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| Thread ID: 103053 | 2009-09-10 21:29:00 | Recommendations for Upgrading Graphics and Ram Welcome :D | HamieSam (15245) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 808719 | 2009-09-10 21:29:00 | Hey im looking to get a bit more kick out of my computer in terms of graphics (for gaming) and wondering whether my Ram needs upgraded. My system: Case: Ninja - http://www.raidmax.com/ seems well Cooled with 2x12cm fans front and back and side fan which dont seem temperature controlled. Power Supply - 520Watt Seems well cooled with a huge ble led fan OS - Vista Ultimate 64 Bit MotherBoard - ASUS M2N-E SLI Series NVIDIA nForce500 SLI MCP (1 blue slot 1 black both for pci-e?, and 2 black slots 2 yellow for ram) Core - AMD Athlon 64bit x2 Duel Core Processor 5600+ (2.8ghz from memory) Ram - 1X2g i think 667 DDR2 and 2X1g again 667 DDR2 (both have apacer on them but came in a transcend package and a kingston package, 2g was stock) the 2g is in a yellow slot and the 1g's are in the black slots. Current Video Card - Gforce 8600GT 256mb DDR3 PCI-E (Driver CD says XFX is that the brand?) Screens - 1X19inch running 1440x900 on the destop and 1X14inch on extended. I'm looking around the $200-250 NZD price mark for a gfx card. I've been comparing the Gforce 9800GT and ATI 4770. Any recommendations on GFX? and can i run it in SLI with my current card or would i chuck that out? Also what brand would be best? Also i feel like my ram is a bit sluggish? any recommendations there? Thanks in advance :D Hope someone can get my head around this haha. |
HamieSam (15245) | ||
| 808720 | 2009-09-11 00:21:00 | Get a GTX260.(Asus, Gigabyte, XFX) RAM is cheap. Get 2 sticks of decent DDR2 800/1066 RAM. What brand is the PSU? |
Blam (54) | ||
| 808721 | 2009-09-11 00:29:00 | Hmm gtx260 is probably a bit out of my price range. and what mb/g should i be aiming for with that monitor spec. So you would switching to 800/1066 make a signifcant difference from 667? and what about ddr3? or is that to expensive? The PSU i couldn't see the brand name anywhere but it had a product number of TX-952TX-JB. well at least i think thats the product. Does the brand matter though? |
HamieSam (15245) | ||
| 808722 | 2009-09-11 00:40:00 | Hmm gtx260 is probably a bit out of my price range. and what mb/g should i be aiming for with that monitor spec. So you would switching to 800/1066 make a signifcant difference from 667? and what about ddr3? or is that to expensive? The PSU i couldn't see the brand name anywhere but it had a product number of TX-952TX-JB. well at least i think thats the product. Does the brand matter though? I'd probably get a 4870 at that price, or a GTX260 if you can stretch the extra $50. Difference in ram isn't huge, but quality, dual-channel DDR2-800 will certainly help with gaming performance over mismatched generic DDR2-667. That board won't support DDR3. It's nForce 500-series, and has 4 DDR2-800 slots, 2GB max per slot. Brand very much matters with a power supply. I would use, for example, a quality 500W over a budget 600W, any day. It's not about peak theoretical output, it's about sustained output & current. From the part number, it's a Task power supply. I don't know the brand at all, so for safety's sake I'd assume it's 450W-equivalent. |
inphinity (7274) | ||
| 808723 | 2009-09-11 00:57:00 | Would 450w be enough? I'm assuming the powersupply comes with the case? in that cast wouldn't it be suited for what the case is suited? I've read reviews saying the 4770 does almost the same as the 4870 but at lower power consumtion is this correct and is it better to match the brand of the motherboard to the gfx or does it not matter? and if i got a 9800gt say, is there a chance i can run it and my 8600gt in SLI? |
HamieSam (15245) | ||
| 808724 | 2009-09-11 01:09:00 | It sounds like you have 3 memory dimms, and therefore running single channel 4gb....sell the 2bg dimm and buy either 2 x1 or 2 x 2gb for 6gb total....dont worry about speed of the RAM, your CPU is too slow to realise anything faster....as for graphics....my 9600GT runs most games okay at 1650x1050, so the 4850 (real cheap now) will be great... | SolMiester (139) | ||
| 808725 | 2009-09-11 02:48:00 | Are you sure 800 wouldn't be better? whats my FSB speed on the 5600 athlon? | HamieSam (15245) | ||
| 808726 | 2009-09-11 03:07:00 | Would 450w be enough? I'm assuming the powersupply comes with the case? in that cast wouldn't it be suited for what the case is suited? I've read reviews saying the 4770 does almost the same as the 4870 but at lower power consumtion is this correct and is it better to match the brand of the motherboard to the gfx or does it not matter? and if i got a 9800gt say, is there a chance i can run it and my 8600gt in SLI? The case doesn't really care what components are in it, as long as they physically fit. The PSU should be ok, provided it is in good condition. The 4770 is close to the 4870 in performance, yes, so for bang for buck may offer a better option if you can save $60 or so. If its only $30 in it, I'd get the 4870. No, you can't SLi different nVidia cards. ATi CrossFire supports different cards. Matching the brands doesn't matter, as long as both are decent brands. Matching chipset manufacturers can sometimes help, depending on the specifics. I suspect with an nForce 500 it won't matter. |
inphinity (7274) | ||
| 808727 | 2009-09-11 04:00:00 | Case: Ninja Power Supply - 520Watt Seems Current Video Card - Gforce 8600GT 256mb DDR3 PCI-E I'm looking around the $200-250 NZD price mark for a gfx card. . Its a Raidmax. PSU. Known for a high failure rate. $250 is very low for a Graphics card. ALWAYS spend as much as you can on it. It's the single most important thing in the whole PC for gaming. If you have to budget - then budget on everything else, not the card. For $250 the ATI 4870 is the only thing worth bothering with. |
pctek (84) | ||
| 808728 | 2009-09-11 05:26:00 | ok so based on my machine with the 4870 wat brand 4870 shuld i get? | HamieSam (15245) | ||
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