Which graphic card is best suited for me for my birthday in April?

Question

Hey,
So I am a 13, almost 14 year old (please don’t be turned away by the fact that the question is asked by a child) who wants to buy a really good graphic card for my birthday in April so I can buy and run games with great graphics like Empire Total War, World in Conflict and other games that are only for PC smoothly. The problem is I know practically nothing about graphic cards. So, here I am and I will throw out a few questions for the computer professionals, or generally people with enough knowledge about graphics cards and computers so that I am ready for April. And just to point out, these questions will be a little mediocre and… noobish (I can’t think of a better word right now) so please no pointless comments comparing your knowledge flooded craniums with mine. Thank you.
So, here goes.
My graphics card is: NVIDIA GeForce 6200 TurboCache
I want to replace it with a great graphic card.
So I am hearing the NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT is the best and cheapest graphic card.
Is this true? Will it be able to run the games mentioned earlier on their highest graphical settings?
Can this replace my old one? (I don’t know if compatibility is a problem)
And if this won’t run the games can you tell me of a cheap but very good graphic card that will.
Is there a cheaper and better one?
What improvements will I see?
Ok, that was my first question “segment”.
Can someone explain how graphic cards work, will I have to adjust anything else on my computer (AMD Athlon 64 X2) to allow the graphic card to work?
Can someone also explain how to install graphic cards? (Note: I’ll let an adult do the installing).
Is there anything else I need to set up or buy?
Thank you.
And if there is anything you need to ask me to help me please do so… and if the answer is somewhere on my computer could you please tell me where to get it.
Also if you could bestow any other information and somehow put it in wording that I can understand *sigh* that will help me and maybe be beneficial to my time and wallet please add.
Thank you again.

Answer 1

*** Update ***



If your power supply isn't strong enough, the computer either won't boot up at all, or might crash/reboot when you try to launch games. The 9600GT is usually ok with a 400W power supply. If you're looking at higher-level cards, get something in the 500-600W range. You won't need anything higher than 600W for your machine- those are for people running more power-hungry processors and multiple video cards in SLI or Crossfire (which your motherboard doesn't support). Having a larger power supply than you need doesn't cause any problems, they just cost more.



The replacement process isn't difficult. Basically unscrew 4 screws and disconnect all the power cables inside your case, then reconnect everything to the new psu. Here's a youtube video that shows how:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_L2JSneh0w



Newer video cards have a 6-pin power connector too, so don't forget to connect that in addition to the usual components- hard drive, DVD/CD drives and motherboard.



A small computer shop local to you will have better prices than a large retail chain store. You can also buy online from sources like Newegg and Tiger Direct.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153052

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007



A note about the RAM: If your computer is running Windows XP, then 2GB is fine. Going to 3 or 4 gigabytes helps, but not enormously. If you're running Vista then upgrading your RAM makes a bigger difference, because Vista is more of a resource hog.



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The GeForce 9600GT is a good card in it's price range, able to run most games smoothly on medium to high settings (not usually highest) However, for $20 more you can get cards which are almost twice as fast, like the GeForce 9800GT and Radeon 4830. One of those is what you'll probably want.



Gaming video cards range in price from $75 up to $450, but for most people there's no point buying anything more expensive than a $150 card because the rest of their computer can't keep up. Still, even a $50 card is much better than the built-in graphics chipset on your motherboard (Geforce 6200)



The biggest possible problem with more expensive cards is that the standard power supply on many computers can't handle them. That's one point in favor of the Geforce 9600GT- it works on most computers without requiring a power supply upgrade.



If your computer came with a 450 Watt or higher power supply unit (psu) then you're in great shape because the Radeon 4830 or GeForce 9800GT will work. If your psu is rated lower, then you'd need to replace it for the better cards to work.



Installation is pretty simple. Open the computer case and slide the card into place. secure it with a screw, close the case and start the computer. Then install the drivers from the CD and you're all set.



As for AGP vs PCI-Express- AGP is an older type of slot/connector on the motherboard for graphics cards. It was standard for computers built in the 1990s through 2004. PCI-Express is a newer, faster connector which was introduced around 2004 and is the industry-standard now. Computers built in 2005 or later probably have a PCI-Express slot.



To tell which kind of slot your computer has, you can either open the case and look, or run a software program to tell you.



