Computer Hope

Hardware => Hardware => Topic started by: ned1 on August 13, 2010, 03:08:19 PM

Title: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: ned1 on August 13, 2010, 03:08:19 PM
Hi all,
been having problems with my Geforce 7950 GT Graphics Card and have been looking for a replacement
but not knowing anything about them I have no idea what I am looking at....I use it for photo work and
the odd game.
Can anyone point me to a good middle of the road card please.

Thanks

Ned
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: 2x3i5x on August 13, 2010, 03:23:43 PM
I hvae a 9500GT graphics card. It does fine if your odd game is in the realm of Age of Empires 3.

But first, please find out what kind of PSU you have (the wattage, and the 12V rail(s) voltage) and then it'll be easier to find out what card you can get.
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: ned1 on August 14, 2010, 01:13:41 PM
Hi,
The paperwork reads......
Hiper power 530W truepower power supply - SLI ready.

 ???

Ned

ps what is SLI ready
 
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: patio on August 15, 2010, 09:22:06 AM
SLI enables you to run 2 vid cards in one system...
In parallel.
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: ned1 on August 15, 2010, 10:16:45 AM
SLI enables you to run 2 vid cards in one system...
In parallel.

Thanks for that,
But why would you do that, wouldn't  be better to buy a better card in the first place !!!!

Ned   
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: BC_Programmer on August 15, 2010, 01:44:04 PM
Thanks for that,
But why would you do that, wouldn't  be better to buy a better card in the first place !!!!

Ned   

Why do we have dual core machines, wouldn't it be better to have a faster processor?

by which I mean, the reason we have dual core machines is because

A:) not all problems can be solved quickest sequentially
B:) the clock speed of most modern CPUs are starting to approach a number of scientific barriers.

In the same vein, GPUs and their cost/performance tradeoff can sometimes make buying a second card and SLI or Crossfiring it with your current card give you more "bang for your buck". Think of it as merely opening yet another set of upgrade options.

For example, if you had, say, a 9500GT, you could replace it entirely with the latest spanker, or, you could buy a second 9500GT for a significant savings, and almost double your performance in most games. It depends entirely on ones funds and what they want to do- sometimes using crossfire or SLI is a good idea, sometimes it can be a better idea to simply get a newer card altogether.
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: ned1 on August 15, 2010, 02:06:14 PM
Bc Programmer,

I see your point......as my Ge Force 7950GT is playing up and have to replace it
can you recommended a replacement for photo work and games for less than £100
that I will be able to double up (SLI) at a later date if necessary.
Thanks for any help in this matter

Ned    ???

ps Just looking at this card,
GeForce 9800 GT Green Edition 512MB GDDR3 PCI-Express Graphics Card,
what do people think good/bad
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: 2x3i5x on August 15, 2010, 07:18:20 PM
you might want to search Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=48&name=Desktop-Graphics-Video-Cards)
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: ned1 on August 16, 2010, 12:24:06 AM
you might want to search Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=48&name=Desktop-Graphics-Video-Cards)

I am in the UK...............not sure it's worth it with the import taxes etc.

Thanks anyway
Ned
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: 2x3i5x on August 16, 2010, 10:40:49 AM
I am in the UK...............not sure it's worth it with the import taxes etc.

Thanks anyway
Ned

it's still a userful site, even if you don't buy there, i meant there's a lot of customer reviews on various cards, you probably want to look at those.
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: Calum on August 16, 2010, 12:36:37 PM
Fpr udner £100 your options are limited to basically the ATI 5750 or the Nvidia 8800/9800GT.  Either is a huge upgrade from your current card (which is roughly equivalent to a 9500GT) but not worth the money at their respective price points.  If you buy used, you can get better value - something that you may find interesting is this (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-114-OK&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1341) - it's a refurb card with less warranty, but much faster than either of those two cards.  It's still old tech though, as is the 4850 however the 4850 is a better buy than the two new cards I mentioned.
If you can stretch your budget to around £150, the Nvidia GTX460 is the best bang for buck card available now, period.
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: ned1 on August 19, 2010, 05:10:19 AM
SLI enables you to run 2 vid cards in one system...
In parallel.

Hi,
Do they have to be identical cards  or will any card work as long as it's also SLI  !!
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: patio on August 19, 2010, 06:51:04 AM
I believe the GPU's have to be the same...
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: 2x3i5x on August 19, 2010, 10:34:36 AM
I believe the GPU's have to be the same...

Yes, the GPU's have to be the same, I believe it goes for the brand as well as model.

But if you go for crossfire, you can mix and match different GPU's I believe as long as they're compatible
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: Accessless on August 19, 2010, 10:41:10 AM
I believe the GPU's have to be the same...

I thought that they only had to be the same type and generation e.g.

Nvidia GeForce 9800GT & Nvidia GeForce 9500GT
ATI Radeon 5550 & ATI Radeon 5670

-non working examples-
Any Nvidia & ATI combination
Nvidia GeForce 9800GT & Nvidia Geforce GTS 250

Anyway, as everyone here loves to send people to new egg might I suggest a UK alternative. Novatech have never steered me wrong over the years, although ebuyer will probably give you a cheaper deal their customer service is appalling and nothing I have ever bought from them has lasted.

www.novatech.co.uk
www.ebuyer.co.uk
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: Accessless on August 19, 2010, 11:10:37 AM
I think I'll recommend the ATI Radeon 5750, rumbles in at a 4.2 on my GPU rickter scale. Albeit at the high
 end of the £100 budget at ~£95.
(I'm not an Nvidia or Intel person, I just can't reason out the prices. I think that they charge the prices that they do because they can.)
Title: Re: which Graphics Card !!
Post by: soybean on August 19, 2010, 11:14:14 AM
The paperwork reads......
Hiper power 530W truepower power supply - SLI ready.
 
Seems like you're talking about your power supply, but what about your motherboard?  I confess I don't know much about SLI but I believe the motherboard must support it.  Can someone confirm this?