Replacing Graphics Card Help

Dellward

Solid State Member
Messages
9
Location
Australia
I recently - and rather stupidly - short circuited my graphics card when attempting to treat the sticky heat fan with wd-40. So I'm now in the market for another graphics card. The computer's about 4 years old and was built by my tech-savvy friend for me, so I'm not really up to date with any of the current jargon and am somewhat overwhelmed as to what I should do.

My (now destroyed) card was an MSI R4850-2D512-OC, which ran most of the games that I played with very few issues. My monitor is an elcheapo LG w1943TE-PF, which I am now also looking at replacing and which has a max res of 1366 x 768.

I'm not too sure as to any of the other specs as I don't have an image without a gfx card and thus can't access the computer, and have no idea what I'm looking at when I take the cover off. If further information on the specs is required to make an effective suggestion though, I'll do my best to find out those details.

My computer is also still running Windows XP. Will this be a concern when buying an up-to-date gfx card, and is it something I should look at addressing?

Most of the games I play I never had any issues with (Dota 2, Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, etc. I don't play that many FPS games) when running my old card, although I do want something that will last me for awhile and is hopefully a bit better than my old card. My price-range is around $200-400 Australian dollars.

Thanks in advance!​
 
First, we are going to find out your power supply model number and determine which video card it can handle without problems.

To do this:

open up your PC once again.

look for a label similar to this one

copy down the model # and everything listed in the DC output box.
 
First, we are going to find out your power supply model number and determine which video card it can handle without problems.

To do this:

open up your PC once again.

look for a label similar to this one

copy down the model # and everything listed in the DC output box.
Information as follows:

Product No: RS-460-PCAR-A3

DC Output box looks something like this:

+3.3V | +5V | + 12V1 | +12V2 | -12V | +5VSB
_____________________________________________

22A | 25A | 18A | 18A | 0.5A | 2.5A

Max Power:

165 W | 312 W | 6W | 12.5W

Edit: formatting destroyed my nice visual grid representation, but you get the idea.
 
Last edited:
Had a look at my local wholesale computer parts store, and, fortunately, they have the card you suggested in stock, PP.

They have four variations, and the price difference between worse and best is about $60:

EVGA GTX650 1GB 1058MHz
EVGA GTX650 1GB SC 1202MHz
EVGA GTX650 2GB 1058MHz
EVGA GTX650 2GB SC 1202MHz

What are the differences between the SC versus non-SC cards, and is it worth getting a 2GB card, and furthermore, how can I find out if my system can actually use the extra memory?
 
those are all GTX 650's, you want a 650ti.

and as far as the 2gig card. it depends on what games you are going to be playing at at what resolution.
 
Just get the 1GB card. A game that will take in excess of 1.2GB will cap the cards power anyways.

But yea as Sean said those are 650s and you want the 650ti.

SC is Superclocked so it is a factory overclocked card. Non-SC is simply a stock card.
 
Thanks for all your help.

I've been unable to find the EVGA version of the 650ti at any of my local stores, and buying one online seems to incur some pretty extortionate shipping fees (I live in Australia).

However, I have been able to locate the same GPU card but not made by EVGA at a few stores, for varying prices, such as the following:

Gainward GTX650Ti 1GD5 V/D/mH

Gainward GTX650Ti-GS Golden Sample 1GD5 V/D/mHGainward GTX650Ti-GS Golden Sample 1GD5 V/D/mH

Gigabyte GF GTX 650Ti OC EDITION PCI-E 3.0 1GB 128-bit DDR5, 1032/5400MHz, 2 x DVI, 1 x HDMI, 1

ASUS GTX650Ti 1024MB GDDR5 GTX650TI-1GD5 2xDVI/HDMI/D-Sub Clock 928Mhz

ASUS GTX650Ti TOP OVERCLOCK 1024MB GDDR5 GTX650TI-DC2T-1GD5 2xDVI/HDMI Clock 1033Mhz

Are Gainward/Gigabyte/Asus cards worth it, or should I stick with an EVGA? Some of these cards range drastically in price. What does all the jargon after the gainward and gigabyte cards mean?

I'd really like to buy a card from my local computer parts store, Umart, as I've dealt with them before and have assurances that they can offer the lowest prices, and I don't need to worry about shipping costs or times if I buy from them. Is there a comparable ATI card or other Nvidia card that I can get from there that will be just as good as the suggested card?

Thanks in advance.
 
Golden Sample, TOP, and DirectCU are basically the same as SC. Factory overclocked cards sometimes with aftermarket coolers.

I would say who ever has te lowest price as I can't speak on terms of CS down under.
 
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