Simviation Forums

Hi all,
I just got myself a new video card. It's the BFG Tech/nVidia GeForce 6800GT. It comes with GDDR3 Technology and its overclocked. 256MB of Memory. I have a small newbie question though, will it improve my FPS or do those depend on something else. See my Sig for my Specs and tell me please.
Cheers all,
Ashar

Over an integrated gfx solution (from your sig), definitely. A astronamically  huge fps increase in whatever game you have.

Integrated gfx can barely run anything 3d.

It should improve your FPS by a factor of ten or more if you can find a slot on your mainboard to put it into. If you can't find a slot, I get first dibs on it right?

Congo,
If you mean an AGP slot, yeah, I checked and it's there

And is the card AGP or PCIe slot compatible? Do I still get first dibs ?    :D

What are you waiting for, Put it in, here's how:

You will need to go into the bios BEFORE you install the new AGP card, change the BIOS setting for primary graphics display to "expansion slot" , "AGP Slot" , "AUTO" or whatever logical switch is there to switch to the new card, reboot and wait at least 30 seconds, if by then you see no image on the screen, power off the PC by holding down the "on" switch for 4 seconds or turning the power off. {Some PC's may still show an image on each display device adapter, despite the BIOS switch setting, in that event, shut down the PC with no further action.}

Next, unplug the PC, carefully install the new card into the AGP slot taking care not to break the plastic retaining clip on the end of the slot. Make sure it is seated correctly and everything looks aligned and perfect.  

Screw the retaining screw into the top of the metal bracket on the card. Rob one from some other position on the case if needed.  

Take the monitor cord out of the mainboard connector, (unscrew it first or damage may occur), and carefully screw it into the new card's monitor outlet using the finger screws.

Plug in the power to the PC, turn it on and windows will try to install drivers, cancel the driver load.

Place the driver disk supplied with the new card into the CDROM drive, and run the driver setup routine, don't worry about installing the other junk yet.

Start geeking about with graphics applications like FS9, (which, incidently may crash on startup because the fs9.cfg file is now not recognising your new card), and come back here for help if needed.

Once the card is up and running, you can go to www.guru3d.com  and to the Forceware drivers section for the latest WHQL approved drivers, but make sure you check out the readmes before you download, to make sure it's for your card.

Wow Congo!! Thanks alot! I am gonna do it today!! But when you mean go into the BIOS before, do you mean like go into the BIOS before physically installing the card into the AGP slot or after? And by the way, how do I get rid of the stupid integrated chip? Do I cahnge the Graphics adapter in the BIOS?
Thanks alot!!
Ashar

Follow these steps:
1. Go into windows. Download the latest drivers from nvidia. Uninstall the intel integrated gfx driver. Shut down computer.
2. start up computer, go to BIOS, disable on-mobo gfx option. set the AGP aperature size to 123 mb.
3.shut down computer.
4.install video card in agp slot
5.start up computer. Cancel any add new hardware wizards. install nvdia drivers.

Remember to plug in the power to the two plugs on your card. They are the standard 4-pin MOLEX. Your graphics card will not function unless both plugs are attached and working.

the_autopilot has it all right, except, set the AGP aperture to 256MB. I doubt 123MB is even an option.

Not only should you notice a huge (I'm gonna be modest and say... 500%) increase in video performance over your original craptacular Intel Integrated Graphics solution, but you'll be freeing up system RAM that was before 'shared' with the IGP.

What you should be worried about is that, assuming you probably have a Dell or an HP, it probably came with a miniscule power supply, maybe 250w-350w. You might consider getting a larger power supply. (If you have somthing above 400w, I'm sure you'll be fine).

IF you are installing this card in a recent model (4600, 4700, 8300, 8400) Dell computer you really don't have to do much other than install the card and drivers with the CD that came with the card. Then go to nVidia's site and download the latest driver if you want to. I did remove the drivers from one computer that came with a cheap ATI card before I installed an nVidia card, but other than that I've had good luck installing or swapping cards in those later model Dell's and letting nVidia's installer take care of everything else.

Power supplies: I don't remember what size PSU the 4600 has. The 8300 has a 250W, the 4700 a 305W, and the 8400 a 350W PSU. Personally, I'd swap the Dell PSU for an Enermax or PC Power & Cooling unit. I did put a 350W that I took out of an 8400 in a 4700 for someone else once (along with a 6600GT video card and an Audigy 2 ZS sound card), but other than that one time I've always replaced the stock PSU.

Don't rely on any of the above for any computer other than the above models of Dell computers as I don't know what your results will be.

What you should be worried about is that, assuming you probably have a Dell or an HP, it probably came with a miniscule power supply, maybe 250w-350w. You might consider getting a larger power supply. (If you have somthing above 400w, I'm sure you'll be fine).

I have an HP :-/