[help!] I need a new graphics card!

[evil_danger]

I'm using a ATI Raidon 9700 Pro which I think is dead, or dieing, I get artifacts and poligon stretching when I play games. Its always had this problem aparently it overheats so I've had to underclock it using the ATI tool.

Well now underclocking it doesn't work so I figure now is a good time to get a new graphics card

I dont want anything flash, something cheap that is similar to my ATI 9700 Pro or slightly better, or a good website where I could compair so I can see whats out there.

Sorry for my recent flood of threads, but any help is really welcome! love you guys!

 

[mike_n_herrin]

ooh crap, i'm not a heavy gamer. if you are, which that card was for heavy gamers when it was new (if i read the reviews right) you probably want to wait till the big techy guys answer.

 

[evil_danger]

I had no idea it was a big gaming card when it was new *shrugs* I got it with the computer, well when my mums friend gave me the computer.

Is there not a website that can tell me what its similar too, I dont want a heavy games card I'm on a budget!

 

[ahunt83]

Well if your not into proper gaming then you can pick up a card for pretty much any budget. One thing you will need to know is the type of socket your card uses, either AGP or PCI express. I think the 9700 only came in AGP but just check that the socket on the motherboard is brown to make sure.

If your on a tight budget then for about £50-60 you can get a 9600 which isn't that much of a downgrade. Or if you have a bit more cash then you should be able to pick up an ATI X1950 Pro which is a very good card for under a hundred quid.

You get the best prices online, checkout dabs.com and scan.co.uk

 

[sexylad]

And bear in mind which operating system you're using.
Most cards work fine under XP, but I have a mate who upgraded his PC to Vista and his Nvidia card was dire. Something to do with the graphics drivers under Vista being rubbish, buggy etc. He's got a Radeon now and says it works fine.

 

[evil_danger]

Windows 2000 lol, but its tried and trusted so no hurry to upgraid to XP or vista

PS: the socket that my card is already plugged into is green...

 

[evil_danger]

I read some reviews for a ATI X1950GT thats in my price range, but there was a lot of talk about power, scary!

 

[provenlogic]

Well i'm assuming since your old card was a 9700pro, that we're talking AGP here (if we're not, you need to let us know ).

Here are some cheap replacements for you:

Radeon X1650

Radeon X1950

GeForce 7600GS

GeForce 7800GS

If you want anything better, you really have to shift to PCIe, which will mean a new motherboard, and probably new memory, and a new CPU as well. If you want my recommendation as far as brand, i'd go with nVidia (GeForce).


Of course if i had the money, i'd pick up one of these for myself .

 

[190E]

If you're a heavy gamer, stick with Nvidia, they are geared towards gamers. ATI gears more towards movie editing, tv watching, and gaming which are not all good combos together.

 

[provenlogic]

LoL Rise my child, and look at the face of your god! *eyes glow*

Meh, too Goa'uld?

hehe

 

[Spiff]

It's hard to recommend you any card without knowing your system specs. Getting a high performance card will be useless if the rest of your hardware is also old.

Your old card may have just gotten dirty. Over time dust, dirt, and even hair can gather on the card and in the card's fan (I believe your 9700 does have a fan.) I also assume the card's fan is still working?

 

[evil_danger]

LoL Rise my child, and look at the face of your god! *eyes glow*

Meh, too Goa'uld?

hehe

*nods* but goa'uld are sexy! one of my favorite baddies, the only baddies I find sexier are the Wraith from Antlantis, but then I always did have a thing for leather bondage and guys with dreadlocks!

I imagine it must be AGP as have been using a 9700 and aparently they were only for AGP, plus my computer is old now (although it plays half life 2 like a dream come true)

I just want a graphics card that will allow me to play the games already in my collection, so a graphics card of equil or slightly greater design is all I'm after, nothing too flash, something to last me another year before I get a new computer.

The most recent game I've been playing is Quake 4 and my pc has played that like a dream so far.

I was looking at the x1950pro, but all the talk of power consumption scared me, the x1650 doesn't seam to have these worries, plus its well within my budget.

 

[mike_n_herrin]

/\ i'm pretty sure your slot is an AGP slot. PCI slots are usually white

here is a diagram of what the various slot types look like. AGP i thought was usually brown, but i've seen green ones before.

LoL Rise my child, and look at the face of your god! *eyes glow*

Meh, too Goa'uld?

hehe

i was going to say a bit Goa'uldish, but...not over the top.

 

[evil_danger]

I've gone for the 7600GS its within my budget and I can collect instore at pcworld, thanks for all your help guys! I'll let you know how it goes when I try to put it in.

I've never really put a graphics card in, seen it done though, any prep work I need to do, or is it a case of taking out the old one, putting in the new one and installing all the drivers?

 

[evil_danger]

Its all done and working so far, cant wait to test it out on some of the more advanced games I have in my collection.

My other card was caked in dust, but it probably overheated and ruined it because it was working fine, then died, is it worth holding onto it or should I just rubbish it?

Thank you so much for all your help!

 

[mike_n_herrin]

/\ are you sure it died or was just freaking out on you? if it was the laster i'd blow it out good with a can of compressed air and hang on to it. was the fan working still? i might be worth hanging on it if it didn't fail completely. i tend to keep my old hardware.