Video card advice?: Off-topic discussion forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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June 27, 2011 7:46 p.m. PubBurgers Dork

I recently sold my PS3, leaving my PC as my only means of playing videogames. Problem is, it could use a little boost to run some of the games I want to play. I need some advice in the video card department. I'm looking to run Fallout 3. The graphics settings don't need to be maxed but it would be nice if I could get it to run decent.

I'm looking at getting a video card. However, it needs to fit a slimline computer with a PCI express x1 slot. Additionally, I'm only working with a 230W power supply. Does anyone have any recommendations for a card in the less than $100 range? I'm pretty out of touch with computer upgrading so any advice is appreciated.

thanks.
June 28, 2011 5:57 a.m. szeis4cookie New Reader

The best card I've seen that fits the description is the ATI/AMD Radeon 5450 - I've got one of those in my computer. Its successor line (6xxx series) just came out - but not sure if any of those are slimline under $100. I think I have a bit more power supply than you do though - you may end up needing one.
June 28, 2011 10:18 a.m. aircooled SuperDork

This pretty much covers what you are looking for:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card-game-performance-radeon-hd-6670,2935.html
June 28, 2011 10:27 a.m. madmallard Reader

slimline, like a dell workstation machine?

i don't think the 6k comes in a half height pcie 1x, aircooled....

pub are you sure that slot is only 1x?
June 28, 2011 10:37 a.m. Salanis SuperDork

madmallard wrote:

pub are you sure that slot is only 1x?

Yeah. Usually PCIe 1x is for other cards. A vid card slot should be PCIe x16. If so, the above list should do well.

You might also try shopping used. There are plenty of people out there who will be looking to unload last year's graphics card. Used computer components are a great value.

I would also replace the Power Supply. 230W isn't much. The power supply is the only part of your computer that can damage every other component.

Also, how much RAM do you have onboard? I'd pick up a cheap 2gb of memory, like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145590
June 28, 2011 10:39 a.m. madmallard Reader

if its one of these desktop workstations he got on the cheap, they don't make bigger power supplies to fit the chassis.

the only card worth salt at Newegg is this one from the 5400 series. its the only one with ddr3 ram.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161354
June 28, 2011 10:42 a.m. Salanis SuperDork

My answer to that would be to just find a used Mid-Tower case. Get something boring, and shouldn't cost barely anything.
June 28, 2011 10:56 a.m. madmallard Reader

...i'm guessing you haven't seen one of these things in the wild.

the components wont fit in a mid-tower. they all proprietary.

look up Dell Optiplex for an idea.
June 28, 2011 11:36 a.m. Salanis SuperDork

Seriously? I could have sworn I used a slimline machine as the donor for a gaming system a while back. I know I kept the mobo and HD from one. Maybe I replaced the optical drives.
June 28, 2011 11:53 a.m. madmallard Reader

Yeah, these mobo are often not any *TX chassis standard. Some of the Optiplexes are matx towers, most of those and the HP Slimlines are some weird proprietary thingy.
June 28, 2011 12:12 p.m. Rusted_Busted_Spit Dork

I have a couple of different cases you can have for the cost of gas but you would have to swing by my house. I have too much crap and thinning it out would make my wife happy.
June 28, 2011 12:42 p.m. z31maniac SuperDork

Sell gaming rig, to buy parts for computer, to play games?
June 28, 2011 1:07 p.m. madmallard Reader

PC gamers don't think consoles are gaming rigs.
June 28, 2011 1:19 p.m. z31maniac SuperDork

madmallard wrote:

PC gamers don't think consoles are gaming rigs.

PC gamers also don't buy outdated video cards for gaming rigs.

Just a little friendly ribbing, no need to get excited.
June 28, 2011 2:05 p.m. madmallard Reader

as the kids say, lol u mad?

but yeah, pc gamers don't necessarily care about their roots, because console systems popularised the concept of specialty graphics engines in place of cpu computing power of the day.

The raster device having co-processors was largely only done by gaming companies, or medical imaginng manufacturers.
June 28, 2011 6:33 p.m. PubBurgers Dork

Thanks for the advice. Here's the PC I'm working with:

3ghz processor
3gb RAM
640GB hard drive

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&product=...

and a picture of the motherboard:

I don't game much at all anymore, so keeping the PS3 didn't make much sense. Also, I really like strategy games like Civilization and such which don't translate well to consoles. I'd just really like to play Fallout again, as it's about the only game I really miss.
June 28, 2011 6:50 p.m. BoxheadTim SuperDork

Looks like you've only got two single-lane PCI connectors unless the larger contact patch above them is fitted with a connector, too.

If you only have the two single-lane connectors, forget it. Different PC time if you want better graphics.
June 29, 2011 12:51 a.m. turboswede SuperDork

Yup, two PCIe x1 slots.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c02479775&tmp_task=prodinf...

No video card upgrades for you, sorry.

Shop around on eBay for the slightly larger version of that system and transfer your parts over with a beefy card and convert the old system to an HTPC or just sell it on eBay, etc.
June 29, 2011 10:40 a.m. madmallard Reader

actually, the biggest hurdle isn't the pcie 1x rail.

Its that limpwristed power supply that won't be able to put any current on the bus that a modern video card needs.

But the answer is the same as turboswede's.

Good news, tho. If you have an inkling at all to build your own computer, you can save alot of parts from this thing, including the cpu.
June 29, 2011 3:04 p.m. GameboyRMH SuperDork

Wow I didn't know they still made 230W PSUs.

That slim Dell is going to be a big hindrance, it's hard to fit parts into those tiny cases, they have weak PSUs and often have proprietary parts. I'd say you should start shopping around for a used gaming PC on Craigslist, I built mine 3 years ago and haven't upgraded it since (although I used high-end parts) and it runs JC2 and Crysis 2 maxed nice and smooth.