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buying video card, advice needed
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Posted by: rabidgecko
hey, as some of you may remember my ati card doesn't seem to wanna work, and ATI customer support doesn't seem to wanna do anything about it either, so I'm thinking about buying a new video card. I've tried searching the forums for comparisons and advice on video cards but its hard to find stuff on the card that you want.
so anyway, these are the cards im thinking of getting, if you could let me know which one you think is the best buy
ATI Radeon X700 Pro 256MB AGP Video Card for $199.99
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10072305&catid=10524&logon=&langid=EN
Diamond Radeon X1300 AGP 512MB Graphics Card for $199.99
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10072460&catid=
ATI Radeon X1300 Pro AGP 256MB Video Card for $169.99
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/dept....=EN&catid=20396
now I dont have all the specs for each card since I just pulled those prices off their websites, and the prices are in Canadian dollars which would convert to $174.04 US for the X700 pro and $147.93 US for the X1300 AGP 256MB.
since my spending limit really is quite low, $200 canadian plus tax, I'm leaning towards the cheapest one right now. but if you guys think that any of the other ones is a better buy, please let me know, if or you know of a comparably priced and performing Nvidia card plz let me know
oh and just one more thing, my previous card doesnt wanna work, but in your opinions do you think its the card thats at fault or the driver? because if its the driver then I don't know if buying a new ATI card would work on my computer either.
http://www.opentechsupport.net/foru...2319#post292319 thats the link to my other thread. thanks for any help
Posted by: goranpaa
I would'nt choose any of those cards.
If this firm can ship this card to Canada, for a decent price? Then you have a card, that dance circles around both the X700 and X1300.
http://www.allstarshop.com/shop/sim...13061&ad=pwatch
Or if you can find the slightly cheaper X800GT?
If none of these cards have a decent price in Canada? Then I would get a Geforce 6800 AGP. If I where you.
But remember, that any of the cards, X700, X1300 X800GTO etc. needs at least a powersupply 350W absolute minimum. Check the label on your powersupply.
If you discover, you need a new PSU? Then you can get a 500W, just as well. The price, between a 430W and a 500W is'nt that much. And then you have all the power you need for future upgrades.
Good PSU's are : Antec, Aspire, Enermax and Thermaltake for ex.
Posted by: rabidgecko
ok i'll consider that X800GTO that you found, but I also found several other cards that seem ok
these are a couple geforce 6800 that I found, just if they are any good
http://www.allstarshop.com/shop/pro...7F5XTBP5GSC5MNE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...216#DetailSpecs
and then these are the other radeon X800GTO's I found, some are cheaper so are they worse than the one you found goranpaa?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16814102608 $169
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16814102609 $171
the only reason why I searched for some cheaper ones is because i'll have to buy a new power supply to get any of those cards, so I dont know if i'll have enough money left over, even if I buy a simple power supply at $35,
so do you think any of those cheaper cards will be as good as the one you found? or will they still be ok even if they are cheaper?
edit: but then again i just checked the websites and its doubtful whether they even ship to Canada, so...
Posted by: goranpaa
Those cheaper Sapphire cards, will be just as good as the one I suggested. Sapphire, Connect 3D and Powercolor, is the best manufacturers of Radeons.
And I would get a GTO card over the 6800, if I had to choose. The GTO card is a more modern videocard. And probably slightly faster.
But the 6800 is by no means a bad card.
Posted by: goranpaa
The GTO, is pretty much a modern version of X850Pro. It's got the same GPU (R480) for ex. I have the X850Pro (PCI E) in my other rig. And it works very well, playing FEAR, Far Cry and Quake 4 on high quality settings.
Posted by: goranpaa
Here is another very nice card. And Tiger direct, seems to ship to Canada.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...92&Sku=P56-7024
The 6800GS is very fast. And sits in between 6800GT and 6800Ultra performance vice.
Here are a 430W PSU, that is good and pretty cheap:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...1389575&CatId=0
This will keep you going til you feel the need for a more powerful one.
Posted by: rabidgecko
yea i think those other video cards on newegg and allstarshop would have been great but I dont think they ship to canada. So, Ive been looking around a bit for canadian online stores and I found one that has some stuff, that seems ok. so yea, do you think either of these are any good?
http://www.vibecomputers.com/index....ewjs&iid=478860 $197 US
if you could check out some of their other cards in the radeon section, cuz I looked for an x800 gto but i couldn't find it. if they have anything cheaper than the geforce 6800 that I linked that could be cool...
edit: I dont need an ultra great card...my radeon 9550 played every game I wanted it to play, even BF2, i just want something a step up the ladder, but not too high. thanks for all the help so far
Posted by: goranpaa
The only interesting card they had whas the 6800.
I checked out their Radeon section. But the cheap cards where less good. And then the other Radeons (X800 series) where horrible in price.
But if you are paying 197 USD for a 6800 in that shop. And you get the PNY 6800GS for 180 USD, The choise for the GS would be easy.
