Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
126 Posts
0
50096
Need advice on graphics cards...
I want to ask for advice concerning graphics cards, but more specifically how large a graphics card (vram capacitywise) my current PC can accommidate. The computer, a Dimension E510 currently has a 256MB graphics card. When I originally configured this system back in 2005, 256MB was the largest avaliable for it and was probably also the largest avaliable on the consumer level. I am now seeing 512MB and 1GB graphics cards on store shelves.
I am a big flight sim enthusiast, and while this PC still meets the system requirements of the sim I use, graphics wise it's starting to reach the lowest edge of the minimum system requirements. I may want or even need to upgrade the graphics card eventually. Anyone know if the Dimension E510's system board can accomidate a 512MB or larger graphics card?
2ndtimer
90 Posts
0
January 31st, 2010 22:00
i don't think there were any Pentium 4's that were dual core ... i could be wrong though
an ATI X600? you will see a BIG difference between a X600 and an ATI 4670 ... even the cheaper ATI 4650 would be a big improvement over the x600.
[/quote]
I also don't believe any Pentium 4's were dual core. They did offer hyperthreading, though. Perhaps that being enabled may cause it to show 2 processors in the bios. And I also agree with freak that even a 4650 would be a big improvement over the X600 and also would work effortlessly with the existing power supply (being even less demanding than the frugal 4670, but slower)
freakmarket
270 Posts
0
January 31st, 2010 22:00
i don't think there were any Pentium 4's that were dual core ... i could be wrong though
an ATI X600? you will see a BIG difference between a X600 and an ATI 4670 ... even the cheaper ATI 4650 would be a big improvement over the x600.
lambdapro
381 Posts
0
February 1st, 2010 01:00
I was assuming that he saw two processors under control panel->system->hardware->device manager->processor. Or under task manager->performance. Those each show two processors with hyper threading. The dual core processors were called Pentium D. The e510 has an LGA775 processor and was available either Pentium 4 or Pentium D. I don't know which customizer has.
My point is still that while the 4650/4670 is an improvement over the X600, 1750% in Texture fill rate, and the GTS250 is a large improvement over the 4670. 270% faster than the 4670 according to the freestone benchmark listed on this forum, 100% faster than the 4670 on Texture fill rate.
Customizer
126 Posts
0
February 1st, 2010 03:00
I just did a search at Bestbuy.com for the ATI Radeon 4650. The card is avaliable in three versions, varying by clock speed and features but all three are 1GB cards. They range in price from $69.99 to $89.99. Let me be sure... The Radeon 4650 won't overstress the PC's current power supply, right?
JMICHAEL
1.7K Posts
0
February 1st, 2010 09:00
That is correct. You would probably only be using around half the watts your power supply is capable of for your entire system when under the stress of gaming.
One of the versions you are looking at is an AGP card so you can scratch that off the list as you need a PCI Express X16 card. However, I do not see any difference between the $89.99 and $69.99 PCIe cards as I see no specs of any core clock or memory clock speeds. I certainly would not be spending $89.99 for an HD 4650. HERE is the same card on Newegg for $64.99 with free shipping so this is at least a $10 savings over the $69.99 card when you add tax in plus shipping if it is not in the store at the lower cost which seems to be the case. Therefore, you would spend almost $100 for this card buying it from a Best Buy store.
lambdapro
381 Posts
0
February 1st, 2010 10:00
JMICHAEL, I am a fan of XFX for their lifetime guarantee. For an additional $7, one can get an XFX 4670.
David
JMICHAEL
1.7K Posts
0
February 1st, 2010 12:00
I know there is not much difference in cost between the two for a better card. I was just trying to help with his choices at Best Buy and the HD 4650. Unless Best Buy happens to have a good sale on one, it is generally not the place to buy a video card since you will pay more. But as you mentioned, the HD 4670 is definitely the way to go for a better card and little difference in cost and with the double lifetime warranty on the XFX cards, you really can't go wrong especially when you are ready to sell it. My EVGA GTS 250 only cost me $79.99 after rebates when I bought it in June of last year, but that deal is not around anymore which is why I'm just going to hold onto it for awhile since the prices have gone up.
Customizer
126 Posts
0
February 1st, 2010 14:00
OK, now you guys have me a little confused. I was under the impression that the Radeon 4670 would be a little too power hungry for my PC's current power supply to handle. That's why I began conscidering the 4650. Newegg's website lists the power requirement for the Radeon 4670 as needing a 400 watt power supply.
