Installed new video card, not satisfied

[akasixcon]

I installed my new video card 7600gs before planning to return it and I am not satisfied.

I don't know if the video card gets any better as you use it longer.

But here are my problems:

I installed the new 512mb 7600gs video card and ran command and conquer at 1024x760 resolution at HIGH settings and only returns 16-20 fps.

My computer is a Pentium 4 HT 2.8ghz, 2gb ddr pc2700 ram.

i was going to return the video card because its minimum requirements were 400 watts and My computer only has 300 watts. And yet it works perfectly fine with no slowdowns or shutdowns or wahtever as many people have reported.

Do you think power supply comes into play with the video card? Is that the reason why I couldn't run C&C 3 at high settings? With better power supply will i be able to?

 

[bleeckkk]

I'm almost positive that card recommends only 300 watts and alot of that memory is being borrowed from the system memory I think. It's just not a very beefy card. That card was $200 last I checked at best buy (just a week ago), for that money if you bought it at a retailer like that you could get the 7900gs or gt for the same money (EDIT: At newegg) and that would solve your problem. But no it's not the PSU.

 

[akasixcon]

I actually bought that card (7600gs 512mb) for $140 at Newegg.com. I'm planning to return it as I'm getting a PCI-E card.

But yeah I am sadly disappointed as the 7600gs barely made any improvements from my radeon 9200. There were actually many noticeable improvements but if I knew that those were the only improvements, I wouldn't have spent $140 on that new video card.

 

[bleeckkk]

Oh it was AGP, I assumed PCI-E. Do you have a PCI-E x16 slot?

 

[akasixcon]

I do not have that slot.

I take that back on my disappointments on the video card. It still can't go to the VERY VERY HIGH MAXIMUM settings of the game however it came close to it.

I can play the game at 1280x1024 with custom settings. Basically everything is set at ULTRA high besides LOW SHADOWS. Game is playable for me at 28 FPS without much activity on the battles and 19-21 fps during battles on the game at C&C 3. Plus I turned off anti-aliasting.

The video card is pretty much worth it at 140. Though its not as good as I thought it would have been. Although it says it requires 400 watts as a minimum I am still able to run it at 300 watts without any problems.

 

[bleeckkk]

You really shouldn't, it's not a matter of supplying power it's a matter of converting power currents. You could blow your whole rig.

 

[akasixcon]

I have many people tell me that doing this will not blow your system. Are you trying to scare me or are you trying to save me? 5 of my friends told me it will not mess up your system and the worst that could happen is that the video card will simply not work or your computer will not work.

 

[bleeckkk]

Your PSU is converting AC current from the wall into DC current for your PC. AC current can kill your PC and damage hardware before that, most everything intensive is running on your +12v rail, if you overload it then AC current will pass through straight to your hardware.