Gamers opinon please!!

[Guest]

I recently bought a new computer. HP7855
1ghz Intel
192 mb memory
dvd
cdr
all the goodies except it only accepts pci graphics cards. This was disapointing but oh well. It is running the Intel 810e chipset and I am tired of it. SOFgold wont run very well, as well as several others. I want to upgrade and am seriously thinking of going with the ATI Radeon 32mb sdr for now because of cost. Will I see a big improvement with games such as delta force land warrior and sof gold, diablo2, etc... Anyone running this card truly satisfied with the money they spent on it?? I'm not a rich person and hate spending money but I value my gameplay and would like all input from users of this card on how happy they are with it. Thank you for any help!!

 

[Guest]

anything will seem like a huge improvement over your onboard graphics. i dont have the pci radeon, but can tell you that the radeon is a great card. obviously, the pci version will be sharing a slower bus with everything else on your pci bus, but you will definately enjoy a better gaming experience. Of course, the best option is to replace your motherboard and take the HP 810 board out into the woods and burn it. those things are evil! onboard graphics coupled with a 1 ghz PIII!?!?! those freakin jackass' over at HP should be slapped for taking advantage like that. pure BS. I would take your memory, processor and all peripherals and put them in a new case with an 815 board. then get a nice radeon 64 mb agp card and scream throught the frames. cost you a little more, but better than spending 80 bucks now on a pci card and then needing to do the whole upgrade again in six months.....

just an idea. oh, and if you do burn you hp motherboard, let me know cause id like to throw a log on the fire!

ignore everything i say

 

[noko]

Yeap, take everything out except for the motherboard and case, trash compact those. You will see improvement but nowhere near the improvement you will see with a 815 mobo and AGP graphics card. Radeon SDR would help in your computer system but still it will be crippled by the pci bus.

 

[toonces]

that card would suit you well. it won't perform as well as the agp version but you don't have an agp slot. the only problem you may have is installing the card. if you can take it to the people that sold it to you and have them install it for you that would be great. otherwise you're going to be in for a big headache... but it WILL run circles around what you currently have and many people swear by the radeon card. you also may look at the geforce2 mx line of cards as an alternative.

<font color=red>yeah baby, my kung fu's the best...</font color=red>

 

[Guest]

yes the radeon will be a huge gain over the onboard graphics. its the best low cost alternative you have and coupled with a 1000mhz processor will give you a satisfactory gaming experience for quite some time to come.hell, even a voodoo2 would give you an improvement probably, but anyway do not fear, the pci radeon will keep you competitive and for the cost is your best alternative. you may very well be on to your next machine by the time tou start having a "slow" machine for gaming.

 

[Guest]

Hey guy.
I was in the same situation.
P3 700 w/ Intel onboard crap.
I bought a Radeon 32 SDR PCI about three months ago.
I am completely satisfied with it - MUCH better than the onboard Intel.
It's overclocked to 178/178 and I'm using the Humus tweaker.
SOF gold runs great.
I would recommend you get the Radeon PCI without hesitation.
Good luck.

 

[phsstpok]

I installed a Radeon PCI in Dell 800e, 810 (not 810e) chipset. There a was a big improvement but it's a close call as to whether I would recommend it. The card scored only 3600 in 3DMark2000 and wouldn't complete 3DMark2001 (probably just a driver problem). However my friend can now play games at 800x600 in 32-bit color where he formerly played at 640x480 in 16-bit color and it's smoother. Some games formerly didn't allow my friend to use 3D acceleration because the 810 chipset only enables 4mb of shared memory for video. (I think the 810e allows 11mb). Now my friend has full capability but can't play at 1024x768. Just too slow. I just had time try Quake III Arena test but I can't remember framerate scores. 800x600 did play smoothly, though. Subjectively, it was about the same my Geforce256 SDR/Duron combination when I don't overclock anything. That isn't good enough (at least for me), but it's much better than it was.

By the way, if you go with a Radeon PCI and you have a MicroATX case, give the card as much space as you can. Just not much ventilation in a MicroATX case.

I hope this information helps.

Personally, I vote with Noko. A new case and motherboard and recycle everything else. You can then install any video card or future video card you want. I think you can get 815e motherboards for about $100 and a good case for the same.

 

[Crashman]

I have the Radeon SDR PCI. While it is better than your onboard graphics, it does not perform up to my standards. You can by mine for $65 plus shipping. I still have the box.
I checked out your computer at HP's website. From it's height, it looks like it will accept a full hieght ATX motherboard. Check the back to see if it has 7 expansion slots.
HP used Micro ATX boards, even in full ATX cases. So the fact of having a Micro ATX board does not imply that you can't use the full ATX board, it is determined by the number of slots. 7 slots means you can use either, less than 7 means micro ATX only.
The reason I brought all this up is because, if you really want good performance, you will need a motherboard with an AGP slot. Contrary to what others may say, nothing else needs to be replaced except the board in order to give you AGP.
The best board for your system if it has 7 slots is the Asus CUSL2-C. If it has fewer than 7 slots, the Asus CUSL2-M is a micro ATX version. Everything else tranfers over.
Should you go with the new motherboard, the best bang-for-the-buck video card is the Radeon LE. This is an OEM only card, and can be found on various websites (such as newegg.com) for around $70. Check Pricewatch.com if you want to see other sellers prices.
The Radeon LE can also be had with TVO (TV-Out, both Composite and S-Video) for about $30 more, if you decide you want this feature.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine