Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard

troyq · Sep 12, 2010, 02:32 AM

Hi,

I have a question and hope you can help me.

I am running the ASUS P5KC motherboard.
After a format and install of 2 new 1.5TB hard drives last night and getting everything installed my video card (Nvidia 8600GT card) fried itself. I hate the smell of something burning!!

I am running 32bit Win 7, with 4gb DDR2. I am hoping it was just a coincidence (2.5 yrs old) that it happened?

So I have to purchase a new video graphics card and was wondering what you recommend? I am happy to upgrade the card as long as it is compatible with both the P5KC motherboard and Win 7.

Thanks in advance from a newbie.
Troy

niceguyrichy · Sep 12, 2010, 02:40 AM

do you do a lot of gaming ?
what sort of budget you looking at ?

that's the 2 basic Q's you need to answer really.
if you don't game, then there's no need to drop a lot of cash on a gfx card that will never get used to its full potential.
if you do game, then the only question really is budget

troyq · Sep 12, 2010, 02:45 AM

Hi,
Thanks for the reply.
I don't do a lot of gaming, is not not real high intensity gaming. I do do a bit of video editing onto dvd etc. The one I was using did suffice. Anything around $100-$200 I guess.
Thanks

**synthesis204** · Sep 12, 2010, 04:25 AM

You double posted this in the nvidia graphics section...anyway....if it's $100-$200, what's the 12V strength of your power supply, and what's the wattage? Do you have a preference of ATI or nVidia?

troyq · Sep 12, 2010, 04:45 AM

Hi,
I wasn't sue where to post my question.
I have a 800wa (ATX12V) Ac Bel Model no: PC7030.
I don't really have a preference, just reliable.
Thanks

niceguyrichy · Sep 12, 2010, 05:20 AM

well if you dont really game, then dont spend what you dont need to

i reckon for somewhere around the 100$ mark you should get one of 2 cards; either a HD5670 1GB , or a GTS250 1GB.
in pure performance/benchmark stakes, the GTS will kick the 5670, but that's not really the point here. the 5670 has the newer architecture, supports dx11, and without checking & off the top of my head i'm pretty sure draws less power and produces less heat. if i weren't slightly a gamer, i'd get the 5670.
most importantly its cheap. you can take the rest of your cash and buy something pretty

shoes maybe..

troyq · Sep 12, 2010, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by niceguyrichy

well if you dont really game, then dont spend what you dont need to

i reckon for somewhere around the 100$ mark you should get one of 2 cards; either a HD5670 1GB , or a GTS250 1GB.
in pure performance/benchmark stakes, the GTS will kick the 5670, but that's not really the point here. the 5670 has the newer architecture, supports dx11, and without checking & off the top of my head i'm pretty sure draws less power and produces less heat. if i weren't slightly a gamer, i'd get the 5670.
most importantly its cheap. you can take the rest of your cash and buy something pretty

shoes maybe..

Thanks, I will look into those, and not so much the shoes

would rather spend it on my computer, cheers!

**synthesis204** · Sep 12, 2010, 06:48 AM

If you're going to spend $100, you could also consider a GTX 460 by nVidia. The cheaper models are very good bang per buck and can run most/any game currently available on maxxed/near-maxxed settings.

An example (you can look at Palit's or Sparkle's too - they're about the same price):
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GV-N460OC-768I GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

troyq · Sep 12, 2010, 07:11 AM

I could throw another $50 ($150) if they makes a big difference in bang for buck?

**synthesis204** · Sep 12, 2010, 07:34 AM

A GTS250 may be able to run games like Starcraft II, Battlefield Bad Company 2, etc., on medium settings. A GTX 460 will max/near-max out those settings. Up to you.

Neshi · Sep 12, 2010, 09:05 AM

it would be just a shame of money if you pay for a graphics card, and then end up not using it.
Like you said you don't do gaming, so why pay for a card that you aren't gonna use?

troyq · Sep 12, 2010, 11:24 AM

True, but if the extra $$ might get me something additional like tv out or hdmi where I can hook up to an lcd tv or something similar, thanks

***Veridian3*** · Sep 12, 2010, 12:00 PM

Wait til tomorrow and see whats new on the market

Takaharu · Sep 12, 2010, 12:10 PM

You might as well go for the 5570 - it pretty much equals the 8600 and brings you up to date with the latest tech at a reasonable price. Plus it gets you entered into a competition if you buy right and go with Sapphire.
Any higher than the 5570 will probably exceed your needs if the 8600 was fine. The next decent step-up is the 5770 for about £30 more.

IvanV · Sep 12, 2010, 01:03 PM

The 5570 should actually be a fair bit faster than 8600GT was, with 400 unified shaders at 650MHz, it compares well to 4670 (and 3800 and 2900 Radeons).

Still, if you do any gaming, around $50 more for a 5770 would make a good investment. Different 5770s offer different assortments of video outs (probably 5570s as well, though I haven't been looking at them much and cheaper cards usually offer fewer options) so you might want to take a look at a few different models to find the perfect one (although I believe that all of them offer HDMI over DVI, together with sound and all).

