# Best Gaming Video Card for Compaq Presario SR5450F



## rooksx (Jul 27, 2009)

My friend has a Compaq Presario SR5450F (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883109011), plays WoW only, and wants a graphics card upgrade with the minimal amount of money.

I have the following PSU that I'm willing to part with:
Antec SL300, 300W, (+3.3V: 20A, +5V: 30A, +12v: 19A, -5V: .5A, -12V: .5A, +5VSB: 2A)
(No link, ~2 years old with little to no use)

I wanted to get an opinion on which video card would be best and will that card fit into that case. I think the 9600GT Low Power (+12V @ 18A and ~59W, for example http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130485) would be pushing the PSU limits. Otherwise, I think it would be along the lines of the 9400GT/4350 (based on the recommended "power consumption").

If that doesn't work, I could swap the 300W with the 380W I have in my HTPC, which is the following:
Antec Earthwatts EA380, 380W, (+3.3V: 20A, +5V: 20A, +12V1: 17A, +12V2: 17A, -12V: .8A, +5SB: 2.5A)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371005

I really don't want to part with the 380W, since it seems like a decent HTPC PSU (I might add a nVidia 9-series card for CUDA and CoreAVC), but I believe I have more options with the types of the card. In general, I'm mostly unsure of the card length which this case can handle (I don't have access to the actual PC). I was thinking the 4850.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.


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## 3870x2 (Jul 27, 2009)

not the 9600 GT, it is a low end video card from more than 2 years ago.  Definately not worth $85.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048 4027&name=$75 - $100

4850, worlds better than a 9600GT, not a big card, and $99, after rebate $79.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161273

4670, $77 shipped.


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## newtekie1 (Jul 27, 2009)

I think I would go with the HD4670, it would definitely fit in the case, and power shouldn't be an issue.

I'd be worred about cards that are much longer than that, as the case seems really cramped.


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## rooksx (Jul 27, 2009)

Thanks for the prompt recommendation, and just to clarify, is the HD4670 a recommendation for the 300W or 380W?


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## mrhuggles (Jul 27, 2009)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compar..._processing_units#GeForce_9_.289xxx.29_series

EDIT: odd, this says the 65nm 9600gt is 95watts TDP and the 55nm one is 59w TDP i wonder if thats a typeo or something

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compar...essing_units#Radeon_R700_.28HD_4xxx.29_series

oh also look if you compare the 4670 and the 9600gt the 9600gt is nearly twice as fast wow.
i'm not a big fan of ATI cards, but i think if you found one that was at least comparable to compare it to that would be nice, the 4770 is more realistic of a comparison, little faster than the 9600gt and uses a bit more power [a whole lot more than the 55n, if the wikipedia entry is accurate]

EDIT2: ooh, if you get the 9600gt i think you want the 512mb version, i think thats the one that is using less power


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## Darren (Jul 27, 2009)

3870x2 said:


> not the 9600 GT, it is a low end video card from more than 2 years ago.  Definately not worth $85.



lol, the 9600 GT came out February 2008, but i'd agree for $85 there are better video cards e.g. 4830.



rooksx said:


> Thanks for the prompt recommendation, and just to clarify, is the HD4670 a recommendation for the 300W or 380W?



The ATI 4670 isn't a fantastic card, I wouldn't recommend it unless your budget is abysmal. Performance wise the 9600 GT is "OK" but it has a lot of problems, e.g. crashing, BSOD, lock ups etc with the early revision of the card relating to a compatibility with certain motherboard chipsets, for this reason alone I wouldn't buy it. (I used to have a 9600 GT and I was one of the lucky people that didn't get a defective card)

I'd go with either a 4830, 4850, 4770, 4870, GTS 250, GTX 260 etc.

Please fill out your specification, without this we do not know if our recommended video cards will be suitable without bottlenecks.

http://forums.techpowerup.com/profile.php?do=specs


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## mrhuggles (Jul 28, 2009)

wikipedia says the 3840 has slightly weaker stats than the 9600gt, how are the drivers?

also 3840 uses more power


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## 3870x2 (Jul 28, 2009)

Darren said:


> lol, the 9600 GT came out February 2008, but i'd agree for $85 there are better video cards e.g. 4830.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You are correct, sir.  I was in iraq, lost track of time during my tenure


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## suraswami (Jul 28, 2009)

rooksx said:


> Thanks for the prompt recommendation, and just to clarify, is the HD4670 a recommendation for the 300W or 380W?



The 4670 would be ideal for the 300W or 380W.  If the person is ready to spend on a PSU too, then probably getting a 4850/70 + decent 500W PSU will last a while than these small unsatisfied expenses.

I think that case is a regular mATX case, so it will take regular PSUs and probably shorter length cards.


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## golytelee (Jul 28, 2009)

I run a 9600gt for WoW and get 60fps everywhere (v-sync enabled so it stabilizes there). If that is all your friend wants to play it should be more than enough. If he wants future gaming options, my recommendation would be a 47xx or 48xx card for the money. 

