FreedomZAFT
join:2006-05-21
Sunnyvale, CA
| Upgrading My PC
I am planning to get a new video card and I see that there are PCI-E 2.0 cards, but I looked at my Dell E510 specs and I only see PCI-E x16. So I guess I have to go with PCI-E x16?
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···14150247
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···14130085
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···14130084
Also which power supply should I buy? I don't know a lot about power supplies compared to video cards or RAM, but my stock psu is 305 watts and I'm looking to get something stronger if I buy a new video card. Also do all psu fit in a case?
As for RAM, I am looking at...
Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory (I did a Dell System Analyzer and it said that my RAM speed is 533 MHZ so I'm guessing I should stick with 533?)
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···20144157
Crucial 2 GB
»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···20146569 |
|
Gooiool
May God bless you.
Premium
join:2006-11-27
Roland, OK
clubs:
 ·Cox HSI
| I am planning to get a new video card and I see that there are PCI-E 2.0 cards, but I looked at my Dell E510 specs and I only see PCI-E x16. So I guess I have to go with PCI-E x16?
You can use a PCI-E 2.0 card it will work , but not at 2.0.
2nd : if you go with a 8600 card you will not need to get another PSU. Dell's PSU are rated low but will handle a 8600 card .
3rd : The DellE510 is a tight fit and is a BTX case( meaning it opens from the right side not the left ( looking at the front). As long as you get a card that is a single it will work remember being as it's a BTX case .The card will be installed upside down and will come close to the air shroud .
Any of the 3 cards you have picked should fit .
As for the memory you can use GOTO: start:all programs:Dell:documentation $ support:Owners manual:Appendix:Memory Type ( and here it should tell you what Ram you can use ).
--
Team DiscoveryJoin us help fight cancer.
Gooiool©2005 My Photo Site |
|
FreedomZAFT
join:2006-05-21
Sunnyvale, CA | Hey thanks for the help so far, but what do you mean by this?
"You can use a PCI-E 2.0 card it will work , but not at 2.0."
2.0 is a speed option or something? |
|
habya
Premium
join:2003-05-29
Huntsville, AL
clubs: 
| said by FreedomZAFT  :Hey thanks for the help so far, but what do you mean by this? "You can use a PCI-E 2.0 card it will work , but not at 2.0." 2.0 is a speed option or something? It's not really an 'option'. The 2.0 slot has more bandwidth than x16 and provides more power.
The bandwidth, at least at the moment, isn't that big of a deal. The best thing for 2.0 is the power. In your case it would not make a difference. 2.0 uses the 8-pin 150W power connector, x16 uses 6-pin 75W.
You won't notice a difference between 2.0 and x16, at least not at the moment, with really anything. Until x16 is maxed out the extra bandwidth for 2.0 doesn't really matter, since the cards aren't utilizing it anyways.
--
HABYA HABYA HABYA TEAR DOWN THE HEMP STALKS EAT UP THE OLD MAN AND WOMAN AND CARRY OFF THE LITTLE GIRL MAY YOU DIE ALONE |
|
Gooiool
May God bless you.
Premium
join:2006-11-27
Roland, OK
clubs:
·Cox HSI
| said by habya :said by FreedomZAFT :Hey thanks for the help so far, but what do you mean by this? "You can use a PCI-E 2.0 card it will work , but not at 2.0." 2.0 is a speed option or something? It's not really an 'option'. The 2.0 slot has more bandwidth than x16 and provides more power. The bandwidth, at least at the moment, isn't that big of a deal. The best thing for 2.0 is the power. In your case it would not make a difference. 2.0 uses the 8-pin 150W power connector, x16 uses 6-pin 75W. You won't notice a difference between 2.0 and x16, at least not at the moment, with really anything. Until x16 is maxed out the extra bandwidth for 2.0 doesn't really matter, since the cards aren't utilizing it anyways.  Yep what he said:~)
--
Team DiscoveryJoin us help fight cancer.
