What GPU to buy?

Hi there,

My specs are:

P4 D 3ghz (dual core)
2x2 mb L2 Cache
200gb SATA II 7200rpm 8mb cache
2 gig 2600 ram
DVD/CD rw

What would be a good graphics card for this machine?
I want to play new games if my pc will support it.
I know i'll need a new psu too.
So what would be the fastest card my pc can handle?

Cheers,

Adey

 

You can get whatever video card your motherboard/Power supply will support. So do you know what motherboard you have or whether it takes AGP, PCI-express, or just PCI?

 

Well, your specs look good so it now comes down to what PSU you have.
List the make, model, and wattage.

And by 2600 for your RAM you mean DDR 2700?

 

I forgot to mention i have pci-e 16x.... sorry :doh:

I took out a dim and it definatley said pc-2600 and
whilst googlin' i stumbled on Crucials page where you put in your pc model (eMachines E4216) and it displays compatable ramage.
Im gonna see what card i can take and get a psu to match it.

Did i mention i have Vista basic

at the vista part not the basic part

Ade

 

why have you got vista with only 2GB of rubbish memory no wonder your upset about vista, you need to feed it, its probably really hungry by now.

 

I didnt build the machine, eMachines did, i can only put in the memory it takes cant i?

It actually came with 512mb memory so i bought 2 gigs.
I havnt got a £1000 to buy the latest HC machine so i bought one that was affordable that meets my needs and will upgrade it to what ever its capable of.

I just dont wanna spend more than i have to buying a card that is wasted on my machine. But im happy that it even has an pci-e slot,

So what would be the fastest card that my machine can utilize?

Ade

 

I still need to know the PSU you have and how much your willing to spend

 

The psu i have now is about 230w
Ill get a new one 400w+
I dont mind what i spend, the most im likely to spend is about £80 anyway cuz my pc isnt gonna take the latest card (cuz i have "rubbish"
ram ect).

So i just want the best card my cpu and ram will handle. And ill get a psu that will power said card.

Am i making any sense?

Adey

 

Perfect sense.
But i want to let you know that its not a question of what your ram or cpu can handle; it's about what your psu can handle

So, here are a few you might like:
NVIDIA:
Newegg.com - EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Newegg.com - MSI N9800GT-T2D1G-OC GeForce 9800 GT 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

ATI:
Newegg.com - VisionTek 900241 Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GV-R485ZL-512H Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

These cards will last you for a while and will be good for your next upgrade

 

All the above mentioned cards are great IF you are going to upgrade all the other systems components as well. A Pentium D just cannot unlock the potential of any of those cards. I feel something like a HD3850 would be more suitable. While yes, still a very fast card, it balances better with the older P4D. You'd be wasting your money on a top end card like the 9800GTX. In regards to the Power supply, anything like the Corsair HX520W or the Seasonic 550W S12Energy+ would be great lower priced contenders.

 

Pelvis your a legend mate, thats exactly what i needed to know.
Guys thanks for your help too.
Ill go for HD3850 and one of those psu too.

Adey