Solved Graphics Card Upgrade

[MisterActorMan]

Hi all

I've just decided to upgrade my desktop, which has 64bit capability/hardware, to win7 64 bit. It's part of me investing a small amount of cash in my desktop to make it really strong for another year or so before I retire it (hand it over to my Mom, haha) and upgrade to a strong laptop.

My question is: I have an NVidea 64bit board and an ASUS cpu--should I get an NVidea graphics card, or another brand will be just as good? Thanks.

 

[Coolness]

Hi all

I've just decided to upgrade my desktop, which has 64bit capability/hardware, to win7 64 bit. It's part of me investing a small amount of cash in my desktop to make it really strong for another year or so before I retire it (hand it over to my Mom, haha) and upgrade to a strong laptop.

My question is: I have an NVidea 64bit board and an ASUS cpu--should I get an NVidea graphics card, or another brand will be just as good? Thanks.

Well, first off, there are only two companies that make CPU's, thats AMD and Intel. You probably have a Asus motherboard. Now, for you're question, you need to know if you have a 16x PCI-e port in your motherboard for a card, and, you need to tell us what you wanna do with the card.

If you play games, you need a good one. For HD video, it can be not that good, and for just browsing you dont really need one. If you wanna upgrade just for the show, go ahead, even if it wont do anything crucial.

Anyways, There are two companies that design Grahpics cards, thats Nvidia and ATI. These day's ATI has the most powerful cards, but for the more normal cards, either company is cool.
Hope this helps, Coolnes

 

[MisterActorMan]

Howdy howdy Coolness, thanks for your time.

So, I'm currently using an ATI Sapphire X1550 (256mb) DDR up to 800mhz, 16x PCI Express slot.

I do use an AMD Athlon CPU, but my comp device mgr. says the mboard is an NVidea GeForce board...or am I mistaken (ie, that's not possible and I'm reading the wrong thing))?

Anyway, I was looking into something similar to what you have, a GeForce 9000 series, hopefully with at least 512mb.

I intend to be doing video editing and gaming.

Thanks!

 

[Coolness]

Howdy howdy Coolness, thanks for your time.

So, I'm currently using an ATI Sapphire X1550 (256mb) DDR up to 800mhz, 16x PCI Express slot.

I do use an AMD Athlon CPU, but my comp device mgr. says the mboard is an NVidea GeForce board...or am I mistaken (ie, that's not possible and I'm reading the wrong thing))?

Anyway, I was looking into something similar to what you have, a GeForce 9000 series, hopefully with at least 512mb.

I intend to be doing video editing and gaming.

Thanks!

If you want to play games with medium gprahics settings, the 9800 could be for you. Its pretty neat. You probably have a Nvidia chipset. you can read about it here

 

[BugMeister]

install an ati HD4890 - they're excellent value for money..
- make sure that the PSU can handle the load..

 

[Frostmourne]

I would give away or junk the system - DDR RAM is not good enough games, your CPU is heavily outdated, and the chipset is average.

 

[MisterActorMan]

I plan on turning it over to my mom within a year, so I'm looking for sufficient upgrades to keep it strong through that time frame. Eventaully I'll upgrade to a ridonkulously-gaming-capable laptop (I suspect one much like yours).

 

[stormy13]

Something like one of these,

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100295HDMI Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

would be a nice jump over what you have, and the stock power supply in that Compaq should be OK with it.

install an ati HD4890 - they're excellent value for money..
- make sure that the PSU can handle the load..

Nice idea, but the PSU won't handle the card and the CPU isn't up to feeding a card like that.

 

[Frostmourne]

I plan on turning it over to my mom within a year, so I'm looking for sufficient upgrades to keep it strong through that time frame. Eventaully I'll upgrade to a ridonkulously-gaming-capable laptop (I suspect one much like yours).

See if the motherboard manufacturer will support an Athlon X2 and upgrade that if possible along with the mentioned 4670 or a 5450 - both cards are not for high-resolution gaming. As for the laptop in my specs, it isn't built for games; no laptops are. I'd build a gaming desktop.

