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 Help Sym Nao!

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Rhodie
Valdr
Kaziopoeia
Symitri
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Symitri

Symitri


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Join date : 2009-01-02

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PostSubject: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptySun Apr 26, 2009 7:39 pm

Ok, so I've been fearing my video card is going kaput, and so I've been looking for a replacement.

I haven't followed the tech market very closely recently because I don't do much gaming other than WoW anymore so there hasn't been point in upgrading to the best.

I need your help, the more in-the-know, tech people to help me!

I'm currently using a GeForce 8600 GT, running Vista (YES I KNOW IT SUCKS) and it's been ok I guess, right until its started going haywire.

From this selection available, which would you choose? By budget is roughly $250-275 but I'll go up to $300 if you can emphasis the value being worth it :p Of course, selection isn't limited to that if you can find an online retailer that distributes to WA, but that's probably the biggest selection along with the cheapest cost I've yet to find in Perth.

Ok go! I need help Sad
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Kaziopoeia

Kaziopoeia


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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptySun Apr 26, 2009 8:18 pm

The best value/performance one at the moment is the newly released 275GTX

if you want to look more into it then check here.
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/radeon-geforce-gtx,review-31554.html

If you want good performance get something from there, if you want budget then show me a price for my cards, otherwise they'll gather dust and then be binned in 6 months!
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Valdr
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Valdr


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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptySun Apr 26, 2009 9:46 pm

Recent guide by budget: http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3538

Should make the decision easy for ya Smile
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Rhodie




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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 4:45 am

Whenever I'm in the market for a new video card, I usually don't have the time to research in detail what's the best bang for my buck card.

As such I usually just check out guides similar to the one Valdr just linked to tell me what video card I should buy. I've come to trust recommendations made by Tomshardware.com and they seem to maintain a monthly web article called "Best Video Cards For the Money" which recommends the best card for specific budget ranges.


This is the link for the April 2009 article:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-gtx,2270.html
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Symitri

Symitri


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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 2:07 pm

<3 you for the help, all.

Made my purchase... Now I just need to hope I don't screw up installing it when it comes... First one who can find a step by step full-picture guide for me to follow gets a cookie :p (Yes i know it varies system to system, the one I have is made by NEC and they really screwed up how the sockets connect T_T)
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Boobsie
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Boobsie


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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 3:32 pm

Uh oh, NEC made video cards? Since when?

Not sure if anyone mentioned it prior to getting your card, you should first check if your motherboard supports PCI-E, and not the old AGP standard. You wont be able to fit a PCI-E card to an agp slot and vice versa.

Today, most cards are PCI-E, and they are cheaper across the board.

A good indication is the age of your PC, anything beyond 3 years old would be AGP, anything between 2-3 years old, there is a 20% chance its AGP. lesser than that, it should be PCI-E, unless you got conned.

Seriously though, Sym, I dont know NEC made video cards, may I ask what platform is it running on ATI or Nvidia?
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Boobsie
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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 3:35 pm

And just to stay on topic, i'd recommend for the budget conscious, a ATI4850 512MB DDR3, should set u back AUD250 thereabouts.

Recommended Brand - XFX, Gigabyte, MSI, Inno3d(for the budget conscious)

Your previous 8600GT there is a strong likelihood, its PCI-E anyway, Sym Smile


Last edited by Boobsie on Mon Apr 27, 2009 3:45 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Kaziopoeia

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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 3:40 pm

dude it's super easy...

I'll give you really thorough instructions.
it would have helped if you told us what make of card you bought

ANYWAY.
1) go to the manufacturer website and download the LATEST stable (non-beta) drivers.
2) save the file somewhere obvious
3) *optional* go to device manager, select your graphics device, hit properties and then do Uninstall Driver
4) It'll ask you to reboot once it's done... do that to check that you boot ok and safely... win will look horrible 800x600
5) Shutdown..
6) UNPLUG POWER CABLE
7) open up your pc after removing all your cables.
Cool unscrew the old graphics card... also unplug any power cables that may be on the graphics card
9) very carefully remove the old graphics card... don't force it. Sometimes there is a little restraining clip at the bottom... if you're nervous then check the instruction manual for your computer for how to release the clip... sometimes it's a press, sometimes it's a pull.
Bottom line is that the card should come out with very light force and maybe a little (LITTLE) wiggling.
10) BREATHE
11) firmly but carefully put in the new graphics card until you feel it seated securely.
12) screw in the retaining screw
13) read the graphics card instruction manual, you will probably have to attach an additional power cable... lets hope you have a spare power plug. The card should come with an adapter anyway
14) close up the PC
15) plug in cables and boot up
16) you'll see "New Hardware Detected"... you can do 2 things
a) Put in the disc that came with the card... this is the easiest solution but you really ought to update the drivers afterwards with the one you downloaded
b) select cancel and then once the rest of windows is loaded just double click the driver exe file that you've downloaded.

Good luck
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Boobsie
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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 3:49 pm

Nice detailed steps Kaz.

