How do I check all of my system specs ? + Suggestions

Hellrider

Hellrider

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Well, where do I see all of my system specs ?
And is the PSU included on the list\whatever it is ?

I'm about to buy a new graphics card (probably) and wanted to ask what do you recommend and what do I need to check in my system to see if it supports it\will have no problems with it ?

Recommend what's best for his price, and btw my current card is Nvidia7600GS..


Thanks..
 
CPU-Z is an awesome little program that tells you specs on CPU, Motherboard and RAM.

There is a sticker on the PSU that tells you the model and the detailed specs. Easier to fine the model and look it up online then copy the specs on the sticker.

Usually the Video card control panel will tell you the MHz the core and memory are running at. Of if you have not OCed and they are stock, just look up the model online.
 
dxdiag command put into 'run' will also give you quite a bit of information about your system.
 
Thanks..so what cards do you guys recommend and what do I need to check in my system to see if they fit in it ?
 
Would be good to know what games you want to play. That are out now or in the short future. What resolution you play at with your monitor. CPU speed and amount of ram would help determine if a higher video card is worth it. And what video card slot you would be putting it in (AGP or PCI-Express 16x).

PSU watts and model would be helpful just to make sure you have enough power to run a more powerful card without the PC crashing.
 
My current CPU is Intel e6300 dual core @ 1.83 GHZ and my RAM is DDR2 2GB (2 units of 1GB), PSU is 350w EZ COOL from what I understand.


I'll want to play UT3,Crysis,Bioshock (I think I can already play it decently),Hellgate London(does it demand a lot anyway ?),probably COD 4 too..
also EP2 works quite smooth on my current system but I would like it to work smooth maxed out (which it doesn't).

I play on 1280x1024 res (maximum of my monitor) and 1024x768 if I'm annoyed by how it works on 1280x1024.(looks fine to me in both)

"And what video card slot you would be putting it in (AGP or PCI-Express 16x)" how do I know\decide ?
 
You'll only have one of these, not both.
This is what AGP looks like.
The longer slots here are PCI-Express 16x
If you can not tell by looking, you could tell us what your motherboard's chipset or model is and we can figure it out.

Most of the newer cards will handle 1280x1024 pretty easy. Your CPU will work good for all but the most expensive cards and higher resolutions.

PSU probably will need replacing though. Might be fine for a value card but I wouldn't recommend keeping it for a mid range to higher end. Mainly because it's a basic brand and probably does not put enough watts on the 12V+ rail. You can check the sticker if you want and see what yours has. More than 30 Amps would be what you want. And it probably does not have the 6 pin power plugs that some of the newer cards need.
 
Motherboard:



And I can't find any sticker on my case,only some registration number..
(I checked the PSU model from the papers received from the shop I bought my computer from)
 
No sticker on the Power Supply itself? Maybe it's on the right side of the PSU. (wouldn't be on the case)
 
I'll check it tomorrow then..off to sleep.

Thanks for helping by the way.
 
Ok what exactly do I need to check on the PSU sticker ?
(sorry for double post had to bump)
 
It says 20A under +12VDC,26A under +3.3VDC and 24A under +5VDC .

I guess I need a new PSU too then ? how much will one cost ?
 
Does newegg ships worldwide ?

How does this site works ? who am I buying from ?

And about graphic cards, I think I'll buy a 8800GT or 8800GTS 640MB,those PSU's will be ok for both right ?
Oh and in PSU's what does +12V1,+12V2,+12V3 mean ? it's like 1 big divided by 3 ?

I found this at a local online shop:

is it good enough ?
 
They only ship to US. Where ya live?
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/ is another site.

Usually a lot cheaper getting parts online than in a retail store. And it is easy if you know what product you want.
 
I live in Israel.
So what about the PSU I showed you ?

And how come that newegg.com 'calculated the shipping cost' when I wrote there my zip code.
 
Maybe there is the same zip code in the US?

I don't think the one you linked would work well. The 20A on the +12V is PEAK which it can't hold, just for a moment at a time. 11A and 15A wouldn't be enough. If the 20A figure was for all the time then it would be awesome.
 
Any site that ships worldwide then ?

If not, there is another PSU I saw on the site :

If it isn't good too,what exactly should I search for in the PSU's ?


