new graphics card ...holy crap.

[noxiousCaitSith]

*sigh*....so i downloaded some BIOS thingy from sony's website....and now it works. bah, that was a pain in the arse. i should still probably get the power supply just in case, but thanks for all the help everyone.

well i just played some ut3...it's not nearly as good as i thought it'd be but it's at least somewhat playable...

[kaeolian]

jesus that screeny looks like 2k4....

Me thinks you need to upgrade your system.

[Bittr]

I'm glad to hear you got it working. That P10 connector looks like a SATA power connector and I have never seen it used on a video card before but I'm not up to date with all the new tech. If it's working than I would leave it alone. If your tight on cash I would also keep the current power supply unless you start having random reboots/lockups or graphical errors.

[noxiousCaitSith]

so...what the heck else would i need to make it look better? i'm kinda disapointed with how it looks now, and when i try to turn the settings up, i think the monitor can't handle it. it says out of range 33.6kHZ/60Hz. does that mean i need a better monitor?
do i need more RAM, or would that make a difference in the way it looks?...or a new motherboard and cpu!? noooo!!! well i've already bought the graphics card i guess i might as well make it work right.
or is there something else i have to change on the settings that would make it look clearer. hopefully this doesn't start to get too expensive. i have a paycheck that i'm willing to spend on the computer...

[DW_Bomzin]

If your tight on cash I would also keep the current power supply unless you start having random reboots/lockups or graphical errors.

That or smoke starts coming out of something .

[KillaDEATH]

STOP!!!! Read this and turn your machine off. That connector from your power supply does NOT belong there. That is one of the CrossFire connectors designed to connect between 2 or more ATI cards. If you can't find a socket for a 6 pin connector and it is working then you don't need additional power to the card. Further use of your machine with this connector on your card could cause damage to the card and they may not take it back because of this. Do it now if you haven't already.....

As for your screen shot, that looks horrible. You are tying to many problems together.

so...what the heck else would i need to make it look better? i'm kinda disapointed with how it looks now, and when i try to turn the settings up, i think the monitor can't handle it. it says out of range 33.6kHZ/60Hz. does that mean i need a better monitor?
do i need more RAM, or would that make a difference in the way it looks?...or a new motherboard and cpu!? noooo!!! well i've already bought the graphics card i guess i might as well make it work right.
or is there something else i have to change on the settings that would make it look clearer. hopefully this doesn't start to get too expensive. i have a paycheck that i'm willing to spend on the computer...

There are many question that need to be answered before anyone can help you decide on what to dump money into. That error message is only your monitor telling you it can't handle either the resolution or the refresh rate. Start with your monitors max resolution if it's a CRT or the native resolution if it is an LCD. Do not excede this setting in the resolution. I don't remember the other settings for video in UT3 but the resolution is important to your monitor. It is possible to damage a CRT by settings it to something it can't handle. The rest of your machine is important to this game as well so you might want to post your system specs. If you don't know the specs, find out what they are from your manual or the website.

[Trowa]

Let me add that if you have a lot of USB inputs with a low watt power supply you can fry your system and cause software problems.

My system went to the dumps this way. It's a pain in the ass. Don't make the same mistake.

I recommend PC Power & Cooling's Silencer 750 Quad or Ultra X3 1000W. antec brands are good as well. These are expensive but I have a feeling you need to build a new system. Start off with a good power supply that will last you a long time and will last a couple of system rebuilds.

Trowa

[DW_Mobius]

You could always google "PSU calculator", enter your system specs, and it will tell you roughly what you need. Since you don't need a direct connection from your PSU to your graphics card, I'm going to say that a 450w PSU would be the sweet spot for you. I wouldn't imagine you having any real complications, and when comparing prices, the higher the amperage across the 12v rail, the better.

[noxiousCaitSith]

so i'm guessing the "12v rail" is the one that gives power to the card?

another question i have...is with overclocking, i read that it shortens the life of the processor. so if you use proper cooling for overclocking, will it still shorten the life or will it prevent it with good cooling?