I am currently running an ATI Radeon 9250 128 MB graphics card through my ASUS P5S800 motherboard with a Pentium 4 3GHZ processor. However it's almost time for my student loan to come through so I was thinking of buying a new mighty graphics card. The problem is though, the motherboard I have has no PCI-E slot which is basically a must for newer graphics cards (I was looking at the ATI Radeon X1300 series and upwards). It does sound a little extreme to have to go for a whole new motherboard but since I'm coming into money it feels like a good idea to update it anyway. I have a very high user knowledge of PC's although I appreciate changing a motherboard is a huge operation. Do you think it would be a good idea to take my PC to a shop (I am reluctant to do this though as I don't want to be ripped off for something I could ultimately accomplish myself) where they could give a professional opinion? Any help would be appreciated!
As long as you can follow instructions, know how to use a screwdriver and are cautious there shouldn't be any problems, if you don't want to splash the cash on a new motherboard quite yet there are some really good cards for AGP. http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/7800AGP_Series.html There's some nice cards on there if you don't want to upgrade your motherboard just yet. The rest depends on what your budget is and what you'll be using it for, you may want to get some more RAM as well. What are your current specs? We'll need PSU Make and Model as well as a high end card can draw a lot of juice for a system and you'll need a PSU that'll be up to the job.
I am running Windows XP Home on Pentium 4 3 GHz 1 GB RAM 160 GB Hard drive FSP-250 PSU Max output 250W I am leaning towards purchasing a new motherboard anyway as i bought this computer extremely cheaply so major specs all look good but corners were cut on other hardware. I have read that a hard-drive format is necessary when changing the motherboard but I don't own the Windows XP disc to re-install, any help there? Plus, what are the compatibility issues that I'll need to adress when changing the motherboard? Thanks for taking interest!
Changing the motherboard will most likely mean that you'll be in for a new CPU anyway (as a new PCI-E motherboard will probably have a newer LGA775 socket). Whether you choose AMD or Intel is another matter. However I do recommend you wait a few months when a new CPU product line is launched, that will bring older chip's prices down and also yo might find a good mid range component. You should actually be fine if you use something like [google]jellybean key finder[/google]. Then you should be able to use an XP CD of the same version and use your product code. The CD doesn't have to be yours, as long as you own a license you can just put your own product key in for it to work.
In addition to what Addis has already said, the reason you see people advocating a fresh install of Windows is due to the storage controller. Switching out the storage controller from under the OS is something like a book suddenly changing from English on one page and then picking up in Swahili on the following one. While, yeah, you can get around this, it can end up being a hassle in the end.
Shock horror, Big B missed a possible PSU issue! Your PSU may not have enough grunt to fun a new system I'd reccommend getting a new one.
Thanks very much for all your help. After careful consideration I've decided I can't be arsed to faff around with a whole motherboard upgrade so I'm gonna get an AGP graphics card. However I definitely want to get a high end card, and my only choice seems to be a Pro card and I am lead to believe that they are longer and aren't necessarily compatible with all AGP slots. Could someone tell me how whether my motherboard is compatible with a pro card or at least tell me how to find out? I'm running an ASUS P5S800-VM/S.
That motherboard is a Socket 775 Motherboard. http://www.epcbuyer.com/products.asp?partno=mboard-asus-P5S800-VM It depends on what budget you have - If you have a large budget I'd suggest a 7900GT (limited edition AGP card) from OcUK. http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/7800AGP_Series.html#aGX_2d032_2dGW It says 7800GS+ - But the description says a 7900GT so I'm sure it'll be a 7900GT. That card will be able to play pretty much anything you can throw at it on high settings at a big resolution. Also having a 'Pro' card doesnt really come into it (Unless you were talking about the AGP Pro standard) - The 'Pro' in the name of a card usually just refers to the specs of the card, a 'Pro' card will often have higher clocks and maybe a few extra features that a standard card will not have. Also make sure you invest in a new PSU if you're going with a high end card.
My budget is only really upto around £100 so I was thinking of something like the ATI Radeon X1600 pro - which seems like good value? Although I was considering buying a graphics card the thing that tipped me was buying Elder Scrolls IV so I've got to get one that it supports which are NVIDIA Geforce's and ATI Radeons.
AGP Pro was designed for workstation-class video cards to provide extra power. nVidia's Quadro and ATi's FireGL lines would come in AGP Pro format as well as 3DLabs cards. The Pro part has to do with providing additional power. No GeForce or Radeon AGP cards are in an AGP Pro format. The Pro part is independent of the transfer speed (eg AGP 4x/8x). Any AGP GeForce 7 series card will work, but yes, that 250W power supply is going to shrivel up with the power requirements needed for the newer cards. Fortron is a good brand, but I highly doubt that 250W unit is going to hold up to any current video card. The Tagan TG480-U22 is a pretty inexpensive, but high-quality power supply that will do the job for you and should be relatively easy to find in the UK.
I've got no idea about the x1600 in terms of performance so someone else will have to answer that. The PSU Big B suggested will suit you nicely as well.
The X1600 Pro is a pretty sweet card. You can pick most up for under £100. incl. VAT. 500Mhz core, a max of 1600Mhz memory clocks and 12 Pipes make it a pretty good card. You can get in either the 256Mb or 512Mb configurations but be willing to fork out more cash for the latter. The DDR2 memory is also a bit of a let down but the rest of the features make up for this.
Ok I think I am going to buy the X1600 Pro and the Tagan power supply. Will that PSU definitely be compatible with my machine?
