NVidia 8600 GT 256mb DDR3

[itareus]

My current Trainz machine was originally bought for business use and as such it has a low spec graphics card (ATI Radeon 3450 256mb DDR2).

Running TS2009 (Build 38411) I'm getting reasonable frame rates (15-25 fps) but would like to boost this a bit with a better graphics card. The trouble is that the power supply on my PC is (according to Dell) rated at only 300w which rules out a large number of the better cards. I also need dual monitor support.

I've done a fair bit of research on the net and searched the forums here. The best card I can see for a 300w power supply appears to be the NVidia 8600 GT 256mb DDR3. Toms hardware rates this about 4-5 times better than my current card although quite how that works out in practice I'm unsure.

Anyway my question is - has anyone any first hand experience of this cards performance with Trainz and any good and bad points they would like to share?

Thanks in advance

Chris

***

PC Specs:

System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Inspiron 530
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6002) Service Pack 2 (6002.lh_sp2rtm.090410-1830)
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q8200 @ 2.33GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.3GHz
Memory: 3326MB RAM
Page File: 1147MB used, 5734MB available
DirectX Version: DirectX 10

--- DISPLAY ---
Card name: ATI Radeon HD 3450
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI Radeon Graphics Processor (0x95C5)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Display Memory: 1659 MB
Dedicated Memory: 252 MB
Shared Memory: 1407 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Generic PnP Monitor

--- HDD ---
Drive: C:
Free Space: 404.5 GB
Total Space: 466.6 GB
File System: NTFS
Model: Hitachi HDP725050GLA360 ATA Device
Drive: D:
Free Space: 4.5 GB
Total Space: 10.2 GB
File System: NTFS
Model: Hitachi HDP725050GLA360 ATA Device

 

[clam1952]

You could always upgrade the power supply having Googled it and found a picture of the inards it looks like a standard fitting power supply. For around £20 you could get a decent quality higher rated power supply if you shop around, the higher rating the better, I use 650 watt ones but I do have at least 4 hard drives per PC so they need them. I would think anything from 450 to 550 Watts would do.
In my opinion, 256MB is probably the minimum spec graphics card you will get away with on 2009, I would really go for something larger, my 256 MB NV card struggled on larger routes so it got upgraded to a 1 GB Nvidia 8500 GT and that is more than adequate.

 

[saintjimmy]

With a 300 watt power supply, you could go for any card that doesn't have a separate power connector. The highest performing cards without extra connectors are the ATI Radeon HD 4670 (much faster than a 8600 GT) or an ATI HD 4650 (still faster than a 8600 GT) if you don't want to spend too much on a new card, but both are pretty reasonable in price and performance. The 4670 is around £50, while the 4650 is under £40 for the most part. And you won't even have to get a new power supply! And if you stuck with an ATI card, there would be less of a chance that some old drivers would be left behind and mess up the nVidia drivers since these cards are also ATI. But have a look around, see what card best suits you.

Hope this helps.

Kyle

 

[BobCass]

Hi istareus: I just bought a Graphics Card, EN9400GT(1G) and I have an Inspiron 530S and it works fine. Too make it work ok I had to download new Drivers because the original were not up to date. If you have too do that, go Nvidia.com. Hope this helps..good luck..



Bob Cass

 

[Ferngren]

Running a 8600GT 512mb in an old Dell, and it performs very well with TRS2006 which is more demanding than TS2009. At best 85-90 fps from cab in lower detail areas.

I guess you're getting a second hand card. If so, make sure it has the second revision of the G84 processor. The first batch had thermal problems in the ASIC, that meant breaking down evetually if temps allowed to go up and down to much. The number of "heat-cycles" was the key to failiure. With good enough cooling - mine is still working after 2 years. (touch wood)

8600 is not a bad card and the driver 190.62 is really good, but as saintjimmy said, there are better ATI cards for a fair price that are powered only from the PCI-slot.

 

[itareus]

Thanks to everyone for the replies.

I've been following up on saintjimmy's suggestion and having a look at the ATI cards. Opinions on the HD4670 working on a 300w psu seem to be split 50/50 with some saying it will be fine and others saying No No No! I'm just a bit cautious about risking a problem with this so have been focusing on the HD4650 which has a much lower power requirement than the 4670.

As a result I have a supplementary question: There are options for DDR2 or DDR3 memory and options for 512mb and 1gb. Clearly a 1gb DDR3 would be the best but the price shoots up compared to a 512mb DDR2. Am I getting a significant percentage increase in performance for the increase in price?

I have been unable to find any direct performance comparison charts on the net.

Also, has anybody any suggestions for card manufacturers (good or to be avoded).

All very confusing to a mere mortal!

Thanks again

Chris

 

[saintjimmy]

Definitely go for the DDR3 version, but if you don't want to pay for a 1 GB version, then the 512 MB DDR3 version of the 4650 as it should suit you nicely as well.

As for good brands, I feel that Sapphire, XFX, HIS, Diamond, ASUS, and MSI all have good, durable cards. That's from what I've seen other people recommend, and I've owned Sapphire (my first 4850 1 GB), Diamond (second HD 4850 @ 512 MB), MSI (2400 Pro), and Visiontek cards (X1650 Pro). The Diamond and MSI cards are still going, but the Visiontek card died about a year ago, and the Sapphire 4850 died when my old HP computer fried it's motherboard, so that's understandable why it wouldn't work.

Just my thoughts,

Kyle

 

[Ferngren]

I concur, DDR3 for sure. As Kyle said, 300w should cover any of those cards. The 4650 draws up to 48 watts and the 4670 - 59 watts. Another 11 watts makes only 0,9 amps further on the 12v rail. Not much use in getting more than 512Mb since both cards have a 128bit memory bus.

My favourite brands are XFX and Asus. Never had any problems with them. If you own an Asus card you can use their program "Smart Doctor" for monitoring (and overclocking if you have the extra power) and it works well with Vista.

 

[itareus]

Thanks for the further info chaps. Think I'll go for 512mb DDR3.

Next challenge is finding a supplier who has one in stock!

Cheers

Chris