Posted by: goranpaa
If you feel that the cards I suggested are too expensive? This could be a cheap and decent alternative:
http://www.vibecomputers.com/index....ewjs&iid=202214
But compaired to the 6800 for ex. You will loose 4 pixel pipelines. Wich will decrease the im
age quality slightly. And wont allow as high quality settings in games.
On the other hand, the 6600GT, will be way better than your old 9550.
It will handle any game you throw at it with medium, and some high quality settings.
PSU 430W:
http://www.vibecomputers.com/index....ewjs&iid=471774
You're welcome.
Posted by: rabidgecko
hmm well you've certainly given me some choices here.
no, all the video cards that you suggested were in the right price range, i juts didnt know what would be the best card for what I can afford
in the end, I think i'll go with the PNY Geforce 6800 GS and the Thermaltake 430W PSU
Thanks alot for your time and help, i doubt I'd have chosen the right card on my own, thanks again
Posted by: goranpaa
You're welcome.
Just fun, trying to help you out.
And the 6800GS and the Thermaltake PSU is an excellent choise.
Just have in mind, that if you are on a AMD motherboard? You may need an ATX converter 20 to 24 pin, for the Thermaltake PSU. Costs 5 USD. Sorry, that I forgot to tell you this before.
But if you are running an Intel mobo it will be o.k.
http://www.vibecomputers.com/index....ewjs&iid=387233
The ATX power converter 20 to 24 pin, looks like this.
Posted by: rabidgecko
yea i got an AMD Athlon, i'll pick up one of those too, but I thought it would be fine because the Thermaltake says "1x Main Power 20/24-Pin" under its specs. but i dunno i'll get one anyway just in case
Posted by: goranpaa
Here you have one:
http://www.vibecomputers.com/index....ewjs&iid=387233
Unfortunatly, I could'nt find any at Tiger direct.
Posted by: goranpaa
Would be interesting, to hear your thoughts about the 6800GS when you have tried it for a while.
Posted by: goranpaa
 Quote:
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Originally Posted by rabidgecko
yea i got an AMD Athlon, i'll pick up one of those too, but I thought it would be fine because the Thermaltake says "1x Main Power 20/24-Pin" under its specs. but i dunno i'll get one anyway just in case
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When they say "1x Main Power 20/24-Pin" It's really a 20 + 4 pin Intel ATX power connector(s) they mean.
Posted by: rabidgecko
k well ill report back once I get it in the mail and have tested it out
Posted by: goranpaa
O.K. Will be interesting, to see how big the difference is in your eyes.
Posted by: rabidgecko
ok well i've ordered the card and PSU and they're in the mail, but before it gets here I wanna make sure I have exactly the right method to install it, because if I mess this new card up i'll be pissed :P
so, this is how I'd do it:
disable my integrated video card
then uninstall it from Add/Remove programs
install the new video card
install the drivers for it as well
check about updating the driver for my new video card
is there anything else I'm forgetting or should do differently? I've heard some people talking about entering BIOS and disabling my integrated card that way, but I cant seem to find how to do that. The very first screen when I boot up my computer is the blue HP screen with ESC for boot menu, F1 for setup i think and Fsomething for something else. I've tried pressing delete to get into BIOS cuz thats what I heard how to get in it, but it didnt work. so if that step is really necessary, could anyone please try to figure that one out?
so basically if there is anything I should / shouldn't do could you please let me know? thanks
Posted by: khmerxkid781
all i did was just uninstall my integrated video card and everything went fine
Posted by: GADBabaganoosh
When I put in my 6600GT, it defaulted to it, and it stopped using shared video memory because an AGP video card was placed in it which had its own, and the integrated doesn't show up on mine after I uninstalled it. So yeah, you basically just have to like put it in, and in most cases it will just work with it.
Posted by: goranpaa
Yeah, on some mobo's the integrated card will be overruled automatically, when you insert a "real" videocard. But on other mobos, you will have to disable it yourself.
First, install the new card.
2. Disable the integrated one in BIOS. Don't forget to save this setting in BIOS before you leave.
3.. Disable the old videocard driver in device manager.
4. Install the new driver , from the videocard cd or by downloading a fresh driver.
5. Make additional settings for the monitor and image quality in the drivers propertys.
6. Hurray! your finished.
Posted by: rabidgecko
how would I find bios on my computer? because I heard other people say to press DELETE on the first screen that you see when your computer boots up, but I tried that and I couldn't find it. my computer is an HP, if that helps.
Posted by: goranpaa
Try TAPPING the key at the very first screen you see when booting.
Or try any of these:
http://computernotions.com/html/bios_setup.html
Also when finally you get inside BIOS. Set the AGP Aparture size to 256mb. This will improve your videocard memorys performance some.
Dont forget to save any BIOS setting you have done, before you leave.
Posted by: goranpaa
Hmm, found this BIOS setup keys for HP PC's: HP (Hewlett-Packard) F1, F2
Posted by: GADBabaganoosh
I have an HP as well, it is F1 for me.
Posted by: rabidgecko
ok well I found bios,stupid me, I've been in it before too
and I dont think I have to disable anything because it says any AGP card will be used as default, so, I guess that takes care of that
Posted by: chainlink
The 6800GT and GS rock and short of the 7800GS are as about good as you'll get with an AGP rig. I've yet to have to turn anything down for my 6800GT running at 1280x1024 but admittedly I don't play FEAR which I believe stresses your video system until it squeals.
