Help - Graphics Card for Customer

[rscosworth]

Guys,

Need some help, customer has brought a computer to me with a faulty pci express video card.

I havent a clue about video cards and dont know a thing after AGP, the card fits into a black slot but will also fit into my desktop pc which has a blue slot, i presume its pci x16 but not 100%

The card in question is an ATI Radeon X1650SE 256MB Vram, 512MB HM V/D/VO.

My customer is looking to replace the card with something a little better for gaming - around the £45 mark.

Is there anything out there that fits the bill?

I can advise him on anything else, but graphics is a real weakness for me.

Thanks

 

[Tute]

Well if it's for gaming I don't think you're going to get much for your money in the ATi stakes - the 4670 is a decent enough card but over budget.

If he's running 1280x1024 or less you could maybe stretch to the 8800GT 256MB? That's a very good card for the money, otherwise it's an 8600GT.

 

[rscosworth]

To be honest i have no idea what kind of games he is using but i cant see them being the most up to date etc.

The machine is a packard bell purple shirt machine so anything really within budget thats better than what he had is what im looking at.

I have a feeling that a 512mb card would be up his street, bigger the number, better the card in his eyes.

 

[Tute]

bigger the number, better the card in his eyes.

LOL, you gotta love those kind of people!

 

[jak731]

what PSU has that PC got?

 

[rscosworth]

Im utterly convinced the machine is under warranty, its definatly less than a year since i told him his last machine was beyond economicable repair, but unfortuanly, hes also the sort that doesnt keep reciepts, but will no doubt still be paying it off on the never never!

love em indeed

 

[rscosworth]

what PSU has that PC got?

Bog standard, cheapo nasty, without any other special connectors, and a couple of spare molex

 

[Alexrose1uk]

I'd say perhaps check out that PSU first. He'll only complain if you upgrade his graphics, but then his PSU can't handle it and the PC becomes unstable.

Price wise, you're looking something like an 8800GT 256MB, 3850 512MB etc, but they might need a better PSU to run stable.A 26 series pro, 36 series pro etc card will all be faster, the X16 series wasnt too hot bar the XT model.

A lot of those recent Packard Bells run fortron, IIRC, PSUs which are decent enough, but the catch being that they are only 250W models, and can't reliably take a decent gpu above and beyond the demands of the system itself.