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Upgrading my PC
Richard_Dastardly
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Here's the deal. I've tried several different avenues, but I just can't convince my wife that upgrading my pc is a necessary endeavor. So, my only course of action was to sell stuff on Ebay and use that money. I now have about $140 to play with, and I want a new video card and psu.
As for the graphics card, I was looking at a refurbished Geforce 8800. Has anyone had experience with refurbished hardware? And, is this even a good card?
Second: the psu. This is mainly where my confusion sets in. I have a Pavilion A6450, and I have no idea what kind of power supply I'll need. I'm looking at 550w, so would this unit fit? I have no idea what pci-e connectors and rails are.
As for the graphics card, I was looking at a refurbished Geforce 8800. Has anyone had experience with refurbished hardware? And, is this even a good card?
Second: the psu. This is mainly where my confusion sets in. I have a Pavilion A6450, and I have no idea what kind of power supply I'll need. I'm looking at 550w, so would this unit fit? I have no idea what pci-e connectors and rails are.
Richard_Dastardly on
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The Video Card Thread
The Computer Build Thread
You'll probably get a lot more information there, more than you'll ever want or need.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
Thanks. I'll probably get my answer there. So, like, a mod can lock this an stuff.
a geforce 8800 is a good deal but make sure to get a 512mb version. the 8800gts 512mb is newer and better then the old 8800gts 640mb. the 8800gt 512mb isn't as good as the 8800gts 512mb but its not a huge difference.
If you plan on playing at reasonable resolutions like under 1200/900 the 8800gt 512 should be good enough to play any game out now medium settings (crysis on low) assuming some other part of your computer doesn't bottleneck.
The power supply connectors, main connector = motherboard, 12v rails = hard drives and stuff, pcie connects to your 8800 graphics card (i'm not sure if 6pin is standard for 8800s or not but it will probably be fine). The main warning with in the comments in that if you have more then 2 things you need 12v rails for you might be short cables/power, so if you only have 1 hard drive and 1 dvd rw combo drive you should be ok, but if you've got say 3 hard drives or possibly even 1 hard drive and multiple cd/dvd bays that is not the PSU you want.
Now... anyone have experience with a refurbished card?
Actually, you need to know more than that.
First of all, I wouldn't trust any PSU claiming to have 550W on tap for only $40. They're massively overselling that unit - plus, it doesn't even come with a 6-pin PCIe plug, they're only offering an adapter. Red flag.
It costs a little bit more ($55 after rebate), but here's a Corsair 450VX, 450W unit.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003
Not only does it have the 6-pin PCIe connector, but it also has more Molex and SATA plugs to boot, and a single 12V rail delivering 33A of power, compared to the 550W unit having two rails at 20A each.
Regarding 12V rails, Dman is off the mark. Rails and connectors have very little to do with each other (or at least they shouldn't) - the "rail" is the voltage system that the component runs off. CPUs and video cards these days run off the 12V system, whereas they used to run off 3.3V/5V. That's why the amount of current available on the 12V "rail" is so crucial these days.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.