Video Card

[Jappa52]

If you're in the store it should say on the box. most websites will have it listed under the system requirements

[gyrene81]

Hey Dirty!

PNY - XLR8 NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT EE 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express Graphics Card .....

ok why this one and not the BFG - NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT 1GB GDDR3 PCI Express Graphics Card

wouldnt the 1gb card be better than the 512? It's also cheaper and requires a smaller power supply which doesnt make a lot of sense to me but....

Look very closely at the specs on the 1GB card...it's actually slower. If you're gonna buy a BFG (which I don't recommend)...be ready to have some very weird glitches...standard Nvidia drivers are hit/miss whereas EVGA, XFX and PNY are better engineered.


If I may...you're running a dual core AMD processor...probably an Asus or Gigabyte mobo as well...you would probably be better off grabbing an ATI video card to throw in there...since AMD owns ATI you're going to get a better match.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161290

Check the specs on that one.

[BaldEagl]

First of all most newer cards will require either a six or eight pin PCIe power connector from your power supply (some require two power connectors) so if you don't have one you'll need a new PSU.  The next thing you need to do is check the amperage rating for the card you want vs the amperage ratings on the 12V rail(s) of your PSU.  You'll likely need between 28-35 amps to run a newer card.  The amp ratings are listed on a sticker on the PSU.  You need the amps on the +12V rail(s) to exceed the card manufacturer's amp requirements.

As far as cards go most 512 Mb cards are faster than 1 Gb cards so are a better choice for gaming.  The other reason to stick with a 512 Mb card is that a 32 bit operating system will only recognize a total of 4 Gb of system RAM.  That includes your regular RAM and that of the video card.  From that, the system allocates RAM to the motherboard, usb ports and other areas leaving you with 3.25-3.75 Gb of usable RAM depending on the system.  If you install a 1 Gb card you'll only have about 2.5 Gb of regular system RAM availabe.  Of course if you have a 64 bit OS then none of that matters.

The biggest determining factor in how a video card performs is it's maximum memory bandwidth.  Unfortunatly, most retail sites don't list this and not all manufacturer sites do either.  The good news is you can compare cards by looking at the memory type (GDDR2, GDDR3, etc... higher is better) and the memory speed (1600 Mz, 2100 Mhz, etc... again higher is better) with type being the more significant indicator of performance.

The next thing to consider is pixel pipelines (again, more is better).  This determins your pixel and texture fill rate. 

All other things being equal a higher GPU core clock speed would be the final determining factor.

Hope that helps you make an informed decision.

[gyrene81]

Uhhh...Baldy, you forgot "interface" 64bit - 128bit - 256bit or 384bit.

Good advice from Baldy before you go any further...check the specs on that PSU.

[usvi]

Just installed an EVGA 9800gt to replace my ASUS 8600gt.
Now have sliders and antialiasing at full,frame rate steady at 60(monitor refresh rate) and no stutters at all.
The EVGA precision utility is great and installation was a breeze.

[Jappa52]

Hey Gents, thanks for the help!!!! I just learned a lot about vcards.

I looked at my PS. I have 3 12V rails pushing 18A a piece and a total of 504W, another 12V-.8A-9.6W, 5VSB-2.5S-12.5W, 5V-20A-100W, 3.3V-24A-79.2W..... most card specifications seem to give general figures for power requirements.

Example: Windows XP or Vista; 1GB RAM; 100MB hard drive space; optical drive; PCI Express-compliant motherboard; available PCI Express x16 slot; 525W power supply

I have a 550W PS so a noob like myself would think I'm ok but the 12V rails are only pushing 18A a piece and even their combined output is only 504W. I've been looking at PS on the bestbuy website and they list the number of connections (rails? not sure of the terminology) and an overall output but don't list the output for each connection...

[BaldEagl]

It sounds like your PSU will handle it as long as it has the right connector.  You'll most likely need a six pin connector.  Is there a "spare" wire coming from the PSU with a six hole plug on it?

