Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: 100Coogn on October 30, 2008, 02:52:32 PM
-
I'd like to purchase a video card from Newegg, but I have no idea if my computer supports PCI express 2.0. I just want to get a good video card for my system. If I understand correctly, I now have an on-board video chip, so I guess anything will be an improvement. I'll probably have to get a bigger PSU also, but I won't know what to get until a video card has been chosen.
Thanks for any advice on this matter. Here is part of my DxDiag. If more is needed just let me know.
100Coogn :salute
------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 10/30/2008, 15:32:28
Machine name: LIVINGROOM-PC
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6001) Service Pack 1 (6001.vistasp1_gdr.080917-1612)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Acer
System Model: Aspire E380
BIOS: )Phoenix - Award WorkstationBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4400+ (2 CPUs), ~2.3GHz
Memory: 1790MB RAM
Page File: 980MB used, 2849MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 10
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 6.00.6001.18000 32bit Unicode
------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.
--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D: 0/4 (retail)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (retail)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (retail)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)
---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce 6150SE nForce 430
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_03D0&SUBSYS_26011019&REV_A2
Display Memory: 889 MB
Dedicated Memory: 249 MB
Shared Memory: 639 MB
Current Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (85Hz)
Monitor: SAMTRON 96B/97B
Driver Name: nvd3dum.dll,nvwgf2um.dll
Driver Version: 7.15.0011.7824 (English)
DDI Version: 10
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 10/7/2008 13:33:00, 5963776 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
WHQL Date Stamp:
Device Identifier: {D7B71E3E-4090-11CF-396D-0A0602C2CA35}
Vendor ID: 0x10DE
Device ID: 0x03D0
SubSys ID: 0x26011019
Revision ID: 0x00A2
Revision ID: 0x00A2
-
Go to the manufacturers website and look up the model #.
-
From what I've googled, and found some a customer review, the PSU you have is only 250W, but it does have a PCI-E 16x slot. You'll need to upgrade your PSU if you want to add anything really.
What's your total budget?
-
I would say $200.00 is about the most I could spend. I could go over a little if it is for the video card & PSU. And yes my PSU is 250W.
100Coogn
-
Can you open up the case, pull the PSU plug from the motherboard and tell us how many pins it is? It should be either 20 or 24.
Also rough dimensions of you're PSU would be helpful so we know we're not recommending an ATX when you need a micro.
-
Here's what I would do. Grab a 3850 vc for 70 bucks and a PC Power and Cooling PS for around 110. Then when I go to build a new computer I would at least pull that PS out and put the old one back in so that you have 2 comps.
-
Here's what I would do. Grab a 3850 vc for 70 bucks and a PC Power and Cooling PS for around 110. Then when I go to build a new computer I would at least pull that PS out and put the old one back in so that you have 2 comps.
x2
-
ATI 4830 is due out. Rumor had it under $150
-
Ahhhhh $129!!!
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/10/23/ati-4830-completes-trio
-
Thank you drdeathx, that looks like the answer I was looking for. As long as it will fit my MOBO I should be good to go.
:aok
100Coogn
-
This is insanely cheap and it beats nvidea 9800!
-
I would avoid NVidia. Actually when I look back Ive probably had far more trouble free service from ATI products. This screamer I bought has an GeForce9500GS loaded onboard and so far no problems. But if I ever have to replace it I'll get an ATI card.
Ive been hearing to much drama about the NVidia's. Everything from heat to driver issues.And after my last go around Im to paranoid to allow Vista to upgrade because I fear video card driver issues.
-
ATI is more compatible with Vista. NVidia still has to work out the bugs. However, once they find a way to make it's cards more Vista compatible, you won't be beating them that easily.
-
Denholm.... I believe its the other way around. ATI newer cards were having problems with vista. I read hundreds of forums at ati but haven't researched Nvidea.
-
Rich... It's definitely the other way around. I owned 2 (512) 3870's and crossfired them. Nothing but problems and also hundreds of users. Same with 4870 x 2. Read AMD forums. I brought all cards back, went with Nvidea and perfect. I read a lot of Nvidea forums and they did not have these problems. I am running GTX280 now. ATI was having bios, heat, driver, vista and install problems. They may have fixed them in the last few months but I would highly recommend staying away although the 4870 x 2 series outperforms the GTX280. The GTX 280 is really a great card and unless you are playing a highly graphic intensive card, the 9800 and GTX280 are ample cards. The 9800 is more than sufficient to play AH.
Want to make 1 statement. I spent many nights reading the problems with ATI and there were literally hundreds. I was on the phone with ATI(Diamond and Visiontec) and their engineers were unaware of these problems. Again the may have rectified the problems but I am standing by my experience.
ATI did release the 4830 which is priced at $129 which seems to be a great card and is supposed to outperform the 9800GT Nvidea is most categories. The 3800 series cards have also dropped in price (just want to be fair to ATI). Still highly recommend Nvidea.
-
Well I went the easy way and just bought a pre-built system with enough card to keep me happy for the service life of the gamer.
Ive played the upgrade componants game. Many times Ive played it in both my gamers and my NLE/DV puters. Buying a pre-configured gamer is the easiest out there is cause I have 3 years of no worrys on the warranty.
Skuzzy doesnt have much good to say about NVidia drivers either for vista. I'll admit when its running right the NVidia performs well.
