GPU/PSU Upgrade

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VrtGG

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Dec 6, 2008
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Hey all, I posted a thread a few months back about purchasing a video card and PSU combination, specifically the 9800GT was mentioned as being the best choice due to bottlenecking and whatnot.

I haven't made the plunge to purchase these, but I am wanting to do it now.

http://www.buy.com/prod/hp-pavilion...-2-5-ghz-65w-geforce/q/loc/101/208429994.html

This is the PC that I am currently using, the Processor is great, as well as the amount of RAM, and currently I am using an X700 Pro 256mb PCI-Express in place of whatever rubbish was in the in the first place.

I am thinking of purchasing a 9800GT along with about a 550 or so Watt PSU in combination, the only issue(s) I have would be which 9800GT to purchase, and which power supply would work with that GPU. The other problem is size, will the combination of these two fit into my fairly small case (it's not tiny, but it's much smaller than my former BTX case I had on the gateway). I have also read around the forums that the 4830 is apparently better than the 9800GT, or perhaps I misread that, I have always thought that the 9800GT had the 4850 as its competitor.

Anyway, here are the choices that I was looking at thus far:

GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143185

I noticed in the specifications it states: 425W PCI Express-compliant system power supply with a combined 12V current rating of 28A or more <----

Now, would this PSU work with this specific video card?:

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817702010

I cannot tell if this one is 28A rating wise, so I am unsure, I do not want to purchase items that will not work with each other, and with my PC as a whole.

Now, is this the smart choice GPU wise, for my system specs, and PSU as well, or would I be better off going with one of the ATI brands? I do not want a heap of bottlenecking issues etc either, but I do not want to skimp on GPU specifications and capabilities as well, such as that ambient occlusion deal etc, I want the whole package in terms of the price I will be paying (hopefully less than $200 or so).

Thanks in advance, sorry for the wordy question(s), but I trust you all are very pro at what you do, I do not want to get ripped off in purchasing shoddy items. ;)

EDIT: Just a quick thought I had after I posted this, in terms of heat spreading etc, how how do these things run (the GPU and PSU as well, mostly the GPU though), and will it require me to perhaps put another fan in there, or maybe even purchase a different case? Thanks again.

Here is a picture of the case once more, for clarification: http://www.tigerdirect.com/include/...id=ITD&Sku=M975-SF0009&imgcart=1&imgcounter=5

Apparently this is a "Micro ATX" case, and well, I guess it is pretty micro, it's still a nice sized case however.

Scrolling down on this site: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4011758&Sku=M975-SF0009
it shows the various dimensions of the case as well, I can't seem to remember if the video card lays flat horizontally, or it if it is straight up vertical, meh.
 
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115 is too much for that card IMO, but yes, that power supply should suit you well.
 
I'd rather not go with a crappier manufacturer, thanks for the reply though.

Also, if someone could address 90-95% of my questions, I'd appreciate it, thanks again. :)
 
So I'm guessing that the power supply will indeed work with this card, and that the 9800GT is a good-buy for my processor's quality/speed? If so, great! But if not, someone speak up, I want to purchase in the next day!
 
Agreed, 115 is too much for that card, you can get an XFX HD 4850 for less money, or even a TR-branded(2 yr warranty) EVGA GTS 250 for around that same price as well. Both would be a full, albeit rather compressed, step up from that 9800 GT.

Also, just to clarify, the 4830 is indeed equivalent to the 9800GT and usually costs less. The 4850 hasn't been considered a 9800 GT competitor since the rumors that it was one were circulating around months before it's release last year. The new 4770 lies in between the two, but is far closer to the 4850 than the -30, good luck finding one in stock though.
 
VrtGG said:
I'd rather not go with a crappier manufacturer, thanks for the reply though.

Also, if someone could address 90-95% of my questions, I'd appreciate it, thanks again. :)
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what res will you be playing at and what does the rest of your pc look like? if its as old as the x700 then that could be a problem since that card is from 2004.
 
Resolution wise, my monitor is a 22" Wide Screen (1680x1050), as can be seen by the numerous links I posted :p . If I could play at that resolution, that would be great, but if not, I do not mind going down to the 1400's or even the 1280's, as long as it's quite smooth framerate wise. I plan on playing games such as CoD: World at War, Mass Effect, perhaps some Crysis, GTA IV, Hell's Highway, and just basically a bunch of games that require Shader Model 3.0 as the minimum, seeing as how the X700 Pro is a 2.0 based card, it has restricted me from enjoying the newer games.

I posted the links for a reason :p , though I guess I could have stated simply what processor I had, my bad! It's an X2 4800+, which should more than suffice alongisde the 9800GT.

