New Graphics Card

[PaulC]

Morning,

I've managed to get my hands on an ATI Radeon HD 4870.

I currently have the Radeon HD 2400.

My new card was free, but what performance improvement will it give me? On my "windows experience" score, most numbers were 6 and 7s, my graphics score being the lowest at 5.something.

I've never changed a graphics card before so any help, tips or advice will be MOST welcome!!

Many thanks,

Paul

[delticbob]

Unless things have changed since Noah was a lad - he built my PC Its just like installing a PCI card but will probably have an extra power supply lead going on it.

(Is the reply going to be along the lines of....whats a PCI card? )

Thought - there seems to be a YouTube video for everything these days...is there one about installed a graphocs card I wonder.

Good luck

Bob

[Garry Russell]

More interesting would be what's a non PC I card

[PaulC]

What's a...

If it's a case of replacing one with another I should be ok.
Any ideas on the performance difference?

[Dev One]

Make sure that the new card might need an additional power connecter vs the old one, as it might need more power than the motherboard can supply. My Nvidis 8600gts has a power connector - it will work without it being connected but you could overload the motherboard supply!
Keith ( one who is gradually learning about these things from my experienced computer engineer son!!!)

[DarrenL]

Any ideas on the performance difference?

Possibly substantial. The 2400 isn't on the comparison list but by comparing the lowest Radeon on there, the 256mg HD 3470 against your new 4870 even then there are big differences.

See here - http://www.hwcompare.com/2476/radeon-hd ... -4870-1gb/

[PaulC]

Right, guesswork by me, actual facts from you good people!!

I need a power supply, my graphics card has come with two leads that appear the same; a yellow and black wired thing with 6 female connector at one end and a 3 pin male at the other. It has two of these and two sockets for this on the card.

My computer has what appears the be a spare SATA thing (15 connection strips I think) and coming out from the back of that, a 4 pin female thing.

Question one: do I need two power leads to my card?

Question two: do I need one of these SATA adapters I've just read about?

Question three: am I likely to be making an arse of this? I've looked on the net and think I need an adapter and just one lead but want to check before I melt my PC!!

Thanks Gents.

[DaveB]

Hi Paul..

If your new card has shipped with two pwr leads, you will need both to pwr it. I've no idea where SATA comes into this as that is a disc controller. What you're looking for is PCIe to all intents. The card will only fit one type of slot and depending on the age of your mobo, it will have one or two PCIe slots (to enable two cards to be run together).

ATB
DaveB

[PaulC]

Its in the PCI slot, went in fine (that was the fun and easy bit!)

But trawling the net seems to tell me that my graphics card has older style power connectors (molex I believe) but new power leads from my power unit has a SATA connection hence I need an adaptor. I've found a 15 pin SaTA to 2x 4 pin molex adapters. Have I put 2 and 2 together and got 357653 or by some fluke have I worked that out right?

[DaveB]

Ah.. ok Paul, I see what you mean.. a SATA pwr type connector (one of those little L shaped jobbies). TBH, I've never used a SATA L to 4-pin adaptor for a graphics card and I'd be cautious of using one lead to feed both pwr connectors as those cards draw an awful lot of juice. I'd be much happier with a 1 to 1 ratio if you see what I mean OK for running a drive/2 drives.. especially where one is a rarely used CD/CDRW or a drive+fan but one lead to both card sockets seems a bit much. Perhaps I'm being over cautious

ATB
DaveB