Will my new video card work?

Lifeismusic · 07-15-2005, 12:08 AM

Hi, I'm thinking of getting a new video card, the nVidia 6800GT 256MB AGP 8x. Here's my concern. I ran CPU-Z a couple days ago, and it says that on my mainboard the AGP is only 4x (this I knew) and that the Aperture size is 128MB. Does this mean that if I got the 256MB card, only half of it would be used because my AGP slot was limitting the transfer? Or am I just being stupid. Also, the 8x is backwards compatable with the 4x right? Thanks a lot.

**UncleMacro** · 07-15-2005, 02:41 AM

A 6800GT is compatible with an AGP 4X slot. They both support 1.5 volt signaling. The gory details on AGP compatibility can be found here if you're interested. And you won't lose any performance on an AGP 4X motherboard because AGP 8X is only a couple of percent faster in real life than AGP 4X.

The AGP aperture just tells you how much data the video card is allowed to store in the motherboard RAM. You can probably change it in the BIOS but 128MB is a reasonable value with a 256MB video card. So programs would use the full 256MB of the 6800GT RAM and then could also use 128MB on the motherboard if necessary.

How fast is your CPU? If your machine is old enough to have a 4X AGP slot then you may also have a slow CPU which will always be the bottleneck which combined with a fast video card like a 6800GT. If you combine a slow CPU with a fast video card then the video card will rarely be able to reach its maximum speed so it's worth considering.

The other thing to check is that your power supply can handle a 6800GT. Older power supplies don't have a very strong 12 volt rail and a high-end card like a 6800GT require lots of power on the 12 volt rail. It's a good idea to find out how many amps your power supply can deliver at 12 volts. It's written on a label on the side of the power supply.

Lifeismusic · 07-15-2005, 09:38 AM

Heh, man I hate Dell. They put the PSU info on the underside of the PSU, so I had to take it out and everything. Anyway, I have a 2.8 Ghz P4, so I think that that will be dast enough, but the PSU is only 250W. I know I will need to upgrade that, but I don't know how because it is a Dell 8200 and I don't know if there are any PSU's that will fit in it. On the little lable on the PSU, it said that the +12 was 14 Amps, and the -12 was -1. Thanks for the fast reply, I'd be stuck without you.

**UncleMacro** · 07-15-2005, 07:59 PM

If you want a 6800GT that power supply has got to go. I checked around and found a couple of web sites which said that the motherboard in an 8200 will accept a standard ATX power supply. So you're in luck there because some Dell models use non-standard power supplies and go boom when you plug in a standard ATX power supply. It looks like there is enough room in the case to fit a standard power supply but you may have to break out a hacksaw because the back of the case doesn't have the standard cutout. It looks like it just has a hole for the plug and a grate for the fan. You'd have to find a power supply without the power switch and with the plug and fan in the right spot. I don't know why Dell makes this so difficult. The only other potential issue is that the motherboard has a standard 20 pin ATX connector but it doesn't have the auxiliary 4 pin 12 volt connector. I think it will be okay because the 6800GT has a power connector on the video card into which you plug a hard driver power cable so it doesn't have to draw that much current from the motherboard. Basically, it looks like this is a doable upgrade but it's not exactly going to be a "plug it in and it just works" upgrade.

Lifeismusic · 07-15-2005, 08:10 PM

Yeah, as soon as I read "250W" I groaned. Its good to know that it will work out, even if it takes a bit of screwing around. If you could give me some idea of what would be a good PSU, (like from newegg of something) that would be great. And if you could let me know about what wattage you would recommend that would be great too. Thank you so much for looking this stuff up, I'd have no clue where to start looking. And hopefully if I get the card and have troubles installing it, you can help me with that too.

Thanks again.

**UncleMacro** · 07-15-2005, 10:04 PM

From the Dell 8200 manual it looks like your motherboard only has the main 20 pin ATX power connector and doesn't have the extra 4 pin connector. You can see both power connectors in the lower right-hand corner of this motherboard. You need to check if the extra 4 pin connector is on your motherboard because it affects what kind of power supply to get. The little 4 pin connector doesn't have to be next to the larger 20 pin one. It can appear just about anywhere on the motherboard. It's something you need to check because if your motherboard doesn't have the extra 4 pin connector then it's not a good idea to put a dual 12 volt rail power supply into your computer. If you don't know what that is then don't worry about it. It's just a newer kind of power supply which you really shouldn't put into an older motherboard without the little 4 pin connector. So if you don't have the 4 pin connector then you really need to stick to an older single 12 volt rail power supply. Assuming you don't have the 4 pin connector then this 460 watt enermax power supply should be okay. This 430 watt Antec TruePower is actually a more powerful supply. You can't always trust wattage ratings. And from the looks of it you'll either need to be good at sawing holes in your case or replace it. New ones without power supplies start at about $20.

