Suggest a new Video Card for me

[Iron_Cross]

Lets face it I'm tired of my budget-box with an integral GeForce 6100 on the MoBo.  I have everything turned down, and it runs. (meh!)  I do want to experience AHII to the fullest, but with me laid off, and the Mrs. working, funds are tight.  I do seem to have a PCI-E slot.  What out there could work for me for under say 50-70 bucks?

[Masherbrum]

ATi 3650.

[Denholm]

We could help you further if we get more information about your system. CPU brand+model, Motherboard brand+model, PSU output wattage, Your Operating System, your current memory type and amount.

[drdeathx]

Denholm is very correct. Before recommending a new video card you need to make sure your Power supply is large enough along with the other info he stated. The AGP 3650 min specs for power supply is 300W. Need to see if your motherboard is AGP or PCIE. If you do have AGP here is some pricing. Depending on your system, an upgrade on Ram may be the answer for the least amount of $. If you upgrade Ram, PSU and video card the wife ack will hit ya hard. Think it may have been a pre-mature recommendation although the 3650 is the best AGP card for the money.


If Mashburn can provide details if the 3650 AGP card under $50-70, please post it for the guy. It looks like its in the $80+ range and possible a new PSU. Here is nextags pricing:


http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4103516&SRCCODE=NEXTAG&cm_mmc_o=2mHCjCWw0fzTCjCVqHCjCdwwp


If you have PCIE forget the 3650. The 4350 can be bought sub $50. The min requirements for this card is also 300W.

http://shop3.frys.com/product/5801223?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Nextag:

http://www.nextag.com/Msi-R4350-D512H-Radeon-626507237/prices-html

[715]

He says he has a PCI-e slot so he wouldn't want an AGP card right?  Here's a 4650 (faster than 3650) for $50:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161262

(I have no idea about this manufacturer however.)

However, Denholm is correct; you have to mention your CPU and power supply.  AH, like most flight simulators, is CPU intensive and you might be CPU limited.  Also, graphics cards draw a lot of power and a system that was built with onboard graphics might also have a power supply that isn't powerful enough to run a graphics card.

[drdeathx]

He says he has a PCI-e slot so he wouldn't want an AGP card right?  Here's a 4650 (faster than 3650) for $50:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161262   Look up ^^^^^^^^^ I already posted 2 links for him.

(I have no idea about this manufacturer however.)

However, Denholm is correct; you have to mention your CPU and power supply.  AH, like most flight simulators, is CPU intensive and you might be CPU limited.  Also, graphics cards draw a lot of power and a system that was built with onboard graphics might also have a power supply that isn't powerful enough to run a graphics card.

He said it seems! He is running Geforce6100 right now. Not sure if his mobo supports AGP or PCIE so I covered both. Look up^^^^ The PSU issue was covered with minimum specs for the cards.

Its not neccesarily CPU limited. Older systems can bottleneck because the CPU cannot keep up with graphics card but the 3650 or 4350 should work better than what he has. For under $50 the 4350 is a nice buy. I did see the 3650 for $29(after rebate) last week in Fry's electronics add but that's over. For $20 more 4350 is better card. 3650 did not get great reviews.



http://www.legitreviews.com/article/652/13/

The 4350 was close to the Nvidea 9400GT

[BaldEagl]

^  What they said.  Need more info before a recommendation.

[Getback]

^  What they said.  Need more info before a recommendation.

Yep, need PSU, what type of slot.

[TilDeath]

Since this has on-board video, seems to me this is not a home built box but a Brand made system.  If we could get the maker and model all specs will be easily found and recommendations could be made

[Masherbrum]

Gee DrDeath, every 3650 at Newegg is under $70.    I was going on the simple fact that he has a "OEM machine" with a 300 Watt PSU.   

Spend less time on personal attacks and research before you post. 

