Will a new graphics card work on my 6-year-old PC

[dannyc75]

I'm replacing the graphics card on my 6-year-old Dell Dimension 9200 (it was an NVIDIA 8600 GTS) but I'm not sure if the latest graphics cards will work on my PC as it's so old! Are PCI slots still the same as they were in 2007, and would my computer provide enough power for the new card?

I was thinking of getting the Gainward NVIDIA GT 640.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Kamen_BG]

Go with an HD7750 instead.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131461
It's faster and cheaper.

Just like the GT640, it uses less power than your current card, and also does not require an external power connector.
Just plug it in, install the drivers and you're ready to go.

 

[Barhumbug]

Okay it should work, but your PSU is pretty much on the edge of requirements for the GT640. Also, the 640 may be overkill for the E6400 Dual-core processor.
Any particular reason you want to upgrade the graphics card?
If you want to play a lot of modern games your system is coming to the end of its capability. If you don't play games then the GT640 is overkill.

 

[dannyc75]

Okay it should work, but your PSU is pretty much on the edge of requirements for the GT640. Also, the 640 may be overkill for the E6400 Dual-core processor.
Any particular reason you want to upgrade the graphics card?
If you want to play a lot of modern games your system is coming to the end of its capability. If you don't play games then the GT640 is overkill.

Thanks Barhumbug - the only reason I'm upgrading the graphics card is that my PC won't start and I get diagnostic lights 2 and 4 which I believe indicate a graphics card failure. It's been giving me grief for a while now - lots of system freeze-ups especially when watching video. I'd just uninstalled the NVIDIA drivers after a freeze-up and restarted the PC to reinstall them when it stopped working completely. I haven't played games on it for a few years now as the system couldn't keep up so I only need it for things like work, DVD and iPlayer really. If the GT 640's overkill, can you recommend a cheaper alternative that would better suit my system?

 

[Kamen_BG]

Being overkill or not depends on the game.
Anyway, there's nothing better value even after you consider the bottlenecking.
Go with the HD 7750.
You won't be sorry.

 

[dannyc75]

Being overkill or not depends on the game.
Anyway, there's nothing better value even after you consider the bottlenecking.
Go with the HD 7750.
You won't be sorry.

Thanks Kamen_BG - it looks as though the HD 7750 is marginally more expensive than the GT 640 here in the UK, going by what I could find online anyhow, but it sounds like it may be worth it from what you say.