Thinking Of New Graphics Card

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05-19-2003, 02:23 PM
vash444

I'm thinking of buying a new graphics card for my computer. The video card I have right now is a "Integrated SiS650 Chipset with Ultra-AGPII Technology". I'm wondering if I buy a card, would it work, even with this integrated one? I thinking I might have to change some BIOS settings to get it to work. Also, I have about 100 U.S. dollars to spend and I'm wondering what's the best choice and the one with the least problems.

System Specs:
Intel Celeron Processor 1.70GHz
MicroStar MS-6524GL (System Board)
288 SDRAM
Win XP Pro
05-19-2003, 03:45 PM
Somebody1234

If you don't have you motherboard manual click here:

Page 2-22

Quote:

AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) Slot
The AGP slot allows you to insert the AGP graphics card. AGP is an
interface specification designed for the throughput demands of 3D graphics.
It introduces a 66MHz, 32-bit channel for the graphics controller to directly
access main memory. The slot only supports 1.5V 4x AGP card.

Page 3-2

Quote:

Entering Setup
Power on the computer and the system will start POST (Power On Self Test)
process. When the message below appears on the screen, press <DEL> key to
enter Setup.
Press DEL to enter SETUP
If the message disappears before you respond and you still wish to enter
Setup, restart the system by turning it OFF and On or pressing the RESET
button. You may also restart the system by simultaneously pressing <Ctrl>,
<Alt>, and <Delete> keys.

Page 3-15 - This is the only thing I could find that maybe for disabling onboard video.

Quote:

SiS OnChip PCI Device
Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears:
05-21-2003, 07:15 PM
DivX

try a NvidiaFX 5200 there the bottom end of the scale in FX's but better than a GF4 MX and there less than $100

your getting GF4 Ti quality for a bargin price

but there no good for top end hardcore gamers the NvFX 5800 Ultra would run you about $400

simple spec for FX5200

GPU core 250htz
Ram core 400htz @ 128mb DDR i don't think they make a 64mb 1

some most come with a heatsink without a fan

and no ramsinks

so shop better paying $10 more for sinks and fans included
05-22-2003, 12:17 PM
3RA1N1AC

typically, you can disable the integrated graphics chip in windowsXP by going into "device manager" in the system control panel, finding the entry for the display controller, and selecting "disable this device."

before you buy a new video card, you should open your computer, look at the motherboard, and see whether you have an AGP slot or only PCI slots. as far as i know, though, Nvidia's Nforce motherboards were the first consumer models to include both an integrated graphics chip and and AGP slot. the PCI slots are normally white, and the AGP slot is a different color (such as brown) and a slightly different shape/size.

so most likely, your integrated graphics chip is using the sole AGP interface in your computer and you will need to buy a PCI graphics card. i wouldn't spend more than about $100 on a card, considering that it will be using a PCI slot. to be brutally honest, PCI graphics cards as a rule of thumb perform more slowly than same-generation AGP cards in 3D programs.

if any of these models come in PCI form, i would suggest getting one: Nvidia GeforceFX 5200 or ATI Radeon 9000.

if those are unavailable or they are too expensive, i'd suggest these as a second choice: Nvidia Geforce4 MX or ATI Radeon 7500.

there are other brands of video cards, but Nvidia and ATI are your safest bets as far as compatibility and driver quality go. i'm making these suggestions based on the assumption that you're going to use the new video card for 3D games or 3D design programs. if you don't plan to use 3D programs, you could easily save yourself some money by getting an older, cheaper card than the ones i've suggested. a Radeon 7000 or Geforce 2, for example... because the 2D image quality of a year 2001 card is usually no worse than a 2003 card. the jacked up prices on graphics cards are due almost exclusively to 3D performance.
05-22-2003, 11:07 PM
Nightwolf

You can use a utility like Powerstrip or SciSoft Sandra to determine whether you have an AGP slot, without having to open the case. If you only have PCI, I think the best card you can get is a 64MB Geforce4 MX440. If you do have AGP, check Pricewatch to see what you can get for $100.
05-24-2003, 09:27 AM
nofuturekid

Quote:

Originally posted by DivX@21 May 2003 - 19:15
try a NvidiaFX 5200 there the bottom end of the scale in FX's but better than a GF4 MX and there less than $100

your getting GF4 Ti quality for a bargin price

but there no good for top end hardcore gamers the NvFX 5800 Ultra would run you about $400

simple spec for FX5200

GPU core 250htz
Ram core 400htz @ 128mb DDR i don't think they make a 64mb 1

some most come with a heatsink without a fan

and no ramsinks

so shop better paying $10 more for sinks and fans included

I think you'd rather look for an Ati card. These are cheaper, provide better 2D and 3D quality and more performance. I dont know how much you are willing to spend on your new card, but at this very moment the best deal is a 9500 Radeon. With a simple hack you can upgrade this card to a 9700 PRO, one of the fatsest cards available. Be sure to get the 9500 WITHOUT the PRO extension since you cannot upgrade the PRO version to a 9700. This is just a matter of different hardware. The 9500 without PRO is in fact a 9700 with different software settings. Try to get hold of a Sapphire or Hercules, these are generally known as best tweakable.

If you are looking for a cheaper card, the Ati Radeon 9000 or 9100 will be a good choice as well. Dont be fooled with all the horror stories about bad drivers for Ati products, these stories are simply not true anymore. Their drivers are at least as good as the one's nVidia produces.

On this site you can see the relative speed of all graphic cards: http://www6.tomshardware.com/graphic/20030...acharts-02.html
05-25-2003, 06:03 PM
GimpyDoodlyDoo

Yes go ATI. I have an ATI Radeon 9000 pro ($129.99) and it is unbelivable! All of my games run great. GF4's are just not for me. If you want one that is your business. I did research B4 I got my ATI and saw statistics on numerous hardware revewe sites.
05-25-2003, 06:03 PM
GimpyDoodlyDoo

oops did not mean to post that twice :)
05-27-2003, 06:27 AM
3RA1N1AC

Quote:

Originally posted by nofuturekid@24 May 2003 - 01:27
If you are looking for a cheaper card, the Ati Radeon 9000 or 9100 will be a good choice as well. Dont be fooled with all the horror stories about bad drivers for Ati products, these stories are simply not true anymore. Their drivers are at least as good as the one's nVidia produces.

i wouldn't 100% agree with this... ATI drivers are still more likely to have bugs in them, than Nvidia drivers. but ATI drivers have come a long way in the past year or two, and i haven't experienced any "major" problems with them. i have noticed a couple of small problems with recent ATI drivers that i've used, but nothing that would make me tear my hair out.

ATI drivers are now almost as good as Nvidia drivers, and not nearly as poor as they used to be.