Need a new graphics card?

Question

Hello everyone, i'm needing to upgrade my graphics card for all the awesome games coming out. I have a couple questions though. 1. How do I tell which ones my comp. is compatible with, like PCI, VGA, DVI, etc. 2. Which brand and one is the best one for Hard 3D games that I won't have to spend every last cent on?

I currently have an ATI Radeon Xpress 200.

Processor - Intel Pentium D CPU 2.66 GHz ( 2 CPUs)

Answer 1

to find out wat port for the graphic card u re using, get this handy little tool called CPU-Z, it dlsplays all the basic info of ur cpu, mobo and ram

but since u re using Pentium D 805 with ATi Xpress200 chipset, chances re that u have a PCI-E x16 port for a graphic card

as for the choice of graphic, the current DX10 cards are pretty bad except for the high-end ones... the only DX10 card that are worth investing are either Nvidia GeForce 8800GT, 8800GTS 512 (not 640 or 320) or a AMD ATi Radeon HD3870... anything that are below these will not take u very far in the latest games...

if u are not planning to upgrade to Vista anytime soon, then i would suggest one of the old generation card... a AMD ATi Radeon X1950Pro or a Nvidia GeForce 7950GT, both dun support DX10, but they are the high-end cards in the last generation, and have very good performance under DX9.0C.. this 2 are at the same price range as the current mid-end cards...

personally, i prefer Nvidia cards, though i ve been a long supporter of ATi... mainly becuz many games are developed based on Nvidia cards, and ATi, though having good, or even better, hardware than Nvidia, it's drivers simply turn me off... the drviers contain too many bugs... think this way - ATi = sleepy lion, Nvidia = beaver on steroid

Answer 2

You need to find out whether you have AGP or PCI-e before buying a graphics card (given that you've got a Pentium D I'd say you've probably got PCI-e but you should check). VGA and DVI are connectors for you to plug your monitor into the card, pretty much all modern cards are either 1 DVI and 1 VGA or 2 DVI (and DVI-I which is what most video cards have can be turned into VGA by a cheap adapter).

In terms of brand, the cheapest using the chip you want is the one to buy, they're probably all made at the same factory anyway and pretty much everyone just follows the reference designs that aTi and nVidia put out so the only difference between brand of card is the sticker and the box it comes in.

Answer 3

Don't listen to people who claims sub $100 dollar video cards will give you good frame rates. Do yourself a favor and research on a card that is within your budget. You'd probably need to spend at least $250+ for a decent one. A good video card that are currently out that can play games fine are the 8800 serie from Nvidia and the HD series from ATI. If you can afford it get an 8800 Ultra, If you are going with Nvidia don't get anything lower than an 8800GTS and with ATI don't get anything lower than HD2600XT because those are the only video cards that are able to play dx10 games with decent framerates. I have an 8800GTS 640 in SLI mode and it's amazing. If you're not able to afford those and your budget is around $150-$200 I would strongly encourage you to look into the 7900gtx's and the Radeon x1900 series. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

ATI and nVidia are the biggest video card companies, by far
the 2 newest card from them are ATI Radeon 3870 and the nVidia GeForce 8800 GT
for $270, the 8800 GT is amazing
of course, for $150, you could get the 8600 GTS
or, for $70, you could get the 8500 GT


there are 2 types of main video ports today
there is the AGP port, which is older. it is positioned above the PCI slots (there are usually alot of PCI slots) and is moved about an inch away from the edge of the board

then there is PCI-E, which is the newest and comes in 2 different sizes. there is the short version, which is only about an inch long. there is also the version that is used for most video cards, the x16 version. its about 3-4 inches long. these are both usually positioned above the normal PCI.

just open your case and look it. it should be pretty obvious

also, you can look online at tigerdirect.com or newegg.com for boards that have both, and they are labeled

Answer 5

1. run dxdiag
2. there is really only 2 brands that make video cards (ATI, NVIDIA) and they each have manufacturers who produce the cards for them ie: BFG, XFX, HIS
3.there are loads of cards you can possibly buy, it just depends on what you can take. if you can take a pci-e video card try to go with a high end one, and if you mean "Hard 3D-games" like COD4, Crysis, Bioshock, then there are many more requirements than a video card that you need to actually play those games. for example call of duty 4 recommends a dual core processor and atleast 1 gig of ram, the minimums are 2.4p4 or higher. but im not gonna go into detail about all those shinnanigans.

Answer 6

Ati and Nvidia are the best video card companies so get one that is one of those. For one that can run all of the great new games coming out...you need at least about a $70 one from newegg.com, that will get you by for awhile, but if you have more money to spend defiantly get a better one.

Answer 7

1. Check your Motherboard. If it says PCI-E x16 then you have a PCI motherboard. or AGP or whatever. Also ask you motherboard manufactuer about what its compatible with.

2. i recommend Nvida. reliable graphics cards, and high performance.

if you have enough money buy an Nvida 8800 (geforce) i think?

or for an average one, buy any Nvidia @ around $75 -$55. that should do ya well

also make sure your processor is fast. because a good gfx card is nothing without a good, fast processor

Answer 8

to tell what type of video card u have go to: Start>run>(type) dxdiag and hit enter. once a screen pops up go under display and it will tell you in the top left hand corner, if it is an integrated video card then it has no slot and is built onto the mother board,

Answer 9

well ya gotta find out what kind of mobo ya got first to see what type of slots ya got to work with......if ya listed your brand and model number i would have found the specs.......2nd....if ya want to play hard core games stick w/the 8800 series....and yes your gonna have to pay.......but, ya need atleast a 450 watt psu to use them cards........so ya got to find out what wattage your psu is.......and your not gonna find a card for 75-90 bux to play those 3d intensive games.....that price range would get ya about a 7600gs, or maybe a gt......nvidia.........

scott