Need help -- Replacement for Nvidia GEForce needed

MBlue72

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Feb 18, 2011
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Hello,
I need some help please. I have an HP D5000T computer that is 2-1/2 years old. It is pretty well loaded with Intel quad, large hard drive, plenty of RAM, etc. So I want to keep this computer if possible. I have 100+ applications installed -- it would be a pain to replace it. It originally came with a NVIDIA GEForce 9800 GT board. The original died after only about 13 months. HP sent out a replacement board, despite the machine being out of warranty. They sent me a one-for-one replacement. I installed it about a year ago -- today the replacement died!

What do you all suggest as a replacement (I definately don't want to get another NVIDIA if possible). I do no gaming at all but heavy on business applications, some photoshop type applications, etc.

I am 62 years old but reasonably tech savvy (but not about hardware).

Thanks very much,

Dave in Michigan
 
Solution
Then take a look at the 5770. It's powerful enough for gaming, but still a good price. My friend got one which I helped him set up, and I couldn't even hear the fan on it so it should be nice and quiet.

I would recommend one with a larger fan as opposed to the reference design which has a small centrifugal fan at the rear. Those fans tend to be whiney at high speeds.
Thanks to both of you for your replies. I should have also mentioned:

1)... I have 2 large monitors which will be driven by the new card.
2)... my prime monitor (Samsung 275T) is used for my photography work - color calibrated every few months. So although no gaming ... I still use it for graphics-intensive work.
3)... I'm on Windows 7 Ultimate
4)... I will place a high weight on quiet cards

Thanks again,

Dave

PS ... I understand your point Omnisome -- I've had maybe 6 or 7 computers with NVIDIA cards without a problem. But 2 for 2 bad ones dampens my enthusiam.
 
Basically everything in Photoshop is handled by the CPU not the GPU. The GPU is basically just displaying a regular 2D image, as if you were at desktop. There's a few exceptions, like if you do anything that handles 3D work.

Also, according to this:
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/404/kb404898.html
There is a few speed improvements you can get with a better GPU in Photoshop CS4 and CS5.

If your budget is over $100 you might look at a 5750, 5770 by AMD Radeon or a GTS 450 by Nvidia. These are pretty good GPUs and quiet.

I still think a 5570 would be adequet, or a little better would be a 5670.

Here's a fanless 5670:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102902&cm_re=5670-_-14-102-902-_-Product
 
Then take a look at the 5770. It's powerful enough for gaming, but still a good price. My friend got one which I helped him set up, and I couldn't even hear the fan on it so it should be nice and quiet.

I would recommend one with a larger fan as opposed to the reference design which has a small centrifugal fan at the rear. Those fans tend to be whiney at high speeds.
 
Solution
Thanks for your suggestion of a Radeon HD 5770. It seems like a good value at around $130-135. This gets an excellent review here at Tom's too.

But ... (remember I'm not tech-savvy on hardware) ...

1)... ATI? XFX? Sapphire? Does it make a difference?

2)... will these match up to my power supply?

3)... are these the same card slot size as my original GEForce 9800 GT?

Thanks again for your time in responding to this and putting up with newbie questions.

Dave
 
Brand doesn't matter too much. The main difference is that some offer better warranties than others. Unfortunately I'm not really sure which is the best in that regards. Personally I like Sapphire, Gigabyte, and Asus the most but that's just me.

I don't know what power supply you have, but the requirements are here: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/ati-radeon-hd-5000/hd-5770/Pages/ati-radeon-hd-5770-overview.aspx#3
You can open your case up and have a look.

The 5770 is a 2 slot card. It's very rarely an issue. The interface to the motherboard requires a standard PCIe 16 slot, which would be the same as your 9800GT. I think some 9800GT's were single slot, some dual slot. It's easy to tell the difference tho:
Single:
See it here
Dual:
See it here

Unless you have another card directly below, it's rarely ever an issue.
 
Hello:

Thanks for all your help.

According to the AMD website, the 5770 needs … “450 Watt or greater power supply with one 75W 6-pin PCI Express® power connectors recommended.” OK, fine.

I opened my computer and looked around – I also pulled out the GEForce 9800 GT card. My power supply has a label that states … “Output Max Power 460W” but below that … “The total power on +12Va +12Vb +12Vc Not Exceed 385W.”

So I guess I am down to 2 questions:

1)… is my power supply sufficient to drive the 5770? I would think “yes” since the Max rating is 460 Watts. Right? I would guess the 385W limit is only if the computer is being used to drive other devices via USB connections, etc.

2)… what is a “75W 6-pin PCI Express® power connector”? I do know that I pulled a 6-pin connector from the back of the 9800GT (male connector on the card, female connectors on the socket). I am guessing this is the 75W power connector?

Wolfram23, you’ve been a great help.

Thanks for any additional advice,

Dave

PS … it does appear I have room for a duel slot card.
 
Yeah sounds like the PSU should work. Just so you know, the premade PCs like this don't put in very good PSUs as they can save some cash that way. I think it might be worthwhile to spend a little money and get a new one. That said, the one in there has what you need to get it working.
 
Wolfram,

Thanks very much for your help. I really appreciate all the time you've taken to help me on this.

I'll order a Sapphire version of this from Amazon and give it a go.

Thanks again,

Dave
 
Hello:

I just wanted to "close the loop" and let you know I installed the Sapphire ATI Radeon 5770 card and it works great. It was much easier to install than the Nvidia 9800 GT card.

Thanks to all of you who helped me ... especially wolfram23.

Dave