Upgrading my Video Card

NewfieDave · July 10, 2007, 08:42 AM

My birthday was yesterday and I'm looking at investing the money I received in a new video card. I upgraded most parts of my computer last October and it runs great expect for my almost 5 year old video card. I've been reading up on cards and the differences between PCI-E and AGP and I have a few questions.

This is my current computer spec:

ASUS ACPI Uniproccessor PC with AGP slot (no PCI-E)
AMD Sempron 3000+ Processor
768MB RAM
Radeon 7500 <-- NEEDS TO BE REPLACED

I'm pretty sure my AGP slot is 4x. I went into my BIOS and couldn't set it any higher.

I'm looking for a video card that can run WoW at high end settings. Currently I have to turn my terrain distance and some other features down to the minimum to get a decent frame rate. I don't play any other computer games besides WoW that demand high end graphics, so DirectX10 capabilities are not something I'm necessarily looking for. I would also like a card that could support Windows Vista smoothly if I ever choose to upgrade. Price is also a factor (I'm looking at spending under $200 CDN).

I've been considering purchasing the Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro 256MB. Will this card work with my AGP 4x? Will I be able to get the most out of the card or will it be limited by my system spec?

Edit: Checked my BIOS again and it says this:
Vlink x8 Supported - Enabled
AGP Mode - 4x (I can't set this any higher)

*Akasha* · July 10, 2007, 09:44 AM

Happy Birthday =)

Xatrekak · July 10, 2007, 10:22 AM

knowing the exact model of your mother bored would be very helpful

Neodammarang · July 10, 2007, 12:08 PM

You wouldn't want to put vista on that current config. 768 ram is not nearly enough.

If it were me, I would save up and redo the system completely. Get a PCI-Express motherboard, new cpu, 2gigs minimum of ram and a new video card. If your just going to replace your video card to get another year out of your pc, you could... but then ram and the cpu are gonna be the bottleneck.

I know ATI just released the X1950 AGP model and it gets rave reviews as the best AGP vid card (new technology) out on the market, so you might want to check that one out.

Also, like Xatrekak suggested, if you give us a model number of your motherboard we could google it and find out about the 4x or 8x agp bus.

NewfieDave · July 10, 2007, 01:56 PM

Well, I went out today and picked up a Sapphire ATI Radeon X1600 Pro. It was within my price range and I brought my machine down to the computer shop where I bought it to make sure everything worked fine. Just updated my drivers and everything is looking good. About to download the latest patch and try out WoW on some higher settings.

I'd love to just get a brand new machine but that's not realistically in my budget for the next few years (******* student loan!). This card should last me 3-4 years for my purposes until I can afford a whole new machine.

NewfieDave · July 10, 2007, 11:22 PM

I'm having some difficulties with my new card that I'm assuming are driver related.

Anybody using a Radeon card know what version of the Catalyst drivers I should be using? I upgraded to 7.6 but I'm getting random crashes on a fairly frequent basis followed by a black screen. The problems are only in WoW.

Swoop · July 11, 2007, 12:35 AM

If your motherboard is limited to 4x AGP, it may be causing the issue. While technically there is very little difference in throughput of an AGP 4x and AGP 8x slot, there is still a difference. Additionally, there is most likely different handling required at the software driver level to handle this. Motherboards that support only up to 4x AGP are pretty rare these days, and I would be surprised if ATI or NVidia bother to confirm compatibility with such old hardware.

From what you've said above, it sounds like you probably only use this for WoW and other non-gaming related activities. If that is the case, then WoW is probably going to be the only application which will cause a crash due to graphical problems. You could try installing games with similar performance criteria and seeing if you have problems with them, but there is of course no guarantee that you will be able to duplicate the specific issues.

The only cheap solution I can think of is you could try scouting e-bay for a motherboard which supports your existing hardware, and has 8x AGP. Alternatively, you may be able to source a new motherboard from a computer store; it's worth asking around. These days they'd probably be pretty cheap given they're obsolete.

Mask · July 11, 2007, 12:42 AM

Check whether the crashes also happen in other 3D intensive programs (try 3dmark, for example). Your new graphics adapter needs more power than your old one, so maybe your power supply now needs upgrading.

NewfieDave · July 11, 2007, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mask

Your new graphics adapter needs more power than your old one, so maybe your power supply now needs upgrading.

Not a problem. I have a 600W power supply.

It says under system requirements that the card works with AGP 8x and AGP 4x as well as universal AGP configurations.

It does however say that it requires "Intel Pentium 4/III, AMD Athlon 64/K7/Athlon XP". Could my AMD Sempron 3000+ processor be the problem? I didn't think this would be an issue besides being a performance bottleneck.

Edit: I just went back into my BIOS and it turns out that I have AGP 8x after all. I also had the card spec set to only 64MB so I changed that to 256MB. Just removed all my drivers and I'm reinstalling to see if it makes a difference.

ggreen67 · July 11, 2007, 08:41 AM

If WoW is all you play I would take the card back and get yourself a $100 VC and bank the remaining cash.

That high-end VC will only provide you very marginal gains in looks/performance due to the game engine. It was designed for mid-to-lower end systems.

I'm sure there will be others here that will counter what I've stated, but I run WoW on a 5 yr old 9700 Pro at max settings. I rarely encounter performance issues. Only when I'm in Orig and its really crowded.

