Replacing GMA x4500 for my sx2801-07 Windows 7, 64bit

[tdbnasc3]

i would like to know what kind of graphics card would be best for my sx2801-07e since its a small tower,nothing fancy really, something like a radeon 4550 or 4650 that's below 70$ and is able to run fallout 3 really well. Thanks for reading this

 

[tdbnasc3]

haha i apologize,i just really need to figure this out fast because my tower seems to b rlly thin and i want a graphics card to fallout 3 smoothly,i actually found one that interests me quite a lot,but i still need to figure out if it will fit into my computer. The graphics card i was checking out is "DIAMOND AMD ATI Radeon™ HD 4550 PCIE 512MB GDDR3 Low Profile Video Card
Bus Type: PCI Express x16".

 

[bobkn]

You may have a problem.

There are a few kinds of low-profile PCI-E cards available for slim PCs like your Gateway, but they seem to want power supplies heftier than your 220W one.

www.sapphiretech.com is good at listing system requirements. I don't see any low-end PCI-E cards there that recommend a PSU below 300W.

 

[tdbnasc3]

so you are saying that i wont find anything at all that will fit into my cpu...i dont rlly want any fancy stuff,i just want to play fallout 3 without lag with good graphics,i was looking at a geforce 260 gtx or a 210gtx,because i thought they would b good enough,what do you think?

 

[smarteyeball]

i was looking at a geforce 260 gtx

Not with that PSU

210gtx,

Again, no. The minimum recommended PSU requirement is 300W

because i thought they would b good enough,what do you think?

The 260 itself would be okay for a smoother experience, the 210 not as much but still better than the onboard.

However as bobkn mentioned, you have a 220W PSU - basically that eliminates MANY cards, low profile or not.

 

[tdbnasc3]

can you please recommend me one that would work because i really want to play fallout 3

 

[tdbnasc3]

i found this "http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121397" one and i heard it works alright with a 220 power supply,im so desperate for it man,you have no idea =/

 

[smarteyeball]

Mate, I know you want to play this game smoothly - but your Power Supply really is the biggest limiting factor.

Whilst the 430 may be fine according to some, It's still a 300W+ recommendation card.

Bluntly put - you won't find a 220W compatible card that will run FO3 smoothly. That PC is simply not designed to be a gaming machine.


You may get away with using some of these cards for a while, but in the long term the PSU will be pushed to it's absolute limits and will fail eventually.

Under a 'heavy load' , Realistically you'd start facing sudden shut downs as the PSU degrades with increasing intensity until after one shut down too many - the PC will simply not turn back on. That also risks the other components that might get damaged when the PSU finally fails completely.


Low profile cards are primarily intended for HTPC use with some occasional 'light gaming'. One common factor is that they also require a PSU with more amperage/wattage. Your current PSU has neither.


Honestly - a cheaper way of playing FO3 would be to buy a 360.

 

[tdbnasc3]

i see,well ill just get the 410 or some other thing,i know my pc will fry up but i dont really play graphics-wise heavy games all the time nor for too long,so if i dont overuse it might take longer for the computer to break down,haha its a risk worth taking xD

 

[tdbnasc3]

from what i heard ATI Radeon HD 4670 will only take about 59,60w so im willing to take the risk with it,if it turns out to shut my pc down too much,ill just take it off or something

 

[bobkn]

from what i heard ATI Radeon HD 4670 will only take about 59,60w so im willing to take the risk with it,if it turns out to shut my pc down too much,ill just take it off or something

60W isn't low for a PCI-E card that doesn't use any auxiliary power connectors: 75W is the maximum. However, it looks like the 4670 may be the most powerful low-profile card available. I don't see any at www.newegg.com, but they list a couple of 4650 cards. I like the look of this one:

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100253HDMI Radeon HD 4650 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Low Profile Ready Video Card

(Unfortunately, it has a rebate.)

If you get one, let us know how it plays with your 220W PSU. The recommended supply for it is 400W.

 

[tdbnasc3]

i will,im dumb as a rock when it comes to computers but my computer is brand new(3months old) so i think it can handle the a sapphire 5570 for a while since its basically empty,the card uses 45w and i dont think theres much to drain away the W because the computer is pretty much naked,havent installed any hardware at all,thanks tho =D

 

[tdbnasc3]

ohh i also forgot to ask,how expensive would it be for an upgrade of my current power supply? and is that possible with such a slim cpu?