Page 1 of 3
Video Card Purchasing
Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2005 12:38 pm
by Waverunner
Good news ppl! Waverunner has enough money to buy a video card! lol
Anyways, please don't recommend any video cards to me. All I want to know is how can I find out if I need PCI, PCI Express, or AGP, W/O opening up my computer? If anyone knows help would be greatly apprediated.
If all you are going to post is "You can't," then save yourself some time, and don't post. There has got to be a way. Anyways, only post if you know how you CAN do it, not saying that it is impossible.
Thanks in Advance!

Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2005 1:28 pm
by Sonictag
Take a big look at your motherboard, if your computer is about 2 years old you can almost guarantee it will be AGP.
Open your computer up, and if your card is in a different looking slot from the rest of them, it will be AGP.
Or you can do it the easy way lol:
Press Start > Run
Type in it dxdiag
in direct X diagnostics press the tab for display,
Then you will see the Divice area, in it check your chip type, and it will say either AGP or PCI.
Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2005 2:48 pm
by Waverunner
What the hell does that mean?!?!
~EDIT~
Nvm, I called IBM! They said I have a AGP chip type, and I bought a new graphics card! Now I'm all excited! Thanks for your help though Sonictag, the information you gave me will help in the future, I'm sure.
Thanks!
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 1:39 am
by Sonictag
np lol, well it works for radeons. What card did you buy?
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 8:40 am
by Waverunner
RADEON 9250 128 MB
I didn't want o spend a ton, but it has just as good stats as more expensive ones
I'm really excited to get it! Should come around April 1st, tomorrow! (Rush shipping lol)
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 8:45 am
by Sonictag
Meh, not a bad card, i usually buy a new graphics card every 2 years and go for a price range of about $700-$850, or if there is somthing I want for more, i either bug my parents, or just save up a bit more.
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 8:49 am
by Waverunner
HOLY CRAP!
Can I have one of ur old ones?!?! lol jk
I didn't even know they made them that expensive! Why don't u give us a screen shot of what halo looks like on screen for you...
woot thats a lot of money
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 9:29 am
by Sonictag
Lol, I dont have halo

. You can get special cards for 3d modelers, they can be about $2000+

.
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 9:37 am
by Pie
Stupid sonictag and his stupid expensive stuff...
stupid clothfx...
stupid working vray...
stupid videocards...
i can go on

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 11:04 am
by Sonictag
Well, i guess I do have quite alot in terms of 3d, there is some facial studio thing i plan on getting, but I just spend about $3000 on scuba diving equipment

. Stupid wet and dry suits so stupidly expensive... But next season when I get some cash coming in I will see what I can buy..
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 11:07 am
by Waverunner
umm.... U dont have halo?!?!
huh?
*dumbfounded*
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 1:42 pm
by Sonictag
Used to have it, lost cd, reformatted computer, dont have it. It is probably in my room somewhere, so chances are it will never be found

.
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 2:00 pm
by Waverunner
lol!
Thats strange, you know so much about modding halo, etc, but don't even have halo on ur comp!
Thats funny stuff right there, I don't care who u are! (Larry the cable guy)
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2005 2:11 pm
by Sonictag
Yeeap, im not just going to leave the forum.. Well, when halo 2 PC comes out, I will be back in business, maybe even make a mod with some funky cars.
And yeaap, im a dorky dork. lol, well i dont look it but i am.
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:40 am
by theguy2042000
lol
and waverunner that card you bough I hope you know is directx8.1 which means that you can't play all the new games with good graphics like half-life 2 or halo are not gonna support all of the reflections and effects that are dx9.0 you could have just bought an FX5200 128mb which is dx9.0
I'm gonna get an FX5200 cause I only have a PCI slot if I had an ap I would have kept my ATI 9600 Pro 256

had to take it back

**EDIT**
here look at this video from gamespot
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/halflife2/media.html
scroll down to direct x comaprison and click it to watch it it shows half-life running on dx 7,8,9 on a three way split, dx8 would be your card
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:53 am
by Sonictag
what? you just download direct x 9..
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:55 am
by theguy2042000
hey waverunner did you ever open the computer to see if you have an agp cause if ibm told you that you have integrated agp it mean that you have no agp slot it just means that the onboard graphics have a connection woth the computer as fast as agp thats what happened to me so now I all I could buy is a PCI card i'm gonna get some info on you motherboard post when I do.
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:04 am
by Waverunner
if it's compatible to one direct x, isn't it compatible to it all?!?
And, I have direct x 9 on my comp already...
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:07 am
by theguy2042000
yea it is but what i'm saying is that graphics won't look as good on directx8.1 that on directx9.0
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:08 am
by Waverunner
I have direct x 9. Its installed on my computer already. My computer is compatible with it. We will see how my video card reacts to it, when I get it in.... about 1 hour says the fedex tracking page!!! yay