What video card?

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Cronnie

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What video/graphic? card?

Ok i am a complete newb at this....

Recently got a 1gb memory upgrade which really cranked my system up lol :)

But now i want a video card to get that extra performance when playing games...

I want a graphics card that can deal with Age of Empires 3, which is what i play most these days, it runs smoothly, but when im having massive battles it lags badly.... :(

Here is the results from my Crucial scan, to help you.


Your computer currently has 1280 MB of memory installed; and will support up to 2048MB.

Slot 1
256 MB
Non-parity DDR PC2700

Slot 2
1024 MB
Non-parity DDR PC2700

Your Graphics Card
Card Type (Bus Type)
AGP
Your system currently has integrated/onboard graphics.


Your Computer
Computer Manufacturer
Crucial Scanner Results
Computer Model
HP-Compaq Gamila, Giovani, or Neon Motherboards
CPU Manufacturer
GenuineIntel
CPU Family
Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 2.80GHz
CPU Speed
2800 MHz
Front-Side Bus Speed
100 MHz
Currently Installed Memory
1280 MB
Maximum Memory Capacity
2048MB
Total Number Of Memory Slots
2
Available Memory Slots
0

If you need any more info please ask :)

I also have a few 'guidlines'.

My budget is around £20 - £50 (not high i know but strapped for cash...)

Might even go up to £100 if it is really worth it, but around £50 is my target...

As you might have realised, i am from the UK, so could i have a place that delivers to UK?

Thanks for all help!
 
It looks like you have an empty AGP slot for graphics upgrades, which is good news! You'd notice a major performance increase over integrated, without a doubt.

In your budget, see if you can't find a 6600GT. If you can't find one in your budget, then bump down to a plain 6600, but if at all possible, get yourself the GT version as there is quite a big difference between the two.

You will also want to confirm that your power supply will be able to handle the upgrade. Open up your case and have a look at the sticker attached to the PSU. How many watts is it rated at, and who is the PSU maker?
 
Wow, there is quite a lot of difference between the two, but the chart makes me feel sad :( I look at the top one with 80fps and im stuck with 14... :(

If there are any significantly better ones, i will fork out extra 20 - 40 quid for it...

Right, opened up my case, and yes there is a free AGP slot (the brown one i believe?)

There are also two white slots free (which are PCI, but i think AGP is better?)

Ok there is a lot of info on the PSU so im just gonna give you most of it :)

Manufacturer: Aquarius (this didnt come with computer, it went for repairs and
the 'dude' changed this)

Model: LC-B350ATX

AC Input:

Voltage:
230V~

Current:
8A/4A FOR 350W

I think those are what you need?

Also there are another set of voltage and current:

115V~
8A/41 FOR 300W

But there are two model numbers, LC-B350ATX & LC-B300ATX, so mine is first one so im guessing mine is the 230v one?

Hope this helps....

Also, is it possible to find any websites selling the card? I have found some at around £100, is there any for less?

I have found these two video cards for much cheaper... are they any good for me?
* 256MB DDR Memory

* Powered by NIVDIA® GeForce 6200 GPU
* PCI Express x16 / AGP 8X Interface Support
* Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 Shader Model 3.0 Support
* OpenGL® 1.5 Optimizations and Support
* Revolutionary Superscalar Architecture
* 4 Pixels Rendering Pipeline
* NVIDIA® CineFX™ 3.0 Engine
* NVIDIA® UltraShadow™ II Technology
* NVIDIA® Intellisample™ 3.0 Technology
* Full-Speed 32-Bit Color Precision
* Adaptable Programmable Video Processor
* High-Definition MPEG-2 and WMV Hardware Acceleration
* Advanced Motion Adaptive De-Interlacing delivers a crisp, clear video and DVD playback
* Video Scaling and Filtering
* NVIDIA® ForceWare™ Unified Driver Architecture (UDA)
* NVIDIA® Digital Vibrance Control™ 3.0 Technology
* NVIDIA® nView™ Multi-Display Technology
* Integrated HDTV Encoder supports up to 1920x1080i resolutions
* Integrated NTSC & PAL TV Encoder supports up to 1028x768 resolutions
* Single-link DVI output up to 1900x1200 resolution
* Dual 400MHz RAMDACs supports dual QXGA displays up to 2048x1536@85Hz
Click to expand...

and...

roduct Description Palit GeForce FX5500 - graphics adapter - GF FX 5500 - 256 MB
Device Type Graphics adapter
Enclosure Type Plug-in card
Interface Type AGP 8x
Graphics Processor / Vendor NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500
RAMDAC Clock Speed 350 MHz
API Supported DirectX 9.0, OpenGL 1.5
Video Memory Installed ( Max ) 256 MB / 256 MB (max) - DDR SDRAM
Click to expand...

