Upgrading my Graphics Card

[pahirst3035]

Hi
I know that this seems to be a popular topic,but could not find the answer in any of the other posts. I have a sony vaio desktop.

PCV-RX306(CE)
120 HD
512 Ram
Pentium4 2.2 ghz

I was wanting to upgrade my graphics card , I do allot of online gaming , but wanted to know which card would be the best.

Thanks in advance.

PS I am in no way very technical and have never opened this particular desktop before so please be patient with me.

[seb21__]

With that Powersupply I would go for a Geforce 6200. They aren't that bad and much faster that your preinstalled card.

But I bet you can replace the PSU by a new one. Try this way, it would be a good idea to clean the CPU fan with some compressed air. (be careful and look out for the cables.)


1. remove the screws
2. turn the PSU up (look at the cables)
3. pull out the PSU

However, the airflow design of your PC case isn't that good. A new case with a bundled PSU would be a better idea instead to replace the old PSU. I can recomend AOpen.

[pahirst3035]

Mmm this looks like it is getting a little beyond my comfort zone.

Given my make and model can you recommend a new case for me?

And just so that I am clear having got the new case I would then transfer
all the components from my old pc (except the power supply and the new graphics card) into the new case.

Could I just replace my PSU ? If so could you recommend one that will fit :smileygrin:

Also I require a better graphics card than the Geforce 6200 ( which by the way would not need a new power supply ) I need at least a GeForce 7600GS OC 512MB
To be able to run the games I want.

Thanks in advance. Sooo many questions . [:">]

[seb21__]

You have to know what AGP mode is supported by your motherboard. You will need AGP 8x minimum for any Geforce 7xxx card, I think.

On your mainboard is a model number. If you know the model, you know the specification of your mainboard. You could damage your hardware if you use the wrong card!


Powersupplies made by Zalman are good and quiet.

[pahirst3035]

From my previous posts one of you guys have already identified that I do have an AGP 8x card ( see earlier in post plus the picture )

So the card I selected is fine :smileygrin: .I think

So all I need now is to upgrade my power supply. Thanks for the recommendation of the supplier but is the size and model of the actual unit that I need so that I know it will fit into my existing box.

And of course an understanding that I what size of power supply I should fit without damaging any other bits ( sorry I am not technical ) in my PC.
The power supply needed I think for the card selected is 350w.

Will this damage any other of the components by simply replacing it

[seb21__]

A new PSU wouldn't damage your PC. Your Powersupply is looking like a standard ATX . You can replace it without any trouble.

Please keep in mind, bigger is not better. If you go for a proper 300 - 350 watts PSU it's 1000 times better than a cheap 400watts one.

I have used 300watts PSU (made by AOpen) with an Athlon64 3200+ and a Geforce7600 GT and I've had no troubles. Now 've upgraded to a Athlon64 X2 4600+ (dualcore) and a 360watts PSU (made by Zalman) and everything runs smooth and fine.

Here is a very nice guide by c|net

However, please make sure what AGP mode is supported! Like I said before, you will damage your hardware if you use a Graphic card for AGP 8x on a Mainboard with only AGP 4x support.

The model number of your board is printed on your board.

The picture below is showing the board I use. As you can see it has 4 extensions slots. two PCI, one PCI express x16 and one PCI x1. Between the PCI and PCI express slots you can see the model number. MS 7207.



Google this number and find the specification of the your board. Or tell us the number instead and we can recomend the hardware you need for a proper upgrade.

[pahirst3035]

OK

Have now found the number on the motherboard you were talking about.

It is P4S266 - VX

Means absolutely nothing to me but I can tell you I have everything crossed.

So Will this be able to support the card that I am after

Thanks for all of your time by the way.

[seb21__]

Umm, I think it's an Asus P4 266VX board. With SiS 650 chipset . Your board supports AGP 4x mode max. So you will need a graphic card with AGP 4x.

Like this one for example. (Or may a 7600gs, take a look at the specifications)

[pahirst3035]

OK let me see if I have this right I am looking for a graphics card that is

1) AGP
2) x4 Mode

Question ( and didn't you know I would have one :smileygrin: ) What about cards that have AGP 4x / 8x , IE have both in the specification ,can I use them

like this one http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=392225&source=nextag

or this onehttp://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?BFG-76GS5

They seem to support both 4x and 8x.

Should I always go for 512MB where possible

Again apologies for all the questions [:">]

[seb21__]

Yes, you can use cards with AGP 4x/8x support. (for more information click me

Well, you can't be never sure whether that listed hardware specifications in Onlineshops is correct.

So let's have a look at the site of the manufacturer.

http://www.gainward.net/products/product.php?products_id=80

There you can see a Geforce 7600GT. Just take a look into the PDF (Specsheet) to see the correct specifications. Or go in a real shop and take a look at the box. (Don't forget that you will need a new PSU too. "HEC" and "Seagate" are good brands)

So, a Geforce 7600GS or GT should be pretty fine for your system. Because todays Graphic cards outperform CPUs without trouble.

Should I always go for 512MB where possible

Umm, 256MB are fine in my opinion.

Again apologies for all the questions

No problem. [:">]

[seb21__]

any news?