What video card to buy!!!

Status
Not open for further replies.

audiophiler

Posts: 11   +0
I have a MSI k7n420 pro mother board with an AMD 1.5 ghz. processor. Can anyone tell me what is the best video card I can buy without having to change out the mother board at this time. Right now I am using a Radeon 8500 LE 64mb. Also. I have to sticks of DDR memory for a total of 512 mb. What is the max I can put into those slots. Obviously I am not an expert here at all. I don't want to buy something that will not be compatible. Lastly, what would be the maximum processor I can run on that same board. Any information will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
 
Ok, on the mfg's website,
http://www.msicomputer.com/product/detail_spec/k7n420pro.htm
It says you have agp 4x(1.5v signal), and your board supports socket a athlon xp cpus with a fsb of 200 or 266mhz.

So, agp cards listed as agp 8x/4x(both, not just 8x), should work with the board, and there are many to choose from. The "best card" would be several hundred dollars, likely a 6800 series nvidia or x850 ati.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814127183
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814135175
I doubt you'd need one that good, depending on your needs, a card like a 9800pro, 6600, or 6600gt(agp of course) would probably be better choices.

As far as a cpu, here are some with a 266fsb.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ce=&MaxPrice=&SubCategory=343&Submit=Property
It looks like a 2800+ is as high as it goes.
I can't say for sure if your board would support a 2800+, but the cpu has the
same fsb speed.

Here,
http://www.msi.com.tw/program/support/bios/bos/spt_bos_detail.php?UID=10&kind=1
It says on bios 2.7(update to the latest bios before you install a new cpu),that it supports a 2600+.

Your max memory is 1.5gb(3x512mb I guess).
 
So vnf4ultra you can use a 2x/4x for a 4x/8x apg slot video card I never knew that and audiophiler what is you budget?
 
C_conqueror. You can run a 4x/ 8x AGP card on a 2x/ 4x slot. However you will only be able to run at 4x.

IMHO, I wouldnt touch high end or mid range cards from the current generation. CPU will be main source of bottleneck. You wont be able to make full use of the card. Probably a card like ATI Radeon X300 or Geforce 6200 would suit your CPU.
 
about $100.00cor so. What about the memory? Would it be a better choice to install more memory and what kind will my board except. I don;t know about megahz that operates at or amount of pins. Can someone advise?
 
kingston, corsair, samsung are all examples of good memory products. you should, if available, make use of any dual channel ram capabilities that your motherboard has. this involves buying two identical sticks and installing them as per your manual indicates.
 
What kind of frequency should I look for? I know I can get 2 or even 3 sticks of 512 mb but I don't know what freq. to get.
 
it depends on your cpu fsb. ddr400 is the best, but you may be restricted to lower speeds depending on the cpu used. what is the fsb of the cpu you are certain to use?
 
Zephead, I don't know the fsb. All I know is it is a Antlon XP 1.15 mhz. Can you tell me where I can find this out for sure? I am thinking about replacing the cpu too. I really don't want to change the motherboard yet.
 
download, unzip, and run cpu-z. you can get all the info you want on your cpu, it's fsb, name, and multiplier setting. i can get 512mb ddr400 sticks for just as much as any other speed, so perhaps you'd do best with that.
 
Zephead, I downloaded the program. The processor is an AMD Athlon MP, code Polamino, socket A, FSB 100.2, bus speed 200.5 mhz. I don't know what any of this means. Can you inform.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back