Any Gamers?

[Farmer]

Anybody up for a lan party?
I have a 30 port switch and a extra gaming pc.
we could do some free shooters just so everybody has the same games like wolfenstein enemy territory, or counter strike 1.5/pre source.
I have been wanting to have one since I got the new house.
-miles

[ScottyK]

It will certainly help run the game if you are using on-board graphics. As far as fitment it really depends on the size of your tower. If you give me a model number I can tell you if it will fit.

Looking at my computer that I thought was a good deal at the time...it looks as if it only has one small (about two inches wide) expansion slot at the top of the tower laying horizontally. Crap!! What was I thinking?? My wife wanted a smaller tower, taking up less space and looking cleaner. Arrrgh. I doubt your card will fit, but here is the model #. Acer Aspire AX3200-U3600A

If GTA4 is looking as if this computer can not handle it (That really sucks)...are there any other comparable role playing pc games out there that my computer with the previously listed performance would run??? Does anyone have reccomendations of other games that are not as demnding of the PC, but just as fun and stress-relieving????

[hermitmaster]

It will certainly help run the game if you are using on-board graphics. As far as fitment it really depends on the size of your tower. If you give me a model number I can tell you if it will fit.

Looking at my computer that I thought was a good deal at the time...it looks as if it only has one small (about two inches wide) expansion slot at the top of the tower laying horizontally. Crap!! What was I thinking?? My wife wanted a smaller tower, taking up less space and looking cleaner. Arrrgh. I doubt your card will fit, but here is the model #. Acer Aspire AX3200-U3600A

If GTA4 is looking as if this computer can not handle it (That really sucks)...are there any other comparable role playing pc games out there that my computer with the previously listed performance would run??? Does anyone have reccomendations of other games that are not as demnding of the PC, but just as fun and stress-relieving????

You can fit THIS card in your case and it should run GTA4 adequately. I would also recommend adding an additional fan because it runs somewhat hot, especially for a mini tower.

[ScottyK]

Sweeeet. Thanks for doing the research. I'll give it a shot. Should I order it from there then?

Will the female connector fit my connector? It looks wider and like it is a different color. It is a different color. Mine is blue with a chromeish lining. Sooo, are there adaptors so I can connect my screen to this new graphics card?

[hermitmaster]

That card has a DVI output instead of a standard D-Sub, it is the equivalent of HDMI on home theater equipment. If your monitor doesn't have a DVI input the card most likely comes with an adapter. I would definitely recommend ordering from there, I doubt you'll find a better price and service.

*edit*
Worst case scenario is you don't have a DVI input and it doesn't come with an adapter. Then just buy THIS and you're good to go.

[ScottyK]

OOOOOooooooo.....I do have a DVI input!!! So, I think I will get it and give it a shot. Hermitmaster, you have been extremely helpful. Thank you.

If GTA4 doesn't work, I might just go back to WoW. I have assassin's creed that is choppy too, so maybe I will be able to play that too. I'll let you know how it goes.

[endblockclip8]

If you guys are looking for a server to play on check out my online gaming teams servers... If you look at the scrolling members list you'll see a familiar name...

http://www.kznclan.com

shameless plug over

[MNiceGuy]

Scotty,

I looked up the manufacturer specs for your Acer and it does advertise having one PCI-Express x16 slot. It should be the longer black one adjacent to the white one. The smaller one you referred to sounds like a PCI-e x1.

That 9600GSO would definitely get you into gaming territory but there are a couple problems getting getting it to work that spunky little Acer.

1. You need a 6-pin PCI-e power lead from your power supply. You may or may not have one.

2. You have a 220W power supply and Nvidia recommends at least 450W to run this card. I'm not sure which form factor Acer has chosen to use for this model or whether or not it's proprietary. Typically the smaller supplies top out around 300W which makes upgrading it unfeasible.

