Upgrading my video card from Nvidia GeForce 6150SE

[Harmontec]

Hello all,

I recently tried to play the game Champions Online for the PC and found out that my video card was preventing me from doing so. My Current video card is Nvidia GeForce 6150SE nForce 430. I don't want to play Hard core games for my PC, just this one mainly.

The Reqs. for the game are(Minimum):
OS:Windows XP SP2/ Windows Vista/Windows 7
CPU:2.5GHz Single Core or 1.8GHz Dual Core
Memory:1GB RAM
Video:NVIDIA GeForce 7600 / ATI Radeon X700 or HD / Intel GMA 4
Sound: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Soundcard
DirectX:Version 9.0c or Higher
HDD:5GB Free Disk Space
Network:Broadband Required
Disc:6X DVD-ROM

My Computer is a Compaq cq5110F PC and was wondering what kind of video card would be compatible for it. I don't plan on becoming a hard core gamer, I just want to play this game. I also play a game known as Anarchy online, and with a bigger video card, I'll have to replace my Power supply, it's 300W right now.

I have a fairly limited knowledge on the inside of computers, but any other information you need I'll try my best to give to you. Thanks in advance for your help.

I have also attached a DxDiag, to help further.

 

[EXCellR8]

if you were to follow the game's minimum requirements i would recommend at least a 400w PSU, but it depends on the power supply itself as they are all different. if the card needs auxiliary power then it will most likely tax the PSU too much if you have a lot of other components, but you could always try. the radeon X700 isn't a very demanding card so i wouldn't be surprised if it worked fine with the unit you have. on the other hand, 400-500w power supplies are cheap nowadays and it can only benefit your system if you choose to invest in one, but it's your call. just because you don't need high end stuff doesn't mean a beefier PSU is a bad idea

 

[Harmontec]

I was planning on upgrading my psu to about 500 or so, but wanted to see viable video cards before buying one( don't want to buy one that doesn't give enough).

Would the radeon X700 be compatible with my current system? I understand there is different connectors, or something to that degree, in wish video cards connect inside the systems, and again, don't want to buy something that wont work/ i can't use.

Now not to get confused, I'm not lazy, i just don't know what to look for on this Video card to know if it'll be the best or compatible. Also the recommended Reqs for the game are:

Recommended System Configuration

* OS:Windows XP SP2/ Windows Vista/Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit)
* CPU:Intel E8400 Core2Duo or Better
* Memory:2GB RAM or Better
* Video:NVIDIA GeForce 8800 or Better / ATI Radeon HD 3850 or Better
* SoundirectX Compatible Soundcard
* DirectX:Version 9.0c or Higher
* HDD:5GB Free Disk Space
* Network:Broadband Required
* Disc:6X DVD-ROM or Better


Again, not sure what type/name/kind of video card is compatible for my system. Does the same go for GPU? I wouldn't want to get the wrong one, for obvious reasons.

 

[EXCellR8]

I believe the X700 is available in both AGP and PCIe bus types, which are the expansion slots on the board itself--so it should work. it doesn't matter whether you use ATI or NVIDIA so just pick one that fits your budget and will work with the game's requirements. the most important thing is the power supply though so i would focus on that first. 300w (depending on the build quality) may or may not run an X700, and if it's a generic brand all bets are off. i think your best bet would be to find a reasonably priced 400/450/500 watt unit and then find the appropriate video card to go with it. 500w will give you a lot of headroom for more powerful cards, so you'll have a better market to look at.

 

[Harmontec]

Alright, 500W psu sounds good, and given the Recommended Reqs. for the game do you thing the x700 would work with it just fine? I don't want to get the into the game and then have it "just barely work", but it doesn't have to be perfect by any means.

 

[EXCellR8]

X700 will probably run the card at the lowest settings. if you're looking to push a little beyond the minimum requirements (which essentially means the card will run the game, whether it be playable or not) you could go with something more powerful, like a Radeon X1950 PRO or GeForce 7600/7800 series. these might be a bit harder to find but would allow for better performance. it really depends on your budget because most cards will run on a 500w power supply no problem.