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View Full Version : Grr...help me save a few thousand...

Gothic_Knight
May 20th, 2005, 09:30 PM
Well, as some of you should know, The Lost Coast is coming out soon enough, and it requires one helluva graphics card. Currently, I'm running on a Geforce 3, so I obviously need an upgrade...

Anyway, from what I looked at so far, I run on an AGP (APG...some combo) motherboard. It's not what I wanted, but that's what I have...

Anyway, my question is: Will I be able to install a Geforce 6800 GT on this? I heard that it's gonna eventually become outdated, and that there were problems with the 6600 and my type of motherboard.

Or am I better off with buying an Area 51 5500? Your help would be appeciated...
maximan
May 20th, 2005, 11:33 PM
Well you'd be able to install an AGP 6800 on it. I suggest you get a PCI-Express motherboard/vid card, since they're the newest and fastest known right now. I don't think you need to buy a whole new comp, but whats your price range, so I could maybe suggest some good video cards and motherboards?
Gothic_Knight
May 21st, 2005, 11:48 AM
Well, I know I should get a PCI-e, but I have absolutely no clue to install it...

The only thing I can guarentee is that I'll be able to buy my 6800 GT at the moment. Well, I WILL be able to in a week or so...

The motherboard is a different story. After the GT, I might not have enough money for a bit, unless I'm able to get a job for the summer. And I gotta get this all by the end of August, or whenever The Lost Coast comes out.
DouggyO.o
May 21st, 2005, 11:53 AM
yeah
<-Dying_to_Live->
May 21st, 2005, 01:32 PM
Well, I know I should get a PCI-e, but I have absolutely no clue to install it...



plug it in :)
Gothic_Knight
May 21st, 2005, 01:59 PM
Well, I know I should get a PCI-e, but I have absolutely no clue to install it...



plug it in :)

Uh...explain? What do you mean by "plug it in"
DouggyO.o
May 21st, 2005, 02:53 PM
yeah i dont get it eather
kevin
May 21st, 2005, 03:35 PM
It'll come with a CD. Either way, a graphics (or any other) card will most likely not be plug and play. There's going to software and complilers with it.
DouggyO.o
May 21st, 2005, 03:40 PM
now i get it, yeah kevens right there will most likly be software
Millermagic
May 23rd, 2005, 12:52 PM
When popping in a card you're going to want to leave the compter plugged it, it won't shock you, the most that comes out of the computer end is 12vDC, and keep one hand touching a metal part on the case so any static electricity is moved through the computer case>power supply>ground instead of you>fried card or computer component.
JunkBondTrader
May 23rd, 2005, 03:38 PM
WHy have the comp switched on? It just seems risky to me. Just open the case and fit the card into a free PCI port of whatever it is.
nwshc
May 23rd, 2005, 04:43 PM
You dont have the computer switched on when you do it. You just keep it plugged in. that way, If there is still electricity in the mobo or whatever, the electricity will have a place to go. The power supply is grounded and if there is still electricity, it will run through the ground and into the ground outside. If there wasnt, It would have no place to go and fry whatever it is going through. Thats just about right isnt it?
Millermagic
May 23rd, 2005, 06:41 PM
^^ Yep, I just forgot to mention the part about having it off. That wouldn't have been good if it was left on. That could have fried alot.
mattman
May 28th, 2005, 10:13 PM
Hell! If you can afford a new Alienware, your better off getting a Sager laptop for approx the same price from PCtorque.com. Or building your own desktop that is better.
Anyway.... Your computer might not be good enough to handle a GeForce 6800, it should be at least 2 Ghz for one to run really well.
Gothic_Knight
May 28th, 2005, 11:27 PM
Hell! If you can afford a new Alienware, your better off getting a Sager laptop for approx the same price from PCtorque.com. Or building your own desktop that is better.
Anyway.... Your computer might not be good enough to handle a GeForce 6800, it should be at least 2 Ghz for one to run really well.I don't need a laptop. I need a good desktop. Besides, it doesn't fit all of the specs I need. And I'm not good with my hands, I'd rather have it safely built. Plus, I don't have the time to build it myself, nor the money.

And I already figured it out. I found a PC that has the minimum specs I need for The Lost Coast to run (Huge specs, like the hardest ones to meet, ever). The only thing I can't get with it is the minimum card, but I can easily put in a 6800 Pro later. If I meet two now, the other 1 I can meet.

BTW, if anyone wants to know the specs, they are:

Pentium 4 3.2 GHz or higher
1 gig RAM or higher
ATI X800 or Nvidia 6800 GT or higher

Yea...I'm gonna get the new PC, but thanks for all of your help!
Anonymous
May 29th, 2005, 01:14 AM
Woah....a whole new computer for just one game!? lol..shessh your parents must be rich, I'm just going to wait till it comes out for Xbox for only $50.00 since Half Life 2 is coming out for Xbox, the new one will probly come out for Xbox 360, anyways are you going to get the Alienware which has Star Wars on it, the one that you can pick from the Dark Side or the Light?
Gothic_Knight
May 29th, 2005, 01:48 PM
Woah....a whole new computer for just one game!? lol..shessh your parents must be rich, I'm just going to wait till it comes out for Xbox for only $50.00 since Half Life 2 is coming out for Xbox, the new one will probly come out for Xbox 360, anyways are you going to get the Alienware which has Star Wars on it, the one that you can pick from the Dark Side or the Light?It's not gonna be an Aleinware. Price conflicts. Plus, it'd be cheaper to buy one from a normal supplier and then upgrade it manually.

And no, mine's overdue for an upgrade. It's got a hellish graphics card, and a soon to be slow processor. I was gonna have to upgrade it, but it just came sooner than I thought.
Kiros
June 2nd, 2005, 02:52 AM
AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! hold on, let me catch my breath and read some more while i scream....
Kiros
June 2nd, 2005, 03:07 AM
ok, im calm... now let me explain some things


when ur putting in a video card DO NOT have the power supply plugged in on an ATX mobo!!! theres a hundred things that could go wrong with that since power is still flowing through it!

another thing, u cannot 'install' pci express! it only comes on mobos that have pci express built in to em... and u also have to check to make sure that the pci express is the right number, whether it be 1x 4x or 16x (which is kinda hard to mis interpret b/c of the size)
and if ur ordering for an AGP card, then u MUST know what AGP slot ur mobo has (4x 8x or 16x express) or else ur video card may fry as well as ur mobo :?

and to clarrify, the nVidia 6800 GT/Ultra is definitely not outdated... its the top of the line currently and probably for a long while. I know that it can easily handle any game made in 2004 and early 2005. I have the 6600 GT and i have no problems with it whatsoever! Its an amazing card with an astonishing fill rate and OMG the 64 bit texture blending is remarkable.

btw, the top nVidia works just as fine as the top ATI model at Direct3D 9.0c (at most a 3-4 fps diff) and yet has about a 30 fps boost when rendering in OpenGL while ATI actually bogs down and has junky OpenGL rendering. nVidia's the way to go. like I said, I have a 6600 GT model, and its the best thing Ive seen (especially the anti-aliasing)

I think that about wraps up what I wanted to say :)
oh wait, one more thing
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. .
. . .
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
im done :P