Technical > PC Hardware Discussion/Reviews > Compaq CQ5210F......

Compaq CQ5210F......

"Can it hold out to current games playing with all the eye candy on?"

If by current games you mean the latest generation of shooters then no, the older 6150 graphics will not handle that.
Do you have specific games in mind?

I would not even try to play games with the on board video. That's why I mentioned a video card. Newer games like Call Of Duty and Batman for instance.... It really is no big deal for games but would be nice. I have a 360 and Wii so it is not much of a problem for me. I don't expect that pc to be a monster for $329.

What power supply will be part of what decides what video cards you can choose from. I wouldn't use the Bestec myself.

What resolution monitor, because that has a lot to do with what card you get.

Will the system you choose have an unused PCI Express x16 slot free on the mainboard?

Sorry we are answering your questions with questions, but it is SOP for people to give you an educated suggestion based on those questions.
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Happy Halloween/All Souls Day. Join Teams Helix and Discovery. Put that fancy computer to good use helping to find a cure, your mom will love you for it. »Team Helix »Team Discovery

Bestec would be going. As for a psu. I don't know what to get. That's why I was asking for suggestions. Same with the video card. Really happy with my current Antec earthwatts 430w psu. So would like to go with Antec again. PCI Express x16 slot would be open. My monitor is native 1440x900. Might consider buying another monitor with this new pc. Native resolution would be 1920x1080.

If you go with a medium powered or less video card, that Antec would be good provided the computer is built to ATX specifications. I don't know if any factory built computers still have mainboards with holes in different places than standard and whether any supplies are made/wired differently than standard new ATX specifications. Others here know more than me about it.

My roomate is running a 380 or 400, I forget which, on a system with an AMD Phenom II Tri core and a 4850 video card.

Have you looked at the new AMD 5000 series cards?
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Happy Halloween/All Souls Day. Join Teams Helix and Discovery. Put that fancy computer to good use helping to find a cure, your mom will love you for it. »Team Helix »Team Discovery

reply to KoRnGtL15
There's certainly nothing wrong with it for your non-gaming uses and it is a good price shipped.

It could be a serviceable gaming machine with a little additional money like a 9600gso.

»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···14121320

You might not even have to replace the psu. The athlon II 215 + a gso card would probably pull 100-125 watts together.

I didn't check antec pricing but it's hard to beat the corsair 400 which has been around $30-40 after rebate. You won't find much, other than junk, that can beat its price.

I am looking at these 2 by Corsair right now.

»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···17139008

»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···17139003

The top is I believe the 1 you mentioned. The next 1 has more juice with 450w. If I added a video card and sound card. Which psu do you suggest? Also video card wise. I am still not sure of a good match for this system?

reply to KoRnGtL15
"The top is I believe the 1 you mentioned. "

correct

"The next 1 has more juice with 450w. If I added a video card and sound card. Which psu do you suggest?"

Check the rebate forms and if you are good about following through on rebates and following the instructions exactly (which greatly increases your chances of getting the rebate) then I would spend the extra $5, after rebate, for the 450. If you aren't good about rebates then I would get the 400.

Is there a problem with your on-board sound? I wouldn't generally spend money on a sound card unless the on-board sound isn't working right.

As far as video card are we talking about the same games and the 1440 resolution or has something changed? What is the budget for the graphics card?

It would probably be best to buy and replace the psu and make sure everything is working properly before spending money on the graphics card.

Same specs video wise. $70-$100 would be about the limit for the video card. I was also thinking. Maybe I should just retire my current machine. And pull the Antec Earthwatts 430 psu and put it in the new machine? The psu is about 6 months old and bought it new at the time. Or do you advise still going ahead with the new Corsair? Also if you or some one else has the time to respond. How much better over all is this Compaq compared to my current machine? My current machine is coming close to 5 years of service. 24/7. It is a emachines T5026. Here are the specs.

