suggest proper graphics card

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

I am looking for a graphics card but I am not very
knowledgeable about this, so I would like some expert help, please.

I am looking for a graphics card to replace the onboard nVidia
GeForce 6100 which uses system RAM up to 128MB. My power supply
is a Bestec 300 watt unit, so I need something which has a power
supply requirement of about 250W with these characteristics:

- PCI Express x16 (slot available)
- no fan (if possible)
- at least 128MB onboard; 256MB preferred
- analog and digital connector

My monitor is a Samsung 940Be LCD (19 inch) with both analog and
digital connectors.

Occasionally I rotate the display with the Samsung Magic
Rotation utility but the system is not entirely stable when the
display is rotated 90 degrees. Some things respond very slowly
and a couple of times I got a Windows error shut down - the
old blue screen.
The nVidia software will not rotate the the display. Magic
Rotation is the only thing that works.
So, I need something that has this capability.

I really want to be careful with the power supply requirements.
The installed unit is small and has a very tight fit, so
replacing the power supply is not really an option. Plus, I
suppose that this would more than double the cost of the
upgrade.

I was told by a tech at Circuit City that the ATI chips generally
use less power, so maybe one of those would be a good choice?

One at the newegg web site which looks appropriate:
Saphire 100250L Radeon X1050


Your help will be much appreciated.

System:
eMachines T3418 desktop
1GB RAM (512 x 2)
AMD Sempron 3400+ 2.0 Ghz
2 DVD combo drives
1 USB external floppy
APC 500 ES power backup
Windows XP Home SP3

System Overview Here

mjc

 

Here's a good deal on a card with a nVidia chip: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121240

I don't know about the comparative power consumption of ATI an nVidia. So, if your impression about ATI generally needing less power is true, you may not want to consider any nVidia cards.

Well, if it's a standard ATX power supply, you should have no problem finding one that would fit. I think you should consider PSU replacement; it may eventually become necessary anyway.

BTW, I'm curious about the screen rotation requirement. I've never know anyone who actually had a need for that feature. Why rotate your display?

 

Thanks for the reply.

I looked at the ASUS card - that is a good deal.

Someone did tell me that the PSU's are usually
standard sizes so that may be a good fix.

There are several uses for this.
The monitor is a 5 x 4 ratio so this works well.
1) Viewing a WEB page this way (at 1024 x 1280) is sufficiently wide for most
any page and I can see much more of the page.
2) Viewing some graphics files this way provides a larger view.
3) Viewing a text document, such as program code, reveals a larger portion
of the text. It is easier to see the program control structures and logic flow.

mjnc

 

So, of course, part of this scenario is a physical rotation of the monitor, which is offset by the software rotation. Is that correct?

 

Yes, that's it. The monitor is rotated clockwise 90 degrees
so that the longer dimension is vertical. The software rotates
the video to match the physical orientation.