upgrade from 9600gt

ben31 · 06-20-2009, 05:15 AM

hi, i have a xfx 9600gt and I'm looking for an upgrade for under £100. I was thinking about the gts 250 http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...e.html?NOV-250 but reading reviews its quite a big card.

I have never owned any ATI card before but always open to try it out if its better price/performance.

I got an ocz 500w psu atm but was thinking about upgrading to the ocz 700w if need be.

thanks

**floop12444** · 06-20-2009, 09:20 AM

Hi ben, i was just wondering why you are upgrading this video card? The GTX 250 is not good performance for the price and the 9600GT can pretty much handle any game. If i were you i would wait a few months for some more graphics cards to come out.

**emosun** · 06-20-2009, 12:22 PM

The gts 250 is a rebranded 9800 gt which in turn was a rebranded 8800gt.

ben31 · 06-20-2009, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by floop12444

Hi ben, i was just wondering why you are upgrading this video card? The GTX 250 is not good performance for the price and the 9600GT can pretty much handle any game. If i were you i would wait a few months for some more graphics cards to come out.

Good point, I just wanted better fps and to max out crysis and the likes really but I suppose its okay for now.

Anyone got any opinions on the ATI 4870? When the time comes that might be a possibility.

Thanks

~~zerofire~~ · 06-21-2009, 02:11 AM

The ATi Radeon HD 4870 would cream your current card. However the motherboard north bridge dictates what card is most compatible with your system. It is however possible to mix and match different makers if you are willing to risk problems.

ben31 · 06-22-2009, 09:15 AM

Ok I will probably go for the 4870 http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s....html?SAP-4870.

I have a ASUS P5QL-PRO motherboard, would it fit? as the card looks chunky and the chipset heatsink looks like it might get it the way. The 9600gt (which is quite thin is a tight squeeze) so if the 4870 any bigger its probs wont fit.

Also would my 500w be enough to run it safely?

What type of problems are you talking about?

Phædrus2401 · 06-22-2009, 09:33 AM

I have a Sapphire Radeon HD4870 1GB and it is a very solid card and I recommend it. However, the possibility of your northbridge chipset interfering is a possibility. You can experience problems like the card not working, working below performance, not being recognized, and maybe stuttering. You might *not* get those problems though. It's a tossup.

500 watts is not enough to run this card. I would recommend a Corsair 650tx at the least, and a 750tx would be better (though the 650 will run it fine... just not a ton of room for upgrades after that).

Hmm... Not sure if the 4870 will fit or not. It'll be tight either way. You could try it and if it doesn't fit return it to the store citing "mechanical incompatibility--it don't fit". But if you don't have room for a double-wide card then there's not a ton of upgrading you can do as most all modern high-end cards are double-wide and effectively take up two slots.

~~zerofire~~ · 06-24-2009, 11:22 AM

The ATi Radeon HD 4670 is available as single slot cards and they are modern. The only difference between single slot and double slot is that the interface is larger than 128bit on duel slot options.

06-20-2009, 05:15 AM	#1 (permalink)
ben31 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: UK Posts: 60 OS: Vista Business	upgrade from 9600gt hi, i have a xfx 9600gt and I'm looking for an upgrade for under £100. I was thinking about the gts 250 http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...e.html?NOV-250 but reading reviews its quite a big card. I have never owned any ATI card before but always open to try it out if its better price/performance. I got an ocz 500w psu atm but was thinking about upgrading to the ocz 700w if need be. thanks

06-20-2009, 09:20 AM	#2 (permalink)
floop12444 Senior Tech, Games Team Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: England Posts: 1,002 OS: Windows XP SP3 My System	Re: upgrade from 9600gt Hi ben, i was just wondering why you are upgrading this video card? The GTX 250 is not good performance for the price and the 9600GT can pretty much handle any game. If i were you i would wait a few months for some more graphics cards to come out. __________________ Everest Home Edtion ♦ System requirements test ♦ Nvidia Drivers ♦ ATI Drivers ♦ Revo Uninstaller ♦ GPUz Forum Rules Steps Before Posting

06-20-2009, 12:22 PM	#3 (permalink)
emosun Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: usa Posts: 6,988 OS: xp pro sp2 My System	Re: upgrade from 9600gt The gts 250 is a rebranded 9800 gt which in turn was a rebranded 8800gt. __________________ Gpu Benchmarks Cpu-Z Power supply information and selection Gpu-Z Video card quick list

06-21-2009, 02:11 AM	#5 (permalink)
~~zerofire~~ Troubled Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: United States Posts: 637 OS: Windows 95/98se/2000 Pro/XP Home, Pro, or MCE/2003 and 2008 Server Enterprise/7, Debian, Ubuntu My System	Re: upgrade from 9600gt The ATi Radeon HD 4870 would cream your current card. However the motherboard north bridge dictates what card is most compatible with your system. It is however possible to mix and match different makers if you are willing to risk problems.

06-22-2009, 09:15 AM	#6 (permalink)
ben31 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: UK Posts: 60 OS: Vista Business	Re: upgrade from 9600gt Ok I will probably go for the 4870 http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s....html?SAP-4870. I have a ASUS P5QL-PRO motherboard, would it fit? as the card looks chunky and the chipset heatsink looks like it might get it the way. The 9600gt (which is quite thin is a tight squeeze) so if the 4870 any bigger its probs wont fit. Also would my 500w be enough to run it safely? What type of problems are you talking about?

06-22-2009, 09:33 AM	#7 (permalink)
Phædrus2401 Hardware Tech Team Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 3,827 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 + Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Re: upgrade from 9600gt I have a Sapphire Radeon HD4870 1GB and it is a very solid card and I recommend it. However, the possibility of your northbridge chipset interfering is a possibility. You can experience problems like the card not working, working below performance, not being recognized, and maybe stuttering. You might not get those problems though. It's a tossup. 500 watts is not enough to run this card. I would recommend a Corsair 650tx at the least, and a 750tx would be better (though the 650 will run it fine... just not a ton of room for upgrades after that). Hmm... Not sure if the 4870 will fit or not. It'll be tight either way. You could try it and if it doesn't fit return it to the store citing "mechanical incompatibility--it don't fit". But if you don't have room for a double-wide card then there's not a ton of upgrading you can do as most all modern high-end cards are double-wide and effectively take up two slots. __________________ Good PSU brands: Corsair, SeaSonic, CWT, PC Power and Cooling, Thermaltake Toughpower, CoolerMaster Real Power Pro On 80+ Certification - PSU Information and Selection - Power Supply Myths You don't get what you don't pay for.

06-24-2009, 11:22 AM	#8 (permalink)
~~zerofire~~ Troubled Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: United States Posts: 637 OS: Windows 95/98se/2000 Pro/XP Home, Pro, or MCE/2003 and 2008 Server Enterprise/7, Debian, Ubuntu My System	Re: upgrade from 9600gt The ATi Radeon HD 4670 is available as single slot cards and they are modern. The only difference between single slot and double slot is that the interface is larger than 128bit on duel slot options.