The maximum you can go with that power supply would be an 8400GS or at most an 8500GT

8400GS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814143177
9500GT (really pushing the power supply): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... &Tpk9500gt

The ATI equivalent (there is no low-profile HD3650)

HD3450: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814121302

Really though these cards aren't going to be very substantial improvements and will just barely squeak you into minimum territory for modern games. At a typical resolution of 1280x1024 you could expect approximately 15-20 frames-per-second in somewhat new games. If you're willing to turn to a lower resolution you can increase that rate and make games like Fallout 3 and Mass Effect playable but just barely so. 30 FPS is considered fluid movement to our eyes.

[MNiceGuy]

Any old school gamers? Either way I think we all remember Contra? Check this out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5JlGQ5orL8

[hermitmaster]

That 9600GSO would definitely get you into gaming territory but there are a couple problems getting getting it to work that spunky little Acer.

1. You need a 6-pin PCI-e power lead from your power supply. You may or may not have one.

2. You have a 220W power supply and Nvidia recommends at least 450W to run this card. I'm not sure which form factor Acer has chosen to use for this model or whether or not it's proprietary. Typically the smaller supplies top out around 300W which makes upgrading it unfeasible.

Good point, I forgot about the power supply. HERE is a MicroATX 400 watt power supply for $32. It should have all of the connections you need for your current components and the video card.

[ScottyK]

[quote="MNiceGuy"]Scotty,

I looked up the manufacturer specs for your Acer and it does advertise having one PCI-Express x16 slot. It should be the longer black one adjacent to the white one. The smaller one you referred to sounds like a PCI-e x1.

That 9600GSO would definitely get you into gaming territory but there are a couple problems getting getting it to work that spunky little Acer.

1. You need a 6-pin PCI-e power lead from your power supply. You may or may not have one.

2. You have a 220W power supply and Nvidia recommends at least 450W to run this card. I'm not sure which form factor Acer has chosen to use for this model or whether or not it's proprietary. Typically the smaller supplies top out around 300W which makes upgrading it unfeasible.

I only have the one slot available for upgrades. The other longer slot is not there, on mine at least. "the longer black one adjacent to the white one"....there is no white one. There is only a small horizontal silver one at the very top of the computer.

1. "You need a 6-pin PCI-e power lead from your power supply" What is that? Right now that is the only barrier to getting this 9600GT one.

2. "Typically the smaller supplies top out around 300W which makes upgrading it unfeasible". So, would getting an external power supply to run this 9600GT card be impossible? Are you saying it wouldn't work?

I will get whatever and give it a shot, but I have not gotten anything yet b/c I am wanting to be more certain before I order anything. Can I buy a power supply from best buy?

[MNiceGuy]

Scotty, the problem isn't so much having the 6-pin connector since there are adaptors. The problem is that the power supply in your Acer just doesn't have the power to run a video card worthy of the upgrade.

That card has a DVI output instead of a standard D-Sub, it is the equivalent of HDMI on home theater equipment. If your monitor doesn't have a DVI input the card most likely comes with an adapter. I would definitely recommend ordering from there, I doubt you'll find a better price and service.

*edit*
Worst case scenario is you don't have a DVI input and it doesn't come with an adapter. Then just buy THIS and you're good to go.

I was thinking it's microATX too but it just doesn't seem right. Here's a pic of the Acer:



Scotty does this look right? I've highlighted the PCI-e slot in red toward the top. It's hard to see in that pic but it is indeed there.

You could run dual power supplies with this adaptor:



The only thing though is that's going to be quite an interesting setup. The extra power supply would have to be external and there are no enclosures for that kind of application.

You could use a dedicated graphics power supply. Here's a link:

http://www.thermaltake.com/product/Powe ... /w0157.asp

That's made to fit inside a 5 1/4" bay (CD/DVD drive size) and all the wiring stays inside. The only problem is there isn't an available bay on the Acer.

There is an another option:

You COULD get a cheap microATX case which would let you choose from literally hundreds of compatible power supplies. You'd have to transplant all your components into the new case but then you'd have a lot more options in the long run. You'd have more space for hard drives and you could literally choose almost any video card you want.

The only possible setback would be if the Acer motherboard, which looks like some variant of the ITX form-factor, wasn't able to be mounted properly in an microATX case. I can't for the life of me find any information pertaining which form factor the motherboard or power supply is. This wouldn't be the end of the world though. You could just replace the motherboard too. While that sounds like a big deal it's not.

