XL201 Video Card Upgrade

[grahamjb33]

I have recently started using my Sony XL201 MCE 2005 running on WinXPSP2 for playing games and all was well until I installed MotoGP 2007. Whilst the graphics on this game are extremely good and even with the resolution set to its lowest, the CPU can reach over 90% power usage and the screen 'sticks' occassionally which makes it difficult to play.
I am thinking that as the standard card fitted namely the Nvidia Geforce 7600 GTL with 256Mb on board could be struggling with this game, the main CPU is trying to compensate and this is causing the high power usage.
If I am correct in my diagnosis I would appreciate advice on what video card upgrade would resolve these problems, eg a Nvidia Geforce 8800 GT? By the way... the XL201 is bog standard with 1Gb ram and no upgrades to date.
Great forum for info, keep up the good work everyone!
Thanks... Baler

[keith_t]

Have also replaced video card (deceased) from XL100 with Asus EN9400GT. Video is great, quiet (though not passive), low profile (plate needs to be cut down) and to get sound needed to make pins/wires to connect the S/PDIF as the connectors were not compatible.

Previously purchased MSI card from D2 Leisure Group but not delivered and did not answer calls.

[@7908848805001668]

I've just bought second-hand a fanless Sapphire Radeon 4550 and when it arrives will update on success or otherwise, but I understand Scan Computers have them on sale at £43 plus P&P.

One thing that confused me was that this card seems to be available in a fan and fanless version

Andy

[gadgetJunky330]

hi,

i've noticed that all the cards being mentioned have dvi outputs, not hdmi. does that mean that the sound to the tv needs another connection?

also, what's the best way of converting from dvi to hdmi, I understand that this means the sound won't come out of the hdmi connection.

thanks for your help

Pavan

[@7908848805001668]

This is a half-way update. I removed the u/s Sony card, removed the heatsink and levered off the copper pipe/radiator to use as an additional, though maybe unnecessary, cooler for the Sapphire 4550. See later.

The 4550 fitted easily but it has no sound/edge connector as does the Sony card - and I doubt any other replacement card will have this either. However, as you said above, there is no HDMI connector on the 4550. The card comes with a DVI output and HDMI adaptor that connects to this, but this is video only. I use an external AV amp so although I originally pulled sound to this amp from the line out on the TV (and so via the HDMI line from the XL to TV), from now I will use the XL's optical output on the XL sound card for best quality (or you could also use the adjacent external coaxial or line out connectors).

I don't have a spare optical cable so I can't confirm that this will work perfectly but I expect it will when I get round to buying one - I live in the middle of nowhere and will have to order one over the 'net.

So far as the card install was concerned, I used the heat-transfering tape from the original card's heatsink to "stick" the old card's copper pipe to the top of the 4550's heatsink and routed it round as per the original card so that the radiator sits in front of the PSU fan. It's very easy to do, and more difficult to describe and maybe isn't necessary anyway, but I figure the XL runs hot enough to try it. I've had no problems so far after an hour's work on it.

When the Xl restarts, it defaults to a low-res screen but running the 4550's CD software installed the hi-res drivers perfectly and instantly. Using a Sony HDTV as a display, the first thing you notice is that all the disappointment of the original screen display of the Sony card has gone. It was impossible to get a screen resolution that worked well with a TV in PC mode, even a Sony TV bought with the XL. But with the 4550 it is really good - hugely better!

I'll give a final report when the XL is reconnected properly to the AV system but in the meanwhile perhpas someone can help with this:

On my other XL, which I use with a twin-tuner card recording two channels while I'm on the 'net doing this kind of thing, I keep getting blue screen crashes with Usbehci.sys mentioned each time. It only happens with heavy use of the meachine and I suspect either a memory stick or this driver. Any ideas anyone?

Andy

[rvcoop]

Have also replaced video card (deceased) from XL100 with Asus EN9400GT. Video is great, quiet (though not passive), low profile (plate needs to be cut down) and to get sound needed to make pins/wires to connect the S/PDIF as the connectors were not compatible.

