Upgrading graphics card........need opinions please

Hello all,

I've currently got a Nvidia Geforce 7300 GS It's 256MB DDR2 and I am playing World of Warcraft (With burning crusades patch) and Sims 2 (With all expansions) My current card seems to be lacking when I put both games on full detail and I was hoping someone here could point me in the right direction on what would be a good upgrade. I need something that can run WOW at full speed and Sims 2 at full speed also. Price is somewhat a concern, don't want to spend 300 dollars or more LOL. I have a PCI express right now too. Thanks for all of your help up front.

Aaron

 

Also, my computer came from CompuUsa premade, HP pavillion, but with the graphics card installed seperately because the one that was in it was very very lame.

 

7600 is fine. Here it is: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150182&Tpk=7600

 

This is the exact one I have now.......will the one you recommended still work with my system?

http://www.bfgtech.com/3dfuzion/cards_7600GS_pcie_256.asp

I just want to make sure. Someone on the page that you linked to me is talking about some gtx card is that too big for me? I only have a 300 watt power supply that came stock with my system.

 

at bestbuy theres a 7600gs 512MB 128bit its not a bad card. its about 160.

 

Ok I've read the reviews of this card and I think it's what I'm going to get......maybe from New egg since it's significatnly cheaper.....is that the smart way to go? Also, are you guys definatley sure it will fit in my factory PC (HP Pavillion) and be able to run on my factory power supply?

Thanks for all the help

Aaron

 

I am pretty sure it will fit, the card isnt that big. You may possibly want to upgrade to a new PSU. Like a 450 or 500watt. Antec are real good PSUs, so are OCZ, Thermaltake and some more.

Btw, you said you had a 7300GS, but the card you said you had and provided a link to is the 7600...

 

sorry.......here is the info of the one I have

* Specifications GPU: NVIDIA® GeForce® 7300 GS
* Bus Type: PCI Express®
* Memory: 256MB
* RAMDACs: Dual 400MHz
* API Support: Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 and lower, OpenGL 2.0 and lower for Microsoft Windows®
* Connectors: DVI-I, VGA, HDTV
* Windows Vista™ ready

* Included in Box GeForce 7300 GS graphics card
* Quick install guide
* DVI-I to VGA dongle
* HDTV dongle
Driver CD, Which Includes
* NVIDIA ForceWare™ unified graphics drivers
* Full installation manual .pdf

* System Requirements CPU with 800MHz processor or higher
* 128MB of RAM
* Microsoft Windows XP
* CD or DVD-ROM Drive
* 35MB available hard disk space (50MB for full installation)
* A 350W PCI Express compliant system power supply
* A PCI Express compliant motherboard
* A vacant PCI Express x16 slot

Anyways........I see a lot of the 7600 on newegg for cheaper than 160 dollars that say the same thing that the link you provided me says....what should I do? Also, how much does the psu or whatever it called cost?

Aaron

 

I was looking at the Geforce 7600 GT really hard today is that a good card for me? I know that I have to upgrade to about a 500 watt PSU because the one I have now probably won't support a new graphics card. I think my PSU now is a 300-350 watt that came with my computer. I went to best buy just to talk to the geeksquad and that's what they recommend that I do.

BUT.........


I found this card on Newegg, is this a good card that would work?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127295

Do I need a new PSU for this one?

THank you for all of your help.

Aaron

 

The link is broken, can you post a new one? also, you might need a new PSU. The 7600 doesnt require a lot of power, so you could probably get away with a 400watt. Antec has a very good line of PSUs, so does OCZ, and thermaltake.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127295

sorry there's a different link to it

Someone on a different board said that I must buy a 7900 gt but I don't have the money for it. Will 7600 gt do just as well? Or how about a 7600 gs? I'm so darn confused now LOL. I don't have a ton of money to spend on this and I think my current card is starting to go out because the fan is making loud grinding noises and I've cleaned it out and it still does it. How much do you think it will cost for a new PSU and whatever card is recommended?

Aaron

 

actually I just saw this too lol.......so so so confused now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130062

 

No, both of those will not work, because your motherboard has a AGP slot , not PCI-e. The 7900 is better than the 7600, but the 7900 is rated more of a "extreme gaming card", while the 7600 is a mid way card. The 7600 should work just fine.

As for the PSU, try this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371006

You way be able to get away with the PSU you have now, but then again I am not sure. If you are taking more energy than the PSU can handle, then your whole system can go up, taking components with it. (Which happened to me a few times.)

 

so between the 7900 and 7600 gt is there any others that are not too expensive and could do what I need? Also, how do I actually see what size PSU I have in my computer right now?

Thanks for all the help so far my friend.

Aaron

 

I just went to 3D fuzion's website and read about the current card I have and it says it's a PCI Express not an AGP. Is there a website where I can see what will work?

 

oh yes! My bad man, sorry, you do have PCI-e. Well then, the PCI-e cards are a lot cheaper than the agp ones. Now that I know you have PCI-e, you can get whatever you want, a x1900 by ATi is pretty good, and a 7800 by nvidia is very good as well.

If you open up your case, there will be a box with a bunch of cables coming from it. It will most likely be in the top of your case. Thats your PSU. They usually have a sticker on them that tells you their max wattage.

 

well well well........I opened my case up and it seems that when I had my computer in for service at Compusa before they closed up near my house they put in a new Antec... since they couldn't figure out what was making a grinding noise. Come to find out it was my old graphics card but nonetheless I have an antec in there Problem is I don't see any stickers on it because it's in a metal box and the only sticker I see is inside and I can't read it. Any suggestions? Is there a program out there that reads your computer and tells you what wattage you have?

Thanks

Aaron

 

Nope. The Computer can't detect that. You have to open it.

 

Actually before we recommend a card, it would probably be good if he gave us the specs of his PC, that way we would know if his CPU or ram would bottleneck the GPU.

If you give me the model number of your computer I can google it and find out which PSU you have.

 

LOL As I said a few posts up ,

(I opened my case up and it seems that when I had my computer in for service at Compusa before they closed up near my house they put in a new Antec... since they couldn't figure out what was making a grinding noise. Come to find out it was my old graphics card but nonetheless I have an antec in there Problem is I don't see any stickers on it because it's in a metal box and the only sticker I see is inside and I can't read it. Any suggestions? Is there a program out there that reads your computer and tells you what wattage you have?)

the specs are as follows

MS Windows XP SP2
Intel Pentium D CPU
2.80GHZ
2.0 GB RAM
Nvidia GeForce 7300GS

What else do you guys need?