Cerbera'sMum Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 (edited) As some of you know, Cerb and I share a computer..... he has asked about fans for it and we replaced CPU fan but...graphics card fan is getting noisy so please can someone suggest a cheapish replacement. We've got Athlon 1.4 and the card is an AGP running in an AGP 4X slot.....so something compatible would be? Available from UK e-stores preferred! Please help..it's to be part of his christmas present so keep it quiet!! Please advise....I am complete moron when trying to discuss computer based ideas!!If I knew what to ask/look for it might be of some help! None of the computer companies I have made enquiries to, have bothered to respond to me..I had hoped that someone here would be able to advise. I might be persuaded to upgrade to another card but need to know what might be acceptable!! Edited December 15, 2005 by Cerbera'sMum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boobtronic Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 You think telling him not to come in will help anything:P? I really can't help...just thought I'd mention that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anus Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 Novatech has this GeForce 6600GT for 107.96 Pounds. It's cheap, and it's bang for the buck. It's got a five star rating and the reviews are good, and it's good for gaming and it's an 8X AGP card so it's backward compatible with 4X slots. And there's the same card with 128 MB of memory (the previous has 256). There's very little difference between a 128 MB and a 256 MB card, but I'd recommend a 256 MB card for future proof reasons. It can be found here. And for ATI, this would be an okay card, it's much cheaper than the nVidias above. But the performance is real sh*t. It's best if you get one of the two nVidia cards above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke15 Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 I suggest you get a PNY Geforce 6600 from Amazon.co.uk, for £70 you get a preety decent card. Its not worth it changing a graphics card fan, which would cost more than the actual graphics card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbera'sMum Posted December 15, 2005 Author Share Posted December 15, 2005 (edited) Thanks to warlord. I told cerb that I wanted info on what to get him and he promised not to read any topics in here that I made....which is why I put a qualifier in the subheader!! Thanks to Luke15 as well. Are these card thingys going to be easy to fit? Would it be a case of take the old one and fit new one in it's place? Don't get too technical, please! Could run to £100+VAT...will the Athlon be able to cope with a better card? Have DIMM 2x256mbDDR memory. Edited December 15, 2005 by Cerbera'sMum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bond996 Posted December 15, 2005 Share Posted December 15, 2005 The 6600 would be overkill for a 1.4ghz Athlon that has 512mb of RAM. Look for an ATI Radeon 9600. That would be a pretty good card for your computer. Also, the 6600 might overload your Power Supply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf68k Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 I would have to agree with Bond this one. For that CPU it would be overkill and I forget what power supply unit (PSU) you have from the last topic. For nVidia GFX cards; Geforce 6200 or FX 5800 or FX 5900 might be better. Just don't get the 6200 TubroCache no matter how good it sounds. For ATI GFX cards; to be honest I don't know much about them but what I see in review when compared to nVidia GFX cards. The 9600 is equal to about the GeForce FX 5700, so yeah anything from 9600 and up to a 9800 would be fine and as far as I know there shouldn't be too much of a PSU issue. Just incase you are worried about the PSU at all, if it's 300watt then you might be ok. 350watts you should be ok with little to worry about. Anything more, although doubtful, no worries at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbera'sMum Posted December 16, 2005 Author Share Posted December 16, 2005 @wolf How do I find out what the power supply unit(?) is? In simple terms please... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anus Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Cerbera'sMum, If you don't mind me answering, and if Wolf doesn't mind, the power supply unit is the place where the power cord is connected. Just remove the CPU's case and you'll find it. In most PSUs (Power Supply Units), there's a sticker with all the info, the power should be under 'Max Power'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed209 Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 I'm suprised no one said to pay attention to the 12v rail wattage in particular. Also, seeing as how the 6600GT could be the last card that rig sees, wouldn't a good card be useful to turn up graphics settings? As long as money is not too big of an issue, I could see the card being nice to have. It could also be carried over during a platform upgrade to socket 939 on the right motherboard. My friend has one that supports both PCI-E and AGP graphics, both at full speeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbera'sMum Posted December 17, 2005 Author