Here's a pic of an AGP slot:

http://www.help2go.com/files/agp_slot.jpg



And here are pics of PCI-Express:

http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/13-138-026-04.jpg

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf-JAVA/Doc/images/c00297774.jpg



(In the 2nd picture the PCI-E slot is the brown one)



As you can see, an AGP slot is offset farther from the white PCI slots, while a PCI-Express slot almost lines up with them.



You can also downoad a free program called SIW, which will display complete system information, including details about all of your hardware- motherboard model number, processor model, video slot type etc. Here's the link:



http://www.gtopala.com/siw-download.html



Here's the latest "best buys" list from Tom's Hardware review site for video cards in all price ranges:



http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2118.html



I've also linked a review of the 4830 showing how several games perform with various cards:



Hopefully this helps. Happy card hunting!

Answer 2

Edit: Since you have the 6200 turbocache right now, you've got PCI. The difference is just the type of slot/holder for your graphics card. PCI is newer and faster, as almost all new graphics cards are PCI-compatible.

For your computer specs, I'd like to know how much RAM you have, your type of motherboard, and your power supply strength. If you don't have that information lying around, do you know the name of your computer package? You can try google and see what comes up.

You do not want to underpower your card, as this can lead to entire system failures. A power supply connects to everything inside your computer, so if it goes bad it could potentially knock out several parts at once. Your computer may not even be able to start up. To check your power supply, you might have to open up the computer and read what's on the power supply box, unless you are able to find out your computer specs somehow. I actually run my entire computer on 420W and I've got a 9600 GT, so it is possible. If you knew your specs you could run a power supply calculator (lots of them online) and you'd have a general idea of how much power you'd need in your system.

Upgrading RAM is similar to upgrading your graphics card, only easier! Just open up your case, find the slots on your motherboard for RAM (probably 4 slots in a row with 1 or 2 of them already filled) and put in your new RAM. Adding RAM will basically make everything you run go faster. It's not so much space on your computer as it is how much memory your computer has dedicated to running programs. The more you have, the faster your computer can run your programs. If you have 1gb you'll definitely want to upgrade. 2 you might be ok as long as you don't have Vista. If you have Vista or run a lot of programs, get 3-4gb total. You motherboard might not be able to support more than 4 anyways, so that's always a safe number to go with.

When you buy new RAM, there may be some compatibility issues with your motherboard, but if you don't know what motherboard you have, I'd just say to NOT buy ram over 833mhz speeds and you'll probably be fine.

Most computer/electronics shops (like Fry's or BestBuy) will have the parts you need. Again, I'd recommend online stores such as Newegg.com, as I've used them many times and their customer service is second to none. I don't know how many replacements I've needed over the years and they've always been helpful and accommodating. Of course, the benefit of shopping in an actual store is that there are employees there who you can ask for help if you have any more questions.

Let me know if you have any more questions.



The 9600 GT is the best graphics card -for its price-. Obviously, there are better cards out there, but they do cost more. It will run your games smoothly (highest settings for most). If you absolutely need top-of-the-line graphics there's cards like the 8800 or 9800 GT or the GTX 260/280/295. But be prepared to shell out more money.

As for compatibilty, I would guess you would have to upgrade your power supply. The 9600 GT is the least power-hungry of all the cards I listed, but I'd recommend at least 450 - 500 W to run it. You might be able to get away with 420W, but any less than that and you will need to upgrade. If you get one of the other cards, you might need 600W+. If you provided some computer specs I could tell you more about compatibility.

You will see huge improvements over your current card. You'll probably be going from lowest settings to high settings. (The 6200 is basically the bare minimum to run a lot of games.)

When you install your card, you'll need to download the latest drivers, either on the CD that comes with the card or off the manufacturer's website. It's easy, so don't worry about that too much.

Installation is simple: Open up the case, find your old card, unplug your old card, and put in the new one where the old one was. Beware though, the new card will almost certainly be bigger than your old one, so if it doesn't fit at first, don't try to force it in, just move other parts around. If you end up upgrading your power supply too, that's a lot more work and you'll have to use your manual for that.

I'd recommend shopping at Newegg. That way if something goes wrong you can easily get a replacement/refund. ;) Also, my own graphics card is a 9600 GT (EVGA) and it's worked perfectly.

Final advice: Look into upgrading your RAM as well, if you have 2gb or less. 4gb can make quite a difference, and not just for gaming!



Well, good luck on your card search! I hope I was of help.

Answer 3

Read all about it, http://www.testfreaks.com/graphics-cards/