Guide to video card upgrades/questions

I'm not much of a gamer but I'm trying to get a better video card than a integrated one for my little brother's computer.

I decided I want one of these. I'd like to know which one is better.

nVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT 1GB

or

ATI Radeon HD 4650 1GB

..................................................................................................................................

...........nVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT................
Chipset GPU-----------Nvidia Geforce 9500GT
Memory-----------------1GB DDR2
Core Speed------------550 MHz
Memory Speed--------800 MHz
Interface----------------PCI Express 2.0
Direct X Support-------DirectX 10
OpenGL----------------OpenGL® 2.0
RAMDAC---------------400 MHz
Memory Bus-----------128 Bits
Output Ports-----------D-SUB & DVI & HDTV Out

................ATI Radeon HD 4650.............................
Graphic Processor--------ATI Radeon® HD4650
Memory---------------------1GB DDR-2
Core Speed----------------600 MHz
Memory Speed------------800 MHz
Bus Type-------------------PCI-Express® X16 2.0 Support
3D API Support------------Microsoft® DirectX™ 10.1, Shader Model 4.1 and OpenGL™ 2.0
Stream processor---------320 stream processor units
HDMI Support--------------HDMI 1.2
Memory Bus----------------128 Bits
Video Output---------------DVI / VGA / HDTV / TV-Out / HDCP Support
HDMI Output----------------Optional DVI to HDMI adapter
Resolution-------------------Support up to 2560 x 1600

........................................................................................................................

As far as Specs or stats go the ATI Radeon HD 4650 looks a bit better. Do you guys agree or know that it's true?

The HD 4670 is a better choice than either of those two, if you can find one.

hrm..if i find one then yes i'll try to go for the 4670

The best AGP card you can get at the moment is actually an ATI HD 3850. I wouldn't worry about it being an ATI. Their drivers for the newer 3 and 4 series are worlds better than the ones for the 9xxx series.

see...i am new
and still have no idea what that means, i have a crossfire system and my videocard cant get enough power i got a PSU that is supposed to be compatible with crossfire but i dont really know the amperage

XCLIO GOODPOWER 500W 500W ATX SLI Certified CrossFire Ready
SAPPHIRE 100225L Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
Foxconn P45A-S LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel

That particular XClio does not have any documentation listing the total power on the +12V rails. It should still be sufficient for the HD 3870. What problems are you facing specifically?

help. sims problems.please.

you see i bought a sims game just the other day and am having trouble getting it to work. i believe that i am having the same problems as some other people. it says "Failed to find any DirectX 9.0c compatible graphics adapters in this system! Please make sure you have a DirectX 9.0c compatible graphics adapter and have installed the lastest drivers provided by the manufacturer. The application will now terminate." I have downloaded DirectX 9.0 and it will still now work.
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System Information
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Time of this report: 1/27/2009, 12:58:12
Machine name: HOUSE-8D39AC6B4
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp.061012-0254)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: HP Pavilion 061
System Model: ER895AA-ABA A1423W
BIOS: BIOS Date: 02/24/2006 Ver: 08.00.12
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 2.80GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 960MB RAM
Page File: 228MB used, 2086MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode

i am not sure what is wrong. you may tell me to enable the Direct3D but i cant and i have no idea why i am so confused please help.

Is this a newer card you recently installed? If so, DID you install the drivers for it?

Hello everyone!

1) World of Warcraft all the way. Every once in a while Ill get a new game, most recently Dead Space (amazing game), but other than that Im pretty much 100% WoW. The performance towards other games really doesnt concern me like WoW does.

2) My computer as a whole is probably in need of an upgrade but Im really not interested in that at this point since Im a senior in high school and I have better things to spend my money on. A couple hundred bucks isnt out of my price range though.

3) I have a Rocketfish 700w that more than gets the job done.


MOBO: ASUSTek Computer INC.
Graphic Interface: AGP v3
Memory: 1.5gb DDR
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3400+
Core Speed: 1810 MHz
PSU: 700w Rocketfish, 4 +12V output rails


Currently I have the incredibly terribad Visiontek HD 2600 Pro 512MB that was a total waste of money. Im looking to buy the Radeon HD 3850 512MB Sapphire but Im still undecided.

5) also I live in Kansas City, USA

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Thanks in advance for all the help and suggestions.

A 2600 should be fine for WOW. You'd probably do better with a new motherboard/CPU and RAM, which you can get on the mid-end for $200-250ish.

The 2600 has so many problems with screen tear and inevitably gives me a black screen of death where I am forced to restart my entire system which has made me to play at minimal video options with only decent fps. If I had done more research before buying it I would have noticed all the problems people were having with it (just look at Visionteks forums). Im definitely upgrading.

I recommend upgrading the entire system instead of paying somewhere around $150 for a card like the HD 3850. Spending $250 will get you a new mobo, CPU, RAM and video card, with the latter being much more powerful than the HD 3850.

As long as you aren't opposed to Intel, you could build a screamer with a new mobo, CPU, RAM and video card for about that price range, yes.

I recently purchased a new PC. It has the following attributes.

1. Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)
2. nVidia MCP61 chipset
3. AMD Phenom(tm) 9150e Quad-Core Processor x64
4. RAM 7.00 GB DDR2-SDRAM
5. 600 GB Hard Drive
6. 22' LCD Display
7. Not sure of the power supply (~_^) semi-noob!

Here is where my issue begins, the graphics card is a weak, integrated (nVidia GeForce 6150SE nForce 430) and makes me feel like I am holding back a lion with a bubblegum leash as far as graphics potential, excuse the analogy. How hard would it be to install a good mid-to high end GPU in this system, and what are some recommendations for cards that will boost my FPS on games like World of Warcraft, Oblivion, etc, while not blowing a hole in my wallet.

What is the maximum resolution on the display?

As for the PSU, it is a unit located at the back of your case, usually at the top with its fan clearly visible. Open up your case and look for a sticker attached to the PSU, that looks somewhat like this:

Click pic to maximize

Post all the info from the sticker or post a clear shot of it from your cellphone camera.

Alternatively, if you have a OEM PC from HP or the like, post the model number.

7GB of RAM? Odd.

Anyway, without knowing the brand and model, unless its a slimline model or HTPC type setup, a pretty safe bet would be an ATI HD 4670. Very low power requirements, fairly good performance, not too much money.

I agree I thought 7gb of Ram was odd too, but I figured since it was a 64 bit system it could utilize the higher memory, and I thought it sounded like a good starting point to build a decent gaming machine. I apologize for the lack of info.

It is an HP Pavilion:
300w stock PSU 8(

Model Information
Model Name a6763w
Total Physical Memory 7.00 GB

Display
HP w2207 (HP w2207 Wide LCD Monitor)
Mode 1680 x 1050 (32-bit) (60 Hz)

Only thing about 7GB of RAM is its probably not dual or triple channel (depending on the type motherboard, I didn't look up specs). What stick configuration is all that?

Anyway, an HD 4670 would be a good choice. It doesn't require an extra power connection either.

For 1680x1050, an HD 4670 will not cut it. I recommend an HD 4850 and an Antec Earthwatts EA430 or Corsair 400CX PSU (whichever is cheaper).

4830 should cut it as wow is not heavily gpu limited