Are any of them two good? and which one is better?
 
Also, how do i know what make my motherboard is?

I have opened up my computer and i cant see any labels etc....

The technician changed the motherboard and i dont have any documentation etc.....

I cant get in touch with him because he has sold his shop and retired or summin.....

Also, people keep saying about 4x, and 16x and all that, how do i know which one my AGP slot is?

My AGP slot is around half the size of my memory card slot, so i think its 8x?

I have no idea....
 
Ok searched a bit for the 6600....

cheapest i found so far is:

256MB AGPx8 NVidia GeForce 6600LE DDR 128-Bit DVI TV-out - £60

256MB AGPx8 NVidia Inno3D GeForce 6600 DDR 128-Bit DVI TV-out - £65

The above are from same site, whats the difference? and are they any good?

I will update if i find cheap, like i said thats a bit tight on the budget :(

If you find any for cheaper than please let me know!
 
Well, with that card you would notice a significant performance increase over your integrated graphics, however, that is the "LE" version of the 6600. It is a budget version of a budget card, and it is significantly slower than the plain 6600 card (and cheaper).
 
Now, i know im not no master but i just saw this:

ASUS 128MB GEFORCE 6800XT TV/DVI 8x

for.... £95!

Is this worth it? or am i just getting excited because its 6800XT?

Well, it was out of stock so i think it is a good deal....

should i go with the:

256MB AGPx8 NVidia Inno3D GeForce 6600 DDR 128-Bit DVI TV-out - £65

or

ASUS 128MB GEFORCE 6800XT TV/DVI 8x - £95
 
If you can get a 6800XT in your budget, go for it! Great cards. If they have any more details on the card post them here. Sometimes great deals are actually cards that have been cheaply made, and are actually a little slower. But if it is an Asus as you say, then it should be fine!

Even though it is only 128mb, it would still be a much better card than the 256mb 6600 (vanilla).

But if you can't get that 6800XT, the 6600 (256mb) is a solid entry level gaming card).
 
ok...

ASUS 128MB GEFORCE 6800XT TV/DVI 8x

* Chipset : NVIDIA GeForce 6800XT
* Memory : 128MB
* Outputs : SVGA, S-Video, DVI-I
* Maximum Resolution : 2048x1536
* Interface : AGP 8x
* Model number: N6800XT/TD/128M/A
* Weight: 0.5Kg

Special Features :

ASUS Splendid Video Intelligence Technology, ASUS GameFace Messenger, ASUS GameLiveShow, ASUS GameReplay
Specifications:

Package Type : Retail

Chipset : NVIDIA GeForce 6800XT

Interface : AGP 8x

Video Memory : 128MB

Memory Type : DDR

Engine Clock : 300MHz

Memory Clock : 700MHz (350MHz DDR)

Memory Interface : 256-bit

RAMDACs : 400MHz

Max. Resolution : 2048x1536

Connectors :

* SVGA
* S-Video
* DVI-I

DirectX Support : 9.0

OpenGL Support : 1.5
Click to expand...

or

Supercharge your gaming with the power of an NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GPU.
The InnoD NVIDIA GeForce 6600 GPUs deliver best-in-class performance and advanced visual effects for next-generation games.
The only GPU in its class with support for Microsoft DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 3.0, the GeForce 6600 delivers ultra-realistic effects, unmatched features, and rock-solid stability so you can play your game the way it's meant to be played.

Specifications:

- Processor: Graphic Processor NVIDIA GeForce 6600
- RAMDAC Speed: 400 MHz
- Interface: AGP 8x
- Installed Memory: 256 MB
- Memory Data Width: 128-bit
- Memory Bandwidth: 14.4 GB/sec
- Memory Tech: DDR SDRAM
- Technical Features: Form Factor Plug-in card
- Max. Screen Resolution: 2048 x 1536
- Refresh Rate at Max Res: 2048 x 1536 @ 85 Hz
- Fill Rate: 4 Billion texels/sec
- Special Features: HDTV Encoder, MPEG Decoder Card
- Display Interface: DVI x 2
- Output Interface: S-Video, TV Out
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, Microsoft Windows XP

Bundled Software Includes:-
- FutureMark 3DMark05
- WinDVD Creator2
- WinDVD5
Click to expand...

EDIT: Also, how can i double check my motherboard can fit these? How do i know for sure i have 8x type?
 
Thats what i was thinking :)

Shame its not in stock, and they dont have a confirmed delivery date for new ones yet either....