Lifeismusic · 07-16-2005, 01:26 AM

Well, I had thought of getting a new case before, but was told I would have a lot of complications with the size of the motherboard. If you know how it can be done, I would love to know what case would be good. And if it came with a PSU that would be great too.

My MB does have the 4 pin connector, and the "P2" from the PSU is plugged into it. I dunno if my computer is a bit better than the base version or whatever, cause my brother bought it from a friend and in turn sold it to me.

**UncleMacro** · 07-16-2005, 07:16 AM

Okay, since you have the 4 pin power connector you can get a newer power supply. This Antec 430 watt TruePower is a nice one in this price range. It handles both 20 and 24 pin power connectors so it'll work with your motherboard. It's a relatively new power supply so it has some of the new SATA power connectors and less of the old molex connectors (the ones which plug into older hard disks). So if you have more than a couple of disk drives you may need a few of these to give you some extra molex connectors.

I looked at the drawing of your motherboard in the 8200 manual and it has a funny shape. You may have some problems fitting it into a regular case. It's hard to tell without pulling it out of the Dell case and measuring it. It's probably easier to stick with your current case and cut a hole in back so the power supply fits. The specs on that power supply are here. It looks like it will fit in your case but you'd better check. It says the dimensions are 5.9"(L) x 5.5"(W) x 3.4"(H).

Lifeismusic · 07-16-2005, 10:39 AM

Awesome, thanks for all the info. Now, the Antec 430W a has a fan on the top, does that mean i would have to cut a hole in the top of may case as well? cause, I'm a bit "iffy" about cutting up the back of my case, but the top is just a bit much...

**UncleMacro** · 07-16-2005, 05:14 PM

The fan is actually on the bottom. The PSU is sitting upside down in the picture to show the large impressive-looking fan. Were you impressed?

BTW, you were asking earlier about problems installing a new video card. The correct way of changing video cards is as follows:
1) Uninstall the display drivers for your existing video card (instructions here).
2) Shut the machine down and remove the old video card. You may have to undo a latch at the front of the AGP connector to remove the AGP card.
3) Insert the 6800GT. Push it all the way into the slot to make sure it's seated properly. Connect a hard drive power cable to the 6800GT.
4) Boot the machine and install your new display drivers (instructions here).
If you do it that way (uninstall old drivers, swap cards, install new drivers), you rarely have problems.

Lifeismusic · 07-18-2005, 07:38 PM

Oh, I was very impressed. :-) Grin, and I meant that if i had problems I would hopefully be able to get your help, but I have changed things in my case before. But I didn't know what order to install/uninstall everything, so thanks for the tips. Are there HD power cables in the case? Or would I need to buy them seperatly, or are they in some cases only and you would have no clue what is in my case, and I have to go look again.

Hey, and I just want to say thank you for continuing to reply to my stupid questions. Peace

**UncleMacro** · 07-18-2005, 08:34 PM

Take a careful look at the pictures of the video card you intend to buy. In this card you can see a 4 pin molex in the bottom right-hand corner of the picture. Most of the AGP 6800GTs use that power connector but there may be a few that don't so you should check. You have to plug in a hard drive power connector. Some of the video cards come with a Y cable which gives you an extra power connector in case you're out of them. If the card doesn't come with a Y cable then you just look in your case for unused one of these:

If you don't have an extra one of those in your case (the connector - not Chairman Mao) then just get one of the Y cables.

caralampio · 07-20-2005, 05:55 PM

I was consider that upgrade too, and I have a Dell 8250. I imagine that I would have the same problems?
Will the 6600 GT give the same problem?

**UncleMacro** · 07-20-2005, 07:26 PM

The 12 volt rail of a Dell 8250 power supply is 10 amps. That's not good at all. There is some chance you would be able to run a 6600GT without changing the power supply but your chances aren't good. Just about anything other than a low-end video card has a good chance of overloading your power supply.

07-15-2005, 12:08 AM	#1 (permalink)
Lifeismusic Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 159 OS: XP Home My System	Will my new video card work? Hi, I'm thinking of getting a new video card, the nVidia 6800GT 256MB AGP 8x. Here's my concern. I ran CPU-Z a couple days ago, and it says that on my mainboard the AGP is only 4x (this I knew) and that the Aperture size is 128MB. Does this mean that if I got the 256MB card, only half of it would be used because my AGP slot was limitting the transfer? Or am I just being stupid. Also, the 8x is backwards compatable with the 4x right? Thanks a lot.

