Upgrade from 7900GT to HD4770? Will it play Portal?

[bupkus]

I recently bought the Orange Box from Steam for my nephew.

His current pc:
Athlon X2 939 Socket oc'd to 2.6GHz/
2GB DDR
Edit: EVGA 256-P2-N564-AX GeForce 7900GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16
Vista Bus 32-bit
PSU about 380Watts

Problem 1: His 19" CRT image was distorted at 85Hz but OK at 75Hz. It used to do 85Hz just fine.

Problem 2: Downloaded OBox but got artifacts up the yang. I don't know if the problem is the CRT or the Vid. Tried playing Portal but artifacted and sucky fps.

Question 1: Is the prob likely the monitor or vid?

Q2: Will the PSU support switch to HD4770?
Q3: Will the HD4770 play Portal?

Thanks.

 

[Modular]

Q1: Is this happening in any other games or just portal?
Q2: We need more info on the PSU, if it's an Antec Earthwatts 380 watt model, then it would probably work. If it's some off name brand then I'm guessing no.
Q3: The HD4770 will definitely play portal. I played portal on a 6600gt AGP and it played just fine.

 

[bupkus]

All games, even apparently on youtube.

Oh, yes, I tried also after updating the drivers.

 

[Marty502]

The 4770 won't play Portal, it will kill it, eat it and spit it out! It's more than enough to rock Portal.

About Q1, it sounds like something is 1) Running out of juice in that rig, which would indicate his PSU is going out or 2) Something is overheating on that rig, the GPU being the likely culprit,
and it also would make sense since it didn't happen before.

It's hard to tell more without more information.

 

[DaveSimmons]

The 30%(?) OC to the A64 might be wearing it down. Is the video OCd too?

What happens if you set it all to stock?

The 7900 should play portal quite well, same with HL2.

> overheating
Good point, check the temps and that the case, CPU and video fans are all spinning.

 

[Paratus]

Same here. I played Portal on a 19in with my x1950pro and p4 prescott

 

[bupkus]

I believe the PSU is an Antec.

As to overheating, a couple months ago I dropped his overclock from 2.8GHz to 2.5 or 2.6. I did this in anticipation of the summer heat here in Phoenix, so I know that's not the issue.

I recall back when that the 7900gt was having artifact problems soon after its release.

I just checked my purchase history with newegg and here's the facts, Jack.

Purchase date: 6/22/2006
EVGA 256-P2-N564-AX GeForce 7900GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16

Could this just be another example of a common failing of the 7900gt?

Is the video OCd too?

Nope

 

[daveybrat]

Originally posted by: bupkus
I believe the PSU is an Antec.

As to overheating, a couple months ago I dropped his overclock from 2.8GHz to 2.5 or 2.6. I did this in anticipation of the summer heat here in Phoenix, so I know that's not the issue.

I recall back when that the 7900gt was having artifact problems soon after its release.

I just checked my purchase history with newegg and here's the facts, Jack.

Purchase date: 6/22/2006
EVGA 256-P2-N564-AX GeForce 7900GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16

Could this just be another example of a common failing of the 7900gt?

Is the video OCd too?

Nope

You are correct. I've had several 7900GT cards fail on customer's with severe artifacting as well and it has always been the card.

Good excuse to get a cooler, faster running 4770!

 

[cubeless]

hsf full of dirt?

 

[Spike]

Isn't that card techincally under warranty still? I can't remember when eVGA changed from lifetime to lifetime only if you register within 30 days but if this card is before that or was registered within 30 days you should be able to RMA it. eVGA will probably send you something pretty good.

If it was me I would still get the 4770 just for the upgrade but I would also send in the RMA. Having an extra GPU on hand is always nice for testing, or you could always give it away to family/friends.

EDIT** Found it on eVGA's website

"For our retail Graphics Card and Mainboard products that carry a limited lifetime warranty and were purchased on or after June 22, 2005, EVGA will provide a limited lifetime warranty to the original purchaser of each retail product and that the product will not suffer, in material or workmanship, from any defect that adversely affects the performance of the product. This limited lifetime warranty is valid for the life of the retail product, so long as the original purchaser owns the product, based upon the following conditions:

All EVGA Products purchased ON or AFTER November 1, 2006 MUST be registered within 30 days from ORIGINAL DATE OF PURCHASE to receive our limited lifetime warranty. (All products not registered within 30 days will ONLY receive a 1 year limited warranty.) "

Since yours was bought in June 2006 I think you are still covered under the lifetime warranty, especially since the part number ends in -AX.

link to warranty info

 

[happy medium]

RMA it you might get something better! I would bet they don't have any 7900gt's laying around.

 

[bupkus]

Awesome... thanks, Spike.

Only problem is the turn around time that his pc will be down.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

If the PSU can handle the 7900GT then it should handle the 4770.

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: bupkus
Awesome... thanks, Spike.

Only problem is the turn around time that his pc will be down.

