Question about ZT Affinity Grafic Card

pk18

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Hi..I recently purchased the ZT Affinity 7337XA, but researched that every part from the AMD Phenom 11X4 945, 3.0 GHZ, 8GB memory, 1TB hard drive, etc. is very good for the price of $599. But from reading comments about this system, the 3100 Radeon
graphics card is not so good as far as for gaming. Also, Windows 7 64-bit's features may not be all useable and better off installing the 32-bit. Any which way, I'm not too much, technically inclined in this field as to what kind of graphics card to upgrade to for this type of system. Can you please tell me what your suggestion is?... :whistle: Thank You PK
 
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No problem. I think that is still a good choice if you do stick with it. The Corsair 450w(87%) is even more power efficient than the 400w(82%), so it and a 5770 would run very cool and low energy.

(Also I think the 5770 is an appropriate power range to match the badass phenom II x4 that you just bought.)

Wolfshadw

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Just to note, this system has a 300 watt (probably generic) power supply. You may need to update the power supply as well as the graphics card. The system does have an available PCI-Ex16 slot.

With 8 GB of RAM installed, you'll want to stay with a 64-bit operating system. I've been running Windows 7 64 bit since release candidate 1 and never had any problems.

-Wolf sends
 

pk18

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Hi..thx to everyone that helped..decided to go w/Corsair650W. Just confused about which graphics card to go with. The 3100 Radeon Integrated comes w/it. I'm looking for it to handle most gaming. Is the 4770 good? Or is the 5770 good? The 5850 categories are a little too steep in price for me. thx..PK
 

pk18

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OK so the 450W would be good. Would adding sound blaster have anything to do with the PSU? Don't know too much of this tech stuff.
 

pk18

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As far as the gaming my son would need to use it when I'm not on the computer. I have another desktop that plays his games pretty good. Its an HP w/512MB Nvidia 84or 8500 Ge Force. Something simular to this.
 

deadlockedworld

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Ok-- well then you just have to decide how much you are willing to spend for your son, because the Geforce 8400 or 8500 cards are MUCH less powerful than even the $50 card on the "best graphics card for the money" article I just posted. If you look on the last page of it you will see a hierarchy that compares cards.

I see two obvious paths for you:

1. Choose a card that can run on your current power supply. These cards would include an ATI 4670($65-70), Nvidia 9600GT($80) or GT 240 with GDDR5 ($80). These cards wouldn't let your son run new games on the maximum possible settings, but he would be able to play new games with the graphics turned probably 80% of the way up and anything more than a year or so old just fine. (this is dependent on monitor size though) World of Warcraft and massively multiplayer online games like that would run fine on a card like this.

2. Get a new power supply to run a better card. This has some other benefits as well--your system will be quieter, more power efficient and more reliable. (I bought my father a ZT Affinity and I know that power supply fan is LOUD and I cant even hear the corsair 400cx power supply thats in my computer running)

If you decide to get a new power supply you will have a variety of options. My personal suggestions:
Corsair 400w(39.99 afer MIR) + ATI 4850 graphic card ($99) =$140+ shipping (newegg doesnt have tax)
Corsair 400w(39.99 afer MIR) + ATI 5770 graphic card ($155)= $195+ shipping

Of these two cards the 5770 is newer, more powerful, and more energy efficient, however I really think the 4850 would be enough to keep your kid satisfied--and is a very good value at $100. (its much more powerful than the cards I previously listed)

Many of the graphic card debates on this website are between adults that are hardcore gamers that spend thousands on their computers--you should keep this in mind when reading opinions that tell you to buy $200 cards.

If you want more advice on the card to get you should list what games your son does and or wants to play, and the size of the monitor. This would help make the determination more clear.
 

deadlockedworld

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No problem. I think that is still a good choice if you do stick with it. The Corsair 450w(87%) is even more power efficient than the 400w(82%), so it and a 5770 would run very cool and low energy.

(Also I think the 5770 is an appropriate power range to match the badass phenom II x4 that you just bought.)
 
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davidp102

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If I am only going to be editing photos and video via Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, Premier CS3 etc, will the ATI 3100 graphic card perform well for me?

 

pk18

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From the reviews that I had gone over, you should be OK with this card. BUT for gamers definately not.
 

davidp102

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Thank you very much. I noticed that most folks on here were referencing online gaming and i dont do that so i was just wondering. Thanks again.
 

deadlockedworld

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Hi David... I don't know anything about your system specs--but I think a low end graphic card would offer you some improvement in your performance when rendering images + etc. It would also help if you run a high resolution display.

While most graphics programs are still very CPU intensive CS4 IS designed to take advantage of a discrete graphics cards.

I would suggest and ATI Radeon 4350 as an excellent choice to improve performance for a non-gamer.
XFX is a very high quality brand-- $32 here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150335
 

pk18

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Your Welcome
 

pk18

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Hi..I want to thank everyone that helped me w/my desktop Affinity. Today, I put sound blaster exteme gaming card in (my first time opening a computer) and installed software/drivers and my limewire songs sound unbelievable. Also took the lightscribe DVD/CD out of the old and put it in under the 24X. Ran into a problem trying to fit it in! Had to drop the power supply, then it still was hard , but eventually I got it. Still didn't get that Radeon 5770 yet, but am saving for it.
One question though: Does the 3100 Radeon card have anything to do with the Phenon 945, as far as applications/speedy performance? (not gaming as of yet)
Because I was expecting it to search and run faster than my old PC.
 

deadlockedworld

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Just to be clear, the 3100 is not a card--it is a part of your motherboard that handles graphics when no card is installed. The lack of card might make your computer do graphically intensive things slower--but shouldnt have any affect on "search" and other normal computer functions.

In order to diagnose the computer not seeming that much faster you would have to tell me exactly what isnt faster. It may be your internet that is slow, not the computer--or you may just want to turn up the mouse speed or something? Your computer should be very fast with the specs it has.

Another option to deal help with a slowed computer is CCleaner--It will help you see what startup programs and leftover files are on your computer that you dont need.
http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/
 

pk18

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Yes, I think your right about the internet. Maybe its the server or something w/verizon. Because the other PC was the same way.
Sometimes they tell me to shut the modem off and wait for 1 min.
(then restart) It comes back good, but then "server cannot be found"
starts in about 15 min., all over again. I'm going to take a look at the start-up programs and see whats up w/that..thx PK