Sapphire HD 5450 512MB DDR3 PCIe HDMI

[vomacka]

I am looking to upgrade my video card to one of these cards:

Sapphire 512Mb
http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/product_index.aspx?psn=000101&pid=315&lid=1#

Sapphire 1Gb:
http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?psn=000101&pid=316#

My main concern is if my current setup (See specs below) has enough resources/power to run the card.

Thanks
Scott

______________________________________________________
Motherboard: ASUS M3A AMD AM2 Quad core CPU support
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000 Dual Core
PSU: MPT-401G 400w
Memory: (2x) Kingston 1Gb 240-Pin DDr2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (2 Gb)
Video card: ATI Radeon X1550 256Mb
WindowsXP SP3

 

[Ranger12]

400 watts is cutting it close but should be okay. Is your x1550 an AGP card or PCI express?

 

[Ranger12]

Nevermind. Looks like your Mobo has a Pci express slot. Should be good to go! But I wouldn't be surprised if you had to get a new power supply depending on what else youve got hooked up.

 

[vomacka]

Thanks

Thanks for the input.

How about this card for Gaming (FSX)?

MSI R5670
http://www.msi.com/product/vga/R5670-MD1GD3.html#?div=Specification

Thanks for your help.

Scott

 

[dmill89]

Nevermind. Looks like your Mobo has a Pci express slot. Should be good to go! But I wouldn't be surprised if you had to get a new power supply depending on what else youve got hooked up.

I could almost guarantee it. A good 400w PSU could run a config like that but the PSU in vomacka's system is from a company I've never heard of (MACRON) and the UL number on it comes back as invalid. I dobut it can deliver its rated wattage

Thanks for the input.

How about this card for Gaming (FSX)?

MSI R5670
http://www.msi.com/product/vga/R5670...=Specification

If you're planning on gaming I would recommend at least a 5770/6770 although a 5670 should be able to handle FSX a 5770/6770 doesn't cost much more and can handle most newer games.

I definitely wouldn't get the 5450 from the first post, aside from supporting DX11 a 5450 won't really deliver much if any performance increase from the X1550 you already have.

 

[vomacka]

Ok. The Sapphires are OUT. Thanks for the heads-up.

Now I have to decide between the 5670 and the 5770.

I can get the 5670 for @$63. The 5770 is @$114. OUCH!

Scott

 

[dmill89]

$36 for a 5670 thats really cheap they usually go for arround $70. The cheapest 6770s (note: 5770 and 6770 are basically the same card but the 6770 is slightly more power efficent) I can find right now are $110 ($90) after rebate so it is more of a price diference than it usulaay would be.

 

[vomacka]

OOPS.. My fault.. I meant $63.

Yeah. Here is the comparison:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600030349&IsNodeId=1&srchInDesc=5770&Description=ati%20radeon&page=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=48|14-127-600^14-127-600-TS%2C14-127-490^14-127-490-TS

 

[dmill89]

If you do decide to go with a 5770/6770 I would recomend this instead:
SAPPHIRE 100328L Radeon HD 6770 1GB GDDR5

Since it is the newer model it is more compact, more power eficent, and should run cooler. It is also slightly cheaper @ $110 ($90) sfter rebate. The only way I would buy a 5770 would be if I could get a really good deal on it since the 6770s are more efficent, and cooler running but have the same performance.

 

[vomacka]

Thanks for all the help.

However, I still would like to know if my current PS will be enough for the suggested V-cards? I REALLY don't want to get a new PS just for this.

The PS has been working great for 4 years now, knock on wood. I plan on keeping it until it dies.

Scott

 

[dmill89]

The PS has been working great for 4 years now, knock on wood. I plan on keeping it until it dies.

Scott

My fear would be what happens when it dies. Since it is an off-brand unit of suspect quality it likely lacks protection circuitry and may fry other components (motherboard, video card, ram, HDD, etc.) when it fails.

At the very least since it is out of warranty take the cover off and look for any bulged/leaking capacitors.
This link will give you an idea what to look for:http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=424 (these are mostly pics of motherboards but failed caps inside of a PSU will look similar) anything bulged or leaking is bad news. If there are any bad caps stop using it right away and replace it. PSUs with bad caps can be repaired but I wouldn't waste a couple hours of my time rebuilding an off-brand PSU, a good unit from a reputable manufacture would be a different story, however these rarely fail to begin with.

Disclaimer: Power supplies contain High voltages, make sure they are drained (hit the power button on the PC with it unplugged the fans/lights should come on for a second then go off) and avoid touching any contacts on the primary side if possible.

Honestly I would replace that PSU either way given its age and suspect quality.

Here are some suggestions:
Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W =$45
ENERMAX NAXN ENP450AST 450W = $45
Antec EarthWatts Green EA-430D Green 430W = $54 ($40 after rebate)
Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-400 400W = $58 ($40 after rebate)
PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK III PPCMK3S400 400W = $70 ($50 after rebate)