JMICHAEL
1.7K Posts
0
February 1st, 2010 18:00
The HD 4670 really does not use much power and probably only uses around 10 more watts than the HD 4650.
Fajita_0b8ea5
2 Posts
0
February 1st, 2010 18:00
Hey, I just wanted to thank Customizer for starting this thread since I am in virtually the same boat with a Dimension E510 but starting with an older graphics card. My machine is a Pentium D (2.8GHz) with a dual core processor, 1 Gig RAM, 70GB HD, running (what else?) WinXP Media Center. The graphics card (don't laugh!) is an ATI Radeon X300 SE 128MB Hypermemory (a faulty one at that, an issue I should have addressed with Dell while still under warranty but it mostly works and I didn't have the time to waste fighting with Dell over a relic of a graphics card).
Now I want to upgrade the graphics card to do some gaming. (No need for me to point out that I'm not a hardcore gamer. I don't have the time but like to have fun when I can.) I don't need Crysis (for now) but want to be able to run some decent games. Right now I'm having fun with online (again...no laughing!) Pirates of the Caribbean and The Sims...want to play WoW and some other non-antique games without being on the low end of system requirements.
I also don't have the funds to buy a newer machine and am of the same school of thought as 2ndtimer: bang for the buck, minimal investment to accomplish goals. That said, I won't be buying a new pc for at least 2 years & am able to upgrade the graphics card, some memory, and the PSU. So I want what will tide me over for a while. Coming from an X300, anything will be an improvement! From what I've read in the replies to this question, the HD 4670 sounds like a good upgrade for me since I don't want to put any strain on my machine. I will probably upgrade the memory & PSU anyway, since I'm a little paranoid about the original PSU sounding like a jet engine. Any help or comments would be appreciated.
lambdapro
381 Posts
0
February 1st, 2010 19:00
I had not even thought about the 5670. It is only $18 more (89.99, but free shipping), 2W more (61W) than a 4670 and 25% faster (600 GFLOPS). Good suggestion. And it does not have external power so should work fine with the Dell PSU.
David
Customizer
126 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2010 03:00
Bad news, really bad news! Just out of curiousity, I decided to open the PC's case and look at the power supply rating. The current power supply is rated at a max output of 305 Watts. It doesn't look like this power supply can handle any of the graphics cards you all have recommended. I think that I better upgrade it too. Any recommendations for a more powerful power supply? I'ld preffer a minimum 450 watts to a maximum of 500 watts.
lambdapro
381 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2010 06:00
The 4650/4670/5670 do not have an external power connector, so you can figure that the 305 will provide plenty of juice for it. You should have no problem with any of these. (But I still love the GTS250 with an upgraded PSU. ;-) )
David
JMICHAEL
1.7K Posts
0
February 2nd, 2010 06:00
We already know you have the 305W power supply which is why we are giving you the recommendations of the best video card you can use on that power supply. A lot of people have run the HD 4670 on the 305W PSU without any issues. As you can see by the charts I posted, it does not need anywhere near 305 watts and it is showing what your entire system needs with the HD 4670 not just the card by itself. You need to understand that the manufacturer always overstates what is actually needed. There are even others that run the HD 4650 on their slims that have only a 250 watt power supply. You can probably add around 15 watts to what is shown since you have the older Pentium 4 processor versus a newer Core 2 Duo.
Here's a quote from techPowerUp:
The HD 4670 lives at the lower end of the power usage spectrum. In idle it is one of the least demanding cards with a full system power consumption below 90W. Even when it is loaded the power consumption stays really low making it one of the most efficient cards on the market.
HERE is the link.
2ndtimer
90 Posts
0
February 2nd, 2010 06:00
As Jmichael has just posted, (and others, myself included) have stated repeatedly. the best card available to run on your current power supply is the Radeon HD-4670. I ran mine on a 300 Watt power supply for over 13 months, and only upgraded my power supply to support a new Radeon HD-5750. Our whole point was the cheapest way to significantly upgrade your video capability with the minimal cash outlay. Trust us, the 4670 would run fine on your existing PSU. If you want to upgrade your power supply, it is almost a whole new discussion, since it affords a myriad of different options.