AGP 8x

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flamethrower_13

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I need a new graphics card!!!

I have an Emachine T2894 with 2.66 ghz and 512 mb of Ram. It also has an Intel Desktop Board D845GVSR. Im looking to get a 256 mb video card with dual DVI ports. Im not sure however if my computer can accept AGP 8x. my questions are:
Can my computer take AGP 8x cards
Can it take PCI express cards
What video card should i get.
 
Welcome to TechSpot.

According to this, you do not have AGP slots, so you can't use and AGP card. As far as PCI-E, same thing goes there, you would have to have a new motherboard to use it. Looks like you will have to go with a standard PCI card or upgrade your motherboard.

As far as what card to recommend, do a search of the forums, there are several recent threads on this subject.
 
video card

Sorry to disappoint you, but you got a cheapo motherboard. It doesn't have agp or pci express(they just left it out and put integrated graphics on it to be cheap). You can get a pci(regular) video card. I don't know if there are any pci cards that have dual dvi. Most have 1 dvi, 1 vga, and an svideo port. What do you want to do with the card, just run a dual dvi setup? Games? I did find one pci card with dual dvi, but it is a very high end workstation card(very expensive), and it's out of stock.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-133-110&depa=1
You could get 2 pci video cards so you have 2 dvi ports. If you have 2 open slots, you only have 3 total. If you just want dual display, most any pci graphics card with a dvi port would work, just get 2 cards. Here are some pci cards.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...maxprice=&mfrcode=0&DEPA=1&page=2&listStyle=2
 
the best pci based video card i could probably suggest would be a geforce fx5700 LE 128 mb,it doesnt have dual dvi but its the one of the best cards in the pci slot category.you can get two cards to run 2 dvi outputs like vnf4ultra said,but you can also get a vga-dvi converter and run one monitor on dvi and one on vga/bridged to dvi,if the video card is dual head capable.check out newegg they have some dual head video cards for the pci slot namely the geforcefx5200 and mx4000 but they both output in vga and not dvi.It would be really tough to find a card with dual dvi output that is pci slot based,so you'll have to find a workaround to it.

however I Should also mention that your mobo is not on par with your system.you're running a 2.66 ghz based pc on a pci slot(bottlenecking),you should seriously consider a mobo upgrade(only),you can easily find a dual dvi output card with agp interface.pci express,i think is out of your reach for now since you'll require a new processor with the 915/925xe based chipset on lga775.
 
Thanks you guys are great

I still have a question though... if i did get a new motherboard... which one should i get that would support PCI express or AGP. Also if i did get a new mother board would everything still be compatible with it. And if i got 2 128 mb video cards would it be the same as have 1 256 mb card? Thanks again.
 
the thing about pci express is that its relatively new right now,and like i have been stating the performance increase between an agp 8x and pci-express is nominal.....for now.but if you still want to consider pci -express than get ready to pay a premium to the existing agp interface and the cards available for pci express are quiet powerful BUT very few for now so be ready to have your options limited.so thats the only two things you need to consider before buying pci-express:-the premium,a comparitively smaller range of choices.

well i couldnt understand the second part of your post.having 2 128 mb cards is LIKE having 2 128 mb cards,you cant "combine"there performance.one drives one monitor and the other the second one.your games wouldnt run like they were running ona 256 mb card and it will also put a LOT of strain on your cpu and might even cause some games to work.like i said putting 2 cards in is only a good option if you've got a big budget and not so demanding applications.there are cheaper alternatives for dual displays like dual head monitors(there are even quad head monitors for 4 displays)and vga to dvi converter,the only reason why you should upgrade is possibly because of a very old/weak interface compared to agp 8x,limited options of video card,possible bottlenecking interms of performance.
 
pci video

I don't think video card combine(unless you get sli). The best pci video card I know of is the 5600 256mb. It beats the 5700le. Here.
http://amamax.com/ge56pciwddrd1.html

As for a motherboard, you need a micro atx board to fit it in your case. You also need it to support socket 478 with front side bus speeds of 400 and 533. This board seems to fit the bill, it also has 4 memory slots, room for expansion:).
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-128-256&depa=0

You would still need an agp video card then. Dual dvi video cards are expensive. Here are a few. 128 vs. 256 doesn't make a big difference, it's the core speed, the memory interface (64bit, 128bit, 256bit, higher is better, don't consider 64 bit though, not very good),memory speed, and number of pixel pipelines that matter most.

6600 256mb
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-150-086&depa=1

6600gt 128mb
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-150-
089&depa=1

6800 128mb
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-150-068&depa=1
 
pci express

There isn't much, if any performance increase NOW(later gpus may take advantage of the increased bandwidth) in going to pci-e, but you have future upgradeabliliy potential greater than agp. I don't think there is much premium on pci-e. You can get a pci-e mobo for $85, similarly priced to agp mobos. You can get a 6600 pci-e for about $110-115. The 6600 usually beats the agp competitors in it's price range, while also supporting pixel shaders version 3.0, so how is it a price premium over agp?
 
pci video

I don't think 1 pci video card will work, that's why I said 2. Most pci video cards have 1 dvi and 1 vga, the one that has 2 dvi is $600 :eek: .

