Video card went BOOM! Replacement recommendation?

Sugarflower · Post by **Sugarflower** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 2:51 pm

Last night my husbands computer emitted an odd odor just
before I headed off to bed. I had to quickly shut if off since I had no idea
what was going on in there

but I had an idea that something was frying
due to that electrical smell. He found out today that the video card has
gone kaput and now he doesn't know what to get for a replacement. Can
anyone recommend a good brand name?

If you need info about his computer I'll try to get that from him tonight.
The old card was ATI, ummmm, Wonder 2, something.... I'm not good with
this stuff. It had a remote that could be used if we had cable tv and such
on our computer, which was useless because we could never seem to get
the darn thing to work with the card. Anyway, we need something a little
better than what we had. Peter says the video card was something he
didn't like and wants something better, lol. From what he researched
today, looks like we will be spending up to $200.00 for one.

Until we get a new card I will not be able to watch anime/videos, work with
photoshop or dreamweaver (no more eBay auctions), use the scanner,
upload pictures from our digital camera, use the printer, etc. You get the
point.

My computer is just to slow for all that stuff so all I can do it surf
the net and do simple, boring things with it. I'm going to see if Peter can
hook the scanner and camera to my computer so I can keep adding
auctions to eBay.

I've lost a day already thanks to this.

~Sugar

Not Sir Phobos · Post by **Not Sir Phobos** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 4:18 pm

ATI x800xt

HotIce · Post by **HotIce** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 4:41 pm

the thing i found with upgrading the video card in my old machine, was making sure that the the powersupply was strong/powerful enough to run the new video card. as in my current video card requires a minimum 400W system power supply (with 12V current rating of 26A or more)... my old system was 350 and couldn't use it.

if you're just looking for recommends for vid. cards, i use a BFG GeForce™ 7800 GT OC™ 256MB. I'm really happy with it.

RoboFlonne · Post by **RoboFlonne** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 5:35 pm

Hi!

I wouldn't spend $200 on a video card unless you want to have some Super Graphic heavy games.

I would recommend buying a used Geforce or ATI Radeon for $50 on Ebay.

They are more than enough for any purposes you may have.

Sugarflower · Post by **Sugarflower** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 5:57 pm

Peter just told me that he wants a card that will show great graphics when playing movies & games on the computer and something about when we work with websites and photoshop. I can't remember what type of power supply he has but as soon as he gets home I'll get all the info from him.

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 5:57 pm

That's okay. Maybe you will think of it later.

RoboFlonne · Post by **RoboFlonne** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 6:08 pm

Any Ati Radeon or Geforce with 64 or 128mb is more than enough.

There is no reason to buy the newest video card.

buma · Post by **buma** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 8:18 pm

yes, there is no real reason to get the 'latest and greatest' video card unless you know you need one.

the problem is that if your computer is older, your power supply may not be able to supply enough power to it or you may not even support it (as the newer cards do suck up a lot of power, and need a different kind of power connector - which, they do have adaptors for too). Your motherboard too may be old and not support the newest vid cards new interface (the PCI-Express slot).

Things that you'll need to find out are the following before you go out and buy a video card:
1. type of power supply (Watt rating, if its 2.0 or later compliant, how many spare power plugs it has) - most of this will be either on the back or the top of the power supply, unless you have the documentation for it.
2. type of interface slots available on your motherboard (do you have PCI slots, AGP slots, PCI-E slots) - you should be able to find this on the documentation of your computer's motherboard
3. requirements of the games you or your husband will be playing (you might not be able to even meet the latest and greatest as your hardware may be too old to support it).

Most other video activities (such as watching anime, doing photoshop, running regular programs, even video editing) do not require a powerhorse of a video card. It's mainly games that do (and probably some other aps too, but mostly games). I hope this helps out some. Let us know the specs and maybe we can help point you in the right direction.

Sugarflower · Post by **Sugarflower** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 8:53 pm

Ok, here are the specks for his PC:

-300 watt power supply
-AMD XP 3000 processor
-ASUS A7NAX Deluxe motherboard
-1 Gig of RAM

Peter says he wants ONLY a Nvidia brand card (so picky

). Something
that is really good for use of HDTV. Having something for gaming is not
nesseccary since we don't play PC games anymore unless it's something
like emulator/roms, Deer Hunter, or Age of Empires (older games).
However I wouldn't mind getting a card for gaming.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 8:53 pm

I am having a blast.

buma · Post by **buma** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 9:18 pm

okay, I couldn't even find the specs of the motherboard online

Looks like it's at least 2 years old if not older. I suspect that you have an AGP slot for your vid. You might still find them available out there... but haven't looked really.

my suggestion is to either get a used replacement for the vid card and start saving up to upgrade (if you want a faster computer to watch HD and stuff) or just do it now... because it's sorta not a wise idea to throw 'good money after bad' so to speak...

anyway, maybe someone else can lead you in a different direction as I don't seem to have any good news...

Japoro · Post by **Japoro** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 9:53 pm

I have had luck with EVGA NVIDIA cards. I am currently running a AGP 6800XT that I am quite happy with. It's no hard core gaming card, it does alright in FEAR, giving me a decent frame rate and such. (Matches my friends SLI 6600s in frame rate.. and he has the effects turned off

)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130268
Not sure 300 Watts will be enough to run the card or not though. All depends on the quality of your power supply.

As Bulma said, it might be worth it to save up some and upgrade the specs of the computer. AGP sockets are on their way out, and pretty much all the high end cards are running on PCI Express X16 sockets. Your best bet might be buying a cheaper card to survive for a few months then do a system upgrade in a few months. In my Linux/Windows Server box, I am running similar motherboard and processor as your husband is, and it is running on a 5200FX card. Kind of sad specs when compared to todays high end card, but for some of the simpler games out there, this card works flawlessly. (EQ, Medal of Honor, and will run FEAR... with of the graphic setting turned down) And it is quite

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130210

If you are still not seeing something you like, look around Newegg.com some, and hopefully you might see what you are looking for

Best of luck in your choice

miz ducky · Post by **miz ducky** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 10:12 pm

it sounds like he already knows what he wants if he's partial to one brand.

But they are all right. Unless you really want the fastest greatest 'puter out there don't worry about getting the best.

Getting the best usually means having to upgrade everything else to support it.

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 10:13 pm

I am the most intelligent robot.

Sugarflower · Post by **Sugarflower** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 10:23 pm

Sugarflower wrote:Ok, here are the specks for his PC:

-300 watt power supply
-AMD XP 3000 processor
-ASUS A7NAX Deluxe motherboard
-1 Gig of RAM

Peter says he wants ONLY a Nvidia brand card (so picky ). Something
that is really good for use of HDTV. Having something for gaming is not
nesseccary since we don't play PC games anymore unless it's something
like emulator/roms, Deer Hunter, or Age of Empires (older games).
However I wouldn't mind getting a card for gaming.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!

Peter pointed out to me that I made a type.

The motherboard he has is an ASUS A7N8X Deluxe.

He just ordered something from Newegg. I'll have to find out what it was and let everyone know.