Posted by: rabidgecko
aight video card arrived in the mail today, getting ready to install right now, let's see the difference!
Posted by: goranpaa
I guess, you will be amazed!
Posted by: rabidgecko
I haven't really played any hardcore games yet, but I could definitely see the difference when I played dawn of war, everything smoother and faster, and I could put all the graphic options to the max and worked like a charm....
not to mention that this nvidia card actually WORKS. not like my ati card, plus I'm loving all the extra options that I didnt have before.
yea this is sweet, thanks for all you help guys
Posted by: goranpaa
Lovely! It's always nice when you find stuff that meets and sometimes exceeds the performance you where hoping for.
Game away man! Try FEAR for ex. That will give you an idea, on how much your new card can munster at high settings.
Posted by: rabidgecko
why??? I always seem to be plagued with problems!! WTF!
my display seems to be messed up. the desktop display is slowly but surely creeping higher and higher. so there's about 2 cm of black between the bottom of my monitor and the bottom of the taskbar.
Ive tried changing the settings on the monitor itself, doesnt work, and ive tried going into the nvidia properties and going to screen adjustments, and moving the screen down, but that doesnt work either! whenever I start up my computer the screen is fine, but periodically it just jumps higher.
what can I do??! ive checked the monitor cable and it is securely plugged in, same with the video card itself, any help is much appreciated!
Posted by: goranpaa
1. What resoloution do you use?
2. Have you downloaded a fresh driver from Nvidia?
If not? Do it. And uninstall the old Nvidia and ATI driver in Control panel + Add / remove programs. Before you install the new one.
3. Is your monitor a CRT? Then check the monitor buttons. Look for an icon, that looks like a horseshoe magnet. This is the "Degauss button" Press degauss.
4. What update frequensy for the monitor do you use?
Posted by: rabidgecko
resolution: 1280 x 1024 x32 bit colour
frequency: 70 Hertz
monitor is a LCD monitor, so no de-gauss
haven't tried a new driver yet, but i'll do that right now
Posted by: goranpaa
O.k. It could be, that the driver, that came with your card is corrupted. And besides, the orginal Nvidia drivers is often better than the ones that the videocard manufacturers modifies somewhat for their cards.
And also I guess that that driver you got from PNY is quite old by now.
Posted by: goranpaa
when you connected the extra power to the 4 pin connector on that card? Did you use a "Y" split cable?
If you did? try a straight 4 pin from the PSU instead.
Also, try the other monitor connector on the card. Using the DVI adapter that came with the videocard bundle.
Posted by: rabidgecko
i tried driver update, but didnt seem to help.
interesting thing i noticed, the screen jumps higher up whener I click on the nvidia settings thing in the system tray or when I click the Advanced button in Display Properties. When I do that it seems to jump the screen up .5 centimetres.
and I used a 4 pin connector straight from the psu,
i'll try that DVI adapter right now, do I need to restart for it to work? well w.e i'll restart anyway
Posted by: rabidgecko
still aint working....i dunno what to do, do you think its a disfunctional video card? should I call PNY technical support or w.e?
whats worse is that now a good 1/4 to 2/5 of my screen is black, and the stuff that should be in that 1/4 is way above where the monitor's screen ends..... this is really annoying
edit: ****....i think something is really messed up...i was trying to get into the control centre thing for nvidia to try to see if a lower resolution does anything, and all of a sudden what I was watching on my monitor was looking like the screen was burning itself out, like the edges of black, then red, and it moved towards the middle until i saw nothing...
luckily my monitor still seems to work, cuz i just turned it back on now.... any ideas on what to do goranpaa?
Posted by: goranpaa
I think you should contact PNY yes. They may have a soloution that we may have missed here.
EDIT:
Have you tried your old card again? If the old card, does'nt show this problem? Then it's definite a faulty 6800GS.
Posted by: rabidgecko
already got rid of the old card, stupid me, but i'll try the integrated card
edit: ok, you'll agree with me when I say this is really strange.... i removed my video card and ran my computer on my integrated card, but, guess what, NO CHANGE! i am 120% stumped on this one....
any suggestions anyone at all?
Posted by: goranpaa
Have you any possibility to try the monitor on another PC? Are you really sure, you have tried all settings on the monitor?
Maybe replace the monitor cable.
Posted by: rabidgecko
yea goranpaa im 100% sure there are no settings on the monitor I havent tried. and yea Im gonna take this monitor to my other, older computer which i use as backup.
while I was at school I wrote up a list of things i haven't tried yet, or what I should try again, so i'll let you know what im gonna try and if it works at all.
1. check current monitor on a different computer
2. bring a different monitor to current computer
3. disable video card but do not remove, restart computer, see if that helps
4. remove video card and all related software
5. repeat #4 but use a different monitor
and then last but not least
6. call PNY, again, first time he told me to check my monitor settings.....
also, if this will help at all, im gonna take a short video clip of what my monitor looks like now, just to show you how bad it