I need some kind of graphics card

Dellboy7

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May I ask a further question.

My system is pretty old but I need some kind of graphics card.

Just something adequate for my old system.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8 Pro with Media Center 64-bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    homebrew
    CPU
    intel i3 3220
    Motherboard
    asus P8H61-MX USB3
    Memory
    8gb ddr3
    Graphics Card(s)
    on board
    Sound Card
    on board
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 900
    Hard Drives
    500gb
I suggest a card based on a Radeon HD 5450 or 6450 chipset, or an nVidia GT610. Your motherboard has a PCI-E (PCI Express) X16 slot, so most PCI-E X16 graphics cards should be compatible.

I believe they're all available in low profile form, should you need that.

eVGA requires a 300W power supply for their GT610, and Sapphire wants a 400W PSU for their Radeon cards. (400W seems excessive, but I'm not in a position to argue.) Do you have anything like that?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Window 8 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    I7-3930k
    Motherboard
    Asus P9X79 Pro
    Memory
    16 GB Gskill DDR3-2133
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GTX 680
    Sound Card
    Soundblaster Zx
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus PA246Q
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    Corsair Force GT 120GB
    WD Cavair Black 1.5TB
    PSU
    PC Power & cooling Silencer 750
    Case
    Silverstone FT02B-W
    Cooling
    Noctua NH-D14 w/ PWM fans
    Keyboard
    cheap Logitech USB wired
    Mouse
    old 5 button Microsoft USB optical
    Internet Speed
    6Mb cable
I'd also recommend the 6450 on a budget. Cheap but pretty decent. Not for powerful games but excellent for video and general Windows 8 operations with all the special effects. Heck, the 6450 is so low powered, there are some versions with no fan on them. just a heat sink.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
My PSU is 350 w so I guess that rules out the radeon.

Is it much different to get the 2gb one

BTW, the main reason I upgraded to 8 was for the 64 bit, so that I could put the max 4gb ram in my motherboard.

I took out the two 1gb sticks yesterday and put in two 2gb sticks, now windows reports 4gb(3.12gb useable)

Is that right.

It used to say 2gb nothing else.
 
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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8 Pro with Media Center 64-bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    homebrew
    CPU
    intel i3 3220
    Motherboard
    asus P8H61-MX USB3
    Memory
    8gb ddr3
    Graphics Card(s)
    on board
    Sound Card
    on board
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 900
    Hard Drives
    500gb
The nVidia GT610 is a nice card for what you will need as stated by bobkn....nice all around card.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro 64
there's no way that a GPU that doesn't even have a fan for the card require a 400W power supply:
[Solved] Radeon HD 6450 on 250w PSU? - Graphics-Cards - Graphic-Displays

power_peak.gif
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
That's interesting. I don't think I would have a problem because I will only be running one or possibly two hard drives and a dvd drive( seldom used.)

Is there anything to choose between them, power draw aside.?


BTW any comments on the memory.??
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8 Pro with Media Center 64-bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    homebrew
    CPU
    intel i3 3220
    Motherboard
    asus P8H61-MX USB3
    Memory
    8gb ddr3
    Graphics Card(s)
    on board
    Sound Card
    on board
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 900
    Hard Drives
    500gb
which cards are you specifically looking at (i.e., Diamond ATI 6450 1 GB, HIS 6450 2 GB, Zotac GT610 1GB)? maybe that'll help you narrow the choices down rather than just picking OEM designs (i.e., ATI 6450, ATI 5450, Nvidia GT610). most cards nowadays come with 1 GB and up. so I wouldn't get less than 1 GB.

it depends on how much you want to save and how long you plan to keep the card. if you're the type to rarely upgrade your hardware, you want as new as possible, especially with regards to graphics technology since graphics technology evolves so quickly. each generation, both ATI and Nvidia keep upgrading their video decoding engine in order to fix bugs and inefficiencies that were unforseen in the previous gen. in an old system, what you're focusing on is the ability to play back videos smoothly and to have a smooth computing experience. You're not so focused on performance metrics such as how many texels/second or how many pixel pipelines the cards has or whatever.

So even though an older gen card might play games better than the low-end newer-generation card, the newer generation card will have the updated video decoding engines as well as the updated DirectX instructions that come with Windows 8. And these are what you look for in terms of an old system which is focused on videos and general user interface smoothness.

