Video Card Upgrade questions

[ssutton31]

I have a Dell 4500 P4 1.8MHz 1G RAM and am interested in upgrading to a new video card. I don't think some of the new games will function with my card. I searched the forums for some info, but didn't find exactly what I am looking for.

I presently have NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 420 that came w/ system. I am still unclear about power requirements of the cards and "clocking".

I have:

-Motherboard chipset: Intel Brookdale i845E

-External clock: 100MHz
-Maximum Clock: 3000 MHz
-Current Clock: 1800 MHz

-AGP slot (version 2.0, 64MB, speeds up to 4x)

- Core voltage 1.475 - 1.55V
- I/O voltage 1.475 - 1.55
- Typical power: 38.7 - 82W
- Maximum Power: 49 - 103W

1) I can buy an AGP or PCI card. Any advantage of one over the other?

2) Most cards require 250W. Is my system's power output good enough for 250W? How do I know? Is it in the "typical" and "maximum power" numbers above? If so, it doesn't look like Scotty can give me enough power.
If not enough power, then how could I increase it?

3) people talk about "overclocking". Is this something I need to be aware of when buying a card?

I'm not a "serious gamer"....just some flight sims and something like Battlefield 1942 or CoD is what I'm looking at.

If any other info would be helpful, please ask. Thank you for your help!

[GX1_Man]

I have a Dell 4500 P4 1.8MHz 1G RAM and am interested in upgrading to a new video card. I don't think some of the new games will function with my card.
-AGP slot (version 2.0, 64MB, speeds up to 4x)
1) I can buy an AGP or PCI card. Any advantage of one over the other?

AGP is faster and an 8x card is backward compatible with 4x. PCI will never be as fast. An FX5200 is cheap, not a great card, but should work OK.

2) Most cards require 250W. Is my system's power output good enough for 250W? If not enough power, then how could I increase it?

The high end cards require more in a power supply. Dells are proprietary is fit and in actual mounting sometimes. Check with Dell before a purchase. There are some aftermarket PSU's specifically designed for some Dell's. but not produced by Dell. A plain PCI card will use less power than a high end new AGP. What other peripherals are on there? Here is a power estimator:

http://journeysystems.com/power_supply_calculator.php

3) people talk about "overclocking". Is this something I need to be aware of when buying a card?

You can't overclock a Dell due to BIOS restrictions. The overclocked cards may be too much for the power supply. See above.

I'm not a "serious gamer"....just some flight sims and something like Battlefield 1942 or CoD is what I'm looking at.

See the specific requirements for the game from the manufacturer's web site. These days specific chip types are mentioned and this should be heeded.

[royphil345]

The AGP card would be the way to go. The AGP slot can transfer information faster than a PCI slot, which is why they came to be. Now, AGP is being replaced by PCI Express on newer mainboards.

Not sure how much gaming performance will improve given your processor speed and the fact that your AGP slot is only 4X (newer are 8X and most video cards have 8X capability).

The power supply on your computer is somewhere around 250 watts. You might be able to get away with installing a card on the power efficient side.

I have one of these installed on my old computer that I've turned into a home theater computer.  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102407
Pretty good "bang for the buck". No "issues" with it at all. Don't think it's a power hog. No extra connection to the power supply required.

If your computer tends to crash after installing the card, that means your power supply isn't big enough. Some of the older Dells used proprietary power supplies. I believe the one on yours has a standard ATX 20-pin plug, and is the standard physical size. I've read that the cutout on the back of your computer won't work right with power supplies that have switches. A cheap, standard ATX power supply of about 350 watts with no power switch should work for you.

You can use software to overclock your video card. Not recommended, especially without additional cooling.

[ssutton31]

great information....thanks a lot!

the link to the power estimator site wouldn't come up, so I'll try that one later.

y'all have definitely helped!

Take care,
Scott

[GX1_Man]

Keep us posted. We like happy endings.

[ssutton31]

will keep you posted when I get one!

I went to the Tiger store today and they had this:

http://shop.ati.com/product.asp?sku=2583530

The only thing I couldn't find was the power requirement.

What do you think about this one?

Thanks!

[Sogekihei]

What is your powersupply rated for? If it is only 100W like it looks like from your first post, you will definately need a new PSU to run that card. As you found, a 250W would probably be needed.  Luckily these are rather cheap nowadays. If you go to http://www.newegg.com you can find 250-300W PSU's for around $20 or so. That is only a reccomendation though.

[ssutton31]

thanks. I think my rates at 250. I haven't looked inside yet to find out. I just found this, though:

http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/viewproduct.php?show=S41D2

This one is the only one they had that is compatible with my Dimension 4500. But I don't want to spend $120 for it, though.

I'll keep looking.

[GX1_Man]

That Dell did ship with a 250w and that MAY be enough. I know the aftermarket ones are not cheap, but that one is very nice and from a quality manufacturer!

YOu could try to mount a spare standard fit ATX PSU in there just to see if it fits AND to check the pin outs. THat may be an option, and there are ways to modify one, but I wouldn't risk it for that.

[royphil345]

The ATI 9550 you're looking at is a decent card. The Sapphire 9600 Pro I recommended uses the newer ATI 9600 chip and sells for almost $25.00 less. Also uses the standard ATI drivers that can be upgraded at the ATI site. There are sometimes issues with cheaper cards that use name-brand chips. This one in very well reviewed though. Like I said, have one myself. No complaints at all. Great buy!!!  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102407  Though... I won't blame you if you'd rather stick with a REAL ATI brand card and go with the 9550.

Looking at that power supply just makes me more sure the info I got is correct. If you look at the specs, you'll see that the mainboard plug is indeed 20-pin and most likely a standard ATX plug (sure looks like it in the photo). The power supply itself does look to be standard sized with no power switch. The location of the AC line cord may be an issue. You now have a photo of what you're looking for though.

Hey... While writing this, I just actually found a 350-watt power supply that came with a cheap case and looks like it would work for you. Has no power switch and the AC cord socket looks to be in the right place. Thought I probably threw it away, but here it is. It works fine. Used it for awhile with no problems. Replaced it with a silent power supply in my home theater computer. If you send me your address in a private message, I'll send it to you. Then you won't be out anything if it doesn't fit.