Dvi-i supports digital output as well as analog. So dvi can be used without an adapter in digital or analog mode, or have an adapter put on it to convert to analog vga because dvi supports digital and analog.

The vga port though is only analog, no digital support, so that means you can't use the same type of basic converter that dvi to vga uses. Vga basically can't be converted to dvi because analog isn't compatible with digital. There is a vga to dvi converter, but it is complex and very expensive. http://www.gefen.com/kvm/product.jsp?prod_id=1435

Dude it's $800 to convert analog to digital with the converter above, so it's better to spend another $80 and get a second cheap pci card to get a second dvi port, or get a new mobo and a dual dvi agp card.
 
hey vnf4ultra,ya i get it,but since he was talking about 2 pci based cards for playing games,putting a single card in would have created a bottleneck and putting 2 in wouldnt have improved its performance only put more strain on his cpu while outputing the same slow/bad graphics on each monitor separately.there were some dual head video cards based on pci interface but they only output in vga..........getting a new mobo and a moderately expensive card like geforce 6600(150-200$ range) which i think has dual dvi out(not sure) would be a better solution.
 
flamethrower_13 said:
I have an Emachine T2894 with 2.66 ghz and 512 mb of Ram. It also has an Intel Desktop Board D845GVSR. Im looking to get a 256 mb video card with dual DVI ports. Im not sure however if my computer can accept AGP 8x. my questions are:
Can my computer take AGP 8x cards
Can it take PCI express cards
What video card should i get.
Click to expand...

If you do decide to change your motherboard for agp keep in mind that you will have to buy WIN XP OS again becuase apparently if you buy an emachine you cannot use the emachine version of windows with any other motherboard. I mite be wrong but i have come across a post in this website with the same issue. Microsoft does not transfer the OS to another motherboard. Just wanted to let you know. Correct me if i am wrong guys i myself did not have this experience but i would check up on this if i were you.
 
games?

Did flamethrower actually say he wanted games? I didn't see that, I was thinking that he just wanted a dual lcd display for more space (i.e. spreadsheet/database, internet, etc). Two pci cards of most any kind can run general office productivity stuff. Yeah 2 pci 5600 256mb's would both have to share pci bandwidth and wouldn't work very well(maybe disable one monitor/video card for games?) Maybe get a 5600 and then something else cheap like a 5200 and just use the 5600 for games, but use together for a dual display.
 
Im not worried about having to reinstall the OS. So, if i did get the GIGABYTE "GA-8TRS350MT" ATI 9100 Pro IGP Chipset Motherboard For Socket 478 CPU, what would be a good card to get. Another question... if i got a card with 1 dvi and 1 vga port and hooked 2 monitors up to it, could i do 2 different things at the same time, or would the same picture be displayed.
 
hey flamethrower,bringinheat is right the recovery disc that came with your emachine wouldnt work witha new mobo,a thread about a couple of weeks ago confirmed this,so you'll have to get a different copy of win xp but since you say that you wont mid that so.....ok.you're considering a card with a 9100 igp,good but what do you need twin display for,office work,spreadsheet etc. or are you planning to run gmes on it like hl2 or doom3,that would change the situation drastically.having a mobo with an igp might be good for you,you can hook that up along with a video card.if you get a card with one dvi and one vga,you can hook both of them up simultaneously provided your one of your monitors are dvi and one vga like you said.once you hook both of them up they would work as 2 SEPARATE monitors,you can drag stuff from one to another and just roll your mouse over from one screen to another.it provides a lot of screen estate,you can be running 2-3 different applications simultaneously on either the monitors.but if you are considering doing this for games you'll require a powerful card like a geforce 6600 gt agp 128 mb.
 
graphics

A video card can output separate things on the two ports. It can display the same thing if you select that, but it also can extend the desktop hoizontally or vertically.

The mobo has built in graphics, which you probably won't use, because it can't do a dual display.

What is a good card? Well it depends on your usage. If you just want a card that can run a dual display but don't care about graphics, a 5200 or 9200/9250 would be good, the cheaper the better. But if you want good graphics suitable for games, then you have to decide your price range. For about ~$100+ a good card is a 9600 pro. ~$150+ a 6600 agp. ~$200 would be a 6600gt agp. ~$260+ a 6800 agp.
 
Thanks vnf4ultra and everyone else. Ive got a question. What does the memory do for the memory card. I mean performance wise. And would i be able to run Doom 3 on two seperate monitors with the 6800 agp?
 
memory

On a video card memory stores textures and things that the game uses, the more memory the less frequent that the card will have to access the system to get necessary info. (I think this is right, I'm no expert, but this is what I gather from what others have said, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.)

