PCI Graphics card?

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khakigirl

CAG Veteran
My husband and I have a craptastic computer. It's great for school/work stuff, but it sucks for gaming. We added 2 GB of RAM recently for a total of 2.5GB but it's still fairly slow and glitchy, even on games like The Sims. We did some research and found that is has an onboard graphics card that's pretty much the worst graphics card for gaming. I did some more research and found that we need a PCI graphics card but I'm not finding any that would be decent for gaming. I'm not really sure what I'm looking for, though. I'm fairly computer savvy but when it comes to this kind of thing, I'm pretty lost.

Our computer specs:
HP Pavillion a1102n
Windows XP Home
Intel 4 2.93 Ghz processor
2.5 GB RAM

Any suggestions?

 
[quote name='Vega$']Nooooooo do not buy a 8400gs, the evga version is the best one btw, but i will skip that and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814139050R

9400gt series[/QUOTE]

I really doubt that this pc has a 400w psu though. I have a IBM with simular specs, but with a pcie slot. It only has a 300 w psu. A slightly older version of that pc has pci slots only and has a 250w psu. I'm willing to bet that it has a 250w psu. I would get an ATI card instead. Most of their pci cards will work with a smaller psu. Although you could try the 8400gs.
 
As mogamer pointed out, the 8400gs asks for a 300W PSU but you should be able to power it with your computer (its a 250W PSU) anyway.
 
If your computer still has a pci slot, you would probably be better off building a really cheap replacement. You're not just a generation or two behind, you are about 10 years behind. Even my computer from 1998 had an agp slot, and people have since moved to pci express. I don't really know how much a pci slot would limit an 8400 or 9400 card.

What games do you want to try and run on this machine?
 
[quote name='mogamer']I really doubt that this pc has a 400w psu though. I have a IBM with simular specs, but with a pcie slot. It only has a 300 w psu. A slightly older version of that pc has pci slots only and has a 250w psu. I'm willing to bet that it has a 250w psu. I would get an ATI card instead. Most of their pci cards will work with a smaller psu. Although you could try the 8400gs.[/QUOTE]



I think the talk about a power supply requirement is ineffectual here. The maximum power that a PCI bus can draw is only 25W. So that means the maximum power the PCI video card will use is 25W. I see that either video card requires no external power source, so I'm 100% certain a 250W power supply is adequate and no other upgrade is necessary when installing the dedicated video card.

So now it comes down to how much the OP is willing to pay for a PCI video card. The 9400GT is a better card than the 8400GS, but of course, cost ~$25 more. This list includes all the nVidia 9 series that you may want to consider, depending on what you are willing to pay.
 
[quote name='mogamer']I really doubt that this pc has a 400w psu though. I have a IBM with simular specs, but with a pcie slot. It only has a 300 w psu. A slightly older version of that pc has pci slots only and has a 250w psu. I'm willing to bet that it has a 250w psu. I would get an ATI card instead. Most of their pci cards will work with a smaller psu. Although you could try the 8400gs.[/QUOTE]

A 9400 GT won't use any more peak power than an 8400. A few watts maybe, but nothing much.

The real question is does the OP want to spend $50-$75 on a video card that would go for $25-$30 in PCI Express form. I say take that $75 and put it towards an account for a new rig with a PCI express slot. You can get perfectly decent new prebuilt PCs for $300-$400 and you'll be saving money over paying for the "old tech premium" on the parts you have to buy for the old machine. Then when you buy your new one, part out your old PC (memory, HDD, whatever) and get a few more $ back.
 
[quote name='msdmoney']If your computer still has a pci slot, you would probably be better off building a really cheap replacement. You're not just a generation or two behind, you are about 10 years behind. Even my computer from 1998 had an agp slot, and people have since moved to pci express. I don't really know how much a pci slot would limit an 8400 or 9400 card.