As far as strictly talking WoW, it has been said that it is more CPU intensive than some of the other game engines out there. If that's the case his CPU may end up being a performance bottleneck, and he may not see the drastic improvement he may be hoping for from a new card. What kind of frame rates is he getting with the 7 series onboard?


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## mrhuggles (Jul 28, 2009)

9600gt is the clear winner, its probably one of the highest performance per watt cards out there, MAYBE the GTS 250 might be better, they have 55nm versions of both [i have one] dunno if it matters to you but also their shader performance is really high.

oh yeah, you might be able to get away with a GTS 250 on that psu aswell, especialy a 55nm one. [they only have 1x pci express power connector]


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## mudkip (Jul 28, 2009)

Darren said:


> lol, the 9600 GT came out February 2008, but i'd agree for $85 there are better video cards e.g. 4830.
> 
> 
> 
> The ATI 4670 isn't a fantastic card



I bought two HD 4670 for two systems, they don't need a PCI-e connector and they have been running any game @ 1024x1028 and 1440x900 fine. Besides there isn't any better card fot the price, the performance you get for 50-60 euro's is amazing. 

Cod4
bioshock
mirrors edge

They all run @ highest setting and overclock like hell.

It's a mini beast and you don't know what you're talking about mate.


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## mrhuggles (Jul 28, 2009)

who doesn't know what they are talking about? my source? i included it btw.

EDIT: repasting of source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Nvidia_graphics_processing_units
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_ATI_graphics_processing_units


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## t77snapshot (Jul 28, 2009)

I think the 9600GT is a great budget card. I can play all my games just fine with my Evga 9600gt's. Back when I bought this card it was $140. and now it's like $85


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## mudkip (Jul 28, 2009)

mrhuggles said:


> who doesn't know what they are talking about? my source? i included it btw.
> 
> EDIT: repasting of source
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Nvidia_graphics_processing_units
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_ATI_graphics_processing_units



*sigh*

nevermind


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## KainXS (Jul 28, 2009)

he should upgrade to the antec earthwatts first, that is a decent psu that will run a 9800gt so that should get rid of his power problems for lower end cards


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## Darren (Jul 28, 2009)

mudkip said:


> I bought two HD 4670 for two systems, they don't need a PCI-e connector and they have been running any game @ 1024x1028 and 1440x900 fine. Besides there isn't any better card fot the price, the performance you get for 50-60 euro's is amazing.
> 
> Cod4
> bioshock
> ...



The 4670 is not terrible, I was not implying that its not capable, but its definitely falling below what I'd classify as midrange, here in the UK I can buy a 4830 for almost the same price, but to be honest I think the Compaq Presario SR5450F might be bottlenecked by a 4830.


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## mrhuggles (Jul 28, 2009)

i don't think anyone could argue the new psu point, you need a new psu, but that aside, I'd go for the 9600gt, check if a GTS 250 55nm will work for it, otherwise the 9600gt is almost as good performance per watt and i think its low enough power usage to not kill the psu.


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## rooksx (Jul 28, 2009)

lol, I don't argue the PSU point either, I'm just giving my friend one of my "spare" PSUs (depending on which one I give, though I'm leaning towards the 300W, I'd like to keep my 380W ) for her SR5450F. Her budget is fairly limited, so basically trying to go for the best performance to cost ratio with a card budget of $50 - $100 USD, with possibly a lower max price. 

According to her (I don't have access to the PC until a few weeks from now, and she's not hardware savvy), with the onboard GeForce 7100, WoW has ~12 fps max (I have to verify the resolution). So, at this point, almost _any_ video card (8/9 series or 3/4 series) will be a huge improvement. And I don't want her to get a video card that's too powerful, because the stock E2180 may eventually be the bottleneck. It's not my PC being upgraded, so I don't have much say in how much will be spent on it.

Also, I would like to thank all of you for your continued help, it's much appreciated. 

Edit 1: I've updated my system specs (not the SR5450F).

Edit 2: Is this good for the price? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127415


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## mudkip (Jul 28, 2009)

rooksx said:


> lol, I don't argue the PSU point either, I'm just giving my friend one of my "spare" PSUs (depending on which one I give, though I'm leaning towards the 300W, I'd like to keep my 380W ) for her SR5450F. Her budget is fairly limited, so basically trying to go for the best performance to cost ratio with a card budget of $50 - $100 USD, with possibly a lower max price.
> 
> According to her (I don't have access to the PC until a few weeks from now, and she's not hardware savvy), with the onboard GeForce 7100, WoW has ~12 fps max (I have to verify the resolution). So, at this point, almost _any_ video card (8/9 series or 3/4 series) will be a huge improvement. And I don't want her to get a video card that's too powerful, because the stock E2180 may eventually be the bottleneck. It's not my PC being upgraded, so I don't have much say in how much will be spent on it.
> 
> ...



