PCI Video Card for 2D Gaming

[zeuseng06]

Hello- I sure am hoping someone can help me choose a video card for my Compaq Presario SR1426NX. The only upgrade is an increase in RAM. The motherboard is a stock 'goldfish3-GL8E' w/ PCI bussing. I'm running a Dell ST2310HDWS monitor w/ HDMI input. Besides normal PC business, I play the Zynga/Facebook flash 2D games. So, I want the HD capability of my monitor and want to improve the response and speed of the Zynga games. When I become a bit more literate within the PC world, I am going to build my own core i7 rig with all the bells and whistles. I thank anyone beforehand for their assistance.

 

[EXCellR8]

You're probably going to be limited with PCI being and older bus type... so I would take a look at this thread:

https://www.techspot.com/vb/topic51437.html

The nvidia 6 series (6200PCI) would probably be the ideal card for 2D gaming and even some low-end 3D stuff. If you could find one of the older FX-5000 series cards that would be perfect for 2D flash games and that kind of stuff; cheaper too.

 

[Modena]

Hi there for $50 this little card will probably do the job, and is compatible with you're system.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133245

 

[zeuseng06]

Thanks for Advice

Thank You 'Modena.' and 'EXCellR8' for your advice and taking the time to answer this simple question. Since post, I've ordered 512MB of RAM from HP to max the RAM capacity out on my pc. God Bless you all for your help!...I'ma gonna need some more down the road. PEACE!

 

[compdata]

I concur with Modena - the 8400gs is about the best card you can get on PCI. Just to be clear not all video cards will help you with flash games. Flash up until recently was entirely CPU driven. Nvidia and ATI just released drivers to help with flash acceleration, but it only works with some of the more recent cards.

Here is the list of Nvidia GPU's that support flash acceleration:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/gpus_supporting_adobeflash.html

You will also want to make sure to download and install the latest flash 10.1 beta as well or you won't get the performance boast. you can download this here: http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flashplayer10/

On a side note - I personally have had issues with the GPU enhanced flash and havn't seen consistent performance improvements - I suspect this is largely due to adobes poor 64bit OS support as it seems to have made a bigger difference for others.

 

[zeuseng06]

Thanks, Compdata!..excellent info. I do not want to mess w/cpu on this rig. My question now is will my OEM PS support the 8400 vcard? I am running latest adobe flash10 w/ integrated OEM vcard(?) As an engineer, down the road I'm gonna build a system that will support a 3D autocad program w/ finite element modeling and a stress analysis program, too. Plus, I do graphic design work- custom painting, airbrush n' graphics. Thinking along the Core i7 line. I've a lot to learn in the pc realm, though!

 

[compdata]

I will admit i didn't check into your PS before giving my recommendation.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_8400_Gs_faq.html
lists a max draw of 71 watts, and other sites i have seen list min power supply requirement as 300watts. http://www3.pny.com/8400-GS-512MB-PCI-Low-Profile-P2679C269.aspx#Specifications

I can't find your exactly power supply rating as manufactures usually try to hide that. But my guess is that you have a 250watt supply based on replacement parts i have seen listed for your pc.

I personally would be tempted to try, but you are definitely pushing the limits of your PC (one of the major issues with branded PCs is that they always give you a low end power supply that doesn't support much upgrading at all).
This thread would indicate that you probably don't want to try this:
http://forums.nvidia.com/lofiversion/index.php?t64985.html

Basically you are looking at a Power supply upgrade to be able to support even a low end gaming card. If i was you, i would start looking at a newer low cost computer as a bridge system till you pull the trigger on your power rig. either that or tough it out until you have the money.

 

[zeuseng06]

PS is 218w @ 12v rail. I've got bigger problems now, and HP Support freaked me out. I opened the case up to look at RAM sticks- 4 slot configuration. Slot 1) 256MB sLOT 2) 1GB sLOT 3) 256MB Slot 4) 1GB. Slot #3 is shot and they tell me the mboard needs replacing and no longer available(!) Compaq says she'll hold 4GB RAM, but HP Tech says no more than 3. Furthermore, I cannot seem to locate a RAM card that specs as follows: 1GB 240pin, unbuffered, Speedupported PC3200 MB/sec, DDR2 SDRAM, DIMM. Does anyone know where a Goldfish3 GL8E motherboard OEM for Windows XP 2002 Home Ed and a RAM card can be found? Thanks so much!...I do not want re-configure support or buy new pc. I love my programs and many of them are not available anymore.

 

[compdata]

Couple questions:
1) How do you know slot #3 is shot? is the ram not showing up?
2) Can you live with the computer as is without upgrading anything - as this is quickly going to turn very expensive.
3) What programs do you have that arn't available anymore? Just FYI - if you install a new motherboard you are going almost certainly going to have to do a re-install of windows anyway. You can probably get away with a repair install which should leave your programs intact, but you will need the disks and serial number regardless.

 

[zeuseng06]

process of elimination- swapping RAM cards back and forth.
New OEM mboard from impactcomputors.com- $144
As far as the programs are concerned, this is what I was told by the guy who put it together for me. I'm new to this whole 'hardware' thing and I've a lot to learn. That is why I joined this site....so, please be patient with me.
I am running WinXP 2002 Home Ed.
I have (2) 257MB RAM cards and (2) 1GB RAM cards. Compaq says 4GB max for my rig, HP says it'll only support 3GB....I know: HP=Compaq...All they wanna do is sell me a new rig everytime I talk to them. I do not know if I'm up to the task of buildin' my own yet. Education and experience?...BSME, MME, MBA, w/ 23 yrs. exp. in the field on corporate level. Just tryin' to give you a feel where I'm at in terms of knowledge base, ok? I do appreciate your help and input-TY!

 

[compdata]

My point is just that if you need to replace the motherboard ($144), upgrade ram ($50), buy a new power supply($50) to support the video card you want and then buy the video card ($60) - you are pretty much getting a new system anyway at over $300 once you add shipping and tax.

Also you didn't really answer the question on what programs you have that you can't get anymore. The reason i asked this is because if you are going to follow through with your upgrade plan you are almost definitely going to have to install windows again anyway.

Based on these two things, my recommendation is not to try to upgrade your machine as it really isn't worth it.

 

[compdata]

Compaq says 4GB max for my rig, HP says it'll only support 3GB....I know: HP=Compaq...

The issue here is that your motherboard will support 4GBs of RAM, but you only have a 32bit Operating system which will only give you 3GB of accessible RAM. Hence the conflicting info. So if you want more then 3GB you need a 64bit version of windows anyway.

For reference - 32bits of addressing is enough to support 4GBs of memory, but a large chunk of addressing space is reserved by the OS for IO and other memory functions. although 64 bit addressing theoretically supports a massive amount of memory - different Windows versions restrict it below the max. For example Windows 7 Home premium has a max supportable memory of 16GB, while the processional version has a max of 192 GB

 

[zeuseng06]

OK, thanks for the info. I'm going to leave things as is, and just look into a new system. The programs I was refer'g to inc. 'vso' and the likes. I'm not going to list them all here now, but I'm told they are no longer available- so, also I'm told that what's on the present hard drive cannot be duped. In all due honesty?...I'm not sure if this is so. The initial problem I was having with the Zynga 2D online gaming apparently has nothing to do with the support I have, but at their end. A comput'r engineer in Denmark explained the whole arrangement to me. It is what it is. Thank You for your help and input, 'compdata'!

 

[compdata]

good luck.

 

[zeuseng06]

Thank-you!