Replacement card for GeForce 9800 GT

hanoirocks

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Apr 21, 2013
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10,510
Which card should I replace my Nvidia GeForce 9800 GT (512mb) with?

My Dell Studio 540 is getting a bit long in the tooth but still doing nicely thank you.
When I ordered it a few years ago I specced what seemed a decent graphics card which started playing up a few months ago. It reached the point this weekend where windows was code 43-ing it.

I stripped it and baked it in the oven today in desperation and amazingly it is currently working again.

I realise that I will need to bite the bullet and buy another card soon and would be obliged for any advice on a replacement. The 9800 is PCI Express 2.0 x16 and it uses a secondary 6 pin power cable. It has HDMI out audio and I plug it into a LG HD TV set using a DVI out to HDMI (for the TV) adaptor.

It is mainly used for music, video, email, internet, workstation. I don't play games on it much any more. Budget is as little as possible. Would about £45 buy a reasonable replacement?

I will be grateful for any ideas please as to which card to buy.
 

hanoirocks

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Apr 21, 2013
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I can spend more.
I'm loathe to spend too much on replacements for an older machine.
I've been here before and motherboard/psu/case obsolescence gets you in the end.

Are there any limitations regarding my existing PSU? I think the 9800 required 300w and unless I'm mistaken the existing is 350w.
 

Azn Cracker

Distinguished

Your 350w will handle the 6670 just fine.


Btw, the 9800 gt recommended a 400w psu, so you were pushing your luck there

 

robjon70

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Nov 28, 2012
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Unless you spend at least 100 bucks USD on another graphics card you won't be getting any better than what you already have.

I'd recommend at least getting a 7770, you could get a 7750 but they perform a lot worse and only cost 10 bucks less. The 7770 can be found for 90$ USD right now on pcpartpicker.com. Just find the right model. I think the 7770 is about twice as powerful as the 9800, at least in 3DMark11.

Since you aren't gaming, why even get an upgrade? If you just need a replacement, then go with an Nvidia GT630. It's no gaming card, but it is better or the same as your card, and it'll last you forever. The 6670 is also a good option, but again, it's really not an upgrade, more of a replacement.
 
If you can spend a little more money, then you should consider the Radeon HD 7750 which is currently the best performing graphics card that will work with a 300w PSU.

There are basically two versions with DDR3 RAMand DDR5 RAM. The DDR3 version will be cheaper, but it is also about 10% - 15% slower than the DDR5 version. Not very familiar with stores in the UK, but here are examples of the two:

HD 7750 DDR3 RAM - £67.34
http://www.dabs.com/products/xfx-amd-radeon-7750-hd-800mhz-2gb-pci-express-3-0-hdmi-8K0Q.html?q=radeon%20hd%207750&src=16


HD 7750 DDR5 RAM - £87.67
http://www.dabs.com/products/asus-amd-radeon-7750-hd-1gb-pci-express-hdmi-87VJ.html?q=radeon%20hd%207750&src=16
 
Solution

hanoirocks

Honorable
Apr 21, 2013
5
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10,510
Thanks for the advice. I see that the HD 7770 card supports PCI Express 3.0 x16 bus.
Will it work with my PCi Express 2.0 motherboard slot please?

Will all these cards be faster than the existing Geforce 9800?
 
Yes. PCI-e 3.0 cards are backwards compatible with PCI-e 2.0 slots.

Perhaps the following performance charts will give you an idea of how much more powerful the Radeon HD 7770 is vs. the 9800GT.

A reference Radeon HD 5770 is rated a 97% performance compared to an overclocked HD 5770. The 9800GT is rated at 65%.

perfrel.gif


Source: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Powercolor/HD_5770_PCS_Plus/30.html


Below a reference Radeon HD 7770's performance is 92% of an overclocked HD 7770. The Radeon HD 5770 is rated at 76%. The 9800GT is a pretty old card and is no longer part of any current performance benchmarks.

perfrel.gif


Source: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/HD_7770_Vapor-X/28.html