View Full Version : Replacing Radeon 9800 Pro graphics card
Salamander 2
10-25-2009, 03:54 PM
I just upgraded my daughter's desktop to Windows 7. The current 9800 Pro card is not compatible with WIndows 7. I'm looking for a replacement AGP card that is compatible with Windows 7, can handle Aero, and uses no more power than the 9800 Pro. I also want the card to throw off no more heat and noise than the 9800 Pro. Less power, heat, and noise would be even better. Any suggestions?
Dude, is it really that important to consume less power? Why not actually make it a worthwhile upgrade, the difference of even $30 and a bit more power is huge
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121315
that's about the cheapest and weakest I could find, and as you can clearly see it seems to have some driver issues. I don't think the drivers issues are limited to that card, almost all the cards in that family had the same weak user reviews
now this card would actually be worth the money, but I don't think it consumes less power
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102730
Salamander 2
10-25-2009, 04:18 PM
Dude, is it really that important to consume less power? Why not actually make it a worthwhile upgrade, the difference of even $30 and a bit more power is huge
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121315
that's about the cheapest and weakest I could find, and as you can clearly see it seems to have some driver issues. I don't think the drivers issues are limited to that card, almost all the cards in that family had the same weak user reviews
now this card would actually be worth the money, but I don't think it consumes less power
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102730
I definitely like the specs on the second card you listed - except it calls for a PSU of at least 450 watts. My daughter's computer has an Antec TRUE 430 watt PSU.
that's not a big issue, 20w won't mean anything if that card will just be idling.
what's a bigger issue is that it requires an additional pci_e power rail, recommended 30a. Once again if the card won't be under heavy stress (from gaming or video editing etc) then you can get away with a small amount under spec, but you still need somehow to supply the additional power rail and I doubt a psu that old has one.
apt403
10-25-2009, 04:48 PM
Seems like the 3850 would consume ~30-40 watts more (~90-100 vs. ~60-70) than the 9800pro. The 430w Truepower has a combined output on the +12v rail of 36a, unless you've got the original True 430. In that case, you COULD use the HD3850, but a new PSU might be advisable, depending on the other parts in the system.
Andi64
10-25-2009, 04:49 PM
I like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125281
You won't have power issues with either, but I have 2 dead Sapphire HD3850 (PCIe, but they look exactly as cheap as that AGP version) so I wouldn't recommend them.
And if you don't need the HDMI port you can save some bucks:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150433
Salamander 2
10-25-2009, 04:55 PM
I like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125281
You won't have power issues with either, but I have 2 dead Sapphire HD3850 (PCIe, but they look exactly as cheap as that AGP version) so I wouldn't recommend them.
And if you don't need the HDMI port you can save some bucks:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150433
The first one has a 6 pin power connector. I think the 9800 Pro is a 4 pin. The True 430 watt psu came with the computer, which I bought around 6 years ago. (My newer computer is a DYI).
The second one you listed looks even better, since I don't need the HDMI port and it is a 4 pin connector.
As long as you have the right connector for the gpu rail, you should be set
Salamander 2
10-25-2009, 05:04 PM
As long as you have the right connector for the gpu rail, you should be set
To which card are you referring? and what connector do I need?
autobot
10-25-2009, 05:12 PM
I missed my old Antec True430. That was one tough little PSU. Why can't modern PCUs have a 4-pin power output on the back of the unit like the True430??? Or at least a couple of power-only USB headers?
The XFX 4650 that Andi64 posted should work perfectly for you...and hey...free shipping! :)
Salamander 2
10-25-2009, 05:18 PM
I missed my old Antec True430. That was one tough little PSU. Why can't modern PCUs have a 4-pin power output on the back of the unit like the True430??? Or at least a couple of power-only USB headers?
The XFX 4650 that Andi64 posted should work perfectly for you...and hey...free shipping! :)
Thanks!
To which card are you referring? and what connector do I need?
any card in general
SoulsCollective
10-25-2009, 05:25 PM
Could you perhaps list up the rest of the parts that are going in this system? If the vid-card is a 9800 and the system is still on AGP, it's quite possible that the rest of the components really won't be sufficiently powerful to give a decent desktop experience. Win7 is less greedy than Vista in terms of system resources required to run smoothly, but it's still more demanding than, say, WinXP, and apps are just going to get more and more demanding as time goes on. It may be worth biting the bullet and doing a full system upgrade rather than just prolonging the agony.
Smartidiot89
10-25-2009, 11:18 PM
Isn't there a HD4670 AGP? That would definatly not consume that much, and the performance is pretty much at HD3850/3870 levels