What games do you want to try and run on this machine?[/QUOTE]

I find it so odd that this computer is 10 years behind when my mom purchased it 5 years ago. I guess she got ripped off (okay, I know she got ripped off, she paid $700+ for it). After reading the responses on here, we'll probably just end up getting a new computer and selling our current one.

My hubby likes games like Neverwinter Nights (the first 1 plays on this pc, but not Neverwinter 2), Halo, Diablo, etc. We have a laptop that will play the games for the most part but the processor SUCKS on it (Intel T2080 1.73 Ghz) AND it has Vista on it.

[quote name='RAMSTORIA']as others have said, youre running very far behind the times. you could spend $50 for a new card, but i built this computer just now, its $315 (less after mail in rebates), that will out perform your current PC by far and should not have any trouble handling a game like the sims.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=15146108[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't mind trying to build a PC. I know how to put them together already. Would the things you have listed make a PC that would play the games my husband wants to play?
 
that pc will definitaly play games better than the laptop and should be more than able to handle neverwinter nights, halo and diablo (2 i assume). it wont be running crysis maxed out anytime soon. but it will be able to play the vast majority of games and play them decently.
 
I would just save up for a new PC.
A 9400GT won't need more than 300 Watt PSU hands down. However the price is ridiculous. You know why? Economics show that lower demands results in a higher price.
So just build a new PC. $300-$400 will not get you anything good. You're going to probably need a new monitor, as I am assuming the one you have is probably a fat CRT.
Message me and I will help you configure the best bang for buck PC you can think of. I've been doing this for years so many times it's like eating and breathing.
 
[quote name='MicrosoftGuy']I would just save up for a new PC.
A 9400GT won't need more than 300 Watt PSU hands down. However the price is ridiculous. You know why? Economics show that lower demands results in a higher price.
So just build a new PC. $300-$400 will not get you anything good. You're going to probably need a new monitor, as I am assuming the one you have is probably a fat CRT.
Message me and I will help you configure the best bang for buck PC you can think of. I've been doing this for years so many times it's like eating and breathing.[/QUOTE]

Would I not be able to just use my current hard drive and ram? I don't know the exact specs on it but it does have 180GB memory and I have never gotten anywhere near filling it up. The monitor is a 15" LCD flat screen. And couldn't I keep the current enclosure and CD/DVD drive?
 
knowing how hp designs their cases no you won't be able to get a new mobo that will fit in there, things won't line up. You will probably be able to use your old hd but only if you format it, you won't just be able to swap it in a new case since it will be looking for all your old computers hardware and drivers, so you will still need an operating system. I'm not sure what kind of ram pentium 4's used but you just have to make sure the cpu accepts it. Choose a processor you would like, then select a mobo, then select ram that is compatible with both. Also on the cd/dvd drive, I'd say just get a new one, they're like around $15 now and you might not be able to find the right driver.

I'd say keep the monitor, you might even want to get a new hd, they're pretty cheap these days too. Definately use newegg though. They're great.
 
A new CD/DVD drive is around $20. RAM might be $50. Your computer is probably too old so most likely doesn't use DDR2, especially not DDR3. Your hard drive might be IDE and therefore somewhat slow, but you could keep it to save money and therefore you won't have to be an operating system.

Just build a PC for around $350-400. You won't need to buy a keyboard, mouse, or monitor, so you will save a lot of money, which is why it's so cheap
 
if you do keep your hard drive make sure the power supply you get has the right power connection for the hard drive, the newer ones have a smaller connection and sometimes the newer power supplies don't have the older hd power connections.

If you are a college student or have a college email address you can get windows 7 for $30 from win741.com
 
[quote name='starshipvelcro']if you do keep your hard drive make sure the power supply you get has the right power connection for the hard drive, the newer ones have a smaller connection and sometimes the newer power supplies don't have the older hd power connections.

If you are a college student or have a college email address you can get windows 7 for $30 from win741.com[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info. I do have a copy of Windows XP and I will be getting a copy of Windows 7 soon because I got picked to throw a launch party for Windows 7.
 
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