 

[MisterActorMan]

I think with enough money you can build a laptop (or anything) to do just about whatever you'd like

I'll look into the CPU upgrade. I was considering a new PSu but again would rather not spend a lot of money on the desktop since it will be regulated to *moderate* gaming, media management, and then whatever my mom needs it for (browsing; facepalm). The idea is to give myself an enjoyable PC for when I need it--about another year, and whenever I'm at my mom's in the future.

Thanks SO much for the NewEgg link and suggestion. That is pretty much EXACTLY what I had in mind. It's even under 100. I really, really appreciate it!

 

[Frostmourne]

I would get this PSU, assuming your case comforms to ATX standards:

Newegg.com - Antec TruePower New TP-550 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply - Power Supplies

This GPU:

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100291L Radeon HD 5450 (Cedar) 512MB 64-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

And this CPU if your mobo supports it:

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X4 630 Propus 2.8GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Best thing about the GPU is it supports DirectX11 and the quad-core athlon will last for another 2 or 3 years, regardless of who you give it too. The PSU is self-explanatory - excellent quality and the right wattage.

 

[Coolness]

I would get this PSU, assuming your case comforms to ATX standards:

Newegg.com - Antec TruePower New TP-550 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply - Power Supplies

This GPU:

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100291L Radeon HD 5450 (Cedar) 512MB 64-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

And this CPU if your mobo supports it:

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X4 630 Propus 2.8GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Best thing about the GPU is it supports DirectX11 and the quad-core athlon will last for another 2 or 3 years, regardless of who you give it too. The PSU is self-explanatory - excellent quality and the right wattage.

The GPU has a 64-bit interface and 512 megas of ddr2? Even if it supports DirectX11 it wont be able to play games that use it.

 

[Frostmourne]

I would get this PSU, assuming your case comforms to ATX standards:

Newegg.com - Antec TruePower New TP-550 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply - Power Supplies

This GPU:

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100291L Radeon HD 5450 (Cedar) 512MB 64-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

And this CPU if your mobo supports it:

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X4 630 Propus 2.8GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Best thing about the GPU is it supports DirectX11 and the quad-core athlon will last for another 2 or 3 years, regardless of who you give it too. The PSU is self-explanatory - excellent quality and the right wattage.

The GPU has a 64-bit interface and 512 megas of ddr2? Even if it supports DirectX11 it wont be able to play games that use it.

He wants to retire the desktop, so gaming doesn't seem to be a priority.

 

[Fumz]

... It's part of me investing a small amount of cash in my desktop to make it really strong for another year or so before I retire it (hand it over to my Mom, haha) and upgrade to a strong laptop.

... I intend to be doing video editing and gaming.

Gaming is going to be a concern for at least a year.

 

[Coolness]

I would get this PSU, assuming your case comforms to ATX standards:

Newegg.com - Antec TruePower New TP-550 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply - Power Supplies

This GPU:

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100291L Radeon HD 5450 (Cedar) 512MB 64-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

And this CPU if your mobo supports it:

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X4 630 Propus 2.8GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Best thing about the GPU is it supports DirectX11 and the quad-core athlon will last for another 2 or 3 years, regardless of who you give it too. The PSU is self-explanatory - excellent quality and the right wattage.

The GPU has a 64-bit interface and 512 megas of ddr2? Even if it supports DirectX11 it wont be able to play games that use it.

He wants to retire the desktop, so gaming doesn't seem to be a priority.

Well whats the point in having the DX11 then, if he's not gonna game? And like Fumz proved, gaming is going to be a priority.

 

[MisterActorMan]

Howdy all. I decided to get the Sapphire HD4670. It's fantastic. EXCEPT. It is overriding my existing Realtek HiFi Audio drivers with the Graphics Card's HDMI HD audio drivers. I'm not using an HDMI cable to connect to a TV...I'm using a VGA cable to connect to a big monitor...

