Suggestions for upgrading my Graphics card

[Cathal_Eire]

Hi i'm not very computer savvy so any suggestions here would be most helpful!

Basically I want to upgrade my Radeon 9200 AGP (well that's what it says I have when i run DXDIAG ) I have a 3.06 MHZ P4 with 512MB ddram

I can spend 250 EUR max.

As I said Im a complete noob where computer hardware is concerned. I'm just a bit worried in case I buy a card that won't run on my system. I know that I should check my psu to see if it can handle a new card wattage wise, but I havn't a clue how to do this. If you need any more specs let me know and I'll try and get them.

So If you could suggest a decent card which should work, that would be great!

Thanks in advance for any help

Cathal

[ShuckyD]

Welcome to TechIMO... !!!

Since your looking at AGP, im guessing not PCI-Express (newer graphics slot type) i would say go with either a 6600GT, the best i think your gonna find for AGP... or on ATI's line maybe something like a X800 or such you should be able to get these for less than your maximum price..

Do you have a preference between ATI or Nvidia?¿

[nwo75200]

I would look for a new or used x800pro, that would be the best for your price range.

Or if you can't find one of those, a 6600GT should not be more than 150 EUR, and I would get another 512mb stick of RAM for less than 40 EUR.

[ShuckyD]

as for your power supply. if you open up your case somewhere on the power supply it should say something about a number like 300, 350, or something with a "w" after it like 350W thats your wattage, i recommend having at least a 350watt power supply for a new graphics card preferably 400W, although the wattage doesnt matter as much as the 12v rail and the brand.

Like NWO said i would definately go with an extra stick of 512 because you'll need that with todays games.. im an Nvidia fan myself and i love my 6800GT so i would choose from one of the cards we mentioned

[JLK03F150]

Welcome to TechIMO!

If you take the side off your pc the PSU should be at the top in the back. Inside the pc on the PSU there is usually a label that will list the total wattage as well as 3.3, 5 & 12 volt amperage ratings. I attached a pic of a PSU label from newegg.com to give you an idea what you are looking to find.

[Cathal_Eire]

Hi guys. Thanks for the quick responses!

@ Shucky I've no real preferance, I was probably gonna go with ATI only because my pc came with the 9200 and I assumed it should accept another ATI more readily. As my old card says AGP on the dxdiag screen I was gonna get a AGP one, dunno if I have a pci slot too! But I'll look inside and see.

The game in particular I want to play atm is Age of Empires 3 so I would be pretty happy if I could play that @ highish res.

Thx for the ram suggestion nwo I'll take that on board

and thx for the info JLK.

Just one more question. Does it matter what type of ram I get? I mean if i get another 512 ddram does the make have to be compatible with my old one, brand etc.. or if i got sdram would it be compatible too. ( I got 256k sdram in an old pc so could I use that in the meantime?)

Cheers!

Cathal

[nwo75200]

It doesn't matter what brand of RAM you get, speed shouldn't matter either, if you already have ddr400 RAM (PC3200) then you should definitely get another stick of that. You CANNOT use the 256mb of SDRAM you have in your other PC because it's SDRAM and it is not compatible in DDR mobos.

[ShuckyD]

chances are if you have an AGP slot then you dont have a PCI-Express slot soo just stick with AGP choices... either an Nvidia or ATI, even with the mem upgrade you should still be getting out of this for less than 250....

[Fruit&Veg]

help me out. im a poor gamer. (money wise. im pro at gaming )
just like Cathal i want to play AOE3, but not with better graphics, just performance and fluid gameplay.

Im currently running:
1.4 Ghz AMD Athlon XP
768 MB Ram
64mb GeForce3 Ti200

im hoping you guys know a way to boost my performance for around £150-£200.
im also from the UK so could you do the prices in pounds and use UK based websites like www.scan.co.uk

[SoloCamo]

a new videocard aswell would do you best.