Video Card Purchasing

Waverunner · Post by **Waverunner** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 12:38 pm

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!

Sonictag · Post by **Sonictag** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 1:28 pm

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.

Waverunner · Post by **Waverunner** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 2:48 pm

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!

Sonictag · Post by **Sonictag** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 1:39 am

np lol, well it works for radeons. What card did you buy?

Waverunner · Post by **Waverunner** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 8:40 am

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)

Sonictag · Post by **Sonictag** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 8:45 am

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.

Waverunner · Post by **Waverunner** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 8:49 am

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

Sonictag · Post by **Sonictag** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 9:29 am

Lol, I dont have halo

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

.

Pie · Post by **Pie** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 9:37 am

Stupid sonictag and his stupid expensive stuff...

stupid clothfx...
stupid working vray...
stupid videocards...

i can go on

Sonictag · Post by **Sonictag** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 11:04 am

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..

Waverunner · Post by **Waverunner** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 11:07 am

umm.... U dont have halo?!?!

huh?

*dumbfounded*

Sonictag · Post by **Sonictag** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 1:42 pm

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

.

Waverunner · Post by **Waverunner** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 2:00 pm

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)

Sonictag · Post by **Sonictag** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 2:11 pm

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.

theguy2042000 · Post by **theguy2042000** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:40 am

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

Sonictag · Post by **Sonictag** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:53 am

what? you just download direct x 9..

theguy2042000 · Post by **theguy2042000** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 10:55 am

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.

Waverunner · Post by **Waverunner** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:04 am

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...

theguy2042000 · Post by **theguy2042000** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:07 am

yea it is but what i'm saying is that graphics won't look as good on directx8.1 that on directx9.0

Waverunner · Post by **Waverunner** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 11:08 am

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