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Graphics Card Opinion
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Matt84
Junior Member
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3. December 2004 @ 13:48 |
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I'm in the process of upgrading the my computer right now.
40 Gig Hard Drive
512 MB Ram
2.8 GHz Pent. Processor
I'm pretty sure I have the original Graphics card that came with the PC and I've played a couple computer games like Sims 2 and it doesn't seem to be running it smoothly so I'm considering an upgrade. My question is do you guys think the Asylum GeForce FX 5200 256 MB PCI Graphics Card will work with my computer?
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Xian
Senior Member
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3. December 2004 @ 14:25 |
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A 5200 should work fine, but it is a low end card. I have one in my wife's computer and it works fine for everything she plays, however if you are going to play a lot of 3D games such as Doom, Half Life 2, or Far Cry you would want something more powerful. It will still play all of those, just at lower settings. If you want to stick with Nvidia chipsets, a 5700 would probably be a mid range choice and cost about double the price of a 5200.
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Matt84
Junior Member
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3. December 2004 @ 14:58 |
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Hmmmm, didn't know a $145 Graphics card would be a low end card. Ok then, thanks for the help.
Also, is there anyway I can do to find out if I have an AGP slot?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 3. December 2004 @ 15:02
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ianski7
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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3. December 2004 @ 17:26 |
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Hey
Look at the back of your machine. At the top where the mouse and keyboard plug in should be the onboard connections. It usually is in a rectangular shape and the printer and USB connections are within the rectangle. If your monitor plugs inside the rectangle you have onboard video.
Below the rectangle are thin slots that usually extend to the base of the machine. If you monitor plugs there you have either a PCI or AGP(most likely an AGP).
You can also open the case and if you see an offset brown slot - you have one.
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Xian
Senior Member
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3. December 2004 @ 18:05 |
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I would shop around then, $145 is WAY too much for a FX 5200, even the 256 meg models.
http://www.newegg.com has Chaintech 5200s w/256 meg for $80
My wife's computer has the Asus FX 5200 w/128m and it was only $55
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Matt84
Junior Member
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5. December 2004 @ 11:35 |
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I'm pretty sure I have a PCI because I was lookin at other Dell computers and they all had PCI. So, another question is, how much of an upgrade from my 96 MB memory size graphics card to a 128 MB memory size. Is the upgrade worth the $80?
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ddp
Moderator
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5. December 2004 @ 13:18 |
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probably can't upgrade the memory on video card. some ati's could be upgraded but usually 8meg versions. doubt you can use pci/e cards as for newer motherboards more likely use agp 8x
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ianski7
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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5. December 2004 @ 15:20 |
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Hey
What model Dell do you have?
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Matt84
Junior Member
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5. December 2004 @ 17:31 |
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I have a Dell Dimension 4600.
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ianski7
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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5. December 2004 @ 17:56 |
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Hey
That model can have a video card or onboard video.
You can download this utility and it will tell you almost everything about your machine........
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=3846
Load and on the opening screen you will see a list of specs. Click on the AGP BUS and the detailed specs will be on the bottom of the screen.
Check the Number of AGP Connectors(slots),Transfer Rate Supported(1x,4x,8x) and Bus Information-Device(video card if installed)
This should tell you almost everything you need to know about upgrading video(if its possible).
Post if you are unsure of the details.
This is a fantastic utility that I use on a regular basis -- highly recomended!!
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Matt84
Junior Member
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5. December 2004 @ 18:03 |
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Ok, I d/l the utitlity, but I'm not sure how I know if I am able to upgrade my graphics card or not.
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ianski7
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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5. December 2004 @ 18:04 |
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Hey
What does it say for the three things I listed.
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Matt84
Junior Member
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5. December 2004 @ 18:14 |
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Here is the information that it shows when I clicked on the AGP Bus...
Bus Information :
Device : 82801BA/CA/DB/EB/ER (ICH2/3/4/5/5R), 6300ESB Hub Interface to PCI Bridge
Number of AGP connectors : 1
AGP enabled : No
Thanks for the help.
