Upgrading to an AGP Graphics Card. HELP PLEASE!

[cooleddy4]

Hi, I have a HP PAVILION a708.UK PC, currently has the original SIS 64mb onboard graphics.

I have an AGP slot capable of an 8x card, so I want to install one. Firstly, would any 8x AGP card be ok, or are there other features which I need to macke sure would be supported?

For example..do you think a Sapphire Radeon HD 2600Pro would work ok?

Play.com (UK) : Sapphire Radeon HD 2600Pro / 512MB / AGP / Graphics Card : Computing - Free Delivery

I hope someone can advise me.

THANK YOU!

 

[Jorsoft]

You should be fine, only thing I can think to worry about is that your power supply can support that card. Do you know how watts/amps of your particular psu? It may not be enough.

 

[cooleddy4]

Right.. on my power suply it says: 230V on the back and inside it also says DC Output 250w. Do you think this will be ok?

Also, I was wondering..do you think my comptuer would be up to scratch to play some of the new-ish games? like my processor etc? I might install some new ram soon.

 

[cooleddy4]

Does anyone know if that will be alright then? Also...will it work with XP? Becuase I dont think you can get Direct X10 for XP can you? Will it work with Direct X 9?

 

[FBR_BDavis]

That power supply you have will have a hard time pushing the video card you mentioned.. For anything in today's mainstream market, you typically want no less than a GOOD 400w power supply.. By GOOD, I don't mean a PSU that comes with your case.. Far too many people make that mistake, and pay TWICE the money to replace the components they've blown up by using a shoddy PSU.. I would also like to state that AGP8x isn't exactly in today's mainstream, but, I would still recommend a minimum of 400w..

As for DirectX10, there is no OFFICIAL version of DirectX10 for WindowsXP.. So, if you intend to stick with XP, you're also stuck with DX9..

With the prices of components dropping rapidly due to newer technology being released at a more rapid rate than ever, upgrading to a PCI-Express based system can cost as low as $150 US, maybe even lower..

 

[cooleddy4]

Thank you for your reply. I have seen some 480W and 500W power supplies for around £30-£40. Do you think one of those would be ok?

 

[FBR_BDavis]

Don't just look at the power output.. Check the separate voltages for each component, and also check the efficiency of the unit.. If you're not overly familiar with the brand name of the PSU, chances are it's not a good one.. Heheh..

 

[Jorsoft]

Your psu might be a proprietary one, too. A lot of branded PCs tend to be that way. I will try and look yours up, but not tonight. I'm too tired

 

[FBR_BDavis]

At only 250w, I would think it was a proprietary PSU.. Ugh.. :/

 

[saltynay]

Cooleddy4 as you seem to be a newbie at this can I recommend you buy from the store in my sig, simply because they only sell reliable parts so you won't be swamped by the choice that Dabs.com, Scan.co.uk, overclockers.co.uk offer. They sell at a bit of a premium due to them being a small shop rather then a massive online store but there prices are competitive. I also like them because the sales staff actually answer emails quickly and are very knowledgeable not just trying to sell you a pitch for profit.

On with your problem I would not recommend that you stress your no-name psu with a new graphics card. Proprietary psu's are a lil shoddy and cheap they are more likely to surge and you could find that lovely £80 graphics card is destroyed in an instant. The psu is the foundation for your computer and if you build a house on sand (poor foundation) the house will be cheap but even light stress could cause it to fall down if you follow my metaphor.

AGP is a dying format that hasn't been mainstream for 5+ years now so it would be better for you in the long term to save up and bear the grit for a little longer until you can afford a complete system. If you want instant gratification then you will need more ram, better psu and to overlock that cpu to play at mid-low settings of modern games