What graphics card is right for me?

[Nikolay]

My machine came equipped with a GeForce 6100 nForce 405 card and games don't run too smoothly. I have 3 gigs of RAM and I think it's time I upgrade to a better graphics card. I'm on a tight budget, I'd say I have around $50-$70. Any recommendations? My machine has PCI Express.

Edit: Added pics of computer
Edit: Added back of computer

 

[Mark]

I don't think you will find anything for that amount, what sort of slot is it, AGP or PCI express?

 

[12eason]

You'd be hard pressed to get a decent dx10 gaming card for that. But if dx10 isn't that important to you, you can't go far wrong with an x1950pro, although I'm sure others would disagree.

 

[Nikolay]

I don't think you will find anything for that amount, what sort of slot is it, AGP or PCI express?

I went into device manager and checked the location of the display adapter and it reads "PCI bus 0, device 13, function 0" so I'm guessing PCI express?

You'd be hard pressed to get a decent dx10 gaming card for that. But if dx10 isn't that important to you, you can't go far wrong with an x1950pro, although I'm sure others would disagree.

I just want a graphics card that will make The Sims 3 run smoothly. I don't plan on playing games like COD4, Crysis, etc. that have amazing graphics.

 

[KrossX]

It would depend on your perception of "smooth", although I would suggest you to aim for $100 at least. It's a nice spot between cost and performance.

 

[Nikolay]

It would depend on your perception of "smooth", although I would suggest you to aim for $100 at least. It's a nice spot between cost and performance.

I think I can scrape up $100. When I play TS2 (The Sims 2), the scroll lags when I zoom in and out, and when I rotate.

 

[limneos]

And btw, judging from your screenshots, it IS pci-express.

 

[12eason]

Hmm, can't see the 6-pin power connector in that screen shot. You might need an adapter.

 

[Captain Zero]

Refer to this page, they list all kinds of cards for budgets, even plenty in your price range. I think you will find it helpful.

 

[stormy13]

You'd be hard pressed to get a decent dx10 gaming card for that. But if dx10 isn't that important to you, you can't go far wrong with an x1950pro, although I'm sure others would disagree.

HD 4670 would fit the bill quite nicely,

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100255HDMI Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

fits his budget, has DX 10.1, low power requirements (no need for a new PSU); and unlike the x1950 Pro (agree a still a capable card) which has now been relegated to legacy status and will only receive driver updates every three months (and no drivers for Windows 7), will continue to receive updates on a monthly basis.

 

[Nikolay]

I've added a pic of the back of my computer to the first post. I've ordered an HD Radeon 4670 but I don't know how I'm going to install it. Can someone take a look at the inside of my computer and give me instructions on how to install it? Pic is in first post.

 

[Captain Zero]

Use the red slot above your motherboard's battery. Looking over your board, you appear to have 2 mis-matched RAM kits. What's in there? And is that an old P4 board..?

 

[Nikolay]

Use the red slot above your motherboard's battery. Looking over your board, you appear to have 2 mis-matched RAM kits. What's in there? And is that an old P4 board..?

512 MB x 2 and 1G x 2 and I have no clue about the board.

Where do the ports at the end of the card go?

 

[Captain Zero]

^^ You will have to remove one of the slot covers at the back of the case. This should use either a thumbscrew or use a conventional Phillips for the job.

And, for the record, it would be a good idea to determine what kind of board you have prior to purchasing any peripheral.

 

[Nikolay]

^^ You will have to remove one of the slot covers at the back of the case. This should use either a thumbscrew or use a conventional Phillips for the job.

And, for the record, it would be a good idea to determine what kind of board you have prior to purchasing any peripheral.

Is that good enough to determine if this card is compatible with my machine?

 

[12eason]

HD 4670 would fit the bill quite nicely,

I always forget how ridiculously cheap stuff is in the US.