Also, it highly depends on what you use this system for. Because all the cards in the low-end market are fairly equal with just some minor differences, (which may be important depending on what your needs are). The key is getting a current-generation or next-generation model. Especially because you want a card that will continue to get new drivers. As a card gets older and older, it eventually gets lumped into the legacy cards category and will receive no further updates.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
Also your processor is of the utmost performance. Whatever you can get out of graphics card depends on how strong your processor is, speed, number of cores, ectra. What kind of processor do you have?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 64-bit/ Windows 8.1 64-bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Desktop: Allison Designs by Austin Computers / Laptop: Toshiba Satellite L50-A006
    CPU
    Intel Core i5- 4590/ Intel Core i5 processor 4200U
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte H97M-D3H/ ?
    Memory
    16 GB Kingston at 1600 Mhz/ 4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte Geforce GTX 760 OC Windforce (2 GB/256-bit)/ nVIDIA GeForce GT 740M 2GB
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio'
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC 2216Vw 22"/ 15.6" Widescreen HD LED Backlit Display
    Screen Resolution
    1680*1050 / 1366*768
    Hard Drives
    2 TB Western Digital Black Caviar Drive (7200 RPM)/ 750GB (5400rpm) with Toshiba HDD Accelerator
    PSU
    Coolermaster 750W VS Series 80+ Gold Power Supply (Desktop Only)
    Case
    Corsair Carbide SPEC-02 Mid Tower Gaming Case (Desktop Only)
    Cooling
    Two Case 120 mm fans and GPU, CPU, PSU cooled by own fans respectively. (Desktop Only)
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Wired Keyboard Desktop 600 (Desktop Only)
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wired Mouse 600/ Toshiba Touchpad and Logitech Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer and Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Norton 360 by Symantec
which cards are you specifically looking at (i.e., Diamond ATI 6450 1 GB, HIS 6450 2 GB, Zotac GT610 1GB)? maybe that'll help you narrow the choices down rather than just picking OEM designs (i.e., ATI 6450, ATI 5450, Nvidia GT610). most cards nowadays come with 1 GB and up. so I wouldn't get less than 1 GB.

it depends on how much you want to save and how long you plan to keep the card. if you're the type to rarely upgrade your hardware, you want as new as possible, especially with regards to graphics technology since graphics technology evolves so quickly. each generation, both ATI and Nvidia keep upgrading their video decoding engine in order to fix bugs and inefficiencies that were unforseen in the previous gen. in an old system, what you're focusing on is the ability to play back videos smoothly and to have a smooth computing experience. You're not so focused on performance metrics such as how many texels/second or how many pixel pipelines the cards has or whatever.

So even though an older gen card might play games better than the low-end newer-generation card, the newer generation card will have the updated video decoding engines as well as the updated DirectX instructions that come with Windows 8. And these are what you look for in terms of an old system which is focused on videos and general user interface smoothness.

Also, it highly depends on what you use this system for. Because all the cards in the low-end market are fairly equal with just some minor differences, (which may be important depending on what your needs are). The key is getting a current-generation or next-generation model. Especially because you want a card that will continue to get new drivers. As a card gets older and older, it eventually gets lumped into the legacy cards category and will receive no further updates.

Also your processor is of the utmost performance. Whatever you can get out of graphics card depends on how strong your processor is, speed, number of cores, ectra. What kind of processor do you have?

Very good points. I don't need a super duper card, I just surf the net, watch an occasional movie and do a little photoshop.

I don't upgrade a lot, I was on xp pro from about 2003 to a few days ago. I then went right to 8 so that hopefully I won't have to upgrade for a long time.