Previously purchased MSI card from D2 Leisure Group but not delivered and did not answer calls.

Hi Keith

Please could you give some details as to how you adapted the ASUS EN9400GT? I have fitted the card OK and cut the supplied LP bracket which leaves the HDMI and the DVI both of which display fine.
I am left with 2 connectors which were on the Sony card dangling free! One is a 2 pin which I believe is the SPDIF and it disappears under the TV card. How do I modify this, do I use the SPDIF leads that came with the card?
The other free connector is 12 pin female with lots of important looking leads comming out and again disappearing under the TV card, are these the component video? Is there a way of connecting these again?

Thanks for yours or anyone elses help,
Rich

[Charlie_Springall]

I fitted the 9400GT good card for whuat I need, ie BluRay and HD DVD. I dont play games so I can't tell you what it is like for them. To do the job properly you need to.

1) Take the low profile face plate for the graphics card and cut in half with a hack saw.
2) Remove the heatsink from the old graphics card and cut out a small 2x 1 cm piece in the bottom left corner so it does not snag the release catch.
3) Drill 2 new holes in the heat sink to fit the holes on the card.
4) Re-paste the heat sink.
5) Follow the cables that you removed from the old card remove the 12 way one and also the 2 way.
6) Replace the 2 way cable with the one in the box from your new card.
7) Plug the other end of the 2 way into the connector on the new card. You will have a 4 way connector on the cable and 2 way on the card, make sure the 2 unused pins are facing up.

Removing the 12 way means you will loose the composite Video and I think the Fierwire ports but I have no need for either. But the sound on the HDMI works as it should. I have no overheating and a silent running card even when left on all day and running blurays back to back. You even get a small utility to let you overclock the card that gives you a temperature readout and it has never gone past the middle heat setting even with the passive heat sink instead of the stock fan unit.

[bluetyler]

I fitted the 9400GT good card for whuat I need, ie BluRay and HD DVD. I dont play games so I can't tell you what it is like for them. To do the job properly you need to. 

1) Take the low profile face plate for the graphics card and cut in half with a hack saw.
2) Remove the heatsink from the old graphics card and cut out a small 2x 1 cm piece in the bottom left corner so it does not snag the release catch. 
3) Drill 2 new holes in the heat sink to fit the holes on the card. 
4) Re-paste the heat sink. 
5) Follow the cables that you removed from the old card remove the 12 way one and also the 2 way.
6) Replace the 2 way cable with the one in the box from your new card.
7) Plug the other end of the 2 way into the connector on the new card. You will have a 4 way connector on the cable and 2 way on the card, make sure the 2 unused pins are facing up. 

Removing the 12 way means you will loose the composite Video and I think the Fierwire ports but I have no need for either. But the sound on the HDMI works as it should. I have no overheating and a silent running card even when left on all day and running blurays back to back. You even get a small utility to let you overclock the card that gives you a temperature readout and it has never gone past the middle heat setting even with the passive heat sink instead of the stock fan unit.

Thanks for this Charlie. Can you let me know which version of the 9400 you purchased? I'll need to replace the 7600 which has the same problems as listed here > http://club.vaio.sony.co.uk/clubvaio/GB/en/forum/viewthread?thread=47994&offset=60#278583

Do you really need to use the old heat sink?

Also I run my audio via SPIF coax out. Will this be affected in any way with this upgrade? Any assistance would be much appreciated.

[super_mackem]

I fitted the 9400GT good card for whuat I need, ie BluRay and HD DVD. I dont play games so I can't tell you what it is like for them. To do the job properly you need to. 

1) Take the low profile face plate for the graphics card and cut in half with a hack saw.
2) Remove the heatsink from the old graphics card and cut out a small 2x 1 cm piece in the bottom left corner so it does not snag the release catch. 
3) Drill 2 new holes in the heat sink to fit the holes on the card. 
4) Re-paste the heat sink. 
5) Follow the cables that you removed from the old card remove the 12 way one and also the 2 way.
6) Replace the 2 way cable with the one in the box from your new card.
7) Plug the other end of the 2 way into the connector on the new card. You will have a 4 way connector on the cable and 2 way on the card, make sure the 2 unused pins are facing up. 

