Low profile graphics card?

Hi all,

First message here, so I would like to thank you all for this great GW forum and thanks in advance for any answer to my question (or even trying .

I'm runing GW on a small form factor HP desktop with onboard graphics, and I'd like to try to improve my graphics, but my only option is to buy a low profile (a.k.a. half-height) graphics card. I'd like to know if anyone had any luck with doing this, or has advices?

Many thanks!

I have been looking around myself but I have not found many (most are around FX5500-generation). I myself got a shuttle & right now it looks like I will need to cut away a part of the side-frame/panel to make room for a decent graphics card.
I have seen a few pictures of people that have done that but I don't think its so healthy for the card (no separate airflow except from the cards fan).

Hi Jelloblimp and thanks for your answer!

I thought of that but even if I know I can technically do this, I wouldn't because this is my work computer. And even though HP sells a "PCI riser card" to sort of expand the small form factor box, I'm not fond of that solution (and obviously there's the problem of dust getting in the box).

As you mention, I found a decent X550 that would relieve some pressure from the onboard graphics. But one of the question I was wondering is whether the fact that the low profile cards don't have fans but heatsinks can be a problem.

In any case, I'd be interested to know if you successfully modified your computer

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...video+tutorial

try that link if you want to tweek your on board card a little bit...^^ link is for intel chipsets :P

Good luck

Thanks Coridan! The video options indeed improved the smoothness of my playing GW (with the minor fuzzy-cursor disagreeement)!

I'll try more memory in a few days.

Thanks again!

the apollo nvidia GeForceFX5200. Its inexpensive at newegg, and it gets the job done. It runs on a pci bus. I am currently using the 5200, but tonight i am installing the GeForce7300GT, but its really powerful. I didn't necceseraly buy the 7300GT because of guild wars, but if you got some money to blow, don just buy a low key card, get something that will end up lasting for years to come. If you do end up buying a low key card. I am 95% sure that if you are a true
gamer that buys the latest games, you'll be searching for a new graphics card in less than a year. So take the time and don't just blow fifty bucks to get something short, spend the extra doe and get a nice one that will last. (Sorry if it spunded like a sales pitch, but I have been there before) I hope this helps!

Thanks for your reply cruciaxor. Since I'm on my work computer, I won't go for the solution I would like (since the computer may no longer be mine at some point). And given that, though I like gaming, I am only playing seriously at GW, I will not go for a full-fledge gaming solution (and a colleague next door has a huge gaming machine that I can use to try other power-hungry games).

Bt thanks a lot for this recommendation of the FX5200, I will consider it among the other options. Was it an improvement on the onboard graphics? If so, how much for common tasks (email+browsing+office+few other things) and GW?

Many thanks for your help!

Hi all,

Just a little update: I've moved from 512Mo of memory to 1.5Go and this definitely improved the situation of my integrated graphics (Intel GMA 950) a lot, so that GW is now running smoothly.

Would not recommend the PCI FX5200. PCI interface is bad, and I've read somewhere that the FX5200 performs worse than all the Geforce4's. My friend used to have one of those (AGP version), and many games ran like crap, according to him. The rest of his system is decent too, ~3GHz P4 with 1.5GB memory.

There seems to be x1600pro low-profile cards. I don't see any better ones on there.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc... nDesc=profile