If doom 3 supports running on two monitors(haven't played the game, don't know much about it) then the 6800 should be able to handle it. That's a fast card (the gt and ultra are even faster though). Doom is a game that really likes video card memory though, many reccommend 256mb+ for it.
 
Alright, so, if i got the GA-8TRS350MT" ATI 9100 Pro IGP mobo, and say maybe the Leadtek nVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, TV-Out/DVI, 8X AGP, Model "A400 GT TDH, would i be good to go... or do you think that that is a bad card to get. Also, if i did get a different mobo would i lose any data such as songs or anything else besides the OS.
 
Hey flamethrower..


'Bringinheat' and 'shadow-29' are right.

I had an eMachine.....and all I wanted was a better video card...and my eMachine motherboard didn't have AGP or PCIx.

If your eMachine came with a 'restore' disk/s..and not a 'full' version of Windows....then you won't be able to just re-install Windows....I called eMachines and Microsoft, and they both said the same thing.

They said that with eMachines 'restore' version of Windows they put part of the OS (Operating System) on a 'ghost' partition on the hard-drive. You can't transfer it to a new motherboard....it will not accept it. It has to be the exact same MoBo according to the eMachine tech guy that I talked to.

You'll have to get a new copy of Windows ($92 from NewEgg.com)...and possibly a new hard-drive( I had to get a new hard-drive...$50).

If you already have a 'full' version of Windows, then you should be fine......all I know is, that I just wanted to upgrade to a decent video-card...and ended up saving for 14 weeks because I had to get a whole new system just to get the video-card, LOL :D ...(and you can believe I do know the frustration of living in 'eMachine Land'). :suspiciou

If you want to talk to an eMachine tech...then start at this page: .http://www.emachines.com/support/product_info.html ..you can do a real-time chat with a tech., online. ( It only took me about 2 minutes to get ahold of a tech.)

I do hope this helps..
 
flamethrower 13 has said that he isn't worried about the Windows reinstall. Any legit Windows CD will work with the registration code on the Windows label on his machine.

More important are the dimensions of the case in relation to the prospective motherboard. Verify that the e-Machines case has standard motherboard pegs to fit the new motherboard, and not some proprietary peg arrangement. Verify that the disk drive rack and the power supply don't impinge upon the space the CPU fan needs. Verify that the power supply is powerful enough (and stable enough) to run these high-powered video cards.

There's a lot to be said for spending up to $99 for a new case with a good quality power supply, one that provides both high power and stable voltages.
 
Just to clarify,

I understood that he said he 'had no problem with reinstalling' Windows...but that's not the point.

I too, said the exact same thing....until I found out that you couldn't just re-install..(it wont physically work)..you need a 'real' copy of Windows, and not just the restore disc/s. The restore disc/s dont have all the necessary Widows files on them to run. They split the files between the hard-drive and the restore disc/s to specifically prevent any MoBo or machine transfer. And I simply wanted to make sure he was clear on that. Go to:
http://www.emachines.com/support/tech_support.html &/or : http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?ln=en-us&prid=3219&gprid=37013

It would be all too easy to get the new MoBo/etc.. and go to 'reinstall' with the 'restore' disc/s, and end up thinking it's a hardware issue, etc...because it won't run. And there seems to be a lot of eMachine owners that end up in this same situation...wanting to upgrade to a new MoBo, but without knowing that with an eMachine (and other OEM PC packages) that that cannot be done, typically.

So, just trying to help with as much info as is useful. :blackeye:

peace,
 
You can always RESUSE windows XP on a second machine PROVIDED you do NOT use it on the first machine anymore. The liscense is for 1 machine only. You will have to re-certify (re-associate) windows with the new machine. It may require a phone call to microsoft.
 
Agreed,,,,if you have a normal copy of Windows....but the eMachine restore discs are not 'normal'.
You can't re-use the restore disc/s version from eMachine...see link above and talk with them.

They are designed specifically not to work on any other MoBo. On top of that, it is illegal to tranfer to a new machine with the 'restore' version of eMachine.
 
Yes pizzada is right as i said in the previous post of mine there is no reinstalling windows xp if you switch motherboards on the emachine computer alot of people think that they can simply reinstall windows but there is NO WAY you can do it. If anyone switches their motherboard on their emachine be prepared to spend the extra money for Microsoft windows xp. This is only true for computers from the manufacturer emachine (i have heard some cheaper gateway computers mite do the same thing as well so anyone with a gateway mite want to check up on that as well).
However if you have a normal copy of windows xp and a non emachine computer you can do all the switching of the motherboard you want as long as you tell microsoft about your switches. So any newbie trying to upgrade their emachine computer read pizzada's post carefully and be prepared to get another copy of windows XP. :wave:
 
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