EVGA e-GeForce 7600GT KO Vs Inno3D GeForce 8500GT

[rockali]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post - cool site!

Basically I have a computer with the following specs:

Pentium 4, 3 GHz, 512 MB RAM.
Video Card: SiS Mirage Graphics (SiS 661) 32MB.

I want to be able to run game like Command and Conquer 3.

On the net I've found the following card:

EVGA e-GeForce 7600 GT KO- which had great review on PC World site. Price: $99. (£50)
http://www.pcworld.com/product/specs...rds/specs.html

But, this is the same price as:

Inno3D Geforce 8500GT 800MHz 512MB

But, if I spend an extra £25 I get:

Inno3D Geforce 8600GT 1400MHz 256MB
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inno3D-Geforce-8600GT-1400MHz-Graphics/dp/B000Q2OIHI/ref=sr_1_1/026-7038915-7499644?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1183160163&sr=1-1

So, does anyone know which one is best for me to buy?? I also know that I will need to buy an extra 512MB RAM. Any tips on this would be appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

Al.

[heero78]

well, i just asked something like tat days before.

anyways, u gotta check ur powersupply see if ur power supply can run the cards.
400W is recommended i think.

well, dont take my words too seriously.
wait for the experts words

Good luck

[carl33p]

Welcome to TechIMO.

Dont get the 8500GT. It performs horribly.
If you DONT plan on using Windows Vista, then get the 7600GT.
If you are using Vista, then get the 8600GT.

Those are all 'PCI-E x 16' video cards. Are you sure you have a 'PCI-E x 16' slot in your motherboard?
List your Power Supply. Manufactuer, model, watts, and amps on 12V. ( All located on side sticker of your PSU )

[rockali]

Thanks for the reply heero & carl

I actually thought that I had a PCIe type motherboard since I only purchased the computer less than 9 months ago. However, according to the manual my motherboard has 2 slots - 1 AGP and 1 PCI. No other details are given. So does this mean that I have an AGP motherboard?

In which case, now which video card would I need to get? As you can see -I'm a complete amateur!

[rockali]

Hi

right, I just discovered how limited my computer actually is! It has an AGP slot that supports 4x and 8x AGP cards, and the power supply is only 200W! Great!

so, do you have any ideas on what my options now are? Does this mean that my choice is heavily limited? Is there a way I can upgrade my system so that I can have a greater power supply/PCIe slot? confused and in need of your help!

[sweeper2]

another thing is.. what type of PC do you have.. unfortunatly , some PC's like Dell are proprietary .. which means you need Dell parts to work in them ..

first off.. if your power supply is 200 watts only.. that's my first choice to change out... at least a 400-500 watt psu should do the job..
second .. then i would look into AGP video cards... a bit more pricey then the PCI-E cards.. but there are decent ones still made that would suffice for what your looking for....

[rockali]

thanks Sweeper2,

The computer I bought was ready made - so I don't know if I can simply change the PSU. Is it simply a case of buying a more powerful one, and replacing the older one with it? I mean, my computer won't blow up will it?!!?!!

Regarding the AGP type cards, the only one that I can see (that's within my budget £50-90£) is this one:

XFX Geforce 7600 GT Video Card

Al

[sweeper2]

it shouldn't blow up .. lol ... only thing is certain types of pc.. LIke Dell or Compaq are harder to upgrade... if you even can... the psu isn't hard to uninstall and reinstall another... you can check NewEgg.com for deals on agp video cards... i'm not to sure on the 7600 GT, but i am pretty sure it's decent... you might also want to upgrade your ram to at least 1 gig... to play the more recent games comming out ...

[rockali]

thanks for the speedy reply,

I was just reading about changing the PSU. Now, to complicate matters further the actual type of computer I have is a Solar Shuttle-XPc. It's all basically very compact. (see below to see what I mean)

http://eu.shuttle.com/en/desktopdefa.../noblendout-1/

Now, I it seems that I would need to have a 'mini' PSU for this. Does this clarify things?

[carl33p]

You might need a micro-ATX power supply.
You also might need a low-profile video card.

Those cases are a little harder to navigate as well.
Whats your budget at? Im not so sure if its worth dumping money into this computer.