Solved Best graphic card for old PC. (options included)

[ADC]

Hi, it's my first post here. Hope it's the correct section.


I have an old PC with dual boot (Win XP 32 bits/Windows 7 64 bits) using onboard video (only 8MB shared memory allowed). I want a graphic card to give it a little boost in common tasks as internet, Youtube, watch movies and maybe some old school gaming (PC games circa 2000-2005). Options (according my budget) would be:

Geforce GT9500
Geforce 210
Geforce GT710

The card need to be fully compatible with both XP/32 and W7/64. So, I'd like to know, among these options mentioned, what is my best bet. I know they're not top notch and I'm ok with it. And they're brand new (warranty, etc.), since I don't trust second hand GPUs.

Also, about the GT710, would it be too powerful for my mobo/CPU?


Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.


The PC:
mobo Gigabyte GA-945GCMX-S2
CPU: Core 2 Duo E8400
RAM: 4GB DDR2
OS: Win XP (x32)/Win 7 (x64)
PSU: Corsair V400

 

[johnhoh]

The 710 is five years newer, uses less power, generates less heat, and has higher resolution support. That's what I would get. Is it too powerful for your cpu? No idea, but its not as likely to die on you. Graphics cards are way less reliable than say, a cpu, because they run at the ragged edge of their capabilities AND have less powerful cooling than a similar-powered cpu. So given your options, go with the one that is least likely to die on you, which is the one that uses the least power and is the newest technology.

 

[ADC]

The 710 is five years newer, uses less power, generates less heat, and has higher resolution support. That's what I would get. Is it too powerful for your cpu? No idea, but its not as likely to die on you. Graphics cards are way less reliable than say, a cpu, because they run at the ragged edge of their capabilities AND have less powerful cooling than a similar-powered cpu. So given your options, go with the one that is least likely to die on you, which is the one that uses the least power and is the newest technology.

Thanks for your input.

When I say "too powerful" I mean "too new for my aging mobo". Yeah, it has PCIe 16x but does the time gap between the parts may cause compatibility issues?

And being a newer hardware, does the 710 keeps compatibility with Windows XP 32-bit? I've seen many people using these cards with W7, but didn't see any case of XP use.

 

[johnhoh]

the time gap is not an issue, they just need to be physically compatible, which means the pins on the 710 match the pins on your motherboard slot. They will match if they are both pci-e x16.

Here is a link to the MSI-made GT 710, you can see it has XP drivers.

Support For GT 710 2GD3H LP | Graphics card - The world leader in display performance | MSI USA

 

[ADC]

Thank you very much, johnhoh. Seems the GT 710 is indeed my best bet.

 

[ADC]

hmm.... researching a little more and found this post in this thread:

Weird GT710 compatibility issue with an old motherboard - [Solved] - Motherboards

(I hope there's no problem posting a link from another forum here)

According to the post, the GT 710 preffers a mobo with UEFI, which is not my case.

As much as I agree with the age factor, something is telling me that the 210 is a more safe option in this case, specially after this new info.

I'd like some insight, so i can decide on best action.

 

[johnhoh]

After reading your link about UEFI vs legacy bios, I agree with your conclusion that its possible the gt 710 will not boot on your motherboard.

 

[ADC]

Yeah, that UEFI thing is scary.

I've read some nasty things about the 210 (poor performance) but I'm sure it will fit my modest needs.