Author Topic: New Video Cards - suggestions (Read 3213 times)

68DevilM · « **Reply #45 on:** June 11, 2006, 10:57:50 PM »

eyecandy!!!!, eyecandy,

never seen the rounds of tanks hit the dirt in front of you before and see the plume of dust it creates now, or is that just the new patch....?

Enduro · « **Reply #46 on:** June 14, 2006, 10:07:25 AM »

okay, thanks for the input, guys!

seriously.

i just purchased the card that 38ruk recommended for my system after Silat even agreed. everyone had great ideas. but, for my older system that will eventually have to be replaced anyway, this card will do fine:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102609

paid for overnight delivery; so, I hope to install it this weekend. (I'm a fan of FEDEX. hehehe)

thanks again!!!

Pollock · « **Reply #47 on:** June 14, 2006, 04:44:20 PM »

I just got this card too!

So far it is fantastic and there is a noticable difference when you unlock the extra 4 pipes.

Enduro · « **Reply #48 on:** June 14, 2006, 09:51:10 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Pollock
I just got this card too!

So far it is fantastic and there is a noticable difference when you unlock the extra 4 pipes.

Great to hear, Pollock!

Do you have a web page that gives instructions on how to unlock the doo-hickies that you're talking about?

hehe

nevermind. I guess this is what you're talking about: http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=10955&page=16

Thanks,

Krusty · « **Reply #49 on:** June 15, 2006, 11:36:43 AM »

I think you need to go back to the power supply issue. I think Roo's wrong on this one. I think it *IS* very possible that your PSU is 150W. My 5-year old machine had a 175W PSU, my sister's has a 150W, and it's only 3 years old! Companies like Dell, HP, and Gateway get away with REALLY cheap PSUs.

There should be a sticker with lots of numbers on it. There should be a listing of "max continuous output" or "total output" something like that. It will be the highest number on the list. Example: My current one says 450W (-ish).

If you really DO have a 150W (very likely, with such an old case) then you're not going to get anything from any modern video card -- you just won't have the juice to run them at full power. It would be like underclocking them, all the time.

EDIT: Go back to the sticker. This is one example. Often each manufacturer will have their own layout for displaying this. In this case (pulled randomly off the web) I have circled the max power listed.

Roscoroo · « **Reply #50 on:** June 15, 2006, 12:39:51 PM »

I'm sort of suspicious if its a 150watt , Krusty .

I think thats just one rail . witch would be probely correct.

Ive got a stack of power supplys here out of 233,266,800 mhz Pent 2's and 3's they start at 200 watt and end at 300 watt (6 total from dells and HP's)

a 150watt total wouldnt even fire my 1.3ghz pc .. let alone a 2.4 pent

Krusty · « **Reply #51 on:** June 15, 2006, 12:48:10 PM »

well one of my sisters has a 1.4GHz celeron or something or other (way obsolete) that has a 150W. My old PC before I upgraded had a 175W. Another sister of mine has a sub-200W PSU (can't remember specifics right now) and it's not that old.

A lot of those built-in ones are really low, which is why I asked him to revisit the issue and check again.

Roscoroo · « **Reply #52 on:** June 15, 2006, 01:14:30 PM »

if it doesnt have the suds it will just go POP .. and then he'll have to run out and grab a good antec / enermax ... ect type ps ..

I popped 2 ps's in my barton pc .. so its not that big of a deal.

Is your Sis's pc a compaq perhaps ?? they're famous for substandard left over parts .... i think they were still selling 486's in 2002 as new pc's

my 550mhz p-2 has a 145watt , its a HP w/ onboard video. shorty stack ect.

my 2.4 ghz pent 4/ti4600 needed a 350 watt to run ..

Enduro · « **Reply #53 on:** June 15, 2006, 10:04:09 PM »

Good call, Krusty.

I checked...Max output = 250W -- not enough juice for the video card that FEDEX delivered earlier today.

38ruk,
Thanks for the offer on the PSU. Silat referred me to a couple of companies that offer units that are made to fit in my box; so, I think I'll just go with one of those companies.

First option:
360W unit for $80

Second option: 300W unit for $44 (must open this link in IE for some reason)

Any other suggestions are welcome--would prefer to not cut the box if I don't have to.

Krusty · « **Reply #54 on:** June 15, 2006, 11:10:37 PM »

Look for a sale here or there. I snagged a 450-475W PSU for 5.00. You read that right, for a fiver. It was a 1-day only sale on newegg. I did a little checking, read the reviews. The thing has been solid ever since I put it in, so I think I lucked out.

EDIT: Not counting shipping. I had a larger order so it shipped with the rest

I'm not saying you will find a $5 PSU, but look for a sale here and there. Those things can get expensive.

Roo: We shied away from Compaqs many years back. One sis has an HP (about 150-175W) the other has a Dell I think (unknown W, but under 200).

Brooke · « **Reply #55 on:** June 15, 2006, 11:24:19 PM »

The Dell Dimension 8250 is listed as having a 250 W power supply. Not sure what the card needs that you are considering.

Roscoroo · « **Reply #56 on:** June 15, 2006, 11:33:08 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Krusty

Roo: We shied away from Compaqs many years back. One sis has an HP (about 150-175W) the other has a Dell I think (unknown W, but under 200).

Good move Krusty ... I pritty much toss every compaq in the trash ... Hp's arnt to bad .. and some of the dells are ok ... even the older gateways had alot of good parts Asus mb's ect

Enduro · « **Reply #57 on:** June 17, 2006, 06:39:30 PM »

Hello, everyone.

I installed the new RADEON X800GTO today even though I'm still using the OEM 250W power supply. I even used the Trixx overclocking utility that came with the video card. The system seems to be stable.
Am currently using CATALYST 6.5 drivers right off the ATI web site.

With AH2 settings left totally untouched, my in-game performance is somewhat improved at the moment. What I'm wondering is...do you think my performance would improve even more with a bigger power supply unit? I don't hear or see any signs that power may be an issue.

Notice the unused memory on the video card.

I'm not done tinkering with everything. Wanted to see if anyone thinks that a more powerful power supply would increase the video card's performance.

btw, if the video card has only 256MB onboard, why is AH2 reporting 384M?

Thanks!

Old Vid Card:

New Vid Card:

Roscoroo · « **Reply #58 on:** June 17, 2006, 06:58:26 PM »

leave it alone ... the vid mem is that way cause your not preloaded there ..
ive tried the preload on the card befor .. i didnt like it .

now run the game for awile,,,, fly the terrain ... they did something in the last few patches that has slowed the game up. i had to bump my slider down a touch and im not at 85fps as much .... i blame it on the removal of our beloved ewe's ..

39fps isnt to bad in the most evil furbals thats were im at ... 36---49 avg in the heavy heavy

Krusty · « **Reply #59 on:** June 17, 2006, 07:12:41 PM »

HTC has mentioned that you shouldn't believe the memory info in the ctrl I screen -- that it displays incorrectly for some reason. That's why it says you have 300+MB of vidmem