Video Card Question

[Uninformed]

My son is playing Assassins Creed 2 on a Dual Core, Vista-based Gateway with a built in video card. The game plays really slow which I assume is due to the video card. He has 2 PCI Express slots. If I buy him a new video card and install it, do I need to uninstall the motherboard's built in video card's software or simply plug and play the new video card?

 

[wherzwaldo]

Probably not. Just install the new Catalyst/Geforce drivers (depending on if it's ATI or NVIDIA), shut down and install the card, and reboot. Then you should be able to go into the motherboard's BIOS settings to disable the onboard video and then uninstall its drivers from Windows. Truthfully, you don't necessarily HAVE to uninstall the old drivers, and you can use the onboard video as a fallback if the new card ever craps out.

Also, download the drivers from the web site instead of using the CD that comes with the card. That way you know you're getting the most recent drivers.

Any chance you could post the exact CPU that is in the machine and how much RAM you have? System properties in Vista should tell you. "Dual core" can mean anything from a Core 2 all the way down to a Celeron, and where that CPU falls, as well as the amount of RAM, could also affect the game's performance.

 

[pulque]

If you are changing from Nvidia to ATI or vice-versa, yes, you need to uninstall software prior to installing a new card. Then install new card, and then install new software drivers...

 

[wherzwaldo]

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[Uninformed]

Thanks guys. I was able to install it without disabling the onboard graphics. The thing barely fit in the case though. More of a problem is that the computer shut down (not the software but the power turned off) after 30 minutes and had to be rebooted. My guess is that I now have to buy a new power supply. The one that came with the Gateway probably is too small for the video card. So my next question is "are power supplies a standard size"? Obviously, it will need to screw into the space where the current one now sits.

 

[pasotex]

Power supplies are a standard size. It is not all that hard to switch them out. I would check the video card to see how much power you need. I suspect a 500 watt power supply would be adequate.

 

[Uninformed]

Thanks, I just bought a 650W Ultra LSP650 from Tigerdirect. I'm just a little annoyed to have to buy another component. $125 for a video card and $65 for a power supply. At $200 already into it, hopefully, I am at the end. Otherwise, I would just buy a case, MB and processor, bluray drive, and hard drive and build him a new computer and give the old one (which is pretty darn good) to his little brother. Okay, I realize that is a lot to buy - It just kind of sucjs havin' to throw more money into it when I don't really like him playing video games anyway. Yeah, I know I have a funny way of showin' it. Being a parent is tough.

 

[Uninformed]

Thanks for the help. I installed the power supply. It was very easy. The hardest part is finding room for all the wires so they don't hit a fan, etc. Everything rebooted without problem. Now I just have to wait for my son to get home to try Assassin's Creed II. I already know that it is 1000X faster, I just have to make sure that the computer doesn't shut down after 30 minutes. I am pretty sure that all will be fine though. the stock power supply on the Gateway was surprisingly weak - 300W. I thought for a Athlon Phenom Dual Core with Vista the minimum was something like 450W.

 

[wherzwaldo]

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[Uninformed]

Thanks. I wonder how much power the new graphics card uses, EVGA 01G-P3-1158-TR GeForce GTS 250 1GB 256-bit DDR3. It definitely made a big difference in gaming speed.

 

[wherzwaldo]

Nice card. I picked up a GTS 240 for about $50 after a Fry's rebate a couple weeks ago. Full price was $100.

Based on the power supply calculator, your system at peak load would've been about 327W, so it added almost 100W. Again, only an estimate, and I don't know the exact Phenom CPU you have so it could be higher. And I've got a 600W PSU despite the fact that the calculator estimates my build at 381W, so you're not alone in buying more capacity than you need.

 

[Uninformed]

Thanks. I love learning stuff on hornfans.

 

[Perham1]

Cool.

Glad it worked out.

I'm thinking of upgrading the gpu in my Dell XPS 400 to an Nvidia something or other, 8600/8800, whatever (I've done some research, can't remember the specifics).

Not to hijack, but does anyone have specific info on upgrading a Dell XPS400? I pulled the card yesterday to look at what I've currently got (Nvidia but no easy to read numbers) and I've got the PCI express 16 slot.

Do they still sell Nvidia 8800 GTX? Does Fry's stock them? Should I just go to Fry's and ask the expert salesmen?

 

[Uninformed]

I will say that the graphics card that I purchased just barely fit so just because you have a PCI express slot doesn't mean that all cards will work. Plus, as you saw in my posts, you may run into other issues. It sounds like others could help you if you gave a little more info. What is the processor and RAM, what are you trying to achieve, what is the current graphics card, do you have a large enough power supply to handle the upgraded graphics? As for Fry's, they probably have good prices. I didn't have that option so I had to look at Newegg and Tigerdirect. At the very least, those sites are pretty good for reviews.