Share Posted December 17, 2005 Would this one be any good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke15 Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 That one would be perfect for what you are going to use it for, and the system you have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf68k Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 That one would be perfect for what you are going to use it for, and the system you have. Agreed @ed209 If you're going to go from a mobo with a Socket A and AGP to a mobo with a Socket 939, then forget about AGP at the same time and go PCI-E. The only mobo's, that I found on newegg.com, with AGP and PCI-E with a Socket939 are all cheap, crap mobos. ECS, ASRock, and JetWay..the JetWay is Socket754 not that it matters all that much. ECS and JetWay I've dealt with both and hated every second of it. ASRock I haven't and with any luck I won't have to, but if they sell for as much as ECS and JetWay how good could the be really? I did see an ASUS mobo but it was for an Intel chip. Either way they are few and far between and personally not worth the effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbera'sMum Posted December 17, 2005 Author Share Posted December 17, 2005 (edited) Thanks to all who helped me with this.....will it be simple to fit once it arrives? Or am I going to have to ask relevant questions now for when it gets here!! Hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday!! The tech guy at misco was really helpful with his emails...and you both agreed on what I needed....but you were quicker!! So a hearty thanks and .. Merry Christmas to you all!! Edited December 17, 2005 by Cerbera'sMum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke15 Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 There shouldnt be any problem putting it in. Just open the computer case. Take out the old graphics card, and slap in the new one. Put the side of the case back on, and voila. Easy as pie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbera'sMum Posted December 17, 2005 Author Share Posted December 17, 2005 There shouldnt be any problem putting it in. Easy as pie. Just because I'm a Mum doesn't mean I can make pie!! But thanks Luke! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf68k Posted December 18, 2005 Share Posted December 18, 2005 Can ya make toast or cook a Pop-tart? Put the toast in the toaster and push down. Same idea...only you don't want the GFX card to spring back up in the air all golden brown. And once you do that, you just learned how to build 1/3 of a system. PCI, PCI-E, AGP and RAM all pretty much get installed the same way. RAM has too clips that hold it in place, and also help to remove, but it's still line it up and press down firmly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbera'sMum Posted December 20, 2005 Author Share Posted December 20, 2005 Card arrived this morning. It says it needs AGP8x slot..I've only got 4X.....will it still fit? It also looks different from how I remember the current one looking!!! It did have instructions with it, thank goodness!! And wolf yes I can make toast ...under the grill!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf68k Posted December 20, 2005 Share Posted December 20, 2005 It should say it supports AGP 4x. I have yet to see one that requires AGP 8x. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbera'sMum Posted December 20, 2005 Author Share Posted December 20, 2005 It should say it supports AGP 4x. I have yet to see one that requires AGP 8x. I have only skimmed over the requirements at present....but it definitely says about AGP8x!! Haven't had time to read all of it but think I will give it to Cerb (and let him sort it out) on Christmas Day! After all it is his present! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf68k Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Well it should be ok. I've had 2 cards that are AGP 8x but would just fine in a mobo that only supported up to AGP 4x. There is very very little performance difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed209 Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 wolf68k @ Dec 17 2005, 12:03@ed209 If you're going to go from a mobo with a Socket A and AGP to a mobo with a Socket 939, then forget about AGP at the same time and go PCI-E. The only mobo's, that I found on newegg.com, with AGP and PCI-E with a Socket939 are all cheap, crap mobos. ECS, ASRock, and JetWay..the JetWay is Socket754 not that it matters all that much. ECS and JetWay I've dealt with both and hated every second of it. ASRock I haven't and with any luck I won't have to, but if they sell for as much as ECS and JetWay how good could the be really? I did see an ASUS mobo but it was for an Intel chip. Either way they are few and far between and personally not worth the effort. I built my friend a new rig using this ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 Socket 939 ULi M1695 ATX AMD Motherboard. It has worked flawlessly, and overclocks nicely as well. It allowed him to keep his old 9800 Pro during his platform upgrade to socket 939, instead of requiring him to buy a new PCI-E card immediately. You shouldn't be so quick to judge, especially if you have no experience with the manufacturer. Sometimes