What video card should I upgrade to?, why?

2»

Comments

  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited September 2004
    wont require a new psu

    Well, that all depends, now doesn't it?

    If he has a GOOD 300w PSU, he ought to be able to run a 6800GT off it just fine. If he has a cheap 300w PSU, I wouldn't trust it with anything much more power hungry than the 5200 in there now (and the 6800 uses 3-4x the power of the 5200)

    What brand is your power supply?
  • djstubbsdjstubbs NJ
    edited September 2004
    Geeky1 wrote:
    Well, that all depends, now doesn't it?

    If he has a GOOD 300w PSU, he ought to be able to run a 6800GT off it just fine. If he has a cheap 300w PSU, I wouldn't trust it with anything much more power hungry than the 5200 in there now (and the 6800 uses 3-4x the power of the 5200)

    What brand is your power supply?

    I'm not getting the 6800 gt anymore...

    $$$ issues...
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited September 2004
    I know, but I was using it as an example; if it'll power a 6800GT, it'll power any other card you're looking at. But running a radeon 9800 off a cheap 300w PS is a bad idea. I've seen generic "550w" units die at 300w. The cheaper the PSU, the less likely it is to be able to handle something resembling it's rated power output; and if it can't it may very well die. And power supplies have a nasty habit of taking other stuff with them to the grave. You could very well kill everything in your system if you overload the PS.
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited September 2004
    How much do you want to spend on a psu?
    I just got this one for a student and it's great.

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=17-103-908&DEPA=0

    If this card comes back into stock I'd recommend it ...I swear 2 mins ago they hadda few left and wham!!!! All gone.

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=14-131-406&DEPA=0
  • Rogue-ARogue-A
    edited September 2004
    6800gt requires more power than a regular 6800. im almost 90% postitive that the 6800 can run on a 200-250w psu... cant find the link for it but i read it somewhere on anandtech. the quality of a psu def matters but i dont think ghetto psus will have trouble running a 6800 or a 9800pro as long as nothing is over clocked and dont have too many devices running off it.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited September 2004
    But would you be willing to bet an entire system on that? Like I said, I've seen generic "550w" units die at 300w. That's about 54% of its rated capacity. On a 350w unit, that'd be around 165w. Admittedly, I haven't seen a 350w unit die at 165w, but imo, you're still asking for it.
  • KingFishKingFish
    edited September 2004
    I wouldn't skimp on a cheapie psu either. Go with a name brand and have peace of mind. It would really suck having to replace hundreds of dollars of computer parts because you tried to cut one corner. Today's video cards are quite demanding on power. It's simply a gamble not worth taking. Also, keep in mind that psu output decreases with a rise in temps. Cheap psu's have a drastic falloff from their rated power output. A good quality psu will post their guaranteed output at normal computer operating temperatures while cheapies will simple post their max rating at room temperature. There is a lot of wiggle room in between that some dubious psu manufacturers will manipulate to their favor so be sure to read the fine print when purchasing one.
  • djstubbsdjstubbs NJ
    edited September 2004
    rgr...

    well with my current setup, my computer runs at about 100 fahrenheit...
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited September 2004
    So what brand is the PS?
    And how many fans and stuff do you have? Even a Radeon 9800 Pro adds about 50w of heat to the computer, so you may need to upgrade your cooling too...
  • djstubbsdjstubbs NJ
    edited September 2004
    My computer sits at 100 degress fahrenheit.

    I have 3 fans.

    my 3dmark score is 1526!

    wtf!!!
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited September 2004
    ok, assuming they're 80mm (or larger) fans, and at least 2 of them are located near the rear and/or top of the case and function as exhaust fans, that ought to be sufficient to handle a video card upgrade.
  • djstubbsdjstubbs NJ
    edited September 2004
    but dude, i just don't get why i have such a ****ty score on 3dmark.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited September 2004
    Honestly? Because the FX5200 is a turd. :( Ultimately, it's that simple. In many cases, it's slower than the older GeForce 4 MX. The 5200 is a total, utter, complete piece of crap. In fact, the entire GeForce FX line was ****. The top-of-the-line cards hid that fairly well, but they still got killed by ATi's cards. The low end cards like the 5200 and 5600 were just pure, unmitigated crap with no redeeming qualities what-so-ever. Not even price, since for the same price or less, it was possible to get a refurbished Ti4200 or Radeon 8500.
  • Rogue-ARogue-A
    edited September 2004
    the 5200 is a terrible card for gaming. just because it has 256mb ram does not mean it performs well.
  • JustinJustin Atlanta
    edited September 2004
    I went even lower....5200 PCI. Biggest mistake I ever made. Go with the 9800 pro (Saphire), think about a new Thermaltake PSU, and enjoy the new bells and whistles you will get from your games.
  • djstubbsdjstubbs NJ
    edited September 2004
    I don't even get lag in Doom 3 on medium...

    but damn!
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited September 2004
    I can't believe no one noticed the POWERCOLOR ATI RADEON 9800 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV Out, 8X AGP, Model "XR98-C3L" -BULK -OEM while it was still in stock. $160 shipped ...maybe you can press the "auto notify" button for when/if they restock.
  • KINGPINKINGPIN PAKISTAN
    edited September 2004
    djstubbs wrote:
    I currently have an NVIDIA GEFORCE FX 5200 [256 MB]

    And would like to upgrade.

    What should I upgrade to?

    it all depends on your budget
    if u can spend 400+ $ then fx 6800 ultra is best
    othewise go for 5900ultra or 5950 ultra b/c it is faster than 9800 pro
  • croc_croc_ New
    edited September 2004
    Are the 6600's out yet?
  • lemonlimelemonlime Canada Member
    edited September 2004
    I have been very pleased with my 9800pro, it's a great card. In your price range, I think it will provide the best bang for the buck. If you can afford another $100, step up to the 6800 non-gt. It is probably the best bang for the buck in the current generation. You may or may not need a new powersupply. My Antec TruePower 430 croaked last week, and I've been using a 300W enermax as a temp, and I have not had any issues at all. It is always a good idea to have a good brand name power supply though. So many of the power ratings out there are a farce. Check out MediaMan's psu article for some great information: http://www.short-media.com/review.php?r=133

    Good luck! I'm sure whatever you decide will scream compared to your current card.

    The 5200 is not a very good card at all. I actually got higher aquamark and 3dmark03 scores with my Geforce3. I find it humerous that they slap so much memory on such a slow card. A friend of mine gave me his fx 5600 w/256mb to test as well, and I think it scored only 1000 aquamarks higher than my Geforce3. My old Ti4600 smoked it :o
Sign In or Register to comment.