chedderslam
Beta member
- Messages
- 1
I had a little extra money so I have treated myself to the dell ultrasharp 24"
monitor. In my aging system, I have been using the integrated graphics for my
little 17" monitor, but I would like to invest in a graphics card to get the most
out of my monitor. The system has an agp slot, so it looks like I am limited to
that.
I am considering this card:
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100228L Radeon HD 3850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X HDCP Ready Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
I am concerned if my power supply can handle it, though. The power supply is a
Enermax EG465P-VE, which I believe is rated to over 400 watts. Can that handle a
3850?
The system has a 2.4 P4 and 2 gigs of ram. I know I won't be able to play the
latest games or anything, but will I be able to play older stuff at the monitor's
native resolution? Really, my biggest concern is video playback as most hd
streamed video maxes the processor and gets so choppy that it is unwatchable. I
am hoping the graphics card will pull some of the load for playback. If I can get
a little gaming as well, that's a bonus.
I could go with a cheaper card, like this one:
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100258L Radeon HD 3650 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 AGP 4X/8X HDCP Ready Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
It saves me a few bucks, but it is only a 3650.
What should I go with? I am willing to spend the extra money if it is worth it,
but if the rest of the system is going to bottleneck the card or if the power
supply can't handle the more powerful card, why waste the money?
I also have a Mushkin XP-650 power supply. Could I use that? Unfortunately it
looks like it has 4 20 A rails, and the newegg page for the 3850 calls for 30 A
on the 12 volt. If I went with the more powerful card, would this power supply
work? I would rather not switch out power supplies, but it is no big deal if it
lets me use the better card and that card is the best choice.
Thanks for any help!
monitor. In my aging system, I have been using the integrated graphics for my
little 17" monitor, but I would like to invest in a graphics card to get the most
out of my monitor. The system has an agp slot, so it looks like I am limited to
that.
I am considering this card:
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100228L Radeon HD 3850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 AGP 4X/8X HDCP Ready Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
I am concerned if my power supply can handle it, though. The power supply is a
Enermax EG465P-VE, which I believe is rated to over 400 watts. Can that handle a
3850?
The system has a 2.4 P4 and 2 gigs of ram. I know I won't be able to play the
latest games or anything, but will I be able to play older stuff at the monitor's
native resolution? Really, my biggest concern is video playback as most hd
streamed video maxes the processor and gets so choppy that it is unwatchable. I
am hoping the graphics card will pull some of the load for playback. If I can get
a little gaming as well, that's a bonus.
I could go with a cheaper card, like this one:
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100258L Radeon HD 3650 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 AGP 4X/8X HDCP Ready Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
It saves me a few bucks, but it is only a 3650.
What should I go with? I am willing to spend the extra money if it is worth it,
but if the rest of the system is going to bottleneck the card or if the power
supply can't handle the more powerful card, why waste the money?
I also have a Mushkin XP-650 power supply. Could I use that? Unfortunately it
looks like it has 4 20 A rails, and the newegg page for the 3850 calls for 30 A
on the 12 volt. If I went with the more powerful card, would this power supply
work? I would rather not switch out power supplies, but it is no big deal if it
lets me use the better card and that card is the best choice.
Thanks for any help!