choosing a graphics card

[Pipeless416]

hey guys, i'll start by saying i know absolutely nothing about computers, but i like call of duty 4. the problem is that my computer has an integrated graphics card and i can't run anything above the original cod. im interested in buying a new card, but i have no idea which direction to go. my computer is an hp a1530n and here are the specs- http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&docname=c00674957&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN i went to newegg and searched for this pci express x16 thing and came up with this card- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130084 will this work? ive also seen people complain about having the upgrade the power supply.. how can i tell if i'll need to do this? i just wanna yell at people on cod4 :(

[TRX_450]

save your money, the 8600's arent anything to write home about. i just built a new computer and am currently running an NVIDIA GeForce 9800gtx OC and am running crysis in all high settings at 40fps average, but its a little overkill for COD4. that game does however need a fairly decent card, so i would recommend an 8800gt, 8800gtx, 8800gts, or even the 8800gtx ultra if you want. an OC (overclock) card is an extra boost to performance as well. as far as your power supply, youll be fine. once you get your card installed youll also want to go online and download the latest drivers because more than likely the ones that came with the card are outdated. if you have any more questions shoot me a PM.

[Pipeless416]

thank you very much trxpimp, thats exactly what i was looking for, but im looking at the right ones as far as the pci express x16 thing goes?

[SpeedBump]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130364

I'd suggest that one. I'm assuming you are gonna try to stay as inexpensive as you can. For about $150...go for the 9800GT http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130380

It has been my experience (MANY YEARS OF BUILDING CUSTOM GAMING Rigs) that eVGA has some of the best products and DEFINETLY the best customer service. Their prices may be $5-$10 more, but in the end it is MORE than worth it.

Either of these cards will run on an average PSU, but if you look on yours and let me know the specs...specifically the AMPS on the 12v rail.. I can let you know if it will be acceptable. You should have at least 24amps on it. The maximum power output is less important and much overrated by people that are not very experienced with PC hardware.
Here are a couple of my past PCs.
http://www.postimage.org/gxE4Uz0.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxE4Uz0)

http://www.postimage.org/aVMJqoA.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aVMJqoA)

[bwamos]

Originally posted by SpeedBump
It has been my experience (MANY YEARS OF BUILDING CUSTOM GAMING Rigs) that eVGA has some of the best products and DEFINETLY the best customer service. Their prices may be $5-$10 more, but in the end it is MORE than worth it.

Agree 100%. eVGA and XFX are the two brands I have had the best luck with.

[Pipeless416]

thanks for the suggestions guys, but i think they're a little bit out of my price range. just as a casual gamer who probably couldn't tell the difference in quality, will i really be disappointed with the 8600gts? you guys have already made me settle with eVGA.

[SpeedBump]

Originally posted by Pipeless416
thanks for the suggestions guys, but i think they're a little bit out of my price range. just as a casual gamer who probably couldn't tell the difference in quality, will i really be disappointed with the 8600gts? you guys have already made me settle with eVGA.

Yes, you will see a big difference in how SMOOTHLY the game will play. To get most newer games to run and LOOK good, you need a bit more HP than that card can provide. The difference in money is not that much...$30 bucks or so will reward you with a much better gaming experience.

[Rastus]

Or, you could go ATI 4850, can't hardly go wrong with it. I'm currently running one, was a very good buy for me. Depends on what company you want, ATI, nvidia, or one of their board partners will determine your card mostly. I like ATI, but some like nvidia, just preference really.

HD 4850 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121253)



*edit- Also, you might think about adding some more RAM to your comp, 1GB is getting lower end these days and you will notice a large increase in performance by just adding another stick.

[Rip_Tear]

My bet is you will need a new power supply, but find out what yours is first. Last thing you need to do is buy a new graphics card and then have the power supply burn out. Or not run correctly.

Rastus is correct as well about 1gig of ram. There are too many things to deal with, but figure out your power supply first, then Video card, then the RAM. You can always slowly upgrade each part as you can afford them.

[Rastus]

Yes, to really tell you if a new card will work for you, we need to know the stats on your PSU. Anything you can see on it, like total power, 5V rails, 12V rails, etc. I think alot of OEMs don't put this info on their computers, but it's worth a shot to look on it and see what's there.

[SpeedBump]

I run an overclocked ATI3870 in 3 separate machines. Bought em when they first released. Now, I would go with the newer ati offerings. The 4850 would be a good choice, but I think he is tryin to go budget minded. If you pop the side off your PC and look directly at the label on the PSU, you can get the info needed to determine if it has enuff *** for an upgrade.

[Pipeless416]

ok here goes.. max output power 300w.. not good enough, is it?

[Pipeless416]

better idea, heres the model number.. HP-D3057F3R. this comes up on newegg and its a whopping $16! lol.. anyway, it has all the specs on there http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817174026

[Rip_Tear]

Thats another 300watt one... I think you need a 500-600watt...

[Pipeless416]

hmm i read the reviews for it and i see a lot of people running higher end graphics cards with it without problems.. could i just chance it? whats the worst that could happen?

[SpeedBump]

This is your video card...
http://www.postimage.org/aV11cvMS.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV11cvMS)

This is your video card with a lowend PSU!
http://www.postimage.org/gxSBn7A.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxSBn7A)

The ZOMBIE represents your new investment!
:devil:

[Pipeless416]

well that sucks. i guess i just won't bother. :ermm:

[Rastus]

I doubt it would burn, most likely artifact, crash all the time, or not work at all with 300 watt.

You can find decent price PSUs, around a 500 Watt should run you OK unless you crossfire/SLI in the future with two vid cards. Buying off the internet has always been cheaper for me, but I live in the sticks with not many stores around, so it might be better to look around local to you.

I would get an OK PSU, save, then buy the 4850 I posted, save, then get some new RAM.


Here's what I'd get :

Vid Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121253)


Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182017) ( I picked this power supply because I have one still. So far, has been very good for me at around 50 bucks. You can find cheaper, but I would recommend staying at atleast around the 50$ mark, below that and you start getting into maybe-junk area.)

RAM if you have DDR 2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145) (This is what I have now, works good and for a good price.)