Replacing my GeForce 6800 Ultra - help

[jfoster5482]

Evening all.

Been trying to do as much research as I can to ensure I don't downgrade video card. My nVidia Geforce 6800 Ultra has gone out on me, at least as far as I can tell. Computer turns on fine but sometimes no signal goes to the monitor or if it does, it freezes during boot-up or after desktop loads. I am not getting any beeps during boot up, which leads me to believe the hard drive is fine.

I specifically have the nVidia Geforce 6800 Ultra 256mb PCIe x16 Non-SLI 256 memory interface GDDR3. My problem is at the time, this was a $500 card so finding an affordable replacement is hard without losing some things. All the ones I am finding on newegg and tigerdirect are DDR2 memory and at best 128 memory interface for a reasonable price. Many of the other features on the cards are better then what is on the 6800

Will there be a decrease in performance going with DDR2 memory and smaller memory interface? I use the computer for light gaming and websurfing. Still don't want to be downgrading as the computer is still strong for its age.

Specs:
Windows XP Pro
Intel D925XCV MB
P4HT 3.8Ghz 1MB 800FSB LGA 775 processor
3gigs DDR2 PC4200 RAM
480 PSU
Lots of fans
Prefer to stay with nVidia brand.

 

[Timop]

Even a $60 card like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150475&cm_re=GT240-_-14-150-475-_-Product would beat your $500 6800 Ultra by quite a wide margin.

 

[jerreece]

The GT240 will destroy your 6800 Ultra... but by today's standards it's not a super card. Then again, your computer is obviously a bit dated anyhow.

But, the GT240 will certainly work as a replacement, show a marked improvement, and should work easily with your PSU. And it's cheap, until you do a system upgrade in the future.

 

[Lmeow]

A GT 240 would be much faster, although I think that your Pentium 4 w/HT would still bottleneck it considerably.

 

[wa1]

^+3
Another vote for GT240.

 

[jfoster5482]

Well, sounds like I have a winner. Two other questions and I think I am good to go. Does what I described above sound like its the video card and does anyone recommend a manufacture? My current 6800 is manufactured by Asus, a good brand. Good to go with them?

thanks

 

[Kkkk1]

Well, sounds like I have a winner. Two other questions and I think I am good to go. Does what I described above sound like its the video card and does anyone recommend a manufacture? My current 6800 is manufactured by Asus, a good brand. Good to go with them?

thanks

Asus are as good as any, i've found after research that EVGA are excellent although sometimes a bit more expensive.

 

[LuigiVN]

Well, you could pay $200 to get a GTX 460, that will last you a lot longer than the GT240, it has DX11, SM 5.0...Why don't u give us some of your specs?

 

[Timop]

Well, you could pay $200 to get a GTX 460, that will last you a lot longer than the GT240, it has DX11, SM 5.0...Why don't u give us some of your specs?

Its on his first post:
Windows XP Pro
Intel D925XCV MB
P4HT 3.8Ghz 1MB 800FSB LGA 775 processor
3gigs DDR2 PC4200 RAM
480 PSU
Lots of fans
Prefer to stay with nVidia brand.

The $200 going for a new CPU/Mobo/RAM would be alot better.

 

[jerreece]

Well, you could pay $200 to get a GTX 460, that will last you a lot longer than the GT240, it has DX11, SM 5.0...Why don't u give us some of your specs?

Obviously you never bothered to actually read the question at the top. The specs were listed, and those were reason enough not to recommend a GTX 460.

 

[jfoster5482]

Not into replacing a ton of stuff that isn't needing to be replaced. Plus I am a family man and unemployed so I don't have the cash on hand to spend a lot. For what I use my cpu for, replacing the video card is all I need. If I am going to replace the mobo, video card and ram in one swoop, it will be for a totally new machine and upgrades to everything.

I was just needing some clarification on some specs that are listed with video cards considering my processor will limit much of its performance and don't need a card that will not see its full potential. Below is what I am leaning toward as I will not see anything from GDDR5 memory. I just want to make sure that I don't run into any compatibility issues after I purchase the card.

Looking at:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121353

This is replacing my current, dead nVidia 6800 Ultra (listed in my first post)

I appreciates everyone's advice and it has helped a lot. I wish I could buy a new computer, just not in the budget at the moment.

 

[Timop]

Why waste the money, just get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150475&cm_re=GT240-_-14-150-475-_-Product for $60.

For anything under the ~GTX460 level, 1GB wont benefit you at all. XFX is a nice company also. Besides, it has a lifetime warranty, so if it ever breaks, you can get a new one, even after 5 years.

(I know the reviews might be horrible, but its a pretty good deal. It could just be a batch of bad cards. Try it out and if it doesn't work, newegg should gladly exchange the product for an ASUS/EVGA etc.)

 

[jfoster5482]

I think I have settled on the following. Good price with good reviews. Would much rather save the $25 difference from the Geforce gt 240 as I dont think I will see the full performance of the gt 240. The geforce gt 220 should do just fine.

What I am getting:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130524

 

[ionut19]

I would still go with the gt240 if i ware you. But then again i am not.

 

[jfoster5482]

Well, it seems it was not the video card. Computer still did not want to send the video to the screen. Borrowed my sister computer that has the same connections as mine. Plugged in my hard drive on that one and could do anything I wanted prior to booting up into windows. It would start the Windows XP screen with the green bar scrolling left to right but then it would flash a blue screen up very very quickly then just reboot.

That tells me it is the hard drive but why can't I get the video feed on my personal cpu? It wont send any signal to the monitor. Is that normal or kinda weird? Tried doing a Windows repair on the hard drive but it seems it did not fix anything, as I guess it is hardware gone bad.

Any ideas, I am running out and just think I need to buy a new hard drive instead.

thanks

 

[Mousemonkey]

Your HDD will not boot in your sisters PC, it does not mean the HDD is at fault. Have you tried running your 6800 in her PC though?

 

[jfoster5482]

Not yet, on my to-do list here in a minute.

 

[jfoster5482]

I am back. Well, seems after all my trouble shooting it may come down to the mother board, yeepee. As I have previously stated, i borrowed my sisters computer to run my components on that mobo. Tested VC-booted their hdd with no problem. Booted their cpu using my PSU and their hdd, booted up fine. Still had problems booting my hdd on their psu and mobo.

So assuming it was the hdd, reinstalled windows and would just recover any lost data through a data recovery software. Hooked everything back up to my mobo and booted and still got no signal to monitor. Got fed up with it and went to bed. I will double check my connections tonight with a clear head. I think my PCIe slot has gone bad which means the mobo is no good anymore.

Also, was not able to get a picture on the monitor with their hdd connected to my mobo using my psu and my original video card and a brand new video card.

Any ideas?

 

[jfoster5482]

Made an observation today after work. To rule out everything but the PCIe slot, I booted up with audio hoping to hear the Windows welcome music. After realizing I added a user account I figured I need to press enter to log onto the desktop. That is when I realize no lights were illuminated on the keyboard and also my laser mouse had not light on the bottom side. Plugged in a flash drive that has a light on it and as it lite up at first, it then went away. Thus showing it was not receiving any power.

So, it appears everything component wise on the mobo is receiving power, none is going out. Being my psu worked on my test computer, I do not believe it is that but the mobo.

Looks like I am shopping for a new mobo/processor. I can use all my current hardware to save on cost.

 

[nforce4max]

Dead board. I had this happen once and it can't be fixed so you will need a new board. Once the usb and other connector stop working the board is a fancy paperweight.