July 10, 2007, 08:42 AM	#1 (permalink)
NewfieDave Member Character Info Conchrot 70 Undead Warlock Anub'arak US PvP Guild: Revolving Door Profile: Blizzard Armory	Upgrading my Video Card My birthday was yesterday and I'm looking at investing the money I received in a new video card. I upgraded most parts of my computer last October and it runs great expect for my almost 5 year old video card. I've been reading up on cards and the differences between PCI-E and AGP and I have a few questions. This is my current computer spec: ASUS ACPI Uniproccessor PC with AGP slot (no PCI-E) AMD Sempron 3000+ Processor 768MB RAM Radeon 7500 <-- NEEDS TO BE REPLACED I'm pretty sure my AGP slot is 4x. I went into my BIOS and couldn't set it any higher. I'm looking for a video card that can run WoW at high end settings. Currently I have to turn my terrain distance and some other features down to the minimum to get a decent frame rate. I don't play any other computer games besides WoW that demand high end graphics, so DirectX10 capabilities are not something I'm necessarily looking for. I would also like a card that could support Windows Vista smoothly if I ever choose to upgrade. Price is also a factor (I'm looking at spending under $200 CDN). I've been considering purchasing the Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro 256MB. Will this card work with my AGP 4x? Will I be able to get the most out of the card or will it be limited by my system spec? Edit: Checked my BIOS again and it says this: Vlink x8 Supported - Enabled AGP Mode - 4x (I can't set this any higher) Last edited by NewfieDave; July 10, 2007 at 08:48 AM.

July 10, 2007, 10:22 AM	#3 (permalink)
Xatrekak Registered Character Info xatrekak 43 Undead Warlock vashj US PvP Guild: seofon Talent Spec: 0/40/21	Re: Upgrading my Video Card knowing the exact model of your mother bored would be very helpful

July 10, 2007, 12:08 PM	#4 (permalink)
Neodammarang Member Character Info Neodammarang 70 Human Warlock Drenden US PvE Guild: Brew Crew Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 0/21/40	Re: Upgrading my Video Card You wouldn't want to put vista on that current config. 768 ram is not nearly enough. If it were me, I would save up and redo the system completely. Get a PCI-Express motherboard, new cpu, 2gigs minimum of ram and a new video card. If your just going to replace your video card to get another year out of your pc, you could... but then ram and the cpu are gonna be the bottleneck. I know ATI just released the X1950 AGP model and it gets rave reviews as the best AGP vid card (new technology) out on the market, so you might want to check that one out. Also, like Xatrekak suggested, if you give us a model number of your motherboard we could google it and find out about the 4x or 8x agp bus.

July 10, 2007, 01:56 PM	#5 (permalink)
NewfieDave Member Character Info Conchrot 70 Undead Warlock Anub'arak US PvP Guild: Revolving Door Profile: Blizzard Armory	Re: Upgrading my Video Card Well, I went out today and picked up a Sapphire ATI Radeon X1600 Pro. It was within my price range and I brought my machine down to the computer shop where I bought it to make sure everything worked fine. Just updated my drivers and everything is looking good. About to download the latest patch and try out WoW on some higher settings. I'd love to just get a brand new machine but that's not realistically in my budget for the next few years (******* student loan!). This card should last me 3-4 years for my purposes until I can afford a whole new machine.

July 10, 2007, 11:22 PM	#6 (permalink)
NewfieDave Member Character Info Conchrot 70 Undead Warlock Anub'arak US PvP Guild: Revolving Door Profile: Blizzard Armory	Re: Upgrading my Video Card I'm having some difficulties with my new card that I'm assuming are driver related. Anybody using a Radeon card know what version of the Catalyst drivers I should be using? I upgraded to 7.6 but I'm getting random crashes on a fairly frequent basis followed by a black screen. The problems are only in WoW.

July 10, 2007, 09:44 AM	#2 (permalink)
Akasha	Re: Upgrading my Video Card Happy Birthday =)

July 11, 2007, 12:35 AM	#7 (permalink)
Swoop Member Character Info Crest 70 Undead Warlock Aman'thul Oceania PvE Profile: Blizzard Armory	Re: Upgrading my Video Card If your motherboard is limited to 4x AGP, it may be causing the issue. While technically there is very little difference in throughput of an AGP 4x and AGP 8x slot, there is still a difference. Additionally, there is most likely different handling required at the software driver level to handle this. Motherboards that support only up to 4x AGP are pretty rare these days, and I would be surprised if ATI or NVidia bother to confirm compatibility with such old hardware. From what you've said above, it sounds like you probably only use this for WoW and other non-gaming related activities. If that is the case, then WoW is probably going to be the only application which will cause a crash due to graphical problems. You could try installing games with similar performance criteria and seeing if you have problems with them, but there is of course no guarantee that you will be able to duplicate the specific issues. The only cheap solution I can think of is you could try scouting e-bay for a motherboard which supports your existing hardware, and has 8x AGP. Alternatively, you may be able to source a new motherboard from a computer store; it's worth asking around. These days they'd probably be pretty cheap given they're obsolete.

July 11, 2007, 12:42 AM	#8 (permalink)
Mask Subscriber Character Info Klash 70 Human Warlock Daggerspine Euro PvP Guild: Hidden Agenda	Re: Upgrading my Video Card Check whether the crashes also happen in other 3D intensive programs (try 3dmark, for example). Your new graphics adapter needs more power than your old one, so maybe your power supply now needs upgrading.

July 11, 2007, 08:41 AM	#10 (permalink)
ggreen67 Member	Re: Upgrading my Video Card If WoW is all you play I would take the card back and get yourself a $100 VC and bank the remaining cash. That high-end VC will only provide you very marginal gains in looks/performance due to the game engine. It was designed for mid-to-lower end systems. I'm sure there will be others here that will counter what I've stated, but I run WoW on a 5 yr old 9700 Pro at max settings. I rarely encounter performance issues. Only when I'm in Orig and its really crowded.