 175 watts by itself which is likely closer to 220 when under load.

I have no idea on a power supply small enough for that (I don't deal with psu's very often.)

I do have 1 idea though and someone is likely going to call me stupid for it but I have a HUGE headache right now and nothing thinking clearly.

If you are willing to spend the money there is a is a micro ATX motherboard that has a build in Nvidia 6100...not a great graphics chip but something. It is a AMD board though so you would need a new cpu BUT the Phenom II X2 550 is around $100 and the motherboard is $49.

That is just a random idea. Would leave you with a much better cpu and something on the graphics front though.
 
@ mascott: Nice location.
Have you considered moving the system into another case?
The reason is that the few micro ATX PSUs I have found that are worth buying are so expensive.
Just to give you an idea:

PSU: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/400W-Corsair-Power-Series-PSU-ATX-PS-2-UK-Version-3-year-warranty

Case: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-160-CM&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=


The case is good for its price (very similar to my own Centurion in fact) and the PSU will handle a HD4770.
 

mascott

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thanks for all your replys so far, can anyone please comment on the Sapphire RADEON HD 4650 512mb DVI HDMI PCI-E LOW PROFILE GRAPHICS CARD and if this is a decent choice to make for my system and what kind of psu i would need for it,have fount a replacemeant fsp 300w for my psu would this run this graphic card ok?. am thinking now that i might just start from fresh next year and build myself a new system and am liking the look of your recommendations coozie7 thanks for your links m8
 

frozentundra123456

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Jun 7, 2009
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This would be a decent card for that CPU. I am running a HD4650 on a generic 300 watt power supply without any problems. Cant say for sure of course, but you could probalbly run this card on the 300 watt power supply.