[Iron_Cross]

An old DxDiag:
------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 8/29/2008, 22:00:10
       Machine name: NONEOFYOURBUISINESS
   Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp.080413-2111)
           Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Gateway
       System Model: W3107
               BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
          Processor: AMD Sempron(tm) Processor 3100+,  MMX,  3DNow, ~1.8GHz
             Memory: 382MB RAM(Going to upgrade this and replace the mem with 2 1 Gig sticks.)
          Page File: 285MB used, 633MB available
        Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
    DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: /Silent
     DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode

[BaldEagl]

I found this but no mention of PSU:

CPU:  AMD Sempron™ 3100+ Processor
(1.8GHz, 1600MHz system bus, 256KB L2 cache)
Operating System:  Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Home (SP2)
 
Chipset:  NVIDIA® Crush 51
Memory:  512MB DDR (1 × 512MB) 400MHz (PC3200)
Expandable to 2GB
Hard Drive:  100GB (7200rpm, 2MB cache)
Optical Drive:  16x multiformat dual-layer DVD±RW drive (up to 8.5GB with dual-layer media)
Media Reader:  8-in-1 digital media manager (Secure Digital™ (SD), Smart Media, Micro Drive, Memory Stick®, Memory Stick Pro®, Compact Flash, Multimedia Card, USB 2.0)
Video:  NVIDIA® GeForce®™ 6100 GPU
Up to 128MB of shared video memory
PCI-Express® (PCI-E x16) slot available
Sound:  6-channel (5.1) AC'97 audio
Network:  10/100Mbps Ethernet LAN
Modem:  56K ITU v.92-ready fax/modem
Peripherals:  Standard multifunction keyboard, 2-button wheel mouse, amplified stereo speakers
Ports/Other:  5 USB 2.0 ports (1 in media manager, 4 in back), VGA external connector, serial port, parallel port, 2 PS/2 ports (keyboard and mouse), 5 audio ports (2 in front, 3 in back)
Dimensions:  14.25"H x 7.25"W x 16"D
Weight:  22.5 lbs

Then found this:

Product Description
- 480W Power Supply Replacement PSU
- One (1) 14-inch SATA connecter
- One (1) 14-inch ATX power connector (supports both 20-pin and 24-pin configurations)
- One (1) 14-inch 12V P4 ATX power connector (4-pin)
- Two (2) 12-inch large power connectors (4-pin)
- Two (2) 6-inch large power connectors (4-pin)
- One (1) 6-inch Small power connectors (4-pin)
- Quiet/Low-noise Operation
- Supports latest Serial SATA Adapter
- Energy Star Efficiency
- Over Power and Voltage Protection
- Designed by Logisys

Dimensions:
Depth: 5.5"; Height 3.5"; Width x 6"

Replacement for:
Bestec ATX-250-12E, Bestec ATX-300-12E. P/N 1670, 1763, 100744, 100889, 100929, 129074, EM-2309, EM-2423, EM-2450, EM-2369, EM-2436. Also replaces many other models.

AC Input:
100~120Vac 10A
200~240Vac 5A

DC Output:

Load Min Max
+3.3V 0.3A 28A
+5V 1.0A 36A
+12V 1.0A 16A
-5V 0A 0.5A
-12V 0A 0.8A
+5VSB 0A 2A

And then found this:

Bestec ATX-300-12ED - 300 Watt ATX Power Supply
Product Number ATX-300-12ED

Key Features:
Common Emachine replacement power supply. See chart below.
Product Description:
This power supply is a "special" one. The Bestec ATX-300-12ED 300 watt power supply replaces several hard to find emachine power supplies. Take a look at the chart below the picture of the power supply.

Looking to upgrade? Try this power supply. It's 630 watts and provides needed power when upgrading video cards or adding devices to your computer.

Technical Specs:

ATX Form factor
6" Wide X 3.5" Tall X 5.5" Deep
One ATX 2.03 connector (20 pin)
One 12V connector for P4 motherboards
Four IDE 4 PIN connectors
Two Floppy 4 PIN connectors
One AUX connector
Output Max. Load 
+5Vsb 2A
-12V 0.8A
+12V 15A
+5V 30A
+3.3V 28A
 
I think we can safely say he has a PCIe x16 slot and no more than 16 amps on the 12V rail.

As far as Nvidia cards this means you'll be limited to an 8400 or 9400 series card.  You might be able to run a 8500/9500 series card but it will be touch and go with your power supply.

[BaldEagl]

I just checked and even the 8400/9400 cards require 18 amps.  Unless you're willing to upgrade the PSU too I'm afraid you're out of luck.

I'd be saving my $ for a new build if I were you.  In the meantime a RAM upgrade would be cheap and give you a little bump in performance.

[Fulmar]

 Machine name: NONEOFYOURBUISINESS
lol?

[drdeathx]

Go with the ATI 4350 it requires less power than Nvidea. Min power supply 300W.