But my board and processor are ancient

CPU intel Pentium D 925
Motherboard Gigabyte vm900m

and will most likely be the next thing needing replaced after the card, So I want want one which will function in a newer board at a later date, unless it is dirt cheap.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8 Pro with Media Center 64-bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    homebrew
    CPU
    intel i3 3220
    Motherboard
    asus P8H61-MX USB3
    Memory
    8gb ddr3
    Graphics Card(s)
    on board
    Sound Card
    on board
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 900
    Hard Drives
    500gb
just make sure your motherboard has an appropriate slot for you to be able to plug the graphics card in. pick a current-generation card that has at least 1 GB. people will try to convince you that you can get a last-gen card that's more powerful for a better value. don't get lured in. for your system, you want the latest decoding engines for video and the newest DirectX support for the best user interface experience. and see if you can grab something on sale. a few months ago, I grabbed a 6450 for my dad and it only cost $25 after rebate. things are always on sale.

heck, at Newegg, I see the 6450 at $30 after rebate:
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6450 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card ( 100322L)

Or, if you're willing to drastically change your system... you can get a motherboard/CPU combo that has Nvidia or ATI and that's dirt cheap and skip the graphics card (or throw on something cheap like the aforementioned 6450 which not only gives better performance but allows you to then have 4+ monitors plugged in together. Of course, it all depends on what your realistic budget limits are.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
BTW, the main reason I upgraded to 8 was for the 64 bit, so that I could put the max 4gb ram in my motherboard.

I took out the two 1gb sticks yesterday and put in two 2gb sticks, now windows reports 4gb(3.12gb useable)

Is that right.

It used to say 2gb nothing else.

I am guessing that none of you had the heart to tell me, that although I have upgraded to 8 pro and added 2gb of ram making a total of 4gb that my ancient mobo is still limiting me to 3.?? of useable ram.

Am I right.?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8 Pro with Media Center 64-bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    homebrew
    CPU
    intel i3 3220
    Motherboard
    asus P8H61-MX USB3
    Memory
    8gb ddr3
    Graphics Card(s)
    on board
    Sound Card
    on board
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 900
    Hard Drives
    500gb
An HD Radeon 6450 Can Run on a 350W Power Supply

Hello all,

I am running a Sapphire (no fan) HD Radeon 6450 on a 350W power supply without issue. However, I do not have an excessive drain on the power supply (using only 1 hard drive and other standard hardware). Moreover, from my observations, excessive heat does not appear to be a problem with this specific graphics' card. Also, my Dimension 8400 case only has 1 fan and the graphics card maintains an idle temp of 40c and a normal use temp of 41 to 42c (according to CPU-Z).

It is a nice card but it is definitely not for gaming.

Good luck!
 
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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
You need to be more specific than 3.??

BTW, the main reason I upgraded to 8 was for the 64 bit, so that I could put the max 4gb ram in my motherboard.

I took out the two 1gb sticks yesterday and put in two 2gb sticks, now windows reports 4gb(3.12gb useable)

Is that right.

It used to say 2gb nothing else.

I am guessing that none of you had the heart to tell me, that although I have upgraded to 8 pro and added 2gb of ram making a total of 4gb that my ancient mobo is still limiting me to 3.?? of useable ram.

Am I right.?

A response of 3.?? is too vague for a proper response; however, FYI, you will never have full use of that 4gbs of installed RAM because some is reserved by the system and allocated elsewhere. The best thing to do is show us a snapshot of your resource monitor at work. Here's mine, I have 3gbs installed:
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
are you sure that you installed the 64-bit version of Windows 8 and not the 32-bit? it's not your motherboard limiting your RAM per se. it's 32-bit limiting your RAM.

The main reason you go with 64-bit Windows is that you can install more physical memory. 32-bit versions of desktop Windows are limited to 4GB of physical memory, and thanks to dubious compatibility restrictions, they can't even offer that much. Every byte of memory in a system has a physical address, a number representing that byte of memory, and on 32-bit desktop Windows, those addresses are only 32 bits long (or rather, the addresses are between 36 and 64 bits long depending on which bit of software is manipulating them, but only 32 bits are actually used by Windows). This should allow 232 addresses, and hence 232 bytes—4GiB—of memory.

But unfortunately, physical memory isn't the only thing using that address range. Peripherals such as video cards also carve out chunks of the address range, so that the CPU can communicate directly with them. Video cards in particular will often attempt to place all of their video memory—hundreds of megabytes, sometimes even gigabytes—within this range. When this happens, the physical memory loses out, and has to be relocated; it is given addresses that require the use of the full 64 bits. Since Windows only uses 32-bit physical addresses, that means that you lose access to some of your RAM.

