Upgrading Graphics card on my current desktop

[sumair]

hey guys,

ive got a desktop prebuilt that ive had since 2008. its has been great for me so far wihtout much issues. i really only play WOW or diablo on it and usually keep it on high without issues. well recenlty the new WOW xpac had a patch and im lagging alot more then i should. my thing is...i dont have it in my budget to get a new desktop atm so im trying to upgrade my GPU on this one so i can run WOW wihtout issues. its an older system so i know my options are limited. not trying to spend too much. Would be nice to run it on ultra without issues but atleast on high smoothly would be nice.

these are the specs to my current deskstop. i upgraded the GPU a year ago to a Asus gt440 1gb. didnt notice a difference. what else can i do?

Gateway FX4710-UB003A

Operating System Windows Vista™ Home Premium (64-bit) operating system with Service Pack 1
Processor Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Q9300

Each core operates at 2.50 GHz
6 MB L2 cache
1333 front side bus

Chipset Intel G33
Memory
Installed: 6 GB (6144 MB) 667 MHz (PC2-5300) DDR2 SDRAM (two 2048 MB and two 1024 MB modules)
Expandable to: 8 GB (four DDR2 DIMM slots)
Hard Drive 640 GB 7200 RPM SATA II hard drive
Optical Drive 16X DVD ±R/RW super multi drive featuring Labelflash™ technology
Supports Labelflash on disc printing (requires Labelflash media)

Up to 8.5 GB with dual layer media
Write max: 16X DVD±R, 6X DVD-RW, 8X DVD+RW, 8X DVD±R DL, 12X DVD-RAM, 48X CD-R, 32X CD-RW
Read max: 16X DVD-ROM, 48X CD-ROM

Media Card Reader 15-in-1 high speed digital media manager supporting the following:

Compact Flash (CF) I, II
IBM Microdrive™ (MD)
SmartMedia Card (SMC)
Memory Stick™ (MS)
Memory Stick Duo (MS Duo)
Memory Stick PRO (MS PRO)
Memory Stick PRO Duo (MS PRO Duo)
Secure Digital™ (SD)
Mini Secure Digital (MiniSD)
Multi Media Card (MMC)
RS Multi Media Card (RS-MMC) (need adapter)
Multi Media Plus Card (MMC Plus)
Multi Media Mobile Card (MMC Mobile)
xD-Picture Card (xD)

Video NVIDIA® GeForce® 9800GT 512 MB video card, factory overclocked
Audio Integrated 8-Channel (7.1) High Definition Audio
Network Support Integrated 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN
Modem 56K PCI data/fax modem
Power Supply 400 watt
Add-in Card Slots
One PCI Express ×16 (graphics interface)
One PCI Express ×1
Two PCI conventional
External Connectors
Two PS/2 ports
One eSATA port
One VGA port
Six USB 2.0 ports (two front, four rear)
two IEEE 1394 port (one front, one rear)
One network (LAN) port
Eight audio jacks (two front, six rear)
Drive Bays
Two external 5.25-inch drive bays
Six internal 3.5-inch drive bays
Physical Dimensions
(H × W × D) 16.34 × 7.09 × 17.32 inches (415 × 180 × 440 mm)
Weight (Unpackaged) 24.25 lbs. (11 kg)

 

[Sunius]

Actually, you should have noticed performance decrease with GT 440, as it is MUCH slower than 9800 GT.

If you want to minimize the expenses, I'd suggest getting a CPU cooler and overclocking that Core 2 Quad. It will for sure increase the performance in World of Warcraft.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

 

[coozie7]

An overclock will help but most prebuilts have that capability taken out of the BIOS to prevent unknowlageable usesrs from damaging the system, but there's no harm in taking a look at the BIOS settings-you might get lucky.
Agree with Sunius, the 440 is a slower card than the 9800.
If you can't overclock the only way to get more performance is a more powerful graphics card so we'll need to know: Your budget, monitor resolution and information on the powersupply. There's a rating label, usually on the side, which you can see when you take th side panel off, we need to know: Amps on the +12v rail or rails and number of 6 pin PCI-E connectors it has.
Here's a little something you'll find helpful:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

 

[sumair]

yea ive never overclocked before nor do i know the settings on my desk top. im willing to give it a shot.

as for teh video card upgrade . 400w power supply. rest of specs below and as for budget i dont wanna spend too much. its an old system which i will end up upgrading soon anyways...just want something that will run WOW on ultra or atleast high without much effort.

im using a 27 inch LED 1080p monitor

Video NVIDIA® GeForce® 9800GT 512 MB video card, factory overclocked
Audio Integrated 8-Channel (7.1) High Definition Audio
Network Support Integrated 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN
Modem 56K PCI data/fax modem
Power Supply 400 watt
Add-in Card Slots
One PCI Express ×16 (graphics interface)
One PCI Express ×1
Two PCI conventional
External Connectors
Two PS/2 ports
One eSATA port
One VGA port
Six USB 2.0 ports (two front, four rear)
two IEEE 1394 port (one front, one rear)
One network (LAN) port
Eight audio jacks (two front, six rear)
Drive Bays
Two external 5.25-inch drive bays
Six internal 3.5-inch drive bays
Physical Dimensions
(H × W × D) 16.34 × 7.09 × 17.32 inches (415 × 180 × 440 mm)
Weight (Unpackaged) 24.25 lbs. (11 kg)

 

[Deemo13]

Well, if your computer can run the 9800GT, chances are it will run a Radeon HD7770.

 

[sumair]

Well, if your computer can run the 9800GT, chances are it will run a Radeon HD7770.

is the hdd7770 a big upgrade from my video card and the 9800gt

 

[Deemo13]

Yes, the 7770 is a very nice upgrade.