| AGP vs. PCI (how to tell?) - Click HERE for Original Thread |
| LudeDude19 |
alright i need to upgrade my video card so i can go and play battlefield 2 mwuhahaha
but i don't know how to tell what video card i need, is there a way i can find out/tell?
thanks! |
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| sparkycivic |
follow my lead:
Minimize all windows for the moment...
rightclick on: the desktop
---choose "properties"
click on the "settings" tab
---here's your info about your card and monitor...
---click on the "advanced" button if you have Windows 98(pity) to get the video card details.
hopefully you don't find something that says "SiS Integrated xxxxx" or anything with "onboard" in it, because that will probably make things difficult for you.
post what you found...
if you're lid is off the computer, all PCI cards go in white connectors, AGP cards go in the large brown connector. |
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| Z3r03rr0r |
agp slots aren't always brown for example mine is a nice flourescent green.
if you take the side of your comp you can have a look inside and see which slots you have available. An AGP slot will be offset from the PCI slots by about an inch and will generally be a different color as well. if it is a branded comp such as HP, compaq, Dell or one of the others post up the model and it will help us figure it out for you. As well if the machine is less then a year old you may also have a PCIxpress slot which is a whole other issue altogether. |
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| LudeDude19 |
ok i went to desktop > properties> settings
AND the first thing i see is
"LG FLATRON L1715S on VIA/S3G UniChrome Pro IGP"
and they give me a huge list of different stuff when i click the advanced tab...what is the right tab now?
the choices are:
general
adapter
montior
troubleshoot
S3Refreshlock
S3Overlay
S3info plus
s3 display
s3 gamma plus
`color management
i have no idea what kind of slots i'm looking for in the case
i see like 2 white ones and a brown one..maybe? |
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| scooby_dooby |
there will be a bunch of slots where your card go in, sound card, networkd card etc(just look at the connections on the back to tell which is which), unless they are all onboard your motherboard, thenall your slots will be empty.
anyways, the smaller ones, those are your normal PCI slots. you should have at least 3 or 4 of these.
then above those should be a longer slot, with 2 sections, that would be the AGP slot I believe. |
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| sparkycivic |
| VIA Unichrome is their integrated graphics system... there's no actual card, it's built into the motherboard. you'll have to check if you even have a AGP slot. there's still hope. |
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| Anonymoose |
| Do you have any idea what motherboard you have? Perhaps you still have the box? |
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| LudeDude19 |
i believe my motherboard is this? : AMD Athlon 64 Processor with hypertransport technology
i found my specs in an email if this helps (the computer was bought thru, www.cancomputer.com
AMD Athlon 64 2800+ Skt 754
Abit KV-80 (800MHz FSB, DDR400, SATA)
Samsung 400MHz 512MB PC3200 DDR Dual-Channel
Western Digital 80GB IDE Hard Drive 7200rpm 2MB Cache
LG 4163B 16X Dual Layer DVD Writer Black
3D Video 64MB shared on board
6 Channel Stereo audio on-board
Optimax 501P 17" Tower with 400W Power Supply Black/Silver
Scorpius P16 Multimedia PS2 (Black)
Optical Mouse (Black/Silver) Lynx-M9
LG 1715SK 17" LCD Black
Full Assembly and 3yr System Warranty |
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| BananaBoy |
Nice Lude :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
Anyways, you need an AGP card.
Abit Specs
Check out near the bottom of the specs page where it shows
Internal I/O Connectors
- 1 x AGP 8X/4X slot. 2 x PCI slots
Now take a look at the pic of the mobo on the upper right. The AGP slot is the short brownish one in the centre. Most 'older' mobos have the brown slot, 'newer' or performance mobos are all fancy colours.
It's best if you crack open the case and make sure thats the right mobo before you buy a new card.
This should help you pick the card you need/want. BF2 vid card test
IMHO, best bang for you buck is the 6600GT right now. $230ish
Happy Gaming :blue: |
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| Anonymoose |
| I just bought a Sapphire Atlantis Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB from Memory Express for $230. Great gaming card. |
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| LudeDude19 |
alright i just bought a Radeon 9550 256MB video card..its ok but nothing special, i didn't feel like spending a bunch. It is now installed into the brown slot....so what are those 2 white, (PCI?) slots that are below it..what are those for?
i'll be adding another 120GB or storage in a few days as well |
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| BananaBoy |
The white slots are PCI slots. The can be used for at sort of adaptors and expansions. Sound, extra USB ports, ethernet, TV tuner to name a fwe common ones.
So you had no trouble with the Vid Card? Got BF2 running? |
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| LudeDude19 |
yes i got bf2 running...but damn
my room mate and I use wireless cable net...he has the host computer and hsi computer connection is way better..i try to play and its pinged to hell....not even worth trying to play online :mad: |
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| BananaBoy |
BF2 (and most very new games) are very buggy. You would you get a finished product for your good money. Anyways, always look for a patch after you install any program.
EA BF2 Patch
Happy hunting :D |
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