Is my graphics card knackered?

[Ricardo]

Hello,
Railworks arrived in the post this morning all lovely-lovely. Installed it, and had a play, set all the detail to maximum (as I've done in Trainz and MSTS with no problems) and I get a maximum of 6 maybe 7 FPS. Before installing ATI Tools Tray I was getting FPS of nearer 30 with reduced detail (despite all my settings at maximum).
Now, in my Dell Dimension DIME521, with 3.25 GB of RAM I have a 256 MB ATI Radeon X1300PRO.

The question is should I get a new one? Or have I just not got the settings right?

Cheers

Richard

[Basherz]

A X1300Pro is getting a tad old these days, although the main aspect of this is, have you got an AGP card, or is it PCI-e?

If PCI-e, the world is your oyster, and you can pick even a 4700 Series card with 512Mb up for around £70. 3800 Series for £40, but they are getting rare.

[Ricardo]

PCI-e, now I assume that's an added power source? If so, then no, its a simple 'plug and play' job.
What would you recommend for this type? And my budget probably is around £75 ish.

Richard

[Basherz]

PCI-e, now I assume that's an added power source? If so, then no, its a simple 'plug and play' job.
What would you recommend for this type? And my budget probably is around £75 ish.

Richard

Not sure what you mean by an added power source, but going by your budget, then go for a 4750 or 70. This will require one of the unused sockets from your power supply.

Note: Your Power Supply output should be at least 450 Watts

[gavo01]

I have an ATI Radeon 4770 and it runs RW very well but I had to upgrade my PSU to a Corsair 550W to run it without the worry of burning the GPU out.

The GPU cost me around £70, the PSU around £60 but they were worth the money.

[Ricardo]

I have an ATI Radeon 4770 and it runs RW very well but I had to upgrade my PSU to a Corsair 550W to run it without the worry of burning the GPU out.

The GPU cost me around £70, the PSU around £60 but they were worth the money.

Fill me in a little more, how do I know whether my PSU is strong enough? And where did you get your GPU from?

Richard

[Basherz]

For a start, try Overclockers.co.uk or Ebuyer. They have a good selection of cards although catching up with the higher end only. They used to hold older cards as well.

If you loosen the 4 screws that surround your power unit, you should be able to locate a label that will say what the power output is. I suspect that, if this as a standard dell and never been touched, then the power output will be no more than 165-220W.

Also, measure your PSU as well, as Dell used to supply non-standard equipment.

[gavo01]

Fill me in a little more, how do I know whether my PSU is strong enough? And where did you get your GPU from? Richard

Richard, I got my GPU from my local Aria shop but they also do delivery too. http://www.aria.co.uk

As for checking your PSU, the general rule I use is check the GPU's manufacturers minimum spec regarding power, in the case of the 4770 it was 450w, and then add another 100w and you'll not go far wrong. Having said that Corsair are one of the best for PSU's.

[Ricardo]

Finally purchased a new GPU, comes tomorrow and it is an ATI Sapphire HD 5570 1GB, can't wait. Will have a short review when it's all installed.

Richard

[Easilyconfused]

Dell PCs frequently need / use bespoke PSUs.

I would check out http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/products/powersupplies who have this to say :

Dell owners

Our quiet power supply units are fully ATX compliant, which means that they will work in any standard ATX PC. You may or may not realise that PCs manufactured by Dell may use a power supply which often looks to be industry-standard, but in fact employs different wiring which makes replacement of the power supply with an ATX model impossible. Sometimes the physical size of the Dell PSU is different too. This approach ensures that when you need to replace or upgrade Dell components, the only place you can buy them from is Dell! With this in mind, Dell owners please check that our PSUs are compatible with your system before you buy. However, we do know that Dell 8250, 8300 and 4600 models use standard ATX power supplies so you can use any of our power supplies in these machines.

[Ricardo]

Thanks for that, but luckily, the card I've just bought requires minimal power supply, @ only 43 watts. Even I was astounded when I saw that, plus my PSU is somewhere near to/above 300 watts, so I've been told by my father.

Richard

[Basherz]

I suspect that, if this as a standard dell and never been touched, then the power output will be no more than 165-220W.

Also, measure your PSU as well, as Dell used to supply non-standard equipment.

I did quote this, not for my benefit, but for yours! If your card, supposedly, only uses 43W, then I may as well give up!!
Take note:(Figures in Watts)


Edit: Your present PSU is rated at 305W by the manufacturer, so you will need a 500W PSU.

[Ricardo]

Cheers for that, and I wasn't ignoring your advice, far from it. And once the GPU comes, I'll see about getting a new PSU to match.

Richard