CPU : Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 519
Operates at 3.06GHz
1MB L2 cache and 533MHz FSB
Operating System : Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Home
Chipset : Intel® 915GV chipset
Memory : 512MB Dual Channel DDR
Expandable to 4GB
Hard Drive : 160GB Serial ATA 7200rpm, 8MB cache
Optical Drives : DVD±RW, 16x Multi-Format double layer
CD-ROM drive - 48x max write
Media Reader : 8-in-1 digital media manager
Video : Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 900 w/DirectX® 9 support
Up to 224MB shared video memory
Sound : Intel® High Definition 6-channel audio (5.1)
Network : Intel® PRO 10/100Mbps integrated Ethernet
Modem : 56K ITU v.92-ready Fax/Modem
Peripherals : Premium multimedia keyboard, 2-button wheel mouse, amplified stereo speakers
Ports/Other : 7 USB (1 in Media Manager, 2 in front, 4 in back), 3 IEEE 1394 Firewire (2 in front, 1 in back), 1 VGA external connector, 1 serial, 1 parallel, 2 PS/2, 5 audio (2 in front, 3 in back)

Over time of having the machine. I have added the following.

SoundBlaster Live 24 bit pci card
Visiontek 9250 pci video card
x2 256mb pc-3200 ram (bringing the total to 1gb ram)
Antec EarthWatts 430w psu

I am sure by todays standards. My current machine is probably ancient.

reply to KoRnGtL15
"Maybe I should just retire my current machine. And pull the Antec Earthwatts 430 psu and put it in the new machine? The psu is about 6 months old and bought it new at the time."

You could certainly do that if you don't need two functional machines. The earthwatts is a decent supply and has the same 12v capability of the 400 corsair. It isn't very old. There's really no reason to buy the corsair given the budget and the availability of the earthwatts.

As far as comparison with your present machine:
Cpu should be considerably better, having a dual core phenom II based chip.
Your old system had no agp or pci-express x16 slot so your graphics options were terrible before. Now you can get something reasonable. This is a huge advantage for your situation.

As far as the graphics card options I would first make a decision about the supply. I would do the switch and make sure everything is working properly and then come back here and I'll see what your best options are for $70-100 at that time. Do yourself a favor and make sure your power supply switch goes well before spending any additional money on a graphics card.

Sounds good. I can make the swap. My Antec EarthWatts 430w psu is a bit older then I had thought. Got out my receipt on it and it was purchased new on 04/16/2008. You still think it is okay for the swap?

reply to KoRnGtL15
" Got out my receipt on it and it was purchased new on 04/16/2008. You still think it is okay for the swap?"

Yes.

Got the new machine running and picked up a new psu with it. I could not pass up the price. I picked up another new Antec EarthWatts 430w psu for $50 on sale. The 450w Corsair was sold out on newegg.com by the time I could get to it. Now we can talk video card. Also. Do you happen to know of a guide or guides online for Windows 7 noobs like myself? I have always used XP and missed out on Vista. So this Windows 7 is french to me and it is so different. I am lost.

reply to KoRnGtL15
There are a number of 9800gt options. This one, if you get the rebate, is one of the best priced at the moment:

»www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···14133304

I am a bit confused and not sure how to read psu specs on the sticker. With the card you are suggesting it says the following.

A minimum 400W or greater system power supply (with a minimum 12V current rating of 26A)

Here is a picture of the sticker on my psu.

»www.newegg.com/Product/ImageGall···20Supply

I do not see anything about 26A 12v on the sticker. I do see 20A Confused.....

reply to KoRnGtL15
This is the important part: "12v1 +12v2 max load: 360w"

360 divided by 12 (the voltage) = 30 A which is the maximum 12v amperage

The numbers recommended for graphics cards are total system numbers that are heavily padded to account for many different system configurations and the likelihood of mediocre power supplies that can't live up to their ratings.

None of the cards that you are considering in that price range are going to be a problem for your power supply. You don't need to worry about that. You have resolved that problem, don't torment yourself over it.

The maximum worst case 12v demand of your system with a 9800gt would be under 20A.

Thank you for explaining that. If I decide to bite on the card. Will my system be able to play all the new games with eye candy set to max? I was also looking at the GeForce GTS 200 series line of cards. They seem to be pretty big. Could it fit in my case? »www.newegg.com/Product/ImageGall···2064-bit Crysis I know is out of the question though......

reply to KoRnGtL15
"Will my system be able to play all the new games with eye candy set to max?"

A 9800gt should be able to play most new games, at your resolution, with reasonable settings. I can't promise it will play everything you throw at it with max settings. I think you will be pleased overall.
I wouldn't spend time on the 200 series. You would need to buy a 250 gts to meet or exceed the 9800gt and that is out of your budget.
I checked over the range of options when I replied to you before and you probably aren't going to best the 9800gt with your budget right now.

I will go ahead and pull the trigger on the 9800GT. Seems to be a great card from reviews for the price and my needs. Thanks.