Member Avatar for OrbitalStrike

http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/10911529/Sony_VAIO_VGC_RA828G_Desktop_PC.html Also I have upgraded it to 2 gigs of ram.
I have tried before unsuccesfully and after a few years of owning it its starting to show its age in games such as Vanguard online, Battlefield 2, and Lord of the rings Online.

I was wondering if it is possible to upgrade this computer and if so what would be the best video card to buy for it.
Also since one of my parents is doing the upgradeing this time could anyone give me a link to some step by step instructions on how to generally replace a video card.

  • 3 Contributors
  • 10 Replies
  • 258 Views
  • 4 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Qwazil

Dani AI

Generated

Brief expert notes building on ’s post and the tips from and .

Start with a short pre-purchase checklist: confirm the board actually has a PCIe x16 slot (as already discussed in-thread) and measure inside the case for card length and whether the card will be dual‑slot. Inspect the power supply label (or open the case) to note available PCIe power connectors and the +12V capacity on the label — many mid/high boards need one or more 6/8‑pin PCIe leads. Also note which rear video ports are preferred for the monitor in use (DVI/HDMI). (forums.tomshardware.com)

Condensed installation checklist (safe sequence): back up, uninstall old GPU drivers if switching vendor (use a tool like DDU for a clean removal), power down and unplug, ground yourself, remove the case side panel, undo the rear bracket screw(s) and release the PCIe latch, remove the old card, insert the new card firmly into the x16 slot and screw it to the chassis, connect any required PCIe power cables, close the case, connect the display cable to the GPU, then boot and install the latest drivers from the GPU maker. If the system posts with no video, reseat the card, try the motherboard video output or check BIOS video priority. (lifewire.com)

Compatibility notes and tradeoffs: on older systems the CPU/chipset can bottleneck very fast GPUs, so a balanced mid‑range card that fits physically and electrically often gives the best real‑world uplift for a limited budget. If the PSU lacks required connectors or sufficient capacity, options are: choose a lower‑power card that draws only from the slot, or budget for a PSU upgrade. Second‑hand mid/high cards can be good value but verify cooling and functionality before buying. (digitaltrends.com)

Step‑by‑step walkthroughs: see the Lifewire guide (How to Install a Graphics Card) and Tom’s Hardware FAQ (How to install a graphics card) for photos and troubleshooting steps.

Recommended Answers

All 10 Replies

Member Avatar for peter_budo

According to http://www.bizrate.com/desktopcomputers/sony-vaio-digital-studio-vgc-ra828g-3.6-ghz-pentium-4-desktop--pid174679298/information.html this pc has PCI Express card so you can buy any PCI Express card. However before you do so, you should check your power supply. New graphics cards needs PSU above 400Watt. They are power hungry...
As to choosing card it is up to you, what brand you preffer (nVidia or ATI) and how much you can/want to splash on it. So provide price limit and people around will give plenty of ideas :twisted:

Member Avatar for OrbitalStrike

The max im willing to spend is about 200. As for companys im not sure which i prefer.

Also how do i check my max power supply?

Member Avatar for peter_budo

The max im willing to spend is about 200. As for companys im not sure which i prefer.

Also how do i check my max power supply?

You need to specify currency :)

All power supplies have label with this info, the label can be found either next to socket for cable or you may need to open case and look inside

Member Avatar for OrbitalStrike

When i looked up those two cards on newegg they go decent reviews but most say that although its a good deal it wont be able to run games like oblivion oh high settings what kinda card will that take?

Member Avatar for peter_budo

you have only two option:
1. get extra money so you can buy top gaming graphic card
2. buy what you can buy right now

my x1800 has no problem to run bf2, cod2, nfs:most wanted on top settings, where ATI Radeon X1950 will do extra fps on these games

Member Avatar for Qwazil

Im also upgrading my computer my current motherboard only supports agp and im upgrading it to an Sli PCI-E motherboard and all i know is that pci-e= 4000mb/s and agp is 2100mb/s but whats that in gaming language, how would that effect image quality and frames per second?

eg. i have a computer with a 7300GT agp 8x and i get say 30 fps, what frames would i get with the same card and rig only difference is the video card is pci-e?.

Member Avatar for peter_budo

Difficult to say, but defenetly more. I had Sapphire x 1800 which did 60-70fps on cod2 but because it broke down I got replacement in Power Color X1800XT which does 85-100 fps on maps where is lot of dust

Member Avatar for Qwazil

radeon 1950PRo is the shiz.

commented: Not the best way to show disaproval, mind the language please -1
Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.