Liqourice · Sep 12, 2010, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by veridian3

wait til tomorrow and see whats new on the market

Spolier alert! Spolier alert!

Judas · Sep 12, 2010, 10:38 PM

imo... considering you're packing 4gb of DDR2 while running 32bit windows.... i think your going to want to see if you can borrow someones 64bit Disk and install windows 64bit.. because your running your machine in limp mode. And any video card with 1gb on it would be handy.. but will reduce your available ram down to a meer 2.5-2.7gb available

Takaharu · Sep 12, 2010, 11:50 PM

Judas - shouldn't a dedicated graphics card avoid the amount of RAM being lowered?

troyq · Sep 13, 2010, 12:02 AM

Thanks, I will look into those models.

Tyrsonswood · Sep 13, 2010, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Takaharu

Judas - shouldn't a dedicated graphics card avoid the amount of RAM being lowered?

It doesn't though....... the OS limitation includes graphics memory so it will drop his system ram by 1 gig (or the amount of video ram if not a 1 gig card)

troyq · Sep 13, 2010, 01:03 AM

Thanks, I'm currently reviewing them now. At the moment I am leaning towards to 5750 or 5770, of which are only about a $20 price difference, and a free copy of Dirt 2 is a bonus! But got a bit more reading to do and again many thanks.

troyq · Sep 13, 2010, 02:32 AM

Hi,
I am going to go with the Sapphire 5770 1GB. A question if you might know there is a 'vapour' model for another $25. Do you know what the difference is? I can't seem to find anything about the comparison?
Thanks
Troy

**synthesis204** · Sep 13, 2010, 06:04 AM

The Vapor model uses an advanced cooling system, meaning lower temperatures on your card. Up to you if you care about computer/gpu temps or not.

troyq · Sep 13, 2010, 06:25 AM

Thanks and thankyou to everyone who helped, appreciated.

Takaharu · Sep 13, 2010, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veridian3

Wait til tomorrow and see whats new on the market

What's new today then, Veridian?

As for on-topic - good choice with the 5770. That'll keep you ticking over quite nicely for a while. Always go with Sapphire for AMD cards

Neshi · Sep 13, 2010, 08:23 AM

just remember about 64bit.
As with this card + the 4gb memory you already got equals 5gb in memory total. 32bit will only recognize 4gb of this. ~500MB is then already lost to device memory ranges, so effectively only 3.5gb will be used. 1.5gb will sit idle in your computer and will not be used.

You need a 64-bit OS to be able to adress all the memory you have available.

troyq · Sep 13, 2010, 08:24 AM

Thanks. Will do on my next upgrade of OS and Mobo

***Veridian3*** · Sep 14, 2010, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Takaharu

What's new today then, Veridian?

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews.php?reviewid=1032

troyq · Sep 14, 2010, 12:49 AM

Yes I got that email last night. Pity I went out and bought the 5770 Vapor yesterday, LOL!

***Veridian3*** · Sep 14, 2010, 12:56 AM

I'm sure it will serve you well

Sep 12, 2010, 02:32 AM	#1
troyq HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 13 Rep Power: 0	Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard Hi, I have a question and hope you can help me. I am running the ASUS P5KC motherboard. After a format and install of 2 new 1.5TB hard drives last night and getting everything installed my video card (Nvidia 8600GT card) fried itself. I hate the smell of something burning!! I am running 32bit Win 7, with 4gb DDR2. I am hoping it was just a coincidence (2.5 yrs old) that it happened? So I have to purchase a new video graphics card and was wondering what you recommend? I am happy to upgrade the card as long as it is compatible with both the P5KC motherboard and Win 7. Thanks in advance from a newbie. Troy

Sep 12, 2010, 02:45 AM	Thread Starter #3
troyq HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 13 Rep Power: 0	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard Hi, Thanks for the reply. I don't do a lot of gaming, is not not real high intensity gaming. I do do a bit of video editing onto dvd etc. The one I was using did suffice. Anything around $100-$200 I guess. Thanks

Sep 12, 2010, 04:25 AM	#4
synthesis204 Dragonborn Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,175 Rep Power: 97 System Specs	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard You double posted this in the nvidia graphics section...anyway....if it's $100-$200, what's the 12V strength of your power supply, and what's the wattage? Do you have a preference of ATI or nVidia?

Sep 12, 2010, 04:45 AM	Thread Starter #5
troyq HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 13 Rep Power: 0	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard Hi, I wasn't sue where to post my question. I have a 800wa (ATX12V) Ac Bel Model no: PC7030. I don't really have a preference, just reliable. Thanks

Sep 12, 2010, 06:48 AM	#8
synthesis204 Dragonborn Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,175 Rep Power: 97 System Specs	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard If you're going to spend $100, you could also consider a GTX 460 by nVidia. The cheaper models are very good bang per buck and can run most/any game currently available on maxxed/near-maxxed settings. An example (you can look at Palit's or Sparkle's too - they're about the same price): Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GV-N460OC-768I GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Sep 12, 2010, 07:11 AM	Thread Starter #9
troyq HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 13 Rep Power: 0	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard I could throw another $50 ($150) if they makes a big difference in bang for buck?

