How do I know which graphics card I need?

[Monsieur]

I've got a packard bell desktop PC - RAM 1.7gb, intel core 2 quad Q6600 2.4ghx processor and a GE Force 7050 graphics card.

Games like call of duty 2 just don't work - the graphics are so alow and laboured.

I've looked online and can't work out what graphics card I need so that call of duty 2 will play well with no lag and in all its glory...

Any advice?

 

[Monsieur]

Some sites ask what motherboard I have

Where do I find out

 

[wessie]

go to www.crucial.com and find the utility that does a system scan - it will recommend any memory upgrades and crucially identify the motherboard

You may find upgrading the memory on the motherboard fixes the problem - it will certainly speed up the system

 

[Djalabajoe]

Look here, figures in FPS (frames per second ) and you usually run at a minimum of 25 to 30fps for smooth gameplay -

http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6140517/call-of-duty-2-hardware-performance-guide/p-3.html

Even the average performing Radeon X850 XT is £160 but for comparison your Geforce 7050 gets 56 marks on G3D and the X850XT gets 632

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

Any card with a score over 650 should play most games with reasonable settings. I have an MSI gaming laptop with a Radeon HD5870 ( 2607 marks for desktop version) but I spent six months of the year stuck out at sea.

Info on finding which motherboard you have-

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000504.htm

 

[Monsieur]

Thanks chaps

Some interesting data - I'm still unsure which 'type' though...is there a generic fitting inside PC's for all graphics card - is it just a case of pulling out the old one and putting the new one in

 

[jumperboy]

What is the exact model of your PC ?

The graphics card you have (GE Force 7050) is built onto the motherboard, you will have a PCI-e slot, next is how much you want to spend, the top cards are £600+.......how much do you want to spend ?

This one is £190 + vat
Sapphire 11188-01-40G Radeon HD 6950 Graphics Card - 800 MHz Core - 1 GB GDDR5 SDRAM - PCI Express 2.1 - 1250 MHz Memory Clock - CrossFireX - HDMI - DisplayPort - DVI

This one is £350 + vat
Asus ENGTX580 DCII/2DIS/1536MD5 GeForce GTX 580 Graphics Card - 782 MHz Core - 1.50 GB GDDR5 SDRAM - PCI Express 2.0 - 4008 MHz Memory Clock - 2560 x 1600 - SLI - HDMI - DisplayPort - DVI

 

[Monsieur]

Its the packard bell imax x3515

 

[Monsieur]

as for spending I was looking at about £60

 

[Djalabajoe]

All computers less than 5 or 6 years old use a PCI-Express fitting. Usually it is just a case of preferably uninstalling your old video driver, switch off , touch some grounded metal (such as a tap) to discharge any static electricity, very carefully change cards ensuring you connect any power leads that your new card may require then turn on and install new drivers.
However your case looks to be on the small side according to PB "designed in such a way that it is 60% smaller than that of any normal chassis". Unfortunalty some of the new cards are really big with huge fan units. You can get low profile cards but in your case it would be better to take the case into a computer shop to ensure that you get one that fits.

 

[wessie]

All computers less than 5 or 6 years old use a PCI-Express fitting. Usually it is just a case of preferably uninstalling your old video driver, switch off , touch some grounded metal (such as a tap) to discharge any static electricity, very carefully change cards ensuring you connect any power leads that your new card may require then turn on and install new drivers.
However your case looks to be on the small side according to PB "designed in such a way that it is 60% smaller than that of any normal chassis". Unfortunalty some of the new cards are really big with huge fan units. You can get low profile cards but in your case it would be better to take the case into a computer shop to ensure that you get one that fits.

I agree with the latter part, as long as the shop isn't PCWorld. By asking for advice you are placing the onus on the retailer to match a card to your system. Despite industry standards there is no guarantee that every graphics card will be compatible with every motherboard.

The OP will need to be prepared for a bill larger than £60 though.