a well designed chipset can be found pretty darn cheap. That doesn't automatically mean it sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anus Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 (edited) Wolf, Same as Ed said, I know a guy who owns a PC with an ASRock, and he said that it runs great. Just to prove it to myself, I started some high needy games (Half-Life 2, GTA San Andreas, Doom 3 and F.E.A.R and they worked extremely well. Here are the specs of the guy's PC: Athlon 64 3800+, 2 GB PC3200 RAM, nVidia 6800 GT 256 MB, Creative X-Fi soundcard. Edited December 23, 2005 by Warlord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bond996 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Not to mention that ASRock is a subsidary of Asus, and we all love their boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf68k Posted December 24, 2005 Share Posted December 24, 2005 Damn guys don't take it so damn personally. Sorry but I just don't trust cheap mobos any more. I've had too many bad experences with them. Great that ASUS makes or watches over those that make the ASRock mobo. I Don't Give A Rat's Fat A**. I still wouldn't buy them. I would rather spend more money on a more obviously good brand and a good mobo. If guys want to buy ASRock, then do it...it's your money. I don't care. But the mobo is body of your system and if you want to cheap out there then don't go crying to someone when it dies or acts up early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anus Posted December 24, 2005 Share Posted December 24, 2005 Damn guys don't take it so damn personally.Sorry but I just don't trust cheap mobos any more. I've had too many bad experences with them. Great that ASUS makes or watches over those that make the ASRock mobo. I Don't Give A Rat's Fat A**. I still wouldn't buy them. I would rather spend more money on a more obviously good brand and a good mobo. If guys want to buy ASRock, then do it...it's your money. I don't care. But the mobo is body of your system and if you want to cheap out there then don't go crying to someone when it dies or acts up early. Wolf, Why you angry, mate? I wasn't saying something like that to argue or comepete or get you angry. I was just saying that because I've got a friend who has it and it runs well. Nothing personal . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenMillard Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 Geeky bickering aside, I've now received the card as one of my Xmas presents. The manual says that we should install new drivers for the PCI or AGP controller. By using the Device Manager I've found that the manufacturer of this component in our machine is "ALi". The manual recommends installing the latest drivers, which are allegedly available from the ALi website. Well, their site is a bit of a heap (and not just by my standards) but after hunting around the page I found their site map. It lists the driver download page as being here...but it isn't. To make matters worse, their various contact forms don't work, so I guess nobody has been able to tell them about the problem. As this card (an nVIDIA 6200) is significantly newer than our PC (which was made around 2001), I expect it wouldn't be a good idea to try installing the new card without updating these drivers? If they are requried, are there any alternative download sites for the drivers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf68k Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 The first manual you're talking about, would that be the gfx card manual? If so, shouldn't have to worry about it. Just get the drivers for the graphics card itself. Those are the chipset drivers they are talking about. For the graphics card drivers: Windows XP/2000: http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_2k_81.98.html Windows 9x/ME: http://www.nvidia.com/object/win9x_81.98.html From what I can see at that site, ALI doesn't have anything to with mobo chipsets or graphics cards, only DVD players and computer peripherals. So what manual(s) are you reading? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbera'sMum Posted December 25, 2005 Author Share Posted December 25, 2005 (edited) Hi wolf it's Cerb's mum! Yes we were following the graphics card user manual! It says that we should install or update motherboard chipset driver before installing the graphics card in system. Are you saying that we don't need to do this?Please advise, honey, I'd like to get "this show on the road" asap!! Edited December 25, 2005 by Cerbera'sMum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf68k Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 You shouldn't have to worry about the chipset drivers much. Just worry about the video drivers. Put the card in and start up the system. If you can't get into Windows and reinstall the video drivers or something really bad happens because you didn't update the chipset drivers, I'll give you my address and you can come slap me. And yes as strange as it might sound, while you're going from one nVidia card to the next you need to reinstall the video drivers even if they are the exact same ones you already have installed. It's a Windows registry thing more than anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now