Sep 12, 2010, 07:34 AM	#10
synthesis204 Dragonborn Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,175 Rep Power: 97 System Specs	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard A GTS250 may be able to run games like Starcraft II, Battlefield Bad Company 2, etc., on medium settings. A GTX 460 will max/near-max out those settings. Up to you.

Sep 12, 2010, 09:05 AM	#11
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,378 Rep Power: 177 System Specs	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard it would be just a shame of money if you pay for a graphics card, and then end up not using it. Like you said you don't do gaming, so why pay for a card that you aren't gonna use? __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

Sep 12, 2010, 11:24 AM	Thread Starter #12
troyq HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 13 Rep Power: 0	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard True, but if the extra $$ might get me something additional like tv out or hdmi where I can hook up to an lcd tv or something similar, thanks

Sep 12, 2010, 12:00 PM	#13
*Veridian3* Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cloaked Posts: 5,028 Rep Power: 181	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard Wait til tomorrow and see whats new on the market

Sep 12, 2010, 12:10 PM	#14
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,847 Rep Power: 110 System Specs	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard You might as well go for the 5570 - it pretty much equals the 8600 and brings you up to date with the latest tech at a reasonable price. Plus it gets you entered into a competition if you buy right and go with Sapphire. Any higher than the 5570 will probably exceed your needs if the 8600 was fine. The next decent step-up is the 5770 for about £30 more. __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

Sep 12, 2010, 01:03 PM	#15
IvanV HH Assassin Guild Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 5,914 Rep Power: 333 System Specs	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard The 5570 should actually be a fair bit faster than 8600GT was, with 400 unified shaders at 650MHz, it compares well to 4670 (and 3800 and 2900 Radeons). Still, if you do any gaming, around $50 more for a 5770 would make a good investment. Different 5770s offer different assortments of video outs (probably 5570s as well, though I haven't been looking at them much and cheaper cards usually offer fewer options) so you might want to take a look at a few different models to find the perfect one (although I believe that all of them offer HDMI over DVI, together with sound and all). __________________ If anyone has Portal 2 and hasn't played the co-op and wants to do me a favour, let me know (PM me or whatever).

Sep 12, 2010, 11:50 PM	#18
Takaharu I can fart in 7 languages Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 1,847 Rep Power: 110 System Specs	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard Judas - shouldn't a dedicated graphics card avoid the amount of RAM being lowered? __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer. Mods Rig, Box Mods Rig, Folding details

Sep 13, 2010, 12:02 AM	Thread Starter #19
troyq HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 13 Rep Power: 0	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard Thanks, I will look into those models.

Sep 13, 2010, 01:03 AM	Thread Starter #21
troyq HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 13 Rep Power: 0	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard Thanks, I'm currently reviewing them now. At the moment I am leaning towards to 5750 or 5770, of which are only about a $20 price difference, and a free copy of Dirt 2 is a bonus! But got a bit more reading to do and again many thanks.

Sep 13, 2010, 02:32 AM	Thread Starter #22
troyq HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 13 Rep Power: 0	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard Hi, I am going to go with the Sapphire 5770 1GB. A question if you might know there is a 'vapour' model for another $25. Do you know what the difference is? I can't seem to find anything about the comparison? Thanks Troy

Sep 13, 2010, 06:04 AM	#23
synthesis204 Dragonborn Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,175 Rep Power: 97 System Specs	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard The Vapor model uses an advanced cooling system, meaning lower temperatures on your card. Up to you if you care about computer/gpu temps or not.

Sep 13, 2010, 06:25 AM	Thread Starter #24
troyq HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 13 Rep Power: 0	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard Thanks and thankyou to everyone who helped, appreciated.

Sep 13, 2010, 08:23 AM	#26
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,378 Rep Power: 177 System Specs	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard just remember about 64bit. As with this card + the 4gb memory you already got equals 5gb in memory total. 32bit will only recognize 4gb of this. ~500MB is then already lost to device memory ranges, so effectively only 3.5gb will be used. 1.5gb will sit idle in your computer and will not be used. You need a 64-bit OS to be able to adress all the memory you have available. __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

Sep 13, 2010, 08:24 AM	Thread Starter #27
troyq HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 13 Rep Power: 0	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard Thanks. Will do on my next upgrade of OS and Mobo

Sep 14, 2010, 12:49 AM	Thread Starter #29
troyq HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 13 Rep Power: 0	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard Yes I got that email last night. Pity I went out and bought the 5770 Vapor yesterday, LOL!

Sep 14, 2010, 12:56 AM	#30
*Veridian3* Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cloaked Posts: 5,028 Rep Power: 181	Re: Need a new Graphics card for P5KC motherboard I'm sure it will serve you well