Well , it's the cheapest 4670 on newegg , but i'd rather for the asus version for a few bucks more http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121274 , it has a better fan which makes less noise , or if you want to go cheaper go for this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102838 . Almost identical to the 4670 ,but 10 dollars less than the cheapest 4670. But the MSI hd4670 is a good choice anyways


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## mudkip (Jul 28, 2009)

This is how high my HD4670 overclocked:

http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/aumz5/

gaming/furmark stable , quite nice innit


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## JrRacinFan (Jul 28, 2009)

I'm just going to assume that no overclocking would be involved. You could probably go a 9800GT with it, but unsure if it will fit. 

If you want a for sure, go with a 4670 like others have stated.


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## mudkip (Jul 28, 2009)

I calculated with extreme PSU calculator that a system with

e2180/4 sticks DDR2/HF4670/2 SATA/ 2 DVD-drives/4USB devices/2PCI card/2 120MM fans uses 283 watt , that includes 10% Capacitor Aging. bit of worst case scenario , but you got to be realistic with the PSU , that's why I added the aging

you can try it yourself here http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine


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## rooksx (Jul 28, 2009)

Looking at the pic of the internals for SR5450F on the Newegg site (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883109011), and with the addition of the HD4670, here's the list I've complied:

E2180
2 x 1GB sticks DDR2
1 x DVD+/-RW
1 x HD4670 (no O/C)
1 x Samsung 500GB 7200 rpm SATA HDD
1 x PCI 56k Modem (pre-installed)
4 x USB devices (estimate)
1 x front bay card reader (pre-installed)
1 x 80mm fan (I'll be installing one)
90% system load

I get the following results:

235W (20% capacitor aging)
226W (15% capacitor aging)
216W (10% capacitor aging)

Looking at those numbers and her price range, I think the HD4670/300W PSU combo should be sufficient for her needs.



mudkip said:


> This is how high my HD4670 overclocked:
> 
> http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/aumz5/
> 
> gaming/furmark stable , quite nice innit



Very nice overclock!



JrRacinFan said:


> I'm just going to assume that no overclocking would be involved. You could probably go a 9800GT with it, but unsure if it will fit.
> 
> If you want a for sure, go with a 4670 like others have stated.



Yeah, without being able to see the PC in person, card length becomes a huge issue, so I'd rather be safe than sorry. Nothing worse than flying down, shipping the PSU and video card, only to find out the PSU doesn't have enough juice or the video card is too long.

Now that you mention it, I better test out that PSU for 2-3 days


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## mudkip (Jul 29, 2009)

rooksx said:


> Looking at the pic of the internals for SR5450F on the Newegg site (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883109011), and with the addition of the HD4670, here's the list I've complied:
> 
> E2180
> 2 x 1GB sticks DDR2
> ...



Yeah, the PSU should handle this system without troubles at all.
But i recommend you to check the brand , if it's a A grade brand it should work safely , but if it's a cheap ass brand, there's always something that could happen.

-edit- it's antec PSU , I think that the PSU is good enough


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## aj28 (Jul 29, 2009)

The 4670 will be fine with the 300W Antec, and perhaps even the stock PSU. Contrary to popular belief, HP doesn't throw clunkers in these things. They actually do have a considerable bit of heft to them, in some cases more than their cheap, but well-designed chassis.

A 9800GT may very well fit, given that I have personally squeezed (albeit with no shortage of blood, sweat, and tears) a GTX260 into one of these things, but if you're going to go for a higher-end card, watch the orientation of the power connectors. Will a 4850 fit? Yes. Will you nearly break a finger trying to get it in? Also yes. A shortened 4830 (custom PCB) would be ideal if you think she'll need more power, although I would strongly recommend opting for the 380W if you go that route. While much more energy-efficient than the 4850, I wouldn't drop one on a single 19A rail.


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## rooksx (Jul 30, 2009)

aj28 said:


> The 4670 will be fine with the 300W Antec, and perhaps even the stock PSU. Contrary to popular belief, HP doesn't throw clunkers in these things. They actually do have a considerable bit of heft to them, in some cases more than their cheap, but well-designed chassis.



The SR5450F came with a Bestec 250W PSU (ATX250-12Z) with the following ratings:
+3.3V: 18A, +5V: 25A, +12V: 14A, -5V: N/A, -12V: 0.8A, +5VSB: 2A

I just feel safer with the Antec 300W PSU installed. With the recommended PSU wattage between 216W-235W, the Bestec 250W PSU is a little too low for my comfort. That and I've never heard of the brand before.


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## Mr.Amateur (Aug 3, 2009)

Holy guacamole, I have that compaq   I use(d) an 8800gt in it, but switched to a 9600gt.  Go for a 9600gt or 98/8800gt.  If you're going for ATI I suggest 4850 or 4830, emphasis on 4830.  

The 4670 doesn't sit tight with me.  Must be graphic card prejudice.


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## Error 404 (Aug 3, 2009)

I personally would go with a 9600 GT, I owned one and it would play every game I threw at it with excellent frame rates. All source games maxed out (although thats no hard) and Crysis on medium with 30 - 40 FPS. Was a damn fine card, never had any issues (except fan control, but thats because it was an Asus).


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