1st Time Graphics Card Help

Y

yozza1981

Geek Trainee
Hi all,

Just a quick overview firstly,

I have had my PC for approx 12 months and during that time I have hardly ever used it for gaming, however I now got the BUG!

I have never purchsed a graphics card before and to be honest I am completely baffled by all the different ones out there (and was even more confused after speaking to the nice but useless lady in the computer shop),

I am aware of the difference in PCI cards and AGP cards however I was told that I would need to see if my motherboard has an AGP slot ?? :confused: ??, I dont think it does looking at it but maybe it has (if someone could tell me here is my spec:)

Operating System
Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 (build 2600)

Processor
2.15 gigahertz AMD Athlon XP
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
256 kilobyte secondary memory cache

Main Circuit Board b
Board: First International Computer, Inc. AM39L PCB 0.x
Bus Clock: 166 megahertz
BIOS: Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG 07/08/2003

If it does have an AGP slot, I have been advised to go for the RADEON 9800 256Mb (does anyone agree?)

If Not I have no idea about what is the best PCI card to go for in respect to price and performance.

I am not sure if I have covered averything here so If I have missed anything I do appologise, let me know and I will hopefully be able to provide the answer for you.

If anyone could help me out of the dark with this and hopefully see the light I would be forever grateful!!

Thanks in advance :good: :eek: :good:
 
Here's an example of an AGP slot, but yours might look a little different and might have a white tab at the end. Usually it's brown and around the middle of the motherboard.

I tried to find the motherboard on FIC's site, but it doesn't look to exist, so I'm not sure if it does either.

D00M 3 is a resource hog, and if you don't have at least 512MB of RAM in your system, you will be hurting.

For the money, the 9800Pro is probably about the best deal going...however, the GeForce 6600GT has just come out in AGP format, and blows the pants off the 9800Pro. ATi has yet to release their Radeon X700 (the competitor to the 6600 line) in AGP format.

The last thing you may want to consider too is your power supply. If you don't have a good unit, going with these high-end graphics cards could easily suck more juice than your current PSU can provide. You want, at the very least, a 350W unit from a reputable company (Antec, Enermax, Sparkle/Fortron---same company, different brands, Vantec, or Thermaltake, or PC Power and Cooling if you want the best thing you can buy---they're extremely expensive). Generally, if the power supply came with your case, it's likely not to be up to task.

Now, going with the assumption you don't have an AGP slot, you're looking at something crappier. Probably the best you're going to find is a Radeon 9250 or 9200. I've heard about a GeForce FX 5600 in PCI format as well, but I haven't seen one anywhere I can think of. That's about the best you're going to be able to get, and needless to say, you won't be playing D00M 3 at much past 640x480 in resolution, and possibly medium detail at the highest.
 

Attachments

  • s8dp-agp0.jpg
    s8dp-agp0.jpg
    36.6 KB · Views: 183
Thanks for your help with this, It seems I dont have an AGP slot, I presume the only way for me to get one will be to purchse a new motherboard with one in it, This may happen further down the line but for now I can wait.

So I will need a PCI graphics card, just wondering if you know of the best place to purchase Graphics cards from on the net and also ypu mention the power supply, It mean seem like a daft question but how do I know what power supply it is and will this matter if I am using a PCI graphics card???

Thanks for all your help with this and also to anyone else who chips in with advice!!! :good:
 
Best way is to look inside your case. As B said if its 350W then you should be ok with the setup. But if you get a new mobo and a power hungry graphics card you mayneed to upgrade because the PSU may not be able to supply enough amps. Don't be misleaded by no-name brandsoffering really high wattages. If you get a new mobo then you can get a better graphics card. Really if you want decent performance thats your only choice. Then you can get something like a Radeon 9800pro.
 
I might have an AGP port now I think of it, earlier when I opened my PC i noticed something similar to the pic you posted (only looked at in depth after I posted my previous post sorry ;) ), I am gonna take my casing off in 2 secs and take a photo and report back, so if you ccan check my pic and see if it is an AGP port it would be much appreciated.

Thanks
 
Hi,

Is this an AGP slot for an AGP graphics card??

I have also checked the power output and it is 250w,

with this in mind what graphics card do you recommend??

Thanks
 

Attachments

  • SSCN1173.JPG
    SSCN1173.JPG
    26.9 KB · Views: 198
Yup. It's an AGP slot.
AGP slots only support AGP video cards (at least commercially). I guess they could support something else, but nothing has really been made (at least that you'd use---there's some oddball stuff out there).

If you don't want to buy a new power supply, I suggest you not get anything faster than a Radeon 9600Pro, and these run around $100 on-line. Newegg and ZipZoomFly are a couple of the best on-line stores around.

If you do decide to invest in a better power supply (which I do recommend you do as it's beneficial in the long run), then you might want to look at the ThermalTake Silent PurePower 480 Xaser Edition. It's like $55 + shipping at Newegg, and a damn good deal on a power supply with the amps it has.
 
Thanks for all your help much appreciated, I shall seek and find new Graphics card, and maybe new power supply as well.

Once again thanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top