Replace Video Card

D

Dale

Paul

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I did as you suggested (ordered

from Newegg). Working great AND I have 3D ! Thank you for your help. You

folks are AWESOME.

--

dale





"Paul" wrote:



> Dale wrote:

> > I would appreciate some help on replacing a video card. I have no clue as to

> > what to purchase. It's is overwhelming.

> >

> > Below I have listed the infomation on the current card. I do not need a high

> > power (gaming) card. Just something simple.

> >

> > Thank you for ANY information.

> >

> > Side One

> > 1997 STB Systems Rev B [Stamped on Board]

> > Product of Mexico

> > Way Vel 128 AGP NO/TV

> > Video Adapter

> >

> > Computer:

> > Operating System Microsoft Windows XP

> > Product HP Vectra

> > Version VE8

> > Product 440BX

> > AGP Transfer Rate 1x

> > Processor:

> > Version Pentium II

> > Current Clock 333 MHz


>

> > Video Adapter Velocity 128 (4 MB)

> > Hardware Driver nv3.dll

> > 3D Accelerator nVIDIA RIVA128

> > Monitor 19" VSC111E:

> > Mode 1024 x 768 x 4294967296 colors

> > (Q87070323615)

> >

> > AGP Slot:

> > AGP Version 1.00

> > AGP Status Enabled

> > AGP Aperture Size 64 MB

> > Supported AGP Speeds 1x, 2x

> > Current AGP Speed 1x

> >

> > Monitor: ViewSonic VA903 SERIES [Monitor] (19.1"vis, s/n Q87070323615,

> > January 2007)

> >


>

> OK, what I see is a 3.3V AGP 1X/2X slot on a 440BX motherboard. The monitor

> is 19", 1280x1024 native resolution, with a 15 pin VGA connector.

>

> I'm not doing very well with search engines right now, and this is a page for VA903.

>

> http://www1.epinions.com/specs/ViewSonic_VA903B_Monitor

>

> What I've used on my 440BX board, is an Nvidia FX5200 AGP. I've tried

> the card on a AGP 1X slot and an AGP 8X slot and it works with both.

> So it is a universal card. It should be able to do 1280x1024 on VGA

> without a problem (that is the resolution my monitor uses). On those

> kind of older cards, you can never be sure the DVI connector is capable

> of doing the full range up to 1920x1080, but that will be an issue for

> another day (and another monitor purchase).

>

> As an example, there is an FX5200 here, with both a DVI and a VGA connector

> on it, and it is $32. You can't go wrong at that price, even if you

> only get a year of usage from it. There is no fan on this unit. If

> you ever find the card is unstable (I have an FX5200 AGP here that

> is not stable unless a fan is pointed at it), you can add a fan right next

> to the video card slot to improve the cooling. I needed the fan when gaming,

> and since you're not using it for gaming, you might get away without

> adding a fan. The thing is, the tiny fans on video cards don't last

> forever, so in some ways, the ability to buy and install your

> own fan is a bonus.

>

> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187045

>

> In one of the reviews, you can see this comment.

>

> http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16814187045

>

> "DVI port would not support the resolution of my screen (1920X1200),

> the maximum it can do is 1600x1200, which looks awful on my wide screen.

> So have to use RGB [VGA] plug. If I knew it in advance would not buy it."

>

> This is a known issue with some of the older cards, in that the bandwidth

> of the hardware driving the DVI connector is not up to the full 165MHz

> spec. Some old cards were limited to 135MHz. To "protect" the users,

> the Nvidia driver prevents selecting resolutions above a certain level.

> So if someone owning this card, expects to run out and buy a new LCD

> monitor with only a DVI connector on it, then the native resolution of

> the new monitor should be considered, with respect to the limitations

> of the FX5200. If you bought a 1680x1050 DVI monitor, expect a distorted

> looking display because of not running at native resolution. If you buy

> a new monitor with a VGA connector as well as DVI, then you have more

> connection options. But cheap LCD monitors only have DVI now.

>

> So the main reason I'm recommending this card, is I've tested it. I own

> three different FX5200's. I have two AGP ones and a PCI one. And

> so far, they've worked in all the computers I've tested them on.

> That is their only "feature", as otherwise they're a pretty

> crap card as far as a gamer would be concerned. But for 32 bucks,

> it's an adventure.

>

> If you want background information on video card selection, this

> page is good. But I suspect you're not going to find much better

> than the FX5200, as more modern cards use Rialto or HSI bridges,

> and those only run 1.5V slots. The 440BX is for a 3.3V slot

> motherboard, so you need to find an AGP card with a native AGP

> GPU chip on it (some native chips supported both 1.5V and 3.3V).

> And in terms of what is still on the market, the FX5200 AGP is

> the least risk, even with its DVI issues. The 6200 might work (the ones

> I see have two slots cut in them, so that means they should run

> at 1.5 or 3.3V for I/O). But I'd really want proof they've been

> tested in a 440BX and don't cause trouble.

>

> http://www.playtool.com/pages/agpcompat/agp.html

>

> The playtool article also mentions the AGP power issue. Some old

> machines from that era, use a linear regulator for one of the

> voltages the video card needs. I think I bought a TNT card

> years ago, and it black screened in my 440BX machine, and I suspect

> it was a power issue. And my motherboard isn't even one of the ones

> known to have problems. But I didn't have a problem with the

> FX5200, for whatever that is worth.

>

> When installing a new video card, remove the old Windows driver first,

> then shut down, change video cards, boot up, and install the

> new driver. Nvidia will have stopped issuing new drivers

> for the FX5200, but I don't expect that to be a problem.

> The nice thing about the FX5200, is it covers the older

> OSes well, and you can also get a Win98 driver for it.

> Since you're not likely to ever run Win7 on a 333MHz processor,

> I'm not too worried about no driver for Win7 :)

>

> HTH,

> Paul

> .

>
 
P

Paul

Dale wrote:

> Paul

> Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I did as you suggested (ordered

> from Newegg). Working great AND I have 3D ! Thank you for your help. You

> folks are AWESOME.




Glad we could help.



Paul
 
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