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Video Card upgrade help


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#1
tformed

tformed

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Product number
EG194AA
Introduction date
2-Sep-2005
Country/region sold in
United States
Canada
Hardware
Base processor
Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 2.0 GHz
2000 MT/s (Mega Transfers/second)
Socket 939
Chipset
ATI Radeon XPress 200
Motherboard
Manufacturer: MSI
Motherboard Name: MS-7184
HP/Compaq motherboard name: AmethystM-GL6E
Memory
Component Attributes
Memory Installed 1 GB (2 x 512)
Maximum allowed 4 GB* (4 x 1 GB) requires the replacement of the installed 512 MB DIMMs

*Actual available memory may be less
Speed supported PC3200 MB/sec
Type 184 pin, DDR SDRAM
DIMM slots Four
Open DIMM slots Two




I want to evolve from the integrated graphics card that my pc brought, preferably before Vista. :blink: I don't have a large budget, want something that will be able to handle some gaming and photoshop efficiently. I have the following card in mind: SAPPHIRE 100189L Radeon X1900GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 VIVO HDCP Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102022

what do you think? Is there a better card around it's price range, + or - $20.

Now my biggest problem is the power supply, i have read around the forum that it need to be a certain size (i don't know mines) and don't know how much I need for the system to run great (HP Pavilion a1250n Desktop PC ). :whistling:

please if anyone could help me out.

tformed
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#2
kidnova

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That's a pretty good card and a good deal at that price. As an alternative, you could look at some of the Nvidia 7900GS, which give similar performance and can be had for about the same price or less after rebate. From the benchmarks I've seen, the X1900 GT and the 7900GS are pretty close in terms of performance. This card in particular is worth a look:

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814150202

Edited by kidnova, 20 December 2006 - 12:02 PM.

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#3
tformed

tformed

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but what amount of power supply should i use and what size will do for the case
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#4
kidnova

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For a single card system, anything over 350 watts is generally fine, unless you're running multiple HDs and optical drives.. It will depend on all of the other components in your system. The best way to check is to plug the card in, play a game and see if you experience any issues. If not, then you're fine. You should be able to open your case and look inside to see the PSU ratings.

As for the size, any standard ATX PSU should fit inside your case. If you do decide to upgrade then I would suggest sticking with Antec or Enermax.

Edited by kidnova, 20 December 2006 - 03:49 PM.

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#5
james_8970

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If you are curious on what your exact wattage is and know your hardware inside you case, use this calculator to view your required PSU.
http://www.extreme.o...ucalculator.jsp

I just want to add something here, within 1 month ATI (R600) is expected to introduce a new range of cards as well as Nvidea is going to announce a new mid range DX10 card (8600). Just as a personal opinion, but I'd suggest waiting for upgrading your GPU as it'll be a nicer time due to lower prices for the same cards as well as a larger option in mid January.
Just my 2 cents.
James
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#6
tformed

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thank you to kidnova and james 8970. i think i will wait that one month and see the new cards. meanwhile i will be researching power supplies.

many thanks

tformed
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