07-15-2005, 02:41 AM	#2 (permalink)
UncleMacro TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,133 OS: Vista SP1 My System	A 6800GT is compatible with an AGP 4X slot. They both support 1.5 volt signaling. The gory details on AGP compatibility can be found here if you're interested. And you won't lose any performance on an AGP 4X motherboard because AGP 8X is only a couple of percent faster in real life than AGP 4X. The AGP aperture just tells you how much data the video card is allowed to store in the motherboard RAM. You can probably change it in the BIOS but 128MB is a reasonable value with a 256MB video card. So programs would use the full 256MB of the 6800GT RAM and then could also use 128MB on the motherboard if necessary. How fast is your CPU? If your machine is old enough to have a 4X AGP slot then you may also have a slow CPU which will always be the bottleneck which combined with a fast video card like a 6800GT. If you combine a slow CPU with a fast video card then the video card will rarely be able to reach its maximum speed so it's worth considering. The other thing to check is that your power supply can handle a 6800GT. Older power supplies don't have a very strong 12 volt rail and a high-end card like a 6800GT require lots of power on the 12 volt rail. It's a good idea to find out how many amps your power supply can deliver at 12 volts. It's written on a label on the side of the power supply.

07-15-2005, 09:38 AM	#3 (permalink)
Lifeismusic Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 159 OS: XP Home My System	Heh, man I hate Dell. They put the PSU info on the underside of the PSU, so I had to take it out and everything. Anyway, I have a 2.8 Ghz P4, so I think that that will be dast enough, but the PSU is only 250W. I know I will need to upgrade that, but I don't know how because it is a Dell 8200 and I don't know if there are any PSU's that will fit in it. On the little lable on the PSU, it said that the +12 was 14 Amps, and the -12 was -1. Thanks for the fast reply, I'd be stuck without you.

07-15-2005, 07:59 PM	#4 (permalink)
UncleMacro TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,133 OS: Vista SP1 My System	If you want a 6800GT that power supply has got to go. I checked around and found a couple of web sites which said that the motherboard in an 8200 will accept a standard ATX power supply. So you're in luck there because some Dell models use non-standard power supplies and go boom when you plug in a standard ATX power supply. It looks like there is enough room in the case to fit a standard power supply but you may have to break out a hacksaw because the back of the case doesn't have the standard cutout. It looks like it just has a hole for the plug and a grate for the fan. You'd have to find a power supply without the power switch and with the plug and fan in the right spot. I don't know why Dell makes this so difficult. The only other potential issue is that the motherboard has a standard 20 pin ATX connector but it doesn't have the auxiliary 4 pin 12 volt connector. I think it will be okay because the 6800GT has a power connector on the video card into which you plug a hard driver power cable so it doesn't have to draw that much current from the motherboard. Basically, it looks like this is a doable upgrade but it's not exactly going to be a "plug it in and it just works" upgrade.

07-15-2005, 08:10 PM	#5 (permalink)
Lifeismusic Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 159 OS: XP Home My System	Yeah, as soon as I read "250W" I groaned. Its good to know that it will work out, even if it takes a bit of screwing around. If you could give me some idea of what would be a good PSU, (like from newegg of something) that would be great. And if you could let me know about what wattage you would recommend that would be great too. Thank you so much for looking this stuff up, I'd have no clue where to start looking. And hopefully if I get the card and have troubles installing it, you can help me with that too. Thanks again.

07-15-2005, 10:04 PM	#6 (permalink)
UncleMacro TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,133 OS: Vista SP1 My System	From the Dell 8200 manual it looks like your motherboard only has the main 20 pin ATX power connector and doesn't have the extra 4 pin connector. You can see both power connectors in the lower right-hand corner of this motherboard. You need to check if the extra 4 pin connector is on your motherboard because it affects what kind of power supply to get. The little 4 pin connector doesn't have to be next to the larger 20 pin one. It can appear just about anywhere on the motherboard. It's something you need to check because if your motherboard doesn't have the extra 4 pin connector then it's not a good idea to put a dual 12 volt rail power supply into your computer. If you don't know what that is then don't worry about it. It's just a newer kind of power supply which you really shouldn't put into an older motherboard without the little 4 pin connector. So if you don't have the 4 pin connector then you really need to stick to an older single 12 volt rail power supply. Assuming you don't have the 4 pin connector then this 460 watt enermax power supply should be okay. This 430 watt Antec TruePower is actually a more powerful supply. You can't always trust wattage ratings. And from the looks of it you'll either need to be good at sawing holes in your case or replace it. New ones without power supplies start at about $20.

