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| 30 JAN 2011 at 3:37pm |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5586
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | Well, off the cuff I'd say the card is starting to fail. In general, the 7900GT series had a fairly high failure rate to begin with, so it's probably time to start looking for a replacement.
One thing you should check before you start looking is the GPU fan. Make sure it's operational and not allowing the processor (or memory) to overheat. Overheating leads to artifacting and over time it eventually fries the card.
There's a neat (and free) utility to monitor your GPU temperatures - GPU-Z.
TechPowerUP - GPU-Z
How hot is that card running?
So, what's the verdict? Do I need a new card and what should I get given that the machine is 5 years old and has recently had new power and fan fitted and I'm attached to it.
You'll need to post a few specs first - PSU output, Slot type (AGP, PCI-E ect...) Because the 7900 was known to draw a bit of power, I'd guess your PSU is in the 400-450 watt range.
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| 31 JAN 2011 at 12:52am |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | Thanks for your help Inland.
The video card is running at 61 C
I've just run Belarc and it tells me the video card is the original from 2006.
It's on a Gigabyte GA-K8N-SLi/GA-K8N-SLi-RH motherboard, with
2.00 ghz AMD Athlon 64 CPU and 1024 mg RAM
For some reason it doesn't list the power supply however, reading my original specs sheet, I had a 650w ATX Silverstone PSU ST 65ZF but when that failed 6 months ago, the chap in the shop replaced it with a 430w, GE GTS 250.
I guess I need proper, impartial advice about a suitable replacement. I want to play my old games, I want to play Uru online, happily with a reliable system.
I just want my favourite toy to work again..... [smiley=hair_pull.gif]
Edit: man in computer shop recommended Nvidia GTS 450 with 1g DDR 5 what do you think? yes? $200 well spent?
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| 31 JAN 2011 at 4:15pm |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5586
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | Your temps are just fine, pretty much the norm for a 7900GT. As to the GTS 450, it'll get the job done. The suggested PSU output is in the 450 watt range, but there's always a bit of fudge in the OEM's recommendation so your 430 watt PSU should be adequate.
While you're shopping for a replacement, consider adding an additional gig of ram. The Mobo supports up to 4 gigabytes.
Here's how the 2 cards stack up -
nVidia GeForce 7900 GT
versus nVidia GeForce GTS 450
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| 31 JAN 2011 at 8:39pm |
CarolineJA+ Overseer
Posts : 16540
Joined: 28 JAN 2007
Location: AU
Status : Offline | Thanks again Inland. You're a mine of useful information. :-* :-*
I'll add another gig RAM - bringing it up to 2g. Wold there be any benefit in having more?
I'm using my son's pc and it's way faster than mine.
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| 31 JAN 2011 at 8:52pm |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5586
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Caroline (31 JAN 2011 8:38pm)
Thanks again Inland. You're a mine of useful information. :-* :-*
I'll add another gig RAM - bringing it up to 2g. Wold there be any benefit in having more?
I'm using my son's pc and it's way faster than mine.
Not a lot when running XP - even if you installed (the maximum) 4 gigs it wouldn't see it all.
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| 9 FEB 2011 at 5:33pm |
CrisGerSchattenjger
Posts : 2539
Joined: 28 APR 2007
Location: US
Status : Offline | I would upgrade to an FX 8600 which will bring much better performance yet not overly tax your system if you could run one of the high 7000 series I think. It will depend on your system specs. I totally agree re keeping your computer and keeping XP, the more modern systems wont run many of the classic games well and are not that much of an improvement. I am a great believer in preserving and keeping running high tech so we don't just end up with land fills full of electornic gear.
hope the new card is the answer.
and I would bring your RAM up to 3, XP uses it fine and it really does help with complex big games like Gothic, URU and others.
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