[MarkakaJin]

What kind of Geforce video cards can my computer handle and that I am able to play The Sims 2 with most of it showing its stunning graphics?

cause I have an ATI Radeon integrated video card and have an extra PCI Express x16 empty slot.

I would appreciate if you can suggest a very good and decent cheap Geforce PCI express video card?

 

[koala]

When you upgrade from integrated graphics to a proper graphics card, the power requirements of your system increase. So before we make any suggestions, please open the case and post back with the details from the label on the Power Supply Unit (PSU). Make/model, total watts, amps for +12V. It will look something like this....

Enter your full system specs into this power calculator, and add 30% to the total to allow for PSU inefficiency. Post back with the total (plus 30%). This will tell us what kind of GeForce card your PSU can handle.

Also, what is your price range?

I see in your sig that you only have 512mb RAM. If you're upgrading the graphics card because games are running slow, it could be that your low RAM needs upgrading as well.

 

[MarkakaJin]

Okay, I'll do that.
Of course, I am planning to upgrade the RAM to 2GB

 

[MarkakaJin]

Well, I just got the information about my power supply but the power calculator was kinda complicated because the CPU didn't list the type of processor I have and the rest is kinda confusing.

Here's my power supply info:

Bestec Model ATX 300 12E

Input
100-127V-6A
200-240V, 23A 50/60Hz

Output
+12 V, +5V, +3.3V, -12V, +5VSB
300W Max
15A, 20A, 38, 0.8A, 2A


+5V & +3.3V 180W Max
+5V & +12V & +3.3V 288W Max


So pretty much I have a 300Watt power supply?

 

[koala]

300W is quite low by modern standards, and probably only just enough to run your current system. It might have been ok for integrated graphics, but even a low-end Ge-Force like the 7600GS PCI-e pushes your system's power requirements up by about 30W.

If you need help finding the details of your components to enter into the power calculator, use Everest and go to Computer > Summary.

 

[pharoah]

also bestec power supplies are not the greatest either.if your going to get a new video card you better get a new power supply as well.

 

[MarkakaJin]

I know this is off topic but: If I can't put anything on the available PCI Express slot, do I still need a new supply if I upgraded my ram to 2GB?

Cause I don't seem to like to buy this and that because of this and that. Upgrading for me seems to be a hassle and might as well a get myself a new computer.

Don't I have to get a new motherboard if I get a new power supply?

 

[koala]

We're not saying you can't use the PCI-e slot. You need to post the power calculator results so we can try and recommend a card that your current Power Supply Unit can handle.

A new graphics card wil need at least an extra 30W, depending on the model, and 2 new sticks of RAM approx 5-8W, so you can safely upgrade the RAM without worrying about power requirements.

What kind of RAM can your motherboard take? You will need to remove the current stick and replace it with a matched pair to avoid compatibility conflicts.

No, you don't need to replace the motherboard when you upgrade the PSU.

 

[MarkakaJin]

Okay will try again on that power calculator.

So, I don't have to worry about the RAM upgrade and yes it seems that RAM pairs are best to upgrade. My motherboard can take 2048MB of RAM which means it can take up to 2GB, I believe? It supports dual channel.

EDIT: I did the calculator thing and did most of the options I, at least, know. I calculated it and comes out to 275w

So I'm probably generating around 280w of power. How much are those geforce cards usually generate power? Like in average in all of the cards?

 

[koala]

If that total of 275W includes the extra 30% then you will need at least a 400W PSU to cope with a GeForce PCI-e card. If you didn't add the extra 30% to the total then it comes to 358W for your current system's power requirements. I would go for a 500W to give you some extra room for future upgrades, and because the quality of the higher watt PSUs is usually better for just a small difference in price.

Yes, 2048MB is 2GB. Check in Everest to see the make/model of your motherboard so we can see how many RAM slots it has and the type of RAM it can take.

See here for a list of graphics cards power consumption details. The 'peak 3D' number is the important one.

Examples:
For a GeForce 7300GS, add an extra 16W to the calculator total.
GeForce 7600GT - 36W
GeForce 6800GS - 55W
GeForce 7800GTX - 95W

What kind of money are you looking to spend on the graphics card, PSU and RAM?

 

[MarkakaJin]

Already got the RAM covered. Has two slots and each slot can take up to 1GB of RAM. I already know what kind of model name I can, I've asked on a seperate topic.

Just a very cheap PCI express video card but I hate to purchase a power supply just so to add in a PCI video card.

EDIT: If I get the GeForce 7300GS, it adds up to about 296w. What happens if I actually use a card that goes over the limit of my 300w power supply?

Another thing, my power supply seemed to be impossible to take out. It's like intact pretty good and I have no clue how to get it out.

Sorry for all the questions and all, I just like to at least make my computer a little bit better because it's really slow right now. Especially when it's loading the desktop on startup. Just asking some help here, guys. I really thank you all for giving me suggestions, advice, and all.

 

[koala]

No problem about the questions. Ask away until you get the answers, that's what we're here for :smile:

The calculator results are only a guideline, not completely accurate, which is partly why we recommend going for more power than you actually need. Also, you weren't too sure about entering the details so you may have missed out things like USB devices, fans, capacitor aging, etc.

All PSU's power output decreases over time, so after a year it will be much less efficient than a brand new one.

OK, if you want to keep your 300W PSU then you're taking a risk. The extra load will push up system temperatures, causing artifacts to appear on the screen, games to crash and possibly damaging components like RAM and graphics card. You'll have to go for a low quality graphics card that uses very little power and is not too demanding on the +12V line.

A cheap PCI-e card will improve your gameplay in terms of frames per second and the level of detail you can select in the game's options, but the improvement will be minimal. If you really want better games, you'll need to upgrade the PSU so it can handle a better graphics card.

Cheap GeForce 7200GS $34 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125071

Could it be something else causing your system to be slow? You mention slow startup times. This can usually be improved by editing the msconfig startup list, removing unnecessary entries. There might be some other Windows tweaks to help speed things up without having to spend anything on new components.

Note: I'll move this thread over to Hardware > Graphics Cards.

 

[Tiber Septim]

You may want to consider going for the extra power supply and at least a Geforce 6600 GT ($50 - $70). My sister can run the game very comfortably with high settings on a 6800 Ultra. You should be able to run everything on high if you go for a 6600 GT.

Take a look at the charts at the bottom of this page.
With everything maxed out at a high resoloution it achieves 48 Frames Per Second (FPS) on a 6600 GT. 30 FPS is perfectly playable so 48 is great.
The rest of your machine more than meets the specs (though I would also recommend going for that extra RAM as well).

 

[MarkakaJin]

If I were to upgrade my power supply in order to have a good PCI express video card, what can you suggest a very cheap and good decent power supply for my computer?

 

[koala]

Antec Basiq 500W $60
Seasonic 500W $70
Silverstone 500W $80