When it comes in stock i will post here :) Spread the love... he he

Also, how do i double check my motherboard is 8x? are there any pics of an 8x motherboard or something i can compare it to?

Because i cant find a model number or anything...

and DonNagual, i would like to thank you for all your help, your a life saver :)
 
Ok got the info but i dont know if it is 8x?

Mainboard and chipset
Motherboard manufacturer MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD
Motherboard model Gamila/Giovani/Neon series, 030
BIOS vendor Phoenix Technologies, LTD
BIOS revision 3.10
BIOS release date 04/15/2004
Chipset Intel i845GE rev. B1
Southbridge Intel 82801DB (ICH4) rev. 02
Sensor chip Winbond W83627THF

Help?
 
Actually, there is an easier way. In that same program you just used to get your motherboard info (CPUz), click on the "mainboard" tab then look at the bottom of that screen. It shows the "graphic interface". What is it saying for your motherboard?
 
Its blank....

cpuz8dy.jpg
 
Wait a minute.... are we talking about a compaq system here (or some other pre-made company like gateway, dell etc)?

If so, please give us the company name and model number. That is the easiest way to find out.
 
c00100550.gif


Thats diagram of my motherboard.

Heres specifications (from Compaq Site)

Part/Feature Specification/Support
Motherboard Description

* Motherboard manufacturer's name: MS-6577 v3.1
* Pavilion/Compaq name: Neon

System BIOS supplier Phoenix
Form factor µatx 9.6 inches x 9.1 inches
Processor brand Pentium4
Processor socket type 478
Processor family Intel Celeron, Pentium 4 HT processor
Processor front side bus frequency 400/533 MHz
Maximum approved processor 2.80 GHz Celeron processor, 3.06 GHz Pentium 4-HT
Chipset name Intel i845
Chipset "North Bridge" Intel i845GE
Chipset "South Bridge" Intel ICH4
Memory type DDR
Memory speed PC 2700
Memory sockets 2 DDR-DIMM
Maximum Memory 1.0 GB
Graphics Intel Extreme Graphics with Direct AGP
Graphics configuration Down
Onboard graphics memory Up to 64 MB adjustable in BIOS
Graphics connector (AGP) YES
TV-Out device YES
Audio Integrated AC97 Audio
Audio Jacks ( Legend below ) M, LI, LO, Headphone connector
Ethernet 10/100 LAN supplier RealTek RTL8101L
Ethernet configuration integrated, Down
IE 1394 Front/Back Options 1F + 1B
IDE UDMA modes 2 x UDMA 100/66/33
Expansion slots (AGP/PCI/Exten) One AGP, three PCI
USB ports 2F + 4B
Serial, parallel, floppy, PS2 keyboard and mouse 1S,1P,1F,PS2 K+M
Available manufacturing options ( Legend below ) G,L,E,6
Manufacturing options Legend Legend Meaning
8 8-Channel audio
A Audio down on motherboard
C External L2 cache on motherboard
E 1394 on motherboard
G Graphics down (on motherboard or in chipset)
L LAN on motherboard (Ethernet) P - PCMCIA slot
LI Line In
LO Line out
M Microphone
M/G Midi/Game
S S3 power management support
S/O Speaker
T TV-out on motherboard
U Graphics card (up, not on motherboard)
W Microsoft Windows XP hardware compliant
 
Ok i have done a bit of research, and based on the diagram i think it is an 8x after all?

:grinthumb

But can someone just clarify it plz?
 
You definitely have an AGP slot, but I'd need your compag model number to confirm if it is 8x.

My guess is, you have an AGP 4x slot, but that's not a huge problem. The 8x cards are backwards compatible in the 4x slots.
 
My model number is:

Compaq Presario S7150UK
________

and i think it will work with 4x because:

Item Code : GCA-AN68XT128
Item : Asus 128Mb nVidia N6800XT, DVi, TVo, AGP8x VGA Card
Brand/Model : Asus N6800XT/TD/128M
Graphics Engine : GeForce 6800XT
Video Memory : 128MB
Core Clock : 300MHz
Memory Clock : 700 MHz(350MHz DDR)
Vertical Refresh Rate : 60-240Hz
Max. Display Mode : 2048x1536
Bus Standard : AGP 8x/4X/2X
RGB Out : Dual VGA (with adaptors)
DVI Out : DVI-I
TV-Out : S-VHS and Composite
TV-In : No
Dual View : Yes
DirectX Compliance : Directx9.0c
Software : Drivers
Weight (kg) : 3.00
Price : £82.95

So just before i buy.... is that ok?
 
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