I also found one 8800GT on that site for about 300$,here's what it says about it:

Anything wrong with it?
 
That PSU might just be enough. I'm not for sure though. And Antec is a good brand. That 8800GT is good, gigabyte is a good brand. 8800GT uses less power than the other 8800's too.
 
Well what's there in the PSU that you aren't sure about ?
Here's the rest of the page if that helps, I didn't screenshot the whole page :


And here's another one,I see it's 33A under +12V:


Is one of them clearly better ?
 
How is the return policy for that local online shop?

The Antec (16A on both rails) might be enough or it might not. I couldn't say without trying it with your hardware. :p
The Corsair is plenty though.

When the Power supply uses power from the different rails (3.3V,5V,12V) it can't use full power on all of them at the same time or combine 12V1 and 12V2 just by adding. That's why I'm unsure on the Antec one.
 
I can return items within 14 days of buying them.
The Corsair is cheaper..so yeah I'm buying it then probably.
Will I be able to upgrade more later with it like you said about the one you linked me in newegg.com?

Thank you very much for helping .
 
Probably. Depends just how much more power future devices use though. hehe
The one I linked to from newegg was a 500watt unit instead of 450watts.

Thinking about that 8800GT then?
 
Yeah I'm buying that GT most probably,any other good card at around 300-350$ ?
Those GTS's are like 100$ more expensive than that single GT on that site and are worse..heh.

I found another PSU,with a reduced price :

Is it better\like the Corsair one ?
They say something about split +12V's being better than one.
 
The Enermax (Liberty) can't put out as much power on the +12V lines. Says max is 360Watts on both 12V lines vs 396Watts on the Corsair 12V line. I actually prefer 1 big 12V rail. The benefit of 2 is it might give a little cleaner power and in case one goes out then the other still works. But if a line goes out...wouldn't you replace the unit anyway? 1 big 12V rail is more flexible with the power it puts out among multiple devices in the PC.

Review on the Corsair VX450W
 
So I'm getting the Corsair one after all.

What do I need to uninstall when putting the new graphic card ? (drivers \ something else)
and when I put the PSU I don't need to do anything on the PC right ?
 
Uninstall the drivers. Shut the machine off. Flip power switch on the back of the power supply (not the small red one). Wait 20 seconds for the power to drain (might hear a small zap sound). Take old video card out and put new one in. Connect power cord to back of the card if it needs one. Start up machine. Install new drivers. Newest ones are online, the CD the card comes with usually has old drivers.

Since you are going from a Nvidia to Nvidia card there shouldn't be any issue with parts of the driver that don't get uninstalled.
 
ok awesome thanks.
Eh what about PSU , nothing needed to be uninstalled\whatever right ?
 
Just remove the unit and put the other one in it's place. Just make sure you get all the plugs in the right spot. That's it.
 
ok thank you very much for helping a noob :D
Can't wait to get that card now..
 
YW, hope it all works great for ya.
 
Hm, 2 more questions.
Is there a point to get more than 2GB RAM on my system if I want to play on 1280x1024 max ?

Also should I get a fan for the graphic card or is the stock one enough ?

Thanks.
 
2GB is fine. There are too many obstacles going beyond that and have it work with no draw backs. Plus there really is no benefit for a home PC to have more (there are exceptions).

The stock fan is fine on the GPU unless you think it is too loud. There are some LARGER 3rd party coolers that don't make as much noise. I have a Zalmans heatsink for my X1900gt and it is a lot quieter than the default fan. Not sure what would be compatible with the 8800GT. Probably coolers that are 8800GTX/GTS compatible would work too. You'd have to double check.
 
I don't really care for loudness as long as it doesn't impact performance \ damage something,so I guess I won't get a fan for now.
 
The site added 2 more graphic cards,one of them is (ASUS overclocked):

since it's overclocked I guess it's better,is it worth 20$ more ? and will the PSU I'm about to buy be good enough for it ?
There is another one that isn't overclocked (ASUS too).



(Sorry for bumping didn't want to start another thread.)
 
OCed cards are good. Means that speed is supported under their warranty. Otherwise if you OC it won't be covered by most companies.

Power Supply should be fine.
 
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