New card similar to GeForce 8600 GT in terms of driver support?

Good morning friends.

I need to replace my 5-year old NVIDIA Gigabyte GeForce 8600 GT with driver version 6.14.12.6658 with a new one because my PC is often freezing and lately also getting BSODs(caused by nv_disp.dll).

The reason why I believe it's a hardware and not software(driver) issue is because I have been running this machine without issues for 2 years and a quick SMART HDD test passed with no problems.

I am therefore after the cheapest Nvidia available out there(since I do no gaming) allowing me to plug it in WITHOUT having to go through the hassle of having to update my drivers and of course that is compatible with my ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP. Is this possible?

My local PC store has the following available in stock so it would be great if one of the below could do the trick for me:

1GB EVGA G210 GDDR3 PCIe 2.0 Video Card
1GB EVGA GT 620 GDDR3 PCIe2.0 Video Card
1GB EVGA GT610 Single Slot PCI2.0 Video Card
1GB Gainward GT 620 DDR3 PCIe HDMI/DVI/FAN Video Card
1GB Gigabyte GT 610 DDR3 PCIe Video Card
1GB Palit GF210 PCIe Video Card
1GB Palit GT 610 PCIe 2.0 (x16) Dual lDVI Video Card
2GB EVGA GT 630 GDDR3 PCIe 2.0 Video Card

Thanks!

Whatever new card you choose, you will have to re-install the drivers. Its not really too much hassle is it? Just uninstall the drivers and Physx (if installed) using the add or remove programs in windows then delete any Nvidia folders in program files and program data folders. When you install the new drivers, tick clean install, the whole process should only take a few minutes.
As for which card to buy, I would recommend ordering one online rather from your local computer store (probably much cheaper). Are you in the US, UK or somewhere else? (Then I can recommend somewhere to buy from).

Thanks for the reply, case sensitive.

You mean there's no card out there that I can just plug in without having to uninstall/install drivers?

I formatted my machine two years ago so these drivers are two years old. If I find a card that is two years old, I would still have to re-install new drivers?

Thanks.

Yes the drivers will reinstall regardless. The only way around this is if you found the exact same 8600gt (Exact same, manufacture & model).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CrazyNutz

Yes the drivers will reinstall regardless. The only way around this is if you found the exact same 8600gt (Exact same, manufacture & model).

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Apologies for what maybe is a stupid question but what will happen if I plug a new card and boot the system (with the old drivers of course)? Will I get the exclamation mark "error" in Device Manager?

You could get the exclamation mark or the computer could bsod when starting windows and not start again until you put the 8600gt back in. Windows may try and automatically install a new driver but (especially as you are using 2yr old drivers) you are bound to run into compatibility problems resulting in random bsods etc.

So if I understood correctly, the correct process if I am to replace the card is:

1. Uninstall current drivers
2. Turn off machine
3. Plug in new card
4. Boot machine, Windows will find no drivers (as it was the case 2 years ago when I installed from scratch)
5. Install new drivers from CD that comes with card

Right? :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thehawk

So if I understood correctly, the correct process if I am to replace the card is:

1. Uninstall current drivers
2. Turn off machine
3. Plug in new card
4. Boot machine, Windows will find no drivers (as it was the case 2 years ago when I installed from scratch)
5. Install new drivers from CD that comes with card

Right? :)

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Pretty much. I recommend getting the most recent drivers from Nvidia's web site, though.
Other than that, that's it. Quick and painless process.

uninstalling current drivers for such an old card is recommended but with newer cards
sometimes you do not even have to go through all that.

anyways with the nVidia driver install just choose the 'custom install' option then under that select perform 'clean install'.
downloading the current drivers ahead of time is def a wise move.
if Win7 and active internet connection Win Update will get the drivers for you, if an XP machine I have forgot if you have to do it manually or not.

cheers.

Thanks a lot for the replies, very kind.

For now I tightened the VGA cable to the card as it was a bit loose and for now(2 days) no BSODs. If I decide to purchase one, however, I decided to go for the "1GB Gigabyte GT 610 DDR3 PCIe Video Card", it's one Gigabyte with a heatsink to another after all :)

One last question, could you please confirm that PCI-E 2.0 is indeed backward compatible with v1 since my P5K-E is very old and can only handle PCI-E 1.

Thank you.

Yes, PCI-E 2.0 is backwards compatible