Need advice upgrading video card

[Selbio]

I currently have an ATI 9250 PCI 256mb video which is ok with older games but since I play the heck out of FS2004 and Silent Hunter 3 I was wondering if upgrading to a Sapphire 9800SE 128mb AGP would be worth upgrading to.

P.S. I have to be very picky with AGP cards because there is a capacitor lined up on the video card's way on this Biostar iDEQ 210V that prevents some cards from being fully inserted into the slot.

Thanks in advance

[Gunny04]

hmmm I'd say the Nvidia 6600 but if some cards wont fit one of this size might not... Cheers, Gunny

[Selbio]

Well I want to spend 65.00 for this 9800Se. The problem here is not the size of the card. Let me show you.


I once had an eVGA Nvidia Geforce FX 5200 that the circle piece on the above card bumped right into that capacitor preventing from being fully inserted into the slow.

This is the capacitor that I am talking about. If you look closely I have circled it.

Anyways, is there any big difference going from this PCI 9250 to an AGP 8x 9800SE?

[GunnerMan]

Check out this 6600GT it looks like it may fit because of the gap on the card is a bit larger. http://www.3dnews.ru/documents/9123/Lea ... /front.jpg How high do the caps go above the slot?

[congo]

Get the best card you can.

Then, bend the capacitor out of the way if you need too, or snip it off and extend the legs ......... or replace it and leave the legs long so you can bend it out of the way, or move it to the other side of the board if that would solve the problem.

Stupid capacitors. You may even find a quality japanese capacitor that is a lot smaller in size. They are siver soldered and require very high soldering temperatures in a small area, a solder sucker and a good deal of care. If you mod the capacitor, get a techy to do it for you if you haven't got the tools. If you pull it apart, the tech won't charge much to change the capacitor.

That 9800SE wasn't a good card. Better off with a x800gt (if available in AGP), 6600gt, 9800pro, 5900XT in that order of preference as a minimum guide.

Your PC is mirroring ATX case design, is that a mirror image? It looks kinda odd actually.

[Selbio]

Pretty high. Some cards couold not be installed. The reason I was looking at the 9800SE is because it is only $66.

[Selbio]

Your PC is mirroring ATX case design, is that a mirror image? It looks kinda odd actually.

Well it is a small form factor pc, it is very small acutally and pretty well designed. The PSU being true 200w is able to handle whatever I throw at it.

[ctjoyce]

ya the 9800SE is fine, but see if you can get a pro or even an XT (if they make them). The problem with the new X800GTs is that they are only 8 pixel pipelines.

Cheers
Cameorn

[Selbio]

Ok then, I ordered a refurbished 9800SE for only $66.50 from newegg.com
I just wanted to know if the sim would run better with the 9800SE than the 9250.

[Gunny04]

Might wanna order a PSU with that, 200 is WAAAY to low, Trust me.... my 6200 can barely get enough power on my 250.... and 9800 may be a totally different class, but just in case, I reckon a new PSU.... Cheers, Gunny

[Selbio]

According to the iDEQ 200N reviews( the 200N and the 210V use the same PSU), and from what I have been told by Biostar Technical Support the PSU is powerful enough to run a 9800PRO. Besides I cannot install a regular PSU in that iDEQ case because of its size, I believe they have a 250w one as an option.
I once had an ATI 9600PRO 256MB installed without experiencing a single problem and I would keep that pc up and running days at a time.
Nevertheless, I will keep an eye on the voltages to see what happens

[ctjoyce]

youll get around 24FPS in KSEA with a 9800SE and everything maxed.

Cheers
Cameron

[Selbio]

Are you serious? I have never seen 24fps at KSEA with the sim fully maxed. I get around 8 with this 9250 with the sim maxed and I have never complained before so increase performace would be a plus.
It would be nice to be able to  fly to Fly-Tampa Midway with the sim maxed using a nice add-on aircraft.

[ctjoyce]

And you will my friend. Check my sig, I am getting a pretty stable 30FPS across the board with nothing less than 15FPS. As far as I know with that card you shouldnt drop below 8FPS EVER!!!

Cheers
Cameron