Nvidia graphic card-budget is 100 $ max!

[sreedhav]

Dear friends,
The need for a better graphic card has come for me!

1) i do not play any games on my desktop.

2) My need is excellent TO top-class picture resolution

3) My budget is 100$ max!

4) i slant heavily towards Nvidia, as my experience with them was good

5) one of my medical friends suggested XFX GeForce 9500GT for the
desktop.

6) i browsed the web and found some comments for &against the above
card

7) i have an Intel DG35EC (3SERIES) mother board (desktop)


8) I have a Toshiba satellite L300 series (PSLBGG) laptop too and any
suggestions for a correct graphic card for it will be really helpful .I do
not mind shelling out an extra 70-90 $ for it as the pic. quality is even
worse ! The M-B is Intel's, though it is mentioned as Toshiba's!

I thank all the knowledgeable folks who take time off to guide me
regarding these graphic cards!

Regards,
DR.Sreedhav

 

[Zepher]

what's wrong with the one you have?

 

[Dwarf]

Have a look at these: Amazon.com: pcie Computer Graphics Cards

 

[Mashed1316]

Take a look at these:

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware,Video Cards & Video Devices,Desktop Graphics / Video Cards,NVIDIA,$75 - $100

I think a GT 240 1GB GDDR5 would fit your needs.

 

[bobkn]

Dear friends,
The need for a better graphic card has come for me!

1) i do not play any games on my desktop.

2) My need is excellent TO top-class picture resolution

3) My budget is 100$ max!

4) i slant heavily towards Nvidia, as my experience with them was good

5) one of my medical friends suggested XFX GeForce 9500GT for the
desktop.

6) i browsed the web and found some comments for &against the above
card

7) i have an Intel DG35EC (3SERIES) mother board (desktop)


8) I have a Toshiba satellite L300 series (PSLBGG) laptop too and any
suggestions for a correct graphic card for it will be really helpful .I do
not mind shelling out an extra 70-90 $ for it as the pic. quality is even
worse ! The M-B is Intel's, though it is mentioned as Toshiba's!

I thank all the knowledgeable folks who take time off to guide me
regarding these graphic cards!

Regards,
DR.Sreedhav

Your motherboard has a PCI-E X16 slot for a graphics card, so most new graphics cards will work in it. (PCI-E 2.0 and 2.1 are supposed to be backwards compatible with the original PCI-E X16 slot.)

I'm not sure what to recommend. There are nVidia GT430 (Fermi) cards available in the US for considerably less than $100, and they support 2560X1600 resolution. They are the low-end of the current generation of products.

Your Toshiba laptop appears to not be among the small minority of laptop PCs with a discrete graphics controller. I believe that you cannot reasonably upgrade the onboard graphics.

 

[sreedhav]

what's wrong with the one you have?

Dear Zepher,
An excellent question! The one i have is Zotac Nvidia GE Force 8400 and in the Nvidia website this driver was only in the archives, so i presumed it's quite ancient! :huh:

You have really hit the nail on it's head! If a better graphics is not palpably achieved in my desktop multi-media players and Divx player, then i see no point in an upgrade! This was the main reason that i posted the question.:huh: I am so pleased with your forthright & analytical approach, i am giving you a big +!

Thought i could get a better graphic card for the lappy,but it does not seem to be possible!

I look forward to your further analysis of whether to keep the G-card i have for the desktop or get a new one! Thanks mate! I'll be waiting for your reply! My thanks go out to the other posters for the fast and educative responses! I never knew that the Intel M-B (3 series) is so versatile!

regards,
Sreedhav

 

[Zepher]

I personally see no reason to upgrade that card since all you are using it for is basic 2D work and no games.
Now if it only has 1 DVI and 1 VGA and you plan on running more than 1 screen, then I would suggest either getting a replacement card with Dual DVI, or DVI and HDMI so that both screens run in Digital mode, vs 1 on Analog VGA, if your screens are DVI capable. some lower end LCD monitors are VGA only, and I would avoid those.

 

[sreedhav]

Dear Dwarf,
I thank you for two specific reasons!

1) For making it very clear that the laptop i have cannot have better graphics

2) For the excellent hyperlink you posted! I am really "naive" regarding these Graphic cards, so pardon me for asking whether one of the recommendations in your link was " EVGA 01G-P3-N959TR GeForce 9500 GT 1GB DDR2 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card"
Are the GT series,newer and better than the GE series?:huh:
3) To confess openly, the Graphics card NvidiaGeForce 8400 GE series i have, though old is giving okay TO good graphics. So, for a non-gaming guy like me, is this upgrade necessary? This is the second time i am posting the same question! In India, it is quite common for patients and/or their relatives asking physicians like us for a SECOND OPINION!

Thanking you and regards,
DR.Sreedhav

 

[sreedhav]

Tap,tap! Is anybody out there? (Copied from Pink Floyd's --The WALL")

Under: Control Panel-- All Control Panel Items-- Performance Information and Tools--> WEI (Windows Experience Index) is getting pulled down by "Desktop Performance for Windows Aero" under :Graphics.