07-16-2005, 01:26 AM	#7 (permalink)
Lifeismusic Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 159 OS: XP Home My System	Well, I had thought of getting a new case before, but was told I would have a lot of complications with the size of the motherboard. If you know how it can be done, I would love to know what case would be good. And if it came with a PSU that would be great too. My MB does have the 4 pin connector, and the "P2" from the PSU is plugged into it. I dunno if my computer is a bit better than the base version or whatever, cause my brother bought it from a friend and in turn sold it to me.

07-16-2005, 07:16 AM	#8 (permalink)
UncleMacro TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,133 OS: Vista SP1 My System	Okay, since you have the 4 pin power connector you can get a newer power supply. This Antec 430 watt TruePower is a nice one in this price range. It handles both 20 and 24 pin power connectors so it'll work with your motherboard. It's a relatively new power supply so it has some of the new SATA power connectors and less of the old molex connectors (the ones which plug into older hard disks). So if you have more than a couple of disk drives you may need a few of these to give you some extra molex connectors. I looked at the drawing of your motherboard in the 8200 manual and it has a funny shape. You may have some problems fitting it into a regular case. It's hard to tell without pulling it out of the Dell case and measuring it. It's probably easier to stick with your current case and cut a hole in back so the power supply fits. The specs on that power supply are here. It looks like it will fit in your case but you'd better check. It says the dimensions are 5.9"(L) x 5.5"(W) x 3.4"(H).

07-16-2005, 10:39 AM	#9 (permalink)
Lifeismusic Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 159 OS: XP Home My System	Awesome, thanks for all the info. Now, the Antec 430W a has a fan on the top, does that mean i would have to cut a hole in the top of may case as well? cause, I'm a bit "iffy" about cutting up the back of my case, but the top is just a bit much...

07-16-2005, 05:14 PM	#10 (permalink)
UncleMacro TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,133 OS: Vista SP1 My System	The fan is actually on the bottom. The PSU is sitting upside down in the picture to show the large impressive-looking fan. Were you impressed? BTW, you were asking earlier about problems installing a new video card. The correct way of changing video cards is as follows: 1) Uninstall the display drivers for your existing video card (instructions here). 2) Shut the machine down and remove the old video card. You may have to undo a latch at the front of the AGP connector to remove the AGP card. 3) Insert the 6800GT. Push it all the way into the slot to make sure it's seated properly. Connect a hard drive power cable to the 6800GT. 4) Boot the machine and install your new display drivers (instructions here). If you do it that way (uninstall old drivers, swap cards, install new drivers), you rarely have problems.

07-18-2005, 07:38 PM	#11 (permalink)
Lifeismusic Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 159 OS: XP Home My System	Oh, I was very impressed. :-) Grin, and I meant that if i had problems I would hopefully be able to get your help, but I have changed things in my case before. But I didn't know what order to install/uninstall everything, so thanks for the tips. Are there HD power cables in the case? Or would I need to buy them seperatly, or are they in some cases only and you would have no clue what is in my case, and I have to go look again. Hey, and I just want to say thank you for continuing to reply to my stupid questions. Peace

07-18-2005, 08:34 PM	#12 (permalink)
UncleMacro TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,133 OS: Vista SP1 My System	Take a careful look at the pictures of the video card you intend to buy. In this card you can see a 4 pin molex in the bottom right-hand corner of the picture. Most of the AGP 6800GTs use that power connector but there may be a few that don't so you should check. You have to plug in a hard drive power connector. Some of the video cards come with a Y cable which gives you an extra power connector in case you're out of them. If the card doesn't come with a Y cable then you just look in your case for unused one of these: If you don't have an extra one of those in your case (the connector - not Chairman Mao) then just get one of the Y cables.

07-20-2005, 05:55 PM	#13 (permalink)
caralampio Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 5 OS: XP	I was consider that upgrade too, and I have a Dell 8250. I imagine that I would have the same problems? Will the 6600 GT give the same problem?

07-20-2005, 07:26 PM	#14 (permalink)
UncleMacro TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,133 OS: Vista SP1 My System	The 12 volt rail of a Dell 8250 power supply is 10 amps. That's not good at all. There is some chance you would be able to run a 6600GT without changing the power supply but your chances aren't good. Just about anything other than a low-end video card has a good chance of overloading your power supply.