Gooiool©2005 My Photo Site |
|
ja2007123
join:2007-10-06 | reply to FreedomZAFT
Watts aren't really important for a graphic card, make sure you have the appropiate amps on the PCIEx16 connector. |
|
habya
Premium
join:2003-05-29
Huntsville, AL
clubs:
1 edit | said by ja2007123 :Watts aren't really important for a graphic card, make sure you have the appropiate amps on the PCIEx16 connector. Well I wouldn't say 'watts aren't really important'. Wattage tells you how many amps it is. If you know something draws only 43Watts max, then you know it will draw ~3.6 Amps.
Simply because we know the power comes from the 12V rail, so for simplest way
W = V*A ---> 43 = 12 * A ---> 43/12= A ---> ~3.6 = A
Wattage is only misleading when it comes to the overall wattage of the PSU. Since they figure in the 5v rail and everything else. Even though the HDD's, graphics card, etc get their power from the 12v rail. Either way the 8600GT's only draw ~43-45watts of power, so it takes a minimal power supply to run them.
--
HABYA HABYA HABYA TEAR DOWN THE HEMP STALKS EAT UP THE OLD MAN AND WOMAN AND CARRY OFF THE LITTLE GIRL MAY YOU DIE ALONE |
|
asdfdfdfdfdfdf
@Level3.net | reply to FreedomZAFT
If you would like opinions on whether the upgrades you plan will provide the benefit you want you can give us more information about the uses of the machine. |
|
FreedomZAFT
join:2006-05-21
Sunnyvale, CA
| I'm upgrading my PC for gaming mainly. I want to be able to play games like Call of Duty 4, Crysis, etc on at least medium settings, but I can deal with low settings too. I also do some video and picture editing along with Photoshop stuff, but not a lot compared to gaming. |
|
asdfdfdfdfdfdf
@Level3.net
| reply to FreedomZAFT
The news isn't entirely pleasant. I think you will need to forget about running crysis.
Call of duty could be possible if you run it at low enough resolution, say 1024x or 1280x.
Your system has a pentium 4 cpu correct?
I really don't think I would mess with the idea of spending money on a power supply upgrade. I also don't think I would add ram. I'm assuming you have either 512KB or 1MB. In either case I would leave well enough alone.
You really don't want to spend any more money on the system than absolutely necessary to get it to run CoD4 because, after all is said and done, it is still going to be a very mediocre performer. You are better off just buying the 8600gts you listed for $60 after rebate or, if you get an 8600gt buy one of the least expensive you can find.
You might be tempted with the idea of moving to a more powerful graphics card. You would then be looking at a probable supply upgrade and you would have a card you can't fully take advantage of. Since prices drop and performance increases so quickly it wouldn't be wise to buy more than you need(and pay a premium for it) with the hope of using it later.
Again I would just buy the gts card you listed as long as the rebate is available. If the rebate disappears I would go with an inexpensive gt card that has gddr3 like the 256MB evga card(there are lower performance cards with gddr2 that I would avoid if possible). Don't get sucked into buying 512MB, especially gddr2. |
|
FreedomZAFT
join:2006-05-21
Sunnyvale, CA | I'm pretty sure I can run Crysis if I buy an ATI HD4850? Since the posts here said that I can run a PCI-E x16 2.0 |
|
asdfdfdfdfdfdf
@Level3.net
| reply to FreedomZAFT
I didn't mean to suggest that you couldn't run crysis with the cards I suggested, just that it isn't going to be a speed demon. Of all the games you mention and of nearly all the games you could run crysis will be one of the most punishing on your hardware. The fact is that your system, which should have a single core pentium 4 in it, is going to struggle with some of the very latest games no matter what graphics card you run. The cpu is anemic by today's standards.
The problem with buying a 4850 is
1. higher cost
2. considerably higher power draw which might require a power supply upgrade, which will increase cost even further.
3. You are still running an old outdated single core pentium cpu which is going to be a bottleneck and that bottleneck will only get worse as you move up to a 4850.
So after spending considerable additional money you are still going to be hampered by the cpu. I don't think that is money well spent.
If you feel the cards I recommended won't meet your expectations then I really think you need to look at a new system, rather than throwing a lot of money into the one you have now.
Is how well crysis runs a deal breaker? It sounds to me like, the more you think about it, the more your expectations are increasing. |
|
