dell 9800pro failing

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Big10Fan

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 14, 2007
Messages
157
Ok so I have a dell 4600 2.8ghz p4, 1.5gb pc3200, 30gb HD, 80gb HD, dvd reader, cdrw, the 9800pro that it came with.

My vid card is overheating and crashing me in graphics intensive games, I think its in part to the fan failing(well it just got noisy). I'm not sure what I should do. I'd buy a new graphics card but I have the stock dell 250w PSU, since Ive gotten the computer i've added a gig of ram, the 80gb HD and the dvd reader, so I dont think the PSU would be able to take a newer vid card, am I wrong or right? What would be the best decision for me? get a new card(like the x1650 pro), get a new pre-made(dell/hp) and then upgrade it, or build a new one myself.

I need the cheapest alternative as I'm in college and broke. I'm a gamer so thats a priority, and If I'm going to get a new computer I want it to last at least another 3-4years. To me it seems like the computers out right now arent worth spending $500+ on, but then If I buy a new vid card and need a new PSU thats $200 right there. Any input appreciated.
 
If I upgrade the PSU, is there a limit to what graphics card I should get still? or are all my options open? And if so, is there a threshold(of vid cards) I should stay under so I dont waste money?
 
Make sure you clean the card thoroughly first and try again. my 9800XT was noisy but did not fail. I replaced with with an ATI Silencer (~$25) when I got tired of the noise and cut the temps in half.
 
thats where I am stuck, with a video card problem it could lead to many possibilites howto fix it, new fan, new card, new computer. I'm just stuck on deciding what to do. The fan is clear of dust.

when do vid card prices drop? I'll just deal with it for the next month if prices will come down.
 
Don't dump that much money in an outdated computer, especially not a $100+ Radeon 16xx series card (very poor performance/price ratio on those, x1300s and x1600s are really only useful if you want AVIVO function and not gaming). Used but mint condition/lifetime warranty 7800GT and x1900GT cards are being dumped for near $100 now (PCI-E). If you just want to extend the life of that computer by a little bit just buy another 9800 for about $40 from the FS threads and don't replace anything else. I just bought a 9800Pro for $40 2 weeks ago from here but unfortunately it came with the fan already on its way out the door and I'm too cheap to spend $25 fixing a $40 card with a nice Silencer :) I bought a $5 northbridge fan/heatsink I hope will be enough to keep the card cool with absolutely no gaming.

When you're ready for a real system spend the money on a PSU and PCI-E setup then.

I think dumping $150 on your current system for new PSU and very mediocre video card is a horrible idea, but that's just my opinion.

You can get a Brisbane dual-core CPU with good mobo for $150 and work your way up from there for all good new stuff.
 
if money is a big concern, and i know first hand how tight it can get as a college student i'd just get a new fan/heatsink for that card. its probably just overheating causing your trouble.

look at it this way: can you play every game you dearly want to at settings that are acceptable to you? if yes i'd just replace the cooler. if no, get some cash together and rebuild that sucker completely. it doesn't make sense to drop some cash into an agp card and then get a new machine with pci-e making your new agp card worthless.

a friend of mine has this roadblock....old 2.4Ghz P4 system overclocked to 3Ghz with an AGP port. he bought a 7800 GS which is fine, but he's probably going to want a new system less than a year after buying it.
 
look for a 6600 GT AGP somewhere on Ebay.
Buy a Fortron Group PSU from NewEgg for about 50 bucks and youll be descent for a while.
Truthfully, a new setup would be the way to go. Your stuff is getting old.
 
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