You said you have 3 +12V rails @ 18 amps ea.  That's 54 amps total.  54 amps x 12V = 648 watts.  550/648 = 85% efficiency which is a rate typically associated with quality PSU's.  What brand is your PSU?  

You don't have to worry about the 504W from the 12V rails.  The card manufacturers recommendations take into account the need for +5V and other rails.  As long as your overall amps and watts exceed Mfg. specs and you have the right PCIe connection you should be good to go.

[Jappa52]

It is a Antec 550W HE something something..... I think it has the needed connector but will double check. When I installed it along with the new card I had more connectors than needed and now that I'm hearing all this I hope I hooked it up right. Guess I did since it hasn't melted yet 

[gyrene81]

Jappa, for the ATI 4850 card your PSU is more than adequate...for the 9800GTX, you don't have enough power on the 12v rail (Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 24 Amp Amps)...if you go with a 9800GTS, no problems.

I still recommend the ATI 4850 over the Nvidia anything for your setup...but either way is better than what you have now.

[Jappa52]

Hey Gyrene-

I have heard that about AMD and ATI work better together but I've only had experience with NVIDIA. I looked at that card and it seems like a good deal. I looked at the ATI website but am a little confused as to why they so many different manufacturers? Sapphire, ASUS, Gigabyte, Apple, Diamond, HIS, Visontek, Powercolor, XFX, MSI.... seems a bit "bush league" to me.... so many different companies (I'm guessing) that seem to put out cards with the same specs, which one is the best?

[BaldEagl]

I looked at the ATI website but am a little confused as to why they so many different manufacturers? Sapphire, ASUS, Gigabyte, Apple, Diamond, HIS, Visontek, Powercolor, XFX, MSI.... seems a bit "bush league" to me.... so many different companies (I'm guessing) that seem to put out cards with the same specs, which one is the best?

Fot the same reasons that Dell, Gateway, HP, Compaq and others put out Intel computers.

AMD and Nvidia design the GPU chips and all those companies are manufacturers who license the technology.  Almost every one of those companies also make Nvidia cards.  Very few are chip specific just as Dell, HP, etal also make AMD based computers.

Reputation and warranty are big deciders in the end.  Not all manufacturer's create cards of equal quality.

If you go with Nvidia EVGA probably has the best reputation, a lifetime warrantee and a step-up program where if you're not satisfied with your card you can trade it in for full value for a better card (within a time restriction).  They are one of the few who only make Nvidia based cards and their customer service is good.  I can't speak to AMD as I've always owned EVGA/Nvidia graphics cards.

[TilDeath]

If you go with Nvidia EVGA probably has the best reputation, a lifetime warrantee and a step-up program where if you're not satisfied with your card you can trade it in for full value for a better card (within a time restriction).  They are one of the few who only make Nvidia based cards and their customer service is good.  I can't speak to AMD as I've always owned EVGA/Nvidia graphics cards.

BaldEagl is right but look on the EVGA site since not all of the EVGA cards qualify for the lifetime warranty.  EVGA cards presently are the only cards I use in my builds.  The 90 Step-Up program works great and the 24/7 customer service is a great help if you get into a jam.  You MUST register your product to qualify for the 90 day and lifetime warranty, I advise spending the extra few dollars when registering to make the cross shipping available if there is a problem.  If you don't you could be 10 days to 3~4 weeks waiting for product, esp the higher end cards.  You will be able to run any EVGA card from the 250 on down with your current PSU provided you have the proper connections available.

[Jappa52]

I'm liking this evga geforce 250

http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=512-P3-1154-TR

but just wanted to make sure my ps would handle it as it does say...

Requirements Minimum of a 450 Watt power supply.
(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 24 Amps.)

[Getback]

What's the difference between the GTS and the GTX? Also, how does that compare to the ati 4850?

[ZZee]

how much difference would there be on an older system (AMD Athlon 2.0Ghz) on identical cards with one having a 128bit memory interface and the other 256?

i'm trying to find the best AGP card and there is a lot to weed thru, especially for a computer tard like myself.



zzee