On a scale of 1.0-7.9, the above was 3.5? So, i request you tell me what's gone wrong?

Regards,
Sreedhav

 

[thefabe]

For the desktop I would go with something like this Sparkle Gt430 Fremi $79.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187135
It is however a low profile card yet you can find other 430's on the link above.
Fabe

 

[Maguscreed]

You will get more bang for your buck from ATI in that price bracket.

I am going to leave my input at that.

 

[smarteyeball]

2) My need is excellent TO top-class picture resolution

That is up to the monitor panel type and maximum resolution

ie an IPS, H-IPS 2560x1600 panel with a digital connection (DVI, HDMI) has more bearing on 'top-class picture resolution' than the card that delivers it.

3) To confess openly, the Graphics card NvidiaGeForce 8400 GE series i have, though old is giving okay TO good graphics. So, for a non-gaming guy like me, is this upgrade necessary?

No.

There would be no discernible picture quality difference between a 'high end card' and a 'low end card' for 2D images.

On a scale of 1.0-7.9, the above was 3.5? So, i request you tell me what's gone wrong?

Nothing.

Anything above 3.0 that allows AERO and smooth HD video playback will deliver the same picture quality as one that scores 7.9

For your needs, I don't think a new card would make the slightest bit of a difference in comparison to what you already have.

 

[sreedhav]

Dear thefabe and Maguscreed,
Thank you for the inputs!

Regards,
Sreedhav

 

[sreedhav]

Dear smarteyeball,
I have thorougly enjoyed the analytical answer which was "top-notch" and in the process "your reputation" is glowing!

Am i to infer that a monitor with better resolution will do the trick? I have a Samsung monitor with 5000:1 Digital Fine Contrast . I am waiting eagerly for your reply. Who knows, i may take up gaming later on?

Regards,
Sreedhav.

 

[Maguscreed]

The quality of the image you see is directly reflected in the quality of your monitor. refresh rate contrast and resolution all play a part in that. Improving your graphics card will help render speeds in both 2d video/stills and 3d, but they are primarily focused on 3d rendering for games, design, and drawing apps like autocad.
Video playback quality is also heavily affected by your cpu power, because codecs convert within the player and this load is generally handled by the cpu, unless special software is in play.

I don't know what your specific target is here when you say quality. There are different applications and environment where slightly different factors add up to the best possible on screen image.

 

[thefabe]

Video playback can also be effected by the program you use and the player.
For instance and this is with DVD movies. I've found that using a blu ray palyer has inhanced the viewing of regular DVd's along with using the power DVD Mark II 3d application.
Fabe

 

[sreedhav]

Dear Maguscreed, QUOTE " I don't know what your specific target is here when you say quality " UNQUOTE. To put things in perspective, i have read today where a discussion was going on about .avi format and it becoming "ancient"! I was watching a movie in my native language"Telugu" often referred to as the "Italian of the East"! It was in .avi format and not being happy with the "QUALITY", i converted it to "DIVX"format! It was so pleasing to the eye and the contours were so clear, there can be no arguement as to which format was better! It's like watching a program in a normal TV and a Plasma TV! The colors, the depth and the whole "feel" is refreshingly different! I would infer, it is more "objective" and less"subjective"! I had a talk with my computer tecchie who's into selling these things and told him about the 5000:1 Digital contrast and he was laughing his head off and in between bouts of laughter told me to switch to 500000:1 digital monitor ( after i explained what @smarteyeball was emphasizing that it's the monitor and not the Video card that's at fault)! This particular thread came to my rescue by stopping me spending money on a new G-card! I have placed an order for the 24 inch monitor with the new ratio! Keep your comments coming in, b'cause this thread will surely help others who are following it! Maguscreed and fabe-->i am adding to your rep. Regards, DR.Sreedhav

 

[sreedhav]

I typed the above post in the newly downloaded and yet to be configured "SeaMonkey" browser and sorry that everything came out as one concrete block! Pardons!

 

[toothbrusher]

no gaming = no discrete gpu needed.
but if you really need the extreme resolution (from my knowledge i might be wrong, integrated gpu still work), Newegg.com - PNY VCGGTX260CXXB GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
it is 100 dollars (if you dont count shipping) and if you ever decide to game, it will run games pretty good.
but if you really want more extreme resolutions i would go with ati, since they have eyefinity (if nvidia has an analog to that then well..) and you can put multiple screens together to get a bigger screen.

but other than that a better monitor is better(redundancy i know).

 

[sreedhav]

Dear toothbrusher,
Thanks! " a better monitor is better " ! I wish to know the screen resolution of your monitor. Hey,You need to update your specs. as it shows only Win.XP (not 7) 32 bit!

Kindly go to the chillout room which you'll find as you scroll down the column under Seven forums and add your bit to the "age" thread! Only 124 folks had the guts to come clean! It's like voting, you see! Many Americans having a cynical attitude(as in my country--India) towards politics,do not come out to vote and ultimately they get a chief whom they have reservations about! My reposte' is "where were you on the day the polls were on"?

Pl. create the time to visit that forum and tick the age bracket into which you/he/she fit into! I am 49+months!

regards,
Sreedhav