My volume icon in the tray has a big X on it, and it only detects an HDMI HD Audio Device...no matter what I plug into. I can't even use headphones! (If I could, I'd just run my speakers through that jack). Nothing is detected. At all.

How do I get my computer to re-detect my speakers and use my Realtek Audio instead of the HD Audio? I've tried uninstalling everything, then reinstalling the Realtek Audio drivers. No go, the only device it detects in teh HDMI Audio. Which I'm not using. Even if I did connect my HDMI cable from the graphics card to a TV or HDMI monitor, I don't see how that would change my AUDIO device. The only thing I haven't done yet is pulling out the card, uninstalling, getting audio back, and then trying to do it step by step...

I'll post this same issue elsewhere on the forum, under sound/audio. Halp plx.

 

[Frostmourne]

Howdy all. I decided to get the Sapphire HD4670. It's fantastic. EXCEPT. It is overriding my existing Realtek HiFi Audio drivers with the Graphics Card's HDMI HD audio drivers. I'm not using an HDMI cable to connect to a TV...I'm using a VGA cable to connect to a big monitor...

My volume icon in the tray has a big X on it, and it only detects an HDMI HD Audio Device...no matter what I plug into. I can't even use headphones! (If I could, I'd just run my speakers through that jack). Nothing is detected. At all.

How do I get my computer to re-detect my speakers and use my Realtek Audio instead of the HD Audio? I've tried uninstalling everything, then reinstalling the Realtek Audio drivers. No go, the only device it detects in teh HDMI Audio. Which I'm not using. Even if I did connect my HDMI cable from the graphics card to a TV or HDMI monitor, I don't see how that would change my AUDIO device. The only thing I haven't done yet is pulling out the card, uninstalling, getting audio back, and then trying to do it step by step...

I'll post this same issue elsewhere on the forum, under sound/audio. Halp plx.

Disable the HDMI sound controller in the control panel. I would never use VGA - the quality is crap.

 

[MisterActorMan]

I would use the HDMI but it turns out the monitor only has DVI, not HDMI, input. FAIL, right? Anyway, I figure I can get an HDMI to DVI converter, possibly.

Anyway...do you mean under Sound, disable the HDMI controller? Sorry, but: duh. Tried, and the result is that I still have no sound. For some reason it has ceased to detect my speakers, headphones, etc, which plug into the integrated Realtek Card--because for some reason it does not seem to want to use the Realtek Audio and only recognizes the HDMI Audio.

Did you mean disable the HDMI Sound Controller some other way?

I've attached a screenshot of the control panel and sound controller opened. All disconnected/disabled devices are supposedly shown.

In the control panel, the Realtek HD Audio Manager should be the Realtek software that comes with the system. However, clicking it does nothing. I included an S/N of the Realtek folder in my C: drive.

I'm going to turn off the computer, remove my new vid card, plug my monitor into my integrated vid card >cry< and then uninstall the new vid card and the realtek software. Then I'll reinstall the Realtek software and see if sound plays. Then I'll boot up with the monitor plugged into the new vid card and see where shit gets hairy.

Thanks

 

[MisterActorMan]

Resolved it.

In the BIOS under Audio I turned "Use Onboard Audio" from Auto to Enabled. Then Ran windows Updater, got newest Realtek Drivers (had uninstalled them and every other audio driver to find out problem, so presumably the drivers were not the issue at all, but still had to update), and audio now works.

Seems the problem was that the HD4670 really wanted to control the audio and use only HDMI...for some weird ass reason. Because even if the HDMI cable was used and plugged into my monitor or TV...how would that have affected my audio?

 

[Coolness]

I would use the HDMI but it turns out the monitor only has DVI, not HDMI, input. FAIL, right? Anyway, I figure I can get an HDMI to DVI converter, possibly.

Ehemm... DVI is Full HD, made for monitors. Whats the fail in that? Everybody uses DVI. You do not want to convert HDMI to DVI if DVI is awesome. :sarc: