Building A Computer

[xxmakroxx]

Can anyone help me decide on a graphics card for my new computer? It's Going to have windows 7 64 bit and I have heard horror stories as to its graphic card compatibility, more like there are certain ATI cards that have died at its hands and certain Nvidia cards that just don't work. Mostly I just want it for gaming and want to spend about $170 or so. So far my new comp is going to be this....

Apevia X-Qpack 2 Cube Case with 500W Power Supply
Gigabyte GA-785GMT-USB3.0 Motherboard
Phenom II x4 965 Black Edition
8gb (4x2gb) DDR3/1333
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 3gb/s SATA Hard Drive

I loved Windows 7 and used the RC until my old comp died and want to make the jump to 64 bit but I want to make sure I'm not going to cook my card or anything vital. Once I decide on a graphics card the rest is easy but I'm basically stuck here.

Also if this does not seem like a sound build let me know please. I am fairly good with computers but I'm still a noobsauce when it comes to most of the hardware. Thanks.

 

[Jonathan_King]

Welcome!

The stories you heard are inaccurate, to say the least. Windows 7 is very good with compatibility, better than its predecessor, Vista.

Windows 7 cannot "fry" cards. If anything can fry a card, it is a power surge or hardware malfunction.

So, fear not! Just buy a modern card, and it will tell you if it is compatible with Windows 7.

 

[Dwarf]

Your motherboard has integrated ATI graphics, so I recommend an ATI card.

Amazon.com: XFX Radeon HD 5770 1GB DDR5 PCIE Graphics Card HD577AZNFC: Computer & Accessories

Amazon.com: XFX HD 5770 1 GB DDR5 PCI Express Graphics Card HD577XZNFC: Computer & Accessories

Amazon.com: XFX Radeon HD 5750 1GB DDR5 PCIE Graphics Card HD575XZNFC: Computer & Accessories

 

[raf051888]

Build looks solid. I love that type of case, I have the same one.

 

[xxmakroxx]

Well thanks for the input on that. Actually What I have heard specifically is that ATI drivers were very unstable in 64 bit Windows 7 and causing malfunctions. It might just be a load of garbage but one kid said his card died from it.

 

[fseal]

For the games and 3d graphics packages I use it for, my nvidia GTX285 has been rock solid on x64.

The bit about cooking video cards has a tiny bit of validity but it's mainly because people are REALLY stressing their cards out running some apps/games for hours and hours and some laptops and homebuilt machines have barely adequet cooling. Coupled with what looks like a rash of slightly poorer product quality from ALL manufacturers (RHOS unfortunately has caused a lot of solder problems even today), and added part counts, more video cards are burning out today than they were even 4-5 years ago.

But maybe only about 1% W7 "fault" for daring to use any 3d interface whatsoever but its demands are EXTREMELY low compared to any 3d app your will be running on it.

 

[stormy13]

Well thanks for the input on that. Actually What I have heard specifically is that ATI drivers were very unstable in 64 bit Windows 7 and causing malfunctions. It might just be a load of garbage but one kid said his card died from it.

It is a load of garbage. See my specs below, never had a problem stability-wise due to ATI drivers. More like the kid killed his card overclocking it, which if that is the case can also cause instability (even more so if he didn't know what he was doing).

 

[xxmakroxx]

Well then I guess it's time to go shopping. My first thought was to use an ATI card but I needed to hear it from people who know before I made a purchase like that. Thanks so much guys.

 

[pparks1]

I'm running Nvidia cards at work and at home on my 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and they have been just fine. I'm running some Nvidia 8600GT's on some work desktops and an Nvidia 9800GTX+ on my primary box at home. My laptop has an Nvidia Quadro NVS 160M and it's been just fine on Win 7 32-bit.

 

[Jonathan_King]

I am using an old [cheap] nVidia 7200 GS, that I found for $10 on Tigerdirect. I have an AMD chipset, to boot. I have had no problems since I found the right drivers for it.

 

[raf051888]

I am using an old [cheap] nVidia 7200 GS, that I found for $10 on Tigerdirect. I have an AMD chipset, to boot. I have had no problems since I found the right drivers for it.

I had that card in my old PC. Worked great on Windows 7 64-bit.

 

[Jonathan_King]

I am using an old [cheap] nVidia 7200 GS, that I found for $10 on Tigerdirect. I have an AMD chipset, to boot. I have had no problems since I found the right drivers for it.

I had that card in my old PC. Worked great on Windows 7 64-bit.

Lol at the thought of trying to game with it. All it does for me is allow me to use dual monitors, and for that, it works great.

 

[raf051888]

I am using an old [cheap] nVidia 7200 GS, that I found for $10 on Tigerdirect. I have an AMD chipset, to boot. I have had no problems since I found the right drivers for it.

I had that card in my old PC. Worked great on Windows 7 64-bit.

Lol at the thought of trying to game with it. All it does for me is allow me to use dual monitors, and for that, it works great.

No gaming. Just dual monitors as well.

 

[TVeblen]

For the games and 3d graphics packages I use it for, my nvidia GTX285 has been rock solid on x64.

The bit about cooking video cards has a tiny bit of validity but it's mainly because people are REALLY stressing their cards out running some apps/games for hours and hours and some laptops and homebuilt machines have barely adequet cooling. Coupled with what looks like a rash of slightly poorer product quality from ALL manufacturers (RHOS unfortunately has caused a lot of solder problems even today), and added part counts, more video cards are burning out today than they were even 4-5 years ago.

But maybe only about 1% W7 "fault" for daring to use any 3d interface whatsoever but its demands are EXTREMELY low compared to any 3d app your will be running on it.

I'll second that. I am one of "those people" you heard about having problems with my video card on a new W7-64 bit installation. I have an EVGA GTX-260+. After much anguish and diagnostics it turns out the card was defective. I got an RMA replacement and all is good. EVGA did not make me do the RMA dance. They just said "send it back". So that will tell you something! Do not be afraid of Windows 7. Just be prepared to deal with the usual defective product issues we home builders have to deal with on every build.

 

[ThePizzaMan]

if your using a amd processor and ATI chipset.... you don't want to throw a nvidia card in the mix..... your best off to get a ATI card, something like the 5770 or a 4850 or 4870, maybe a 4890 if you can afford it

 

[thefabe]

Ati or nvidia find some reviews and comparison sites do a little research and go from their. You'll get 4 pages of video card prefrences other wise. Fabe Oh and this is JMO.

 

[Wishmaster]

I cant really speak for Nvidia cards, (dont have one) but my Vapor-X 4890 has been rock solid in Win7 x64, using CCC 9.12.

Cards blowing up under Win7, (ATI or Nvidia) is either faulty hardware somewhere, or a USER problem. Not Windows.

 

[Frostmourne]

1) Hard drive is slooow - the Green Series dynamically adjusts the spin speed. Go for a Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200.12 - 12th generation.

2) Sapphire ATI 4890 1GB - perfect match

3) Great build choice - but note new quad's with six cores are coming. Personally I would save cash and get the Phenom 550 Black Edition (K10, AM3) and upgrade to a brand new quad in a few months