Adding to Kaz's comments, Sym, let's hope if u get a mid tiered vid card (4850 and above), you have enough power to run it.

600W PSU recommended.

Kaz, sometimes the card doesnt come with power adapter, i know my didnt Razz. Modern PSUs should have enough configurations for it, 6 pin and 4 pin adaptors.

My current 4870 uses 2 x 6 pins, which is all my PSU could take. I cant imagine u are running SLI. 700W PSU?
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Rhodie




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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 6:03 pm

Alternatively you might get lucky and find a youtube video that shows you what to do...

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=install+video+card
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Symitri

Symitri


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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 6:15 pm

Oh I mean NEC built the PC casing itself and the placement of all the objects inside it. Their sloppy handiwork means that even with the default insides it came with, a lot of it doesn't line up with the slots in the back of the computer, meaning the graphics card inside leans at an angle slightly AND the fan on my computer shakes and makes noise (until recently which I fixed with sellotape *cough*). It's been doing all this since I got it and having looked at the insides of some of their other models, I wouldn't recommend going NEC to anybody.

Yes, my current graphics card is PCI-express so I went with another PCI-E to be safe Wink I shouldn't think voltage will be a problem since the new card has nearly the same required power as my old one. I decided to go with the GeForce 9600, since I've tended to have an overall good run with nVidia support in the past. One day I'll go Radeon, one day >.>

Thanks for the detailed steps Kaz! You totally forgot the obligatory "put on some rubber sandals or shoes to avoid static" note though Wink I still get antsy about doing it though, which is funny because I first started playing around inside computers when I was 8 or 10. Something about handling stuff I actually pay for, rather than my parents, makes me reluctant to potentially screw-up Razz

DUDE, Rhodie, you legend, I didn't think of that! All I usually use video searching for is por- umm... porcelaine... Not just because of the first video result (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ILrq7lMe-0) but the comment on Youtube from it. "will it really explode if its not an orange screw driver? "

Yay mouthbreathing!
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Kaziopoeia

Kaziopoeia


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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 6:33 pm

dude... ONLY do PC work in your underpants... never in rubber shoes... that insulates you and HOLDS the static charge Wink
if in doubt touch the case before you touch a pcb
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Symitri

Symitri


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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 6:45 pm

haha...

Quote :
Sometimes there is a little restraining clip at the bottom... if you're nervous then check the instruction manual for your computer for how to release the clip... sometimes it's a press, sometimes it's a pull.

Ok, I took a look at my computer after reading what you wrote

https://s100.photobucket.com/albums/m35/taleslinger/Computer/

I can't for the life of me tell whether there's a screw or switch!!! There doesn't look like there's -anything- holding the card steady.

Ignore the dust, I have gone VERY many times with a pressure dust spray and I can't do shit Razz
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Kaziopoeia

Kaziopoeia


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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 6:48 pm

Balls... someone else will have to answer... photobucket is blocked at work and I'm going to be here until midnight
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Symitri

Symitri


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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 6:57 pm

No rush Wink it's a public holiday here today so the card won't arrive for another day or two :p
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Luvme
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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 7:55 pm

What card did u get Sym?

ZOMFG how the heck did so much dust get into ur system? No wonder ur 8600 conked out Razz Did u leave the casing open? Any dust filters at the front air intakes?

From the last pic, there is a vertical metal piece to the left of the video card which u will probably need to remove from the back of the casing. Remove that and u shd be able to yank out that 8600.
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Symitri

Symitri


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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 8:45 pm

I leave my casing open because the in-built fan isn't strong enough to properly keep the system heated. The video card I had before my current one overheated for that exact reason. I now keep a large standing-fan blowing on it almost always Razz

A smart person would have bought and installed a fan inside the casing, I never claimed to be smart Razz That and availability of these things here is really damn low, it's frustrating.

Thank you for contributing Dots, all that AFK time finally doing something productive <3
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Zouk
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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 9:25 pm

Quote :
Thank you for contributing Dots, all that AFK time finally doing something productive <3

lol!
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Luvme
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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyMon Apr 27, 2009 9:41 pm

Shd I post the pic of my kids? Razz
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Talulah

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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyTue Apr 28, 2009 10:47 pm

Plz do! They're adorable!
How are Clarice and Ashley?
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Boobsie
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Boobsie


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PostSubject: Re: Help Sym Nao!   Help Sym Nao! EmptyWed Apr 29, 2009 1:32 pm

Hey sym, u got it fixed yet?

That picture u posted seems to suggest AGP, u sure its PCI-E? Its awfully smallish for a PCI-E card, and I dont see any power sockets to your existing card at all, often denote by a 4/6pin socket.

Also, in most PCI-E MBs, there should be a catch at the foot of the PCI-E socket that dislodges the card. Its relatively easy to see though.

I too tend to keep my PC case open of late, cos i have a shoddy motherboard now, with a loose CPU-fan connection. Going to change MB and CPU soon too.
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