Member Avatar for SergioEspaillat

First of all Thank you for reading my post
Here is the Basic Information that I know of my computer.


CPU AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+, 2199 MHz
2GB's of Ram
Current Video Card ATI Radeon X1550 Series (256 MB)

I want to Know Which would be better and if my computer can take any of these video cards.
XFX GeForce 9800 GT GDDR3 512MB PCIe, Dual DVI
EVGA GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB GDDR3 PCIe

My computer is fairly old and my ATI Radeon card is a bad video card IMO.
If there is any more information needed please let me know and please explain how to get it.

Thank You So Much.

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Dani AI

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OP reports a STOP 0x116 VIDEO_TDR_ERROR after installing a 9800-series card and pushing The Sims 3 to high settings. VIDEO_TDR_ERROR means Windows detected the display driver stopped responding and the Graphics Timeout Detection & Recovery (TDR) sequence failed to recover it. Common triggers are driver issues, GPU overheating, marginal/faulty power delivery, or a hardware fault — the steps below move from safest software fixes to hardware checks.

  • Clean the driver stack: boot to Safe Mode, run a driver-clean tool (Display Driver Uninstaller or similar) to remove all NVIDIA/ATI traces, then install the correct WHQL/legacy driver for the 9800 GT and the OS. Use the card vendor or NVIDIA package and choose a clean install.
  • Revert any overclocks and set clocks/fans to defaults in the driver or with a utility (MSI Afterburner/GPU-Z for monitoring). Benchmarks and high game settings amplify any instability.
  • Monitor temps under load (GPU core, memory, VRM) with GPU-Z / HWMonitor / Afterburner. If temperatures climb very high under load, improve case airflow, clean dust, confirm GPU fan spins, and consider reapplying thermal paste.
  • Check power: confirm any required PCIe power plug(s) are firmly connected and that the PSU rails are stable. If possible, try a known-good PSU or test the card in another system to isolate the PSU vs. GPU.
  • Inspect hardware seating: reseat the card, try a different PCIe slot, and check the monitor cable and adapter (DVI/HDMI adapters can sometimes cause odd behavior).
  • If crashes persist, collect minidumps (or check Event Viewer) for the driver name (nvlddmkm.sys) and, as a temporary workaround, increase TdrDelay in the registry (HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers — create DWORD TdrDelay = 8). Back up the registry before editing; increasing TdrDelay masks the symptom but does not fix root causes.

If software steps fail and the card also faults in another PC, arrange an RMA or replacement. This sequence complements 's earlier points about power and cooling and focuses on isolating driver vs. hardware failure.

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Member Avatar for WASDted

Here's how these cards are similar:
- both are DX10
- both support a resolution up to 2560x1600
- both 512MB of GDDR3 (256-bit) memory
- both support SLI

Here's how they differ:
- the GTX+ will cost you about $50-$60 more
- the GTX+ runs hotter
- the GTX+ takes up 2 slots (GT only takes 1)
- the GTX+ has faster memory and core clocks
- GTX+ has more CUDA cores (128 vs. 112)
- GTX+ supports 3-way SLI (GT only 2-way)

What would you like to use it for? Gaming?

How many available slots do you have?

Most importantly, the question of whether your PC can take either of these cards depends on what kind of power supply you have. The GTX+ requires at least a 450 Watt PSU while the GT needs at least a 400 Watter. I'd make sure to have some headroom (a true 500 Watt PSU would be ideal).

You should also make sure you have proper airflow and cooling to accommodate the extra heat as these cards are in a different class than your X1550.

On a side note: upgrade the RAM if you can. 2GB is a bit low for almost any application you would need such powerful video cards for, but it should work.

commented: Very Informative and helpful +2
Member Avatar for SergioEspaillat

Thank you very much for the reply, very informative
I believe I currently only have one slot so the GTX+ will not do
I have enough power and my room is fairly cool all the time because of internal house ventilation, so I think it will always be cool,
but can you please explain what you mean by "(a true 500 Watt PSU would be ideal)."
I don't quite understand, how do I find out how much I have. I'm not very familiar with all this sorry.
and btw I am planning on Upgrading my ram but Its a custom Made So Im not quite sure what ram it can take.

Member Avatar for SergioEspaillat

and it is for gaming yes, I want to be able to Run games like Sims 3 at higher settings, currently I lag if I try to set it as normal or high (graphics)

Member Avatar for WASDted

you'll have to open up your PC and take a look at the label on your power supply. It will say what the wattage it or at least what the make and model is. As for the RAM, you'll have to take a look at the label on your memory sticks and see what type of RAM you have, then you can purchase matching memory. Based on your system specs I would guess you have 2x 1GB DDR2 RAM but you will have to make sure and also fing the exact speed and specs of the RAM. Again, most of that will appear on the label.

9800 GT should have no problem with those games, and I would recommend 4GB if you have Windows Vista or 7. 2GB might be just enough if you are running XP.

Member Avatar for SergioEspaillat

I Bought the card today and was able to install it but now I keep getting blue screen when running the Sims 3 at high settings or any Benchmark (high settings) Code STOP 0x116: VIDEO_TDR_ERROR
What could this mean? what steps do I have to take to fix this? it only occurs when I am trying to run things at high settings. I have tried re-installing drivers thus far. Thanks

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