-
Overall, NVidia has had a lot of problems getting thier drivers stable for Vista. This has been well known in the industry for some time now. Even NVidia has admitted it. ATI has been ahead on that curve. NVidia just got a driver release that finally allows Windows Media player to be stable on Vista when using an 8800GTX (or better), under Vista. Before, if you played certain WMP files under Explorer, it would crash the player and IE at the same time.
They are getting better. And to be fair, both companies had to start from scratch with thier drivers. ATI got the edge due to a good working relationship with Microsoft. NVidia and Microsoft have had a strained relationship since the XBox video chip debacle.
Neither companies drivers are that great, but ATI still maintains a slight edge in thier DirectX support under Vista. Again, it is due to the working relationship with Microsoft.
Under XP it is quite the opposite, although NVidia has had some really bad driver releases lately for XP as well. A bit of a roller coaster. Probably due to trying to build a branch driver set for both XP and Vista.
-
Rich,
Skuzzy gave some nice info (I was unaware). My response was in frustration of ATI but I was fair to both companies! Maybe its a crapshoot! Its amazing that some have great luck with some comapnies but the wars keep technology going and hopefully prices down for us normal guys. :noid
-
Rich,
Skuzzy gave some nice info (I was unaware). My response was in frustration of ATI but I was fair to both companies! Maybe its a crapshoot! Its amazing that some have great luck with some comapnies but the wars keep technology going and hopefully prices down for us normal guys. :noid
Oh one thing we are sure of is its a crap shoot. I find Vista loaded puters to be intimidating where'as I was always comfortable with XP. Ive had some Godawful problems configuring NLE systems with XP but always found a way to fix things. I just never really worried about XP issues cropping up that I couldn't deal with, or, at least be talked thru on the phone with a techie.
But this Vista thing? Often I wonder who in heck MS was creating it for. A big part of their market share is content creators and gamers and they sure didn't develop it for us. I'm considering a new NLE system but I'm hesitant to run Vista on it. My current NLE has 3 different video cards/realtime video accelerators loaded on it, both 1394a and 1394b with 5 external HDs on the firewire chain, 3 internal cheetahs on a SCSI chain, an external SCSI to finish the SCSI chain, 4 monitors, 2 DVD DL burners, and external DVD copier,4 gigs of RAM, 4 USB printers, an external 1394 audio mixer, 3 sets of speakers including a big MAudio 7-1 setup. I use 3 different NLEs, numerous programs like Adobe After Effects/Photoshop, an entire Sony editing/audio/DVD creation suite, and uncountable software programs accumulated over 15 years in DV.
And they all run in perfect harmony in Windows XP Pro. Meanwhile the very thought of trying to make deadlines in a new system running Vista just frightens me.
-
LOL STAY WITH XP!!!!!! :cool:
-
I'm fairly confident I will never get Vista, not even for free. Windows 7 seems to fix many things that are wrong in Vista but it's just a polished Vista.
And you know what they say - you can't polish a turd.
I'm heavily thinking to start moving to Apple and get consoles for the kids to play with. What am I going to do with the leftover 3 gaming boxes now? Grr..
-
lol... 2 of my 3 machines are still running Win98.
-
Baldeagle I bet you still have your original apple(Punch cards) LOL :rofl
-
Rich46yo, I also do a fair amount of NLE work at home as a hobby, and have invested a considerable amount into that hobby. One thing you need to know about Vista.
The sound system in Vista will alter your audio and you cannot stop it. It drops cycles so syncing audio is almost impossible to do, even with external reference clocks. ASIO drivers do not work in Vista, due to the DRM implementation. Although if you check around the Internet, you will find folks who have hacked Vista up pretty good in order to make ASIO work again, if that is your cup of tea.
If you do NLE work for a living, a Mac or Linux system would be a better choice now, than a Vista based computer. I guess Microsoft figured the NLE market was not big enough for them to be worried about as most of the large production houses have switched to Linux for their render farms already.
-
I think they messed up. While the pro-NLE market may not be large the consumer DV market is. And MS had a large share of it. With XP Pro they had finally come close to the reliability we PC DV guys used to dream about. And not just with the operating system but also their 3rd market DV customers. Quality DV drivers were the norm with XP and DV products and as far as the Pro-sumer market share, and consumer market share, they were burying Apple.
But now there is no question I'd buy a Mac. I started with DV when the original Pinnacle DC-10 came out. Remember that? :D I still have my Seagate Cheetah 2 gig externals that were the cats arse at the time. Now I have so many terabytes storage isn't even a concern.
But I do remember the early days of DV and of being forced to learn computers just to keep a system up and able to output 20 mins of DV. :lol
And just when MS approaches the promised land they come out with this Vista monstrosity. Ive used up to 20 audio streams for my work. Can you imagine doing that in Vista while outputting surround?
-
I would check the Overclocking sites. There you can find reviews with benchmarks for both videocards and power supplies. Find the best rated within your 200.00 budget.
Overclockers Club http://www.overclockersclub.com/ (http://www.overclockersclub.com/)
Extreme Overclocking http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/ (http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/)
Overclock.net http://www.overclock.net/ (http://www.overclock.net/)
Benchmark Reviews http://benchmarkreviews.com (http://benchmarkreviews.com)
Hope this helps