Like I said, I would personally get a 4770 anyway just for the upgrade assuming money is not a problem. Then do the RMA and get a new gpu in place of the busted one. This way you have a spare or something to loan out/give away. I'm always glad to have a spare GPU though more often then not I end up eventually building a new pc around that spare GPU...

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Originally posted by: Spike

Originally posted by: bupkus
Awesome... thanks, Spike.

Only problem is the turn around time that his pc will be down.

Like I said, I would personally get a 4770 anyway just for the upgrade assuming money is not a problem. Then do the RMA and get a new gpu in place of the busted one. This way you have a spare or something to loan out/give away. I'm always glad to have a spare GPU though more often then not I end up eventually building a new pc around that spare GPU...

This.

Having spare GPUs is always a great thing. Its better then free insurance really. If i OC my 4830 too hard, i know i have an 8800GTS 320mb or a Radeon 3850 512mb in hand. both cards can play games at decent settings without any major problems.

This is also why i have a spare ECS G31T motherboard in case my board goes out. I'm really only lacking a spare S775 Core2 processor and DDR2 ram.

 

[bupkus]

I've got a few spare computers here, but my nephew doesn't. Even so, I would certainly replace his old vid before RMAing it.

I suppose I will keep the replacement vid that evga sends me. I could use it as a backup just as you say.
As is, I have a pile of AGP vids in a box, so I know the need.

 

[jnmfox]

Originally posted by: Spike
Isn't that card techincally under warranty still? I can't remember when eVGA changed from lifetime to lifetime only if you register within 30 days but if this card is before that or was registered within 30 days you should be able to RMA it. eVGA will probably send you something pretty good.

If it was me I would still get the 4770 just for the upgrade but I would also send in the RMA. Having an extra GPU on hand is always nice for testing, or you could always give it away to family/friends.

EDIT** Found it on eVGA's website

"For our retail Graphics Card and Mainboard products that carry a limited lifetime warranty and were purchased on or after June 22, 2005, EVGA will provide a limited lifetime warranty to the original purchaser of each retail product and that the product will not suffer, in material or workmanship, from any defect that adversely affects the performance of the product. This limited lifetime warranty is valid for the life of the retail product, so long as the original purchaser owns the product, based upon the following conditions:

All EVGA Products purchased ON or AFTER November 1, 2006 MUST be registered within 30 days from ORIGINAL DATE OF PURCHASE to receive our limited lifetime warranty. (All products not registered within 30 days will ONLY receive a 1 year limited warranty.) "

Since yours was bought in June 2006 I think you are still covered under the lifetime warranty, especially since the part number ends in -AX.

link to warranty info

I found this thread and have basically the same card with the same types of problems, I get artifacts after playing a game for a few minutes. I didn't realize I could still send my card back for RMA so I just set that up through eVGA. Thanks Spike and bupkus!

 

[Spike]

Originally posted by: bupkus
I've got a few spare computers here, but my nephew doesn't. Even so, I would certainly replace his old vid before RMAing it.

I suppose I will keep the replacement vid that evga sends me. I could use it as a backup just as you say.
As is, I have a pile of AGP vids in a box, so I know the need.

Heh, good man. I'm currently out of spare GPU's since my last one, a cheap 8600GTS I picked up, somehow had an entire low cost rig built around it and is now my windows 7 test box. Now I need to watch the forums for another cheap card as my spare... that or upgrade my 4870 and move all the cards down the line...

Glad things are going to work out for you. Your nephew should enjoy the upgraded vid card and lack of artifacts.

 

[nemesismk2]

Yes the HD4770 will play Portal just fine and will make an excellent upgrade from the 7900GT.

 

[evilbix]

Problem 1 and 2 are related. It sounds like the video card RAM itself was either storing bad values from the GPU or the RAM itself was bad.

Q1 - My guess is the video card... it's possible that it is the monitor, but unlikely.

Q2 - Yes, the 4770 and the 7900GT both use 1 6-pin pci-e power cable.

Q3 - YES, my 1900XT that destroys the game. There is no double any mid-range card from the last two generations could play it fine, if you go back further high end and enthusiast based cards should play it without a hitch.

 

[Martimus]

Distortion at higher refresh rates are generally a sign of the monitor losing calibration. Mine has done the same thing, but it is also over 10 years old. It isn't a huge deal, just run it at the lower refresh rate and it should last a bit longer.

A HD4770 is more than enough for Portal, as I could run it just fine on my X800XL when I first bought it, and my 3850 is more than enough for the game.

Also if the PSU is good enough for the 7900, it will probably be good for the HD 4770, as it uses very little power (the reason I want to pick one up).
http://images.anandtech.com/gr...042709223456/18958.png

 

[Martimus]

Originally posted by: bupkus
I believe the PSU is an Antec.

The old Antec Neopower/trupower 380W PSU's were known for failure. They used caps that were rated at temps lower than what they designed the PSU to run at. They would lose performance over time and pop killing the components in your system. If you have one of these, i would suggest replacing it with a newer model before you lose your entire system. (I have personal experience with this as my Antec TruPower 380W PSU popped on me, killing my system in the process.)