In other words, with a 32-bit operating system, all the RAM of all your devices have to fit within this 4GB address space. So if you install 4 GB of system RAM and then you plug in a 1 GB graphics card, that means your system will only recognize 3 GB of system RAM because you have 4 GB total in a 32-bit address space. If you plug in a 2GB graphics card, your system will have 2 GB of RAM even though you have 4 GB plugged into the motherboard.

With a 64-bit operating system, the limit is much much much higher than 4 GB and basically becomes "limitless" for a typical consumer.


Now, that's for your hardware side... The benefit for 64-bit on the software side is this... On 32-bit Windows, in normal configurations, each program only has a usable address space of about 2GB, half of the total memory that can be addressed with 32-bit addresses. This means that the amount of RAM that the program can manipulate directly is limited to 2GB. If the program needs to work on a larger chunk of data, it has to move that data in and out of RAM a piece at a time, usually storing it on disk when it's not in RAM. This 2GB limit is regardless of the amount of physical memory installed; if you run multiple programs, they each get a 2GB block of their own, so they can use many gigabytes in total, but any individual program can't readily break through this limit.

So that means at any given time, a program (in a 32-bit) operating system can only have access to 2GB for itself no matter if your system has 16GB or whatever amount of RAM.


Not so with 64-bit programs; 64-bit programs get 64-bit addresses, giving an address space of more than 18 billion gigabytes, of which they can theoretically use half. This limit is "theoretical" because neither current 64-bit x86 processors nor Windows support quite that much. The actual limit in theory is a mere 8TB, but this is still 4096 times more than 32-bit programs can use.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
I fitted a Geforce GT 610 this morning, so down to 2.95 usable.

Here is resource monitor
 

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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8 Pro with Media Center 64-bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    homebrew
    CPU
    intel i3 3220
    Motherboard
    asus P8H61-MX USB3
    Memory
    8gb ddr3
    Graphics Card(s)
    on board
    Sound Card
    on board
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 900
    Hard Drives
    500gb
It looks like you have too much memory (1089mb) marked as "Hardware Reserved" and that is why your useable memory is lower than expected. Now, finding out why is a whole new ballgame. This could be caused by a memory mapping problem or an option setting in your BIOS; however, since I am not an expert in this area, you would be better served if someone else continues to help you from here.
 
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My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Anyone gonna chip in.?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8 Pro with Media Center 64-bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    homebrew
    CPU
    intel i3 3220
    Motherboard
    asus P8H61-MX USB3
    Memory
    8gb ddr3
    Graphics Card(s)
    on board
    Sound Card
    on board
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 900
    Hard Drives
    500gb
For a good, non-gaming PC, I strongly recommend the nVidia GT-430, which is an older card PCIe 2 card that you can probably pick up new for $50. It runs Win7 and Win8 very well and it had VGA and DVI on it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built Intel i7-3770k-based system
    CPU
    Intel i7-3770k, Overclocked to 4.6GHz (46x100) with Corsair H110i GT cooler
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 OC Formula 2.30 BIOS
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 2133 Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 980ti SC ACS 6GB DDR5 by EVGA
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Corsair SP2500 speakers and subwoofer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 27EA33 [Monitor] (27.2"vis) HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (system drive)
    WD 6TB Red NAS hard drives x 2 in Storage Spaces (redundancy)
    PSU
    Corsair 750ax fully modular power supply with sleeved cables
    Case
    Corsair Air 540 with 7 x 140mm fans on front, rear and top panels
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i GT liquid cooled CPU with 4 x 140" Corsair SP "push-pull" and 3 x 140mm fans
    Keyboard
    Thermaltake Poseidon Z illuminated keyboard
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 wired
    Internet Speed
    85MBps DSL
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro and CCleaner Pro
    Other Info
    Client of Windows Server 2012 R2 10 PC's, laptops and smartphones on the WLAN.

    1GBps Ethernet ports
Geforce GT 610 in and running for a week or so now, doing the job fine.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 8 Pro with Media Center 64-bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    homebrew
    CPU
    intel i3 3220
    Motherboard
    asus P8H61-MX USB3
    Memory
    8gb ddr3
    Graphics Card(s)
    on board
    Sound Card
    on board
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 900
    Hard Drives
    500gb
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