[RESOLVED]The right graphics card for my desktop PC?

Started by Fantasist, October 01, 2008, 07:51:58 am

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Fantasist

October 01, 2008, 07:51:58 am Last Edit: October 08, 2008, 09:55:06 am by Fantasist
It came as a bit of a surprise for me, but I can actually go for a good graphics card right now :)
My desktop PC is a bit old, so I don't know if it supports PCI Express cards (most likely, it won't). My vendor told me that if he takes a look at my motherboard, he can tell which type I can use (AGP or PCI). I want to go for a 256MB card. Since I can't afford this much money anytime soon again, I want to make sure I get the best out of what I spend. So assuming my motherboard doesn't support PCI graphics cards, I need some advice on what I should go for.

The sooner the better btw, cause I can't wait :woot:

EDIT: I've done some digging and I'm sure I found the best card for my old motherboard.

Card Details
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Blizzard

Ouch, if you don't have PCI express, I don't think you will be able to use any better card. I remember my old GeForce 4 with 64MB that worked on AGP. IDK if there are better cards that work on AGP. Try googling or visit nVidia's site and check out what they have to offer, that's your best bet. In any case you can check in your BIOS which slot your card uses. You will notice somewhere in your settings that it's AGP if it is. If it isn't, you should be able to find it anywhere. Which card are you using right now anyway?
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Fantasist

GeForce2 MX 400, 64MB video memory. It sucks btw, doesn't support pixel shaders. Anyway, I'm leaving now, thanks for the quick reply Bliz, I'll let you know when I'm done :D
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Blizzard

October 01, 2008, 08:30:23 am #3 Last Edit: October 01, 2008, 08:32:43 am by Blizzard
As I said, mine was GeForce 4 MX 440 and it was still running on an AGP slot. I think it didn't support Pixel Shader 2.0 since I couldn't play Splinter Cell 2 - Pandora Tomorrow on it. I remember that GeForce 4 Titanium was way better, but I don't know if it worked on AGP or PCI Express.
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TheHackMan

Unless your computer is from 1992 or earlier your motherboard will have PCI slots
PCIe was first developed in 2004 so there is chance you don't have PCIe but you will have PCI.
Since you said you were looking for a graphics card with 256MB for a not so expensive price, perhaps check out the EVGA GeForce 6200 Video Card. Tiger Direct has it for $50.00 which is pretty good.
PCI slots look like this:
Spoiler: ShowHide

Fantasist

October 04, 2008, 11:43:08 am #5 Last Edit: October 04, 2008, 11:46:36 am by Fantasist
Thanks HackMan, but I know how PCI slots look :P (I'm a comp engineer in the making, I have to :D) Anyway, PCIe is different from PCI slots. From what I found out, PCI Express is not just the slot, it's (slot)+(good motherboard)+(good processor). Since my motherboard is very old and my processor is REALLY weak (1.67GHz), it wouldn't help if I got a PCIe graphics card. I heard the GeForce 6 series and onwards don't support AGP, so I got the best for my crappy desktop. Too bad though, the cards from 6 are a lot more efficient than 5, especially in terms of pixel shading. But oh well, even if I could've gotten better, I got this card with my own saved up money and I don't owe anyone anything ;D
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