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Getting a new graphic card

Discussion in 'Building a new PC' started by Moneyman7, May 9, 2009.

  1. Moneyman7

    Moneyman7 Member

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    I have a very powerful computer and only thing it doesn't have but it needs, is an up-to-date graphic card, since the one it has is very old (Intel GMA 950). I'm not sure what kind of motherboard I do have but I will find out if needed. I want to know the complete process of what I must do. I want to buy the newest nvidia graphic card which has to be compatible with my motherboard. If you need any more info, tell me. Any help is appreciated.
     
  2. Kokki99

    Kokki99 Regular member

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    So if your computer is new i take it has a PCI-E slot and GTX 285 would be good. Is that Intel GMA 950 integrated? If it is you should install the new graphigs card and the drivers and then disable the integrated one from BIOS.
     
  3. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    A GTX285 is a bit of a waste, it's too expensive. The GTX275 is basically the same and costs loads less. However, if his PC has a GMA950, neither the CPU or PSU will keep up with that sort of card.

    Moneyman: What's your budget?
     
  4. Moneyman7

    Moneyman7 Member

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    I think my PC is pretty strong. It's CPU is 3 GHZ. I'm willing to pay as much as it needs to get one of the newest nvidia graphic cards. And, my PC is very very old, that's why it's card is that bad.
     
  5. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    Then it's a 3Ghz P4 which is very slow by modern standards.
     
  6. Kokki99

    Kokki99 Regular member

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    Well if your PC is very very old it has to have Pentium 4 which sucks by modern standards. Even if it is dual-core it won't beat almost any modern CPU.
     
  7. dragnandy

    dragnandy Regular member

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    perhaps you should post all your parts in your computer (motherboard, cpu, psu, etc.)

    if you do have a P4 3.0ghz, then you wouldnt want something like a gtx285 or 275 because then you'll be bottle necking your computer.
     
  8. Moneyman7

    Moneyman7 Member

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    Yes, it is Pentium 4

    Motherboard:

    Code:
    Chipset: Intel  i915P/i915G   Rev: B1
    Southbridge: Intel  82801FB (ICH6)
    LPCIO: ITE  IT8712
    BIOS:

    Code:
    Brand: American Megatrends Inc.
    Version: 080011
    Date: 01/17/2005
    Processor:

    Code:
    Name: Intel Pentium 4 540
    Code Name: Prescott
    Package: Socket 775 LGA
    
    Specification: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.20 GHz
    Family: F  Model: 4  Stepping: 1
    Ext. Family: F  Ext Model: 4  Revision: E0
    Instructions: MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3
    If you need any more info, ask.

    What is the newest nVidia graphic card I can get for those specs?
     
  9. KillerBug

    KillerBug Active member

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    Based on that, you might not even be able to upgrade the graphics. We still don't know if it has a PCIe x16 slot.

    While the picture is still very blurry from those specs, it appears your system is at least 4 years old, and was built with the cheapest stuff available (GMA950 was always a super-lowend chip; it is used in lower-end eee-PCs).
     
  10. Moneyman7

    Moneyman7 Member

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    yes, it is 4-5 years old. you are sure i cant upgrade it??
     
  11. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    We don;t know anything about your motherboard from those specs, but I would guess you're limited to bus-powered AGP cards, so we're talking three or four year old technology performance-wise. Realistically, you're not going to get that much of an upgrade out of a PC so old.
     
  12. Knuck1ez

    Knuck1ez Regular member

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    Im pretty sure you dont have a pci-e slot.. http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf-JAVA/Doc/images/c00460392.jpg
    your best bet is to either buy a cheap newer model mobo with a pci-e slot and replace the old mobo (could be alittle tricky though) or just start from scratch. you could find a cheap pre-build HP or Dell for like 300-400$ and just put a GFX card in there.
     
  13. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    Replacing the board in an HP is doable, but with a system that old, money would be better spent upgrading the whole system.
     
  14. Shamb1es

    Shamb1es Regular member

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    If you're looking for an AGP card the best out there from ATI is the 3850 (or less expensive 3650), or nvidias geforce 6200. They are still slow by todays standards, and have a low price/performance ratio because they are on an outdated connector. But if you simply want to upgrade your GPU without the hassle of upgrading anything else they will still perform exponentially better than the on-board intel chip.
     
  15. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    The 3850 and 3650 will, but the 6200 is very weak, you can do better than that.
     
  16. Kokki99

    Kokki99 Regular member

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    There is an AGP version of the new 4770...
     
  17. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    I heard that was fake...
     
  18. Kokki99

    Kokki99 Regular member

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    Powercolor released it but they dont have it on their website...

    Maybe their having problems with chip yields like every other manufacturer.
     
  19. sammorris

    sammorris Senior member

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    According to numerous reports, Powercolor dismissed it as a false report. It would be interesting to see if one appears, but I won't hold my breath. It is a shame a more reputable manufacturer isn't tackling this.
     
  20. Kokki99

    Kokki99 Regular member

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    Here is a news from Fudzilla indicating it was a mistake by Amazon x). I read the news from Muropaketti and fully believed it. Damn...
     

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