Removing the 12 way means you will loose the composite Video and I think the Fierwire ports but I have no need for either. But the sound on the HDMI works as it should. I have no overheating and a silent running card even when left on all day and running blurays back to back. You even get a small utility to let you overclock the card that gives you a temperature readout and it has never gone past the middle heat setting even with the passive heat sink instead of the stock fan unit.

I've replaced the 7600GTL with an Asus 9400GT but am unable to obtain sound through HDMI. I've followed steps 5,6 and 7 from the above but to no avail. I've also had the connectors to the card the other way round by mistake, so hope I haven't blown anything although I suspect that's unlikely. I've always been able to get sound through both HDMI and the coaxial output in the past with the 7600GTL, so this is frustrating, particularly as the 9400GT is showing 40-50% reduction in CPU load when playing BluRay meaning no video stutter whatsoever. Any suggestions as to how to obtain sound via HDMi would be greatly appreciated!

[super_mackem]

Further update to my previous post. I've now discovered tha although I can get no sound whatsoever via HDMI to my Philips LCD, if I connect my PC to my Samsung LCD I can get sound, providing it's 2 channel stereo but if it's in Dolby Digital, I get the occasional pop and crackle but otherwise no other audio. I have the latest NVidia drivers and if I reinstall the original 7600GTL card it's just fine and I get simultaneous sound via HDMI to my Philips TV and Coax audio to my amp. I'm at my wits end with this and the card's going back this week unless anyone has any suggestions?

[ITTroll]

I got the itch to upgrade my 8500GT and so thought it was worth updating this thread with my findings.

Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4550 HDMI 512MB (11141-05-20R)
I briefy fitted one of these in my XL201. They have a slim passive heatsink and so fit straight in without any issues. The Radeon cards have an integrated sound card and so don't use/need SPDIF passthrough. Whilst this means you no longer need an internal cable, it also means you cannot output to both SPDIF and HDMI simultaneously. So if you want to switch between the two you have to do so manually via the audio control panel.

I also found the the Radeon was rather limited on which resolutions it would support at 50Hz (PAL). For example it would only do 1360 x 768 at 60Hz. The 8500GT will happily do this at 50Hz on the same TV. The combination of these two factors meant the 4550 was not for me.

Inno3D 9500 GT HDMI 512MB (N95GT-1DDV-C2CX) or 1GB (N95GT-1DDV-D2CX)
The 9500GT has roughly twice the processing power of the 8500GT. The 9500GT is based on 65nm fabrication process vs 80nm of the 8500GT. The card is a low profile design but it doesn't come supplied with a low profile backplate and so I had to take the one from my 8500GT. I then found that the power connector for the GPU fan was fouling a tall capacitor on the motherboard. So I had to carefully bend this away so the card would slot into place. The SPDIF connector on this card has the pin connections the opposite way around to the 8500GT (and 7600GTL) and so I had to switch these around on the existing cable. They do supply a cable with the card but it is rather short.

When all this was done the card works as expected with SPDIF passthrough for HDMI sound and scoring 6.2 on the Windows 7 3D index. The fan is very small and doesn't really add any noise over the other system fans. This is probably the fastest card you will be able to get for the XL series which still permits simultaneous SPDIF and HDMI sound.

Geforce 210 and 220
These new cards from nVidia are actually pretty good and being based on 40nm chips have relatively low power and cooling requirements. The 210 is about the same as the 8500GT with regards to 2D/3D performance. But they also have the 4th generation PureVideo for video decoding (8500GT and 9500GT are 2nd gen). The only gotcha is that 200 series cards now have an integrated sound card, just like the Radeons, rather than using SPDIF passthrough (which rules them out for me). Models are available with passive cooling.

The 220 cards offer about 2.5 times the 3D performance of the 8500GT, however these tend to need active cooling.