 

[Captain Zero]

You appear to have this model motherboard;

Foxconn MCP61SM-AM
Processor: AMD Sempron™ , Athlon™ 64, Athlon™ 64x2, Socket AM2 Chipset: NVIDIA MCP61S Front Side Bus: 2000MT/s HyperTransport™ Memory: Dual channel DDR2 800 / 667 x 4 DIMMs, Max 4GB VGA on Die: Integrated Expansion Slots: 1 x PCIe x16 (signals at x8),, 1 x PCIe x1, 2 x PCI IDE: ATA133 x 1 Serial ATA(SATA)/RAID: Serial ATA II x 2 with RAID 0, 1 Audio: 5.1 channel, Realtek ALC861 (HDA) LAN: 10/100 M LAN, Realtek RTL8201CL (Phy) IEEE1394: 1394a x 2, VIA VT 6308P Back Panel I/O Ports: 1 x PS/2 keyboard
1 x PS/2 mouse
1 x 1394a (reserve)
1 x VGA Port
4 x USB 2.0
1 x RJ45
1 x Parallel Port
1 x Serial Port
1 set 5.1 channel Audio jacks (3 jacks)
Internal I/O Connectors: 2 x USB 2.0 headers, support 4 ports
1 x Intel Azalia Header
1 x COM2 header
1 x Speaker
1 x Front panel
1 x Buzzer
1 x 1394a
1 x CD-in
1 x IRDA header
1 x SPDIF out header
1 x WOM(reserve)
1 x RM
BIOS Features: LPC-4Mb, ACPI 2.0b

And that the card you pointed out will fit into your 1 x PCIe x16 slot. Remember to disable the on-board video card when you install the new one. You will need to enter the BIOS to do this.

 

[Nikolay]

You appear to have this model motherboard;

Foxconn MCP61SM-AM
Processor: AMD Sempron™ , Athlon™ 64, Athlon™ 64x2, Socket AM2 Chipset: NVIDIA MCP61S Front Side Bus: 2000MT/s HyperTransport™ Memory: Dual channel DDR2 800 / 667 x 4 DIMMs, Max 4GB VGA on Die: Integrated Expansion Slots: 1 x PCIe x16 (signals at x8),, 1 x PCIe x1, 2 x PCI IDE: ATA133 x 1 Serial ATA(SATA)/RAID: Serial ATA II x 2 with RAID 0, 1 Audio: 5.1 channel, Realtek ALC861 (HDA) LAN: 10/100 M LAN, Realtek RTL8201CL (Phy) IEEE1394: 1394a x 2, VIA VT 6308P Back Panel I/O Ports: 1 x PS/2 keyboard
1 x PS/2 mouse
1 x 1394a (reserve)
1 x VGA Port
4 x USB 2.0
1 x RJ45
1 x Parallel Port
1 x Serial Port
1 set 5.1 channel Audio jacks (3 jacks)
Internal I/O Connectors: 2 x USB 2.0 headers, support 4 ports
1 x Intel Azalia Header
1 x COM2 header
1 x Speaker
1 x Front panel
1 x Buzzer
1 x 1394a
1 x CD-in
1 x IRDA header
1 x SPDIF out header
1 x WOM(reserve)
1 x RM
BIOS Features: LPC-4Mb, ACPI 2.0b

And that the card you pointed out will fit into your 1 x PCIe x16 slot. Remember to disable the on-board video card when you install the new one. You will need to enter the BIOS to do this.

Thank you for all the help Captain Zero.

 

[stormy13]

Specs on Nikolay's computer,

Acer Aspire T180-UA381B AMD Desktop PC - AMD Athlon 64 3800+ 2.4GHz, 1GB DDR2, 160GB SATA, DL DVD±RW, Gigabit LAN, Flash Reader, Windows Vista Home Basic, 17" LCD AST180-UA381B in Canada at TigerDirect.ca

Only thing that concerns me is the 250W power supply showing in the list. It should be OK with the 4670, but be prepared to have to upgrade the PSU. Something like this,

Newegg.com - Rosewill Stallion Series RD450-2-SB 450W ATX V2.2 Power Supply - Power Supplies

would be more than enough.

 

[Nikolay]

Specs on Nikolay's computer,

Acer Aspire T180-UA381B AMD Desktop PC - AMD Athlon 64 3800+ 2.4GHz, 1GB DDR2, 160GB SATA, DL DVD±RW, Gigabit LAN, Flash Reader, Windows Vista Home Basic, 17" LCD AST180-UA381B in Canada at TigerDirect.ca

Only thing that concerns me is the 250W power supply showing in the list. It should be OK with the 4670, but be prepared to have to upgrade the PSU. Something like this,

Newegg.com - Rosewill Stallion Series RD450-2-SB 450W ATX V2.2 Power Supply - Power Supplies

would be more than enough.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep that in mind.