Anyway, how's the verdict looking on being able to play these games? Thanks again by the way! :cool:
 
VrtGG said:
Resolution wise, my monitor is a 22" Wide Screen (1680x1050), as can be seen by the numerous links I posted :p . If I could play at that resolution, that would be great, but if not, I do not mind going down to the 1400's or even the 1280's, as long as it's quite smooth framerate wise. I plan on playing games such as CoD: World at War, Mass Effect, perhaps some Crysis, GTA IV, Hell's Highway, and just basically a bunch of games that require Shader Model 3.0 as the minimum, seeing as how the X700 Pro is a 2.0 based card, it has restricted me from enjoying the newer games.

I posted the links for a reason :p , though I guess I could have stated simply what processor I had, my bad! It's an X2 4800+, which should more than suffice alongisde the 9800GT.

Anyway, how's the verdict looking on being able to play these games? Thanks again by the way! :cool:
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well the 4800 X2 wont be too much of a prob although you certainly wont get all the 9800gt has to offer. dropping the res from 1680 is not going to help much as that will simply just shift the load to your cpu which is would simply bottleneck that card at low resolutions. in other words you would likely get the about the same framerate at 1440 as you would at 1680 with that cpu and gpu combo.
 
Yeah I posted something just now, but then I decided that what I posted was completely off-topic, and that I am possibly the biggest moron on earth. Anyway, moving on. What kind of framerate will I be looking at for Unreal 3 engine based games, GTA4, and all that good stuff, if you know of course! I mean, as long as it is a playable framerate for most of the games that have been out from now to the last 2-3 years, I'll be a happy camper, anything is better than 25-30 on 800x600 Call of Duty 4 hah.
 
VrtGG said:
Yeah I posted something just now, but then I decided that what I posted was completely off-topic, and that I am possibly the biggest moron on earth. Anyway, moving on. What kind of framerate will I be looking at for Unreal 3 engine based games, GTA4, and all that good stuff, if you know of course! I mean, as long as it is a playable framerate for most of the games that have been out from now to the last 2-3 years, I'll be a happy camper, anything is better than 25-30 on 800x600 Call of Duty 4 hah.
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well I cant personally comment on GTA4 but from what others say your cpu will get the job done but a quad is really needed to get the most out of that game. in UT3 my 5000 X2 kept my minimum framerates exactly the same no matter what video card I used even coming from a wimpy 8600gt. every game will be playable on a 9800gt and 4800 X2 at 1680 even if you have to turn down a setting or two.
 
That's what I wanted to hear :cool: , as long as it's playable and doesn't lag obscenely, it should be an enjoyable experience in my book. One final check before I go ahead and order the parts, the PSU I had in the first post, that will definitely be compatible with the BFG version of the 9800GT? Also according to the reviews, the PSU seems to be a good all around choice, anyone have any comments on that though?

Thanks in advance once again, big help so far from everyone.
 
Before I forget, is there some kind of cooler that works with the BFG version of the 9800GT that's better than the stock cooler that it comes with, or is the stock cooler good enough as it is, my case isn't the most giant out there, so I worry about heat.
Or perhaps I should go with an XFX version of the card, since it's more modder-friendly, and get myself an aftermarket cooler? I don't know, I'm pretty lost with what I should do.


Thanks AGAIN!
 
The psu should work fine with the 9800 or whichever other card you get. I would be more concerned with the the psu and the gpu in regards to the rest of the system. Sometimes systems have what I refer to as chicken foot rattle snake configs. Just make sure there is enough room for the card (length wise) and the psu and the you should be good to go.
 
CrashingBeaker said:
The psu should work fine with the 9800 or whichever other card you get. I would be more concerned with the the psu and the gpu in regards to the rest of the system. Sometimes systems have what I refer to as chicken foot rattle snake configs. Just make sure there is enough room for the card (length wise) and the psu and the you should be good to go.
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Ah great, sounds good. Thanks for the reply. I was just mainly worried about the PSU having the proper power/connections for the card, but it seems all set now. Thanks all.
 
i was running a 4850 on a 3800+x2 for a bit and it was nothing short of awesome. We put it in my brother's pc about a month ago. He is in love. It's perfect for 1680*1050.
 
rincewind said:
How about an Asus 4850 for $95 after MIR ?
Decent brand, cheaper and considerably faster than the 9800GT you seem set on.
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So it apparently seems like the 4850 is a chunk faster than the 9800GT, which is fine by me, the faster the better to be honest. But from what I read, that model of the 4850 overheats like a mofo, something I do not want to deal with, perhaps I can find a better version of the 4850? Will look into it today.
 
