Which Card?

Blue_Fox_Hound · 03-25-2007, 12:25 PM

I'm looking at getting into PC gaming whats a good card to start with?
I dont really know much about Graphics cards.

I have a ATI RADEON Xpress 200 series that came with the computer.
With a PCI-Express slot available not sure what size.
AMD athlon Processor
1024 MB DDR SDRAM dual channel

about the power supply I think its 350 watt but not sure.

If you can help a Newbie that would be great.

Thanks

**1 g0t 0wn3d** · 03-25-2007, 12:45 PM

what brand pc is this? normaly factory pc's ship with 300 watt bestec psu's

**Fox** · 03-25-2007, 12:50 PM

It really depends on your budget. The cheapest gaming cards are in the 150 dollar range, while the top models run around 300-400.

The way I shop for computer hardware is to go to a retailer, get a list of all cards and then sort them by customer reviews. Here's a list of the best-reviewed cards on Newegg.

Another good source is a hardware reviews site, like Anandtech.com or Tomshardware.com. There's an article on that here, but it's a little dated. It will give you an idea of which cards from september 2006 were better than others, but the prices won't be accurate anymore.

**1 g0t 0wn3d** · 03-25-2007, 12:54 PM

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...Tab=2&NoMapp=0 should run games at high-max settings with no lag but you might need a better psu.

Blue_Fox_Hound · 03-25-2007, 02:34 PM

Its an Emachines model T6524 with XP Media Center

Does it matter if I get the same brand?

**1 g0t 0wn3d** · 03-25-2007, 03:39 PM

yes and no, there are 2 types of video cards agp and pci e
your motherboard will only have on of these types its up to someone else to post how though.=/

**TheMatt** · 03-25-2007, 08:03 PM

Hi,

You will need a new PSU as well. I would look at something like this for the graphics:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161049

And this for the PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371001

03-25-2007, 12:25 PM	#1 (permalink)
Blue_Fox_Hound Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 3 OS: XP	Which Card? I'm looking at getting into PC gaming whats a good card to start with? I dont really know much about Graphics cards. I have a ATI RADEON Xpress 200 series that came with the computer. With a PCI-Express slot available not sure what size. AMD athlon Processor 1024 MB DDR SDRAM dual channel about the power supply I think its 350 watt but not sure. If you can help a Newbie that would be great. Thanks

03-25-2007, 12:45 PM	#2 (permalink)
1 g0t 0wn3d TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Sedona, az Posts: 6,528 OS: Vista basic 32bit My System	Re: Which Card? what brand pc is this? normaly factory pc's ship with 300 watt bestec psu's __________________ Bench Test \| PC Wizard \| System specs \| PSU info \| PSU calculator \| Memtest86+ \| Speedfan

03-25-2007, 12:50 PM	#3 (permalink)
Fox TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: NJ Posts: 7,752 OS: XP Pro, CentOS My System	Re: Which Card? It really depends on your budget. The cheapest gaming cards are in the 150 dollar range, while the top models run around 300-400. The way I shop for computer hardware is to go to a retailer, get a list of all cards and then sort them by customer reviews. Here's a list of the best-reviewed cards on Newegg. Another good source is a hardware reviews site, like Anandtech.com or Tomshardware.com. There's an article on that here, but it's a little dated. It will give you an idea of which cards from september 2006 were better than others, but the prices won't be accurate anymore. __________________ Antec Neo Power 500W, ABIT IP35-E, Intel E2180@2.66Ghz, Corsair XMS2 2x1GB DDR2-800, PNY 8800GT, 320GB Seagate * lazy college student alert *- If I've inadvertently ignored a thread, please Let me know about it Have I helped you solve your problem? Donate to Techsupportforums Klart Skepp!

03-25-2007, 12:54 PM	#4 (permalink)
1 g0t 0wn3d TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Sedona, az Posts: 6,528 OS: Vista basic 32bit My System	Re: Which Card? http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...Tab=2&NoMapp=0 should run games at high-max settings with no lag but you might need a better psu. __________________ Bench Test \| PC Wizard \| System specs \| PSU info \| PSU calculator \| Memtest86+ \| Speedfan

03-25-2007, 02:34 PM	#5 (permalink)
Blue_Fox_Hound Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 3 OS: XP	Re: Which Card? Its an Emachines model T6524 with XP Media Center Does it matter if I get the same brand?

03-25-2007, 03:39 PM	#6 (permalink)
1 g0t 0wn3d TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Sedona, az Posts: 6,528 OS: Vista basic 32bit My System	Re: Which Card? yes and no, there are 2 types of video cards agp and pci e your motherboard will only have on of these types its up to someone else to post how though.=/ __________________ Bench Test \| PC Wizard \| System specs \| PSU info \| PSU calculator \| Memtest86+ \| Speedfan

03-25-2007, 08:03 PM	#7 (permalink)
TheMatt TSF Enthusiast Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 13,701 OS: Win 3.1, 98, NT 4.0, XP Debian 4.0, Kubuntu 6.06 My System Blog Entries: 3	Re: Which Card? Hi, You will need a new PSU as well. I would look at something like this for the graphics: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161049 And this for the PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371001 __________________ - Matt M - KB1OSC - Folding@Home 85015 [url="http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/"] If TSF has helped you, please consider donating. If I have stopped responding to a thread, feel free to send me a PM with a link to the thread. It is advisable to subscribe to threads so you will receive updates when replies are posted. You can subscribe to threads from the "Thread Tools" Menu. »Memtest86 »Prime95 »UBCD »SpeedFan »NHC Personal »Everest »Sandra »PC Wizard »RivaTuner »ATi Tool Click here for Useful Articles and Guides