Gaming upgrade - graphics card and monitor....advice needed

Barbs

Established Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2006
Messages
462
Reaction score
21
Points
110
Location
Belfast
Hi all,

I am looking to upgrade a Dell Dimension 5000 to get more mileage out of it for gaming (FPS mainly...BF2, and the up and coming MoH AA, QW, COD4...).

I posted the main PC spec on another thread and they recommended upgrading the GPU as my main option.... so now what to get?

I have a 6600gt oc, and was considering a X1950 pro or 7900GS/7800 GTX... or even a beefier X1950XT.... are these my best options for the sub £100 mark?
Do I need to plump for DX10 at this stage?
and more importantly will they run on my rig? I believe that the Dell Dim 5000 has a standard 305W PSU.
Or ..... is it worth spending money on this rig at all?

ALSO:
I'm keen to upgrade my monitor from a Dell ultrasharp 17"... any recommendations (sub £200!).

Thanks.

Barbs.


Spec:
graphics: BFG 6600 GT OC, PCI-E
psu: 305W
monitor: Dell Ultrasharp 17"
CPU: P4 3.0 ghz
Ram : 2 Gb
 
Ok - I have been hunting around and I have narrowed the cards down to probably one of these:

7900GS or is this any good (great price :smashin:)
X1950 pro 512Mb

What I don't know is if one of these will work in my setup (above)?

Also - I am would like a 22" ws panel (again for gaming) - any suggestions?

:lease:
 
— As an Amazon Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases —
As long as you go for a single slot card you should be fine. However, you may need to go for a better PSU to power the X1950Pro (not sure about the 7900GS).
 
Hi Barbs, I was in a similer position to you and managed to pick up a second hand 7950GT 512mb 2nd hand for £75 on these forums. It may be worth checking the trading threads, or even posted a wanted one up.
 
Thanks for the replies - I was impatient and ended up getting the 7900GS (2nd hand for £46 :smashin:). It arrives next week so I will know soon enough if I need a new PSU or not....

... on the other dilema, any suggestions as to a new monitor (22" ws) to replace the current 17" Ultrasharp that I have? I have checked the other threads and the Dell and Samsung names seesm to appear quite a bit, but which models?
 
... on the other dilema, any suggestions as to a new monitor (22" ws) to replace the current 17" Ultrasharp that I have? I have checked the other threads and the Dell and Samsung names seesm to appear quite a bit, but which models?

The first stop should probably be to read the two 22" round-ups, the first at behardware and the second at x-bit.

Then it's a case of seeing exactly what inputs, price point you are looking for and hopefully narrow it down.
 
The first stop should probably be to read the two 22" round-ups, the first at behardware and the second at x-bit.

Then it's a case of seeing exactly what inputs, price point you are looking for and hopefully narrow it down.

Thanks for the links to the 22" monitor reviews - they are excellent and not that easy to find with simple googling. Considering the amount of questions on this topic, decent reviews like that should be put on a sticky...Mods?

Now all I need is a new PSU to support the 7900GS :eek: The 305W one in my Dell Dim 5000 is just not up to the job! Another thread here I go.....
 
Instead of getting a 22" 1680x1050, I would get a higher quality 20" 1680x1050.

Seems current 22" are using cheaper panels (Samsung especially)
 
When you refer to a cheap panel - is this the TN panel? If so - is this really that bad or just bad for viewing angles? I will be using it soley as a monitor so I am not bothered about viewing angles.

I have read around on the perceived issue with Samsung using S, A, C panels in the 226BW model - the X-BIT article posted by Tejstar, actually reviews the different Sammy 226bw panels - an interesting read. Sort of seems to conclude that there is little difference after the test....

Right now I am torn between the 22" Dell and the Samsung 226CW.... I'd love a 24" but do you see the cost of those puppies :eek:!!!
 
Now all I need is a new PSU to support the 7900GS :eek: The 305W one in my Dell Dim 5000 is just not up to the job! Another thread here I go.....

If it helps I replaced the PSU in my Dell to a Corsair HX520 to power a X1950Pro. However, a Coolermaster igreen 500W would be good enough (and cheaper!)
 
When you refer to a cheap panel - is this the TN panel? If so - is this really that bad or just bad for viewing angles? I will be using it soley as a monitor so I am not bothered about viewing angles.

It's not bad, just not ideal if you are into graphic designer/video work. Viewing angles are an issue but in terms of the price you pay, they are great value for money and superb for gaming given their low response times.

I have a 22" TN Samsung 226BW and there is no way I would downgrade to 20" personally. I do use my monitor head-on though, so viewing angles are less of an issue for me.
 
If it helps I replaced the PSU in my Dell to a Corsair HX520 to power a X1950Pro. However, a Coolermaster igreen 500W would be good enough (and cheaper!)

It does help :thumbsup:.

I have heard great things about the Corsair PSUs - and for £60 that can't be bad. Is it quiet?

I was considering a OCZ gameExtreme 600W PSU for around £60 as I have heard that they will fit the Dell Dimension 5000.... but if you have already plugged in a Corsair that looks like an option :D
 
— As an Amazon Associate, AVForums earns from qualifying purchases —
If you're doing video work and graphic design you want one with accurate colours, and calibration is a must.
Don't know if the TN excel in that area.
 
If you're doing video work and graphic design you want one with accurate colours, and calibration is a must.
Don't know if the TN excel in that area.

For me it will be purely to enhance gaming...... at this stage getting a xbox360 would be cheaper and plug that into my plasma :rolleyes:
 
Well in that case you wouldn't go wrong with a TN panel, the response times are the best you'll get compared to a S-IPS/S-PVA.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom