Dell Dimension 8200 Gaming Card

[Doctor.BoB]

Hi there, Newb here so hello...!

Firstly how would i find out if my Dell Dimension 8200 purchased in 2002 has PCI-E Slots or standard PCI..?

Secondly I have quite an old GeForce Ti 4600 which was" state of the art a couple of years ago and did me proud Online FPS wise.

Everyone has now moved onto Battlefield 2, and I need a Graphics card capable of handling it..!

What can you all recommend. Without going mental on Price and also probably via the AGP Port as I dont think I have PCI-E.

I was thinking
http://www.leadtek.com/3d_graphic/wi...0_gttdh_1.html
GeForce 7600 GT (AGP)

Will the performance be as good through AGP Port..?

Blimey how we've moved on..!
Thanks Guys..?

[mrniceguy]

welcome to TechIMO,

you punch it into google or yahoo

http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...ov.htm#1101565

[Doctor.BoB]

thanks Nice Guy, so I can assume i have PCI only.

Ok then onto the next bit

Leadtek GeForce 7600 GT (AGP) Graphics Card.

Will this be the answer to my online gaming.

Dell 8200
P4 2.2GHz
512mb RDRAM
Lots of Storage

Basically I want to run Battlefield 2 online..?

Will this card 1) be up to it, 2) Be the best I can get at that price range £130.00 and 3) Be good for most new Games, Company of Heros, Half Life 2, etc etc

Cheers Doodders

[JLK03F150]

Hi & Welcome.

You should see a pretty good boost from games upgrading to a 7600GT.

What CPU speed are you running? Also how much RAM (expensive RDRAM) do you have?

You will need to upgrade your PSU (Power Supply Unit) from 250w to at least 350watts to make sure the 7600GT is reliable. If you need more RAM or a faster CPU also, it may be time to look at a full system upgrade. BF2 has fairly high requirements to run smoothly with a good level of graphics.

Edit: I type slow. haha
Edit 2: The 2.2 CPU should be OK, but BF2 really likes ram - lots of ram. One gigabyte is usually the minimum for the game to run good.

[Doctor.BoB]

thanks JL, plenty to consider,

But if you look at the link from Mr Nice Guy detailing the powersupply etc, do you think it necessary to uopgrade the PSU..??

Cheers

[osprey4]

Your stock PSU (nominal 250W, 345W peak) will be fine for that card. That model uses a standard ATX power supply (not the older Dell proprietary ones).

A RAM upgrade on that system is going to be pricey, since it uses Rambus RAM, but if you upgrade, you can go with either 4x256mb sticks or 2x512mb sticks to get to 1 gig.

[JLK03F150]

That OEM power supply is only rated 10-12 amps on the +12v rail. While Leadtek only recommends a 300w PSU, BFG suggests a 350w with a 20 amp +12v rail for their 7600GS AGP. IMO an upgrade to that 4-5 year old PSU wouldn't be a bad idea.

[Doctor.BoB]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.........

Thanks Gus,

BoB is Proper Confuso Now...!

Lets consider this...! If BoB was Minted (thats an english saying) eg Loaded with Cash. We would not be having this conversation,. BoB would have the latest State of the Art Machine with Twin 512GB Graphic and 4 Gaziliion RRDDRA Tiger RAM or similar..!

However BoB is not Loaded therefore on a tight budget and skint.. Needs cheapest / easiest options please

PS Sorry for sarcasim, but BoB got no cash doods but looking for best gaming option. Its really bizzare I almost feel like there has been a VHS v Betamax war on Graphics cards and I've had my head in the sand quite happy playing Soldier of Fortune 2 for the last 4 years and here we are today, I'm one Gazzillion Light years from State of the art machine..!

Ouch, Be happy

[osprey4]

Bob, an off-the-shelf PSU shouldn't be too much. But I checked the 7600GT on the Dell forums and the consensus is your stock PSU is fine. Given your other system limitations, that card should maximize your systems performance.

[erhan28]

One key rule of thumb is that PCI-Express is new, so a pc over 2 or 2.5 years will not have PCI-Express.
The 7600 gt is a great card. What is the budget. What would you like to spend and not more of a certain amount?