 

[Monsieur]

Um...sounds like it would be a lot easier to just buy a new PC

 

[jumperboy]

Your not going to get much for your £60, gaming graphics cards are not cheap, lots of PC gamers have moved over to PS3 / Xbox and just have the PC for boggo stuff....no upgrades, no drivers....

 

[Pip_UK]

Sorry I'm a bit late to the party Monsieur...

I bought a new graphics card recently and found the benchmarking data site that Nostromo recommended very helpful:
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu_list.php

Basically Monsieur, pretty much anything is better than what you have now. You can pick up something that was pretty hot stuff a couple of years ago, for a budget price now.

At the £60 price point, you can get an NVidia GT430. This will play your older games very well, but will struggle with recent top-notch graphics games.

I went for a £100 NVidia GTS 450 which can support DirectX-11, and I'm very satisfied with it, even if I can't play at maxed-out settings and top resolutions in every case.

A few other points Monsieur...

Any half-decent new videocard will need to be powered via a cable from the PC power supply, so look inside your case (after switching your PC off at the mains plug) and check whether your existing card already has one plugged in, or if there's a free one dangling from the spaghetti coming out of the power supply. The plug will be a tiny, flat (probably white) lozenge with 6 or 8 (can't remember offhand) holes in it.

As Wessie mentioned, you should also look into getting some more memory. You have a good processor, but it's a bit strangled, and memory is a cost-effective upgrade.

As you have a multicore processor, your motherboard is likely to have PCIe slots for the videocard, and use DDR2 DIMM memory. Memory should be installed in matching sets (i.e. all sticks same capacity)

The inside workings of a PC can be a bit intimidating, but it's basically Lego, and it's all a learning experience.

Let us know how you get on and if you have any more queries. I've done more fettling of my PC than my GS (which actually isn't saying much), and have the soot-streaked face and singed eyebrows to prove it.

 

[Monsieur]

Thanks Pip
Quite a bit to think about

 

[Monsieur]

Right...old pc crashed so I popped to comet (pc world was an incredible waste of my time!!) and bought a new pc.
HP with (after a crucial scan) an MSI 2A9C motherborad. I've done a google and have struggled to find the info I need...

All I want is to find out what 'type' of graphics card I need to buy

How can I find out this information by using what I have just found out?

Plan is to go to maplins with the type of card I need and then buy the card I can most afford

 

[alistairl]

Right...old pc crashed so I popped to comet (pc world was an incredible waste of my time!!) and bought a new pc.
HP with (after a crucial scan) an MSI 2A9C motherborad. I've done a google and have struggled to find the info I need...

All I want is to find out what 'type' of graphics card I need to buy

How can I find out this information by using what I have just found out?

Plan is to go to maplins with the type of card I need and then buy the card I can most afford

You'll need to open up the case to change or add the graphics card anyway, so open up and look. Oh, that may invalidate your warranty.

Google PCI Express and look at pictures of it, do this before you open the PC. Google PCI Express power connector and look at images of this too.

Open up your PC, look at the motherboard and find out if you have a PCI Express slot.

Check your power supply and see if you have a graphics card power connector.

Write down both and go to maplins and say you want a graphics card for £60 for the kind of slot you have.

If you aren't confident doing this then turn down the graphics settings and don't blow your PC up.

A.

 

[BD]

which card

if all you want to know is which card then look at the card spec for the game then look at COD4 specs,decide if you want to go "slotting" bad guys on that later after you get bored with COD2, buy the minimum spec for COD4 and you`ll be laughing for a month till everything upgrades once more,i play COD4 with an "old" GT8800 and its fine,dont forget all the other specs as well,sorry to say you`ve opened a right can of worms,ask any "gaming" pcer.have fun

 

[Pukmeister]

Novatech have an outlet near me which sells PC components by mail order at very good prices (as do Dabs etc).

Check online before parting with your cash.

I just upgraded my sons PC and got a 1GB Radeon HD5570 for a very good price from Novatech. Plays any games he throws at it with ease at maximum resolution, plus Blu-Ray playback.

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/atiradeongraphicscards/