Dell 2007WFP on GFX card

[Simon C]

1st post so i'll say a quick hello to all.

My system is getting a little old but functions fine for what i want, currently i have:
Abit NF7-S v2.0
AMD Athlon 3200+ Barton
1gb Corsair XMS3200Pro Ram
a 19" Hyundai brought from OCUK last year.
GFX - Hercules 3D Prophet Radeon 9800 Pro

now i've seen the tasty price of the Dell 2007WFP but i would like to know if my GFX card will be able to supply the monitor with decent graphics, i use my PC for sound editing, word processing and also gaming from time to time...now im not totally into my games i just enjoy HL and GTA really (and i'm not expecting them to play to the best gfx settings).

so.
1) will my current card be able to handle the monitor ok?
2) a guy from OKUK recommended the Leadtek GeForce 7600 GT 256MB (AGP) as an upgrade...is it worth it in the short term as im propably going to jump to PCI-E and dual-core within 12months?

Any help would be great, thanks.

 

[PinkFloyd]

I'd stick with the 9800pro for a while longer.
Then do a decent upgade as soon as you can afford it.
Spending money on AGp cards is rarely justified now imo.

 

[fish99]

On the other hand 7600 GT is a decent card, a bit quicker than a 6800 Ultra, so a very nice upgrade from a 9800 Pro. Recently bought the 7600 GT AGP for my Dads PC to give it a helping hand with demanding games and I'm very impressed with it. Whether it's worth £140 + delivery is another matter though.

How it will run in 1680*1050 will depend on the game. HL2 / GTA series aren't too demanding so I suspect it would be fine with those. Plus you can always use a lower res if needed.

Get the monitor first, try it on your 9800 Pro, then get the 7600 GT if you need it.

 

[mrgubby]

I've just ordered a Samsung 215TW & my system is very similar to yours , A64 3000 , 1Gb ram & 9800pro/XT . I use it for Photoshop , Word & CS:S . OcUK should deliver on Tuesday so if your not in a rush I could give it a quick review Tuesday night

 

[thefranklin]

Depending on how you want it to look, you can run it at alternate (lower) resolutions. 1280*720 is what I like to run on some of the more demanding games, and I can't really tell the difference.

 

[Simon C]

well i purchased it from OCUK, the extra years warrenty represents good value for this monitor.

currently sitting at work patiently waiting for Mr City Link courier to come and drop by my monitor.

thanks for the advice.

just noticed that the PCI Express 2.0 final draft spec has been published, how long till we see PCI-E 2.0 m/b's and GFX cards? ...wonder if my aging AGP system will wait till then...

 

[Simon C]

right, i've connected my new Dell monitor up, logged into windows and had about a three minture session before my pc shut down and my motherboard emmitted a two tone siren.

i've check all gfx card connections & internal connections.
i've booted the PC with my old monitor attached, i log on and the same happens.
i opened the side of my case and had a fan blasting into it but again the same happens

my system;
NF7-S v2.0 + Thermaltake Big Typhoon
Corsair XMS3200c2Pro (512mb x 2)
Maxtor Maxline III SATA x 2
Hercules Radeon 9800 Pro
Enermax EG465AX-VE(G) 460w
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Professional
Coolermaster Cooldrive 6 + Cooldrive Lite
2 x Thermaltake Thunderblade 80mm

i read that two issues are heat and voltages, prehaps i have too much driving the power supply?

 

[fish99]

Your Enermax 465W should be able to handle that system. I have an Enermax 465W and it has no problem with my X1800 XT drawing 103W.

Odd that just changing the monitor should make the system shut down. The higher res would certainly stress the system out a lot more in games though. Despite what I've said above about the PSU, the system shutting down usually indicates either a power or heat problem.

Could check the video card hasn't become a bit loose in it's slot. Also you could run at the res the old monitor used (assuming you've only changed the monitor) just to see if it still shuts down. Could check all the fans are still spinning too (cpu, video card, northbridge etc) and check the temps are ok.

Other than that I dunno. PSUs do wear out over time and the voltages do drop. Might be worth trying a different one if you have a spare.

Btw it might tell you in the motherboad manual what that two-tone siren means.

 

[Simon C]

yep, its a real bugger to be honest and has left me perplexed.

after sleeping on it i deffo remember having the side of my case open last night before i attached the monitor (to blow out dust with air) and knocking the heatsink. when i get back i'll just take it off, reapply paste and put it back on. ...never did like the way the Thermaltake Big Typhoon sat.
i've already checked all connections and reseated the GFX card, i've also tried booting with the old monitor. all fans, psu fans, cpu fans are spinning normally. northbridge has a Zalman heatsink on.

Its say's in the manual its related to a heat or voltage issue.

I wonder if the extra draw on the PSU to drive the monitor at higher res has popped something on the PSU or sent it awry, in all fairness its been on a lot since i purchased it four years ago and i've considered replacing it a few months ago.

 

[Simon C]

well, it was a loose heatsink in the end. those Thermaltake Big Typhoon heatsinks are great in many ways but the nuts seem to work themselves loose over time and their is no way to know if your overtightenting them, so as rule of thumb handtight i work to.

....if its not one thing or another my Maxtor HD has started to click loudly, sigh. well, everythings backed up now and will set-up XP and Vista RC1 dual-boot tomorrow night on my Maxtor HD

Monitor looks great no fandabbydozy, will be watching my Krafterk DVD's on it first this evening. so pleased.