[Oddysee]

My graphics card I am using now is a NVIDIA TI 4200. I've had this card for a few years it's done its job but it’s time to move on.

I'm after a graphics card for a gamer really. My graphics card struggle to play games like WoW for example.

This is my spec.
Windows XP
Intel Pentium 4 2.6GHZ
768MB RAM
120 GIG HD

I would like to buy one from PC World because it's the most convenient way for me. I only want to spend between £50-£80. The one I’ve been recommended by my friend on the internet is this one from PC World for £50.

NVIDIA GeForce 7300GS Chipset

256MB DDR2 Memory

PCI-E x16 Interface

DVI-I / VGA / HDTV Outputs

Microsoft DirectX 9.0 Support

OpenGL 2.0 Support

Windows Vista Ready

Bundled with Chronicles of Riddick

3 Year Manufacturers Warranty

Package Contains:

NVIDIA 7300 GS PCIe Graphics Card
Quick Installation Guide
CD which includes:
Detailed Installation Guide (PDF file)
Microsoft. DirectX. 9.0c
NVIDIA. GeForce Demos
NVIDIA. Desktop Wallpapers
DVI-to-VGA Adapter
S-Video Cable
HDTV Break-out Pod

As I said I would like to buy one from PC World but if there’s a really good card from another company. Please post a link.

Edited by Oddysee, 17 June 2007 - 01:01 PM.

[Advertisements]

How about This one? I would stay away from PC World as they tend to be pretty expensive imo. Overclockers are pretty reputable.

Edited by mozzer11, 17 June 2007 - 06:31 PM.

[mozzer11]

How about This one? I would stay away from PC World as they tend to be pretty expensive imo. Overclockers are pretty reputable.

Edited by mozzer11, 17 June 2007 - 06:31 PM.

[Oddysee]

Thanks for the reply but I just realized my motherboard is quite old and I can't use PCI-E.

So what’s the best AGP graphics card I could use. I saw this one on ebuyer is it any good? Would it be compatible with my computer? Not sure what DDR 2 is.

http://www.ebuyer.co.../product/119716


If someone could pick me out the best gaming graphics card for me on ebuyer for £50-£80. That would be great.

[Troy]

Okay this one looks nice, it's an ATI choice
Or if you like NVIDIA look at this one.

That's my suggestions anyway, of the two, maybe the 7600GT looks the better.

DDR in memory stands for double data rate so DDR2 is the second generation of it, these cards are both DDR3 which is better yet again (and obviously the third generation).

[risky2know]

I agree with him the 7600gt is a pretty good choice. Also I know you just used WoW as an Example,

but if you are hoping to get a Gaming boost you might want to look into upping your Ram as well.

I was running on 1gb and with the WoW expansion its been lacking a bit. Upped it to 2gb, noticed a great

improvement.

[Oddysee]

If I brought Leadtek WinFast 7600GT 256MB DDR3 AGP Graphics Card would I need to mess about with the internal workings of my pc? Is this easy to do?

I tried bumbing my PC to 1gig but everytime I do this I get a memory error. I don't think my mother board can handel anymore Ram. WoW runs pretty well now.

[Troy]

What motherboard do you have? Please post make and model, same as RAM chips make, type and speed. Unless your motherboard is extremely old, your motherboard should support 1 gig of RAM with no problems. If you are getting a memory error, perhaps either your RAM is faulty, or is incompatible with your motherboard (you just need a different type), or you just need to adjust some settings.

I don't think you'd need to do anything other than replace the card, and of course you'd need to install the latest drivers.

[Oddysee]

Yeah you are right thanks a lot. I've got 4 computers and I juggled the RAM around and found out that one of my 512 was faulty. I have a gig on RAM now. So the only thing I need to do is slot the graphics card in and no messing around with wires and stuff?

[Troy]

Yes, making sure you disconnect the tower from the power source and also taking static electricity precautions, it should be fine.

[Oddysee]

Well it didn't work. I guess it's not compatible with my computer. What a waste of time. The card needed its own power supply which was fine. The minimum requirement was a 300 watt supply. Mine is 400 watt's. It crashed on every game I played. It also crashed on every DVD I tried to play. It would how ever run on the internet without any problems.

I installed it correctly. I first noticed a problem when I opened WoW and at the welcome screen I was getting graphical glitches. Lines would appear on my screen randomly and last for a split second.

I uninstalled it and went back to my old graphics card and the games and DVD's ran fine.

I checked the requirements before I brought it and all they stated was:

A minimum 300W system power supply
An AGP compliant motherboard
Windows XP
VGA or DVI-I compatible monitor.

I'm not great with computers and the only thing I had concern about was "A AGP compliant motherboard" which I have any way or my geforce 4 AGP card wouldn't work.

Anyone know why this card won’t work on my system? I meet all the requirements which were stated.

[Troy]

Does the card need its own power input? It might not be getting enough juice. Usually you can see on the card's end a place where you can plug in a power supply cord. If this is the case you need to get a new PSU. You might need to get another PSU anyway because even though it says minimum 300W, your 400W might not be giving it enough of what it needs.

EDIT: Or it could be a faulty card, which does happen, in which case you can have it replaced under warranty.

Edited by ruthandtroy, 25 June 2007 - 06:14 PM.

[Oddysee]

My CPU was replaced 2 months ago. The old one broke down and it was replaced by a brand new 400W PSU. I had 2 spare molex connection coming out of my PSU. I tried both of them. Still didn't work.

It could be a faulty card but thats pretty rare.

[Troy]

I uninstalled it and went back to my old graphics card and the games and DVD's ran fine.

Yeah just return it for another one, telling them that your old graphics card works fine still, so it must be the new one. It is annoying, though, I admit!

[Oddysee]

Yeah, considering I meet all the specs they listed.

[james_8970]

Please give us a link to your PSU. I do not the believe card is at fault. Molex cables are not to be used for GPU's.
Jame

Edited by james_8970, 27 June 2007 - 12:08 PM.