Also what seems to be the deal with the 1Gb versions of the 4850, and the 512 Meg versions? They're both 256-bit variants, so is there a giant leap in performance between the two, both versions of the cards are around the same price.

Edit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150337 XFX 4850 <---

How does this card look to you fellas? Looks like a solid card, only thing I'd say is size, but I should be able to manage it.
As far as cooling, what's the low-down on vga coolers/heatsinks etc., would it be wise to get one, if so, which one is a good choice?
 
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I had the 512 mg version and I had no issues running games, but the one gig version will decrease your instances of vram running out when AA/AF are in use. And, yes, they can get pretty toasty, but it was never anything that created stability issues, even when gaming for hours on end.

Also, I think the 4850 competition is more along the lines of the 9800gtx+. No matter which card you get, you will be estatic with the improvement over your x700.
 
VrtGG said:
Also what seems to be the deal with the 1Gb versions of the 4850, and the 512 Meg versions? They're both 256-bit variants, so is there a giant leap in performance between the two, both versions of the cards are around the same price.

Edit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150337 XFX 4850 <---

How does this card look to you fellas? Looks like a solid card, only thing I'd say is size, but I should be able to manage it.
As far as cooling, what's the low-down on vga coolers/heatsinks etc., would it be wise to get one, if so, which one is a good choice?
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I like the look of that one, didn't know the Asus was prone to overheating (looking more closely at the cooling solution it is most likely the vrm's which are the problem). XFX warranty is the best you will get for an ATi card. I wouldn't recommend buying an aftermarket cooler unless you really find the stock solution annoying (at stock speeds a 4850 should run near-silent with the dual-slot cooler and appropriate fan settings).
 
CrashingBeaker said:
I had the 512 mg version and I had no issues running games, but the one gig version will decrease your instances of vram running out when AA/AF are in use. And, yes, they can get pretty toasty, but it was never anything that created stability issues, even when gaming for hours on end.

Also, I think the 4850 competition is more along the lines of the 9800gtx+. No matter which card you get, you will be estatic with the improvement over your x700.
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I bet, anything's an improvement over this crap that I have now. Thanks much for your help mate.


rincewind said:
I like the look of that one, didn't know the Asus was prone to overheating (looking more closely at the cooling solution it is most likely the vrm's which are the problem). XFX warranty is the best you will get for an ATi card. I wouldn't recommend buying an aftermarket cooler unless you really find the stock solution annoying (at stock speeds a 4850 should run near-silent with the dual-slot cooler and appropriate fan settings).
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Yeah, apparently it wasn't a very 'cool' card from what I've read around, plus on the newegg comments it wasn't something I wanted to deal with. You mention a dual-slot cooler, is that what comes with the XFX card I linked? And what would be the "appropriate" fan settings to use, I hear people like to bump up fan speeds to chop off several degrees, but I'm unsure as to how much is "too much". Thanks again for the recommendation to go ATi btw.
 
VrtGG said:
Yeah, apparently it wasn't a very 'cool' card from what I've read around, plus on the newegg comments it wasn't something I wanted to deal with. You mention a dual-slot cooler, is that what comes with the XFX card I linked? And what would be the "appropriate" fan settings to use, I hear people like to bump up fan speeds to chop off several degrees, but I'm unsure as to how much is "too much". Thanks again for the recommendation to go ATi btw.
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Yes the XFX has a dual-slot cooler, and it works a lot better than the reference one according to Hexus. Fan settings are up to you, everyone has different tolerances for noise (my 5 HDD's are the noisiest aspect of my rig). I just found the occasional spin-up up of the fan on my old 4870 to be more irritating than setting it to a constant 30% (quiet, but not silent).
 
And by Dual-Slot, does that necessarily mean that I need to slots for the card to click into, or is that just how wide the card is itself with the cooling on it?
 
VrtGG said:
And by Dual-Slot, does that necessarily mean that I need to slots for the card to click into, or is that just how wide the card is itself with the cooling on it?
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just means how wide it is. no card plugs into two slots if thats what you are asking.
 
That's actually what I did think, perhaps consumes more power etc. Well, alright, thanks everybody for the clarifications and help, was one hell of a thread. I appreciate it, god speed!
 
Update! For the 4850 specifically,what are the most stable drivers at the moment, looking at it strictly in terms of best performance. I see that the 9.5 catalysts are out, and that there are some noticable performance drops on the Vista platform using the 4850, though perhaps I'm getting misguided information? If so, would the 9.3 or 9.4 drivers suit me better then?

Thanks in advance, I've never really been to hot on drivers and such, I tend not to look into the 7-trillion page threads on what each person is having issues with, just do not have the patience for that. :-p
 
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