Let's put this together:

MicroATX case ($39.99): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811119115

Quality 500W Power Supply ($49.99): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817171031

GTS250 ($129.99). One of the best bang-for-the-buck cards out there. This particular one has a double lifetime warranty which means it can be passed on to another person should you choose to sell it in the future. These cards almost always fetch a higher price on the second-hand market. It also comes with a full copy of Call of Duty World at War. This is enough video card that you can just go pick up new games without worrying about having enough system. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814150357

Now let's say the Acer motherboard doesn't mount properly. Could could just replace it with a decent AM2+ motherboard like this one for $34.99 after rebate:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813500023

When it's all said and done you'd have a nice little gaming rig. You'd easily fit into the minimum requirements for any game on the shelf as I write this and you could easily upgrade the machine in the future. If budget permits this is what I'd do in a heartbeat.

Whatever you decide to do Scotty I'm more than willing to help you get it all together.

[ScottyK]

1.) Scotty does this look right? I've highlighted the PCI-e slot in red toward the top. It's hard to see in that pic but it is indeed there. Yes, this is the computer I have.

2.) The only thing though is that's going to be quite an interesting setup. The extra power supply would have to be external and there are no enclosures for that kind of application. I have a power supply in the case of my previous computer. It is a 250W. Could I just use that one as a support to my current power supply and mount it externally? Then could I get away with the 9600GT card?

3.) GTS250 ($129.99). One of the best bang-for-the-buck cards out there. This particular one has a double lifetime warranty which means it can be passed on to another person should you choose to sell it in the future. These cards almost always fetch a higher price on the second-hand market. It also comes with a full copy of Call of Duty World at War. This is enough video card that you can just go pick up new games without worrying about having enough system. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814150357This card looks awesome, but it is a double slotted card. I only have space for a sinle slot.

4.) Whatever you decide to do Scotty I'm more than willing to help you get it all together.Thank you x 100.

[MNiceGuy]

2.) The only thing though is that's going to be quite an interesting setup. The extra power supply would have to be external and there are no enclosures for that kind of application. I have a power supply in the case of my previous computer. It is a 250W. Could I just use that one as a support to my current power supply and mount it externally? Then could I get away with the 9600GT card?

I have done some homework and I can tell you your system will use 207W when running flat out hence the 220W supply it came with. Cutting it pretty close actually. Now that 9600GT you have your eye on will consume 95W of power all by itself according to Nvidia. Clearly the supply in your Acer just isn't going to cut it.

Now you could wire a second supply for just the video card which would give you a theoretical 250W budget. It is usually not recommended to run a standard power supply in this configuration though because with only a video card, the 3.3V and 5V rails will not have any load (video cards only need the 12V rail) which could introduce some problems. I say could because there seems to be a bit of talk for both sides of that argument. Interestingly though there are power supplies made specifically for what you're trying to do and I've mentioned them above. They are different in the fact they do not have 3.3V and 5V rails at all and hence no issue.

A typical situation where someone might want to run dual power supplies as you want to (2 standard supplies in one computer) will have one on the motherboard/video card/primary hard disc and the second running the fans/secondary hard drives/water pumps etc.

If you're willing to chance it and that 250W is decent you could in fact run that 9600GT. The second supply would have to sit outside the case and have some of its wires somehow run inside the case.

3.) GTS250 ($129.99). One of the best bang-for-the-buck cards out there. This particular one has a double lifetime warranty which means it can be passed on to another person should you choose to sell it in the future. These cards almost always fetch a higher price on the second-hand market. It also comes with a full copy of Call of Duty World at War. This is enough video card that you can just go pick up new games without worrying about having enough system. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814150357This card looks awesome, but it is a double slotted card. I only have space for a sinle slot.

This is true but if you decided to move your system into a standard case you could not only get any off the shelf power supply, you would not be restricted to slim (vs standard) and single slot video cards.

4.) Whatever you decide to do Scotty I'm more than willing to help you get it all together.Thank you x 100.

No problem