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ianski7
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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5. December 2004 @ 18:24 |
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Hey
From the specs you have onboard video. You do have an open AGP slot but from the ICH2345 it seems the utility is confused(probably because its a Dell).
You can install Agp video card but its kind of a waste to install an AGP 3(8x) if your machine will only support 4x. I guess you could transfer it to a newer machine when you get one.
Does it say anything about Transfer Rates Supported and Version?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 5. December 2004 @ 18:30
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ddp
Moderator
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5. December 2004 @ 19:07 |
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Matt84
Junior Member
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5. December 2004 @ 19:48 |
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[qoute]Does it say anything about Transfer Rates Supported and Version?
I couldn't see anything that had to do with Transfer Rates Supported or Version.
I looked at what video driver I had and it says Intel Springdale G Intergrated Video.
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ianski7
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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5. December 2004 @ 20:20 |
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Hey
So that settles it. You have integrated/onboard video and an open AGP slot. The AGP is dedicated to graphics and is faster than standard PCI.
You asked 'Is the upgrade worth the $80?'
Yes I would think it is since your memory is shared to run graphics. If you get a card like the FX 5200 you should see a graphics performance gain. You will also free up memory since the card has it's owne.
The card you mentioned is an AGP card(I have one)and I dont think(could be wrong) that model comes in PCI but as I stated earlier the AGP is better unless you have PCI-E/X which I doubt you have.
What exactly do you plan to run graphics wise?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 5. December 2004 @ 20:27
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Matt84
Junior Member
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5. December 2004 @ 20:27 |
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I've been playin Sims 2 and it runs choppy and slow. I'm guessing that it has something to do with my graphics card?? Also, I was planning on playing Doom 3 and some other games like Roller Coaster Tycoon 3.
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ianski7
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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5. December 2004 @ 20:32 |
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Hey
I hate to admit it but when it comes to which make and model card is better my knowledge is limited so I'll let someone who KNOWS help you on card selection.
Later
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Matt84
Junior Member
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5. December 2004 @ 20:38 |
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Ok, thats cool. Thanks ianski7 for your time and help.
So does anybody out there have an opinion on a graphics card, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 6. December 2004 @ 20:45
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Matt84
Junior Member
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6. December 2004 @ 20:47 |
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So, is there much difference between a card in the PCI slot then in an AGP slot?
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ddp
Moderator
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7. December 2004 @ 13:16 |
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agp runs at least double plus of that to standard pci not pci/e. 2x agp is 66mhz, 4x is 133 & 8x is 266mhz
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indienemo
Account closed as per user's own request
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9. December 2004 @ 03:33 |
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About 99.9999% of PCs have AGP slots unless the PC you bought is 16 years old or bought off your best mates cousins brothers mates uncle called 'Dave'. Shop around, you can get a ATI radeon 9800SE for about $160, then you can use w1zzards soft mod to upgrade it to a 9800 Pro.... saving yourself $150...
"Life is like a box of chocolates, whenever it comes to me all that is left is toffee logs" - Me.
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PC: Athlon 64 X2 4200+ @ 2.4Ghz, 2GB DDR2, X850 PE GFX.
GC: Viper GC w. Cobra bios 1.2
X360: Kreon 1.0 Drive, Softmodded console
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ddp
Moderator
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9. December 2004 @ 08:13 |
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indienemo, quote "About 99.9999% of PCs have AGP slots unless the PC you bought is 16 years old" unquote, more likely 75% have agp slots as p1s didn't get agps til near the end & i've seen p2s & 3s not have agps & possibly even p4 & equivalent
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Matt84
Junior Member
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9. December 2004 @ 13:55 |
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So, after using PC Wizard this is what comes up when I click on the AGP Bus...
Bus Information :
Device : 82801BA/CA/DB/EB/ER (ICH2/3/4/5/5R), 6300ESB Hub Interface to PCI Bridge
Number of AGP connectors : 1
AGP enabled : No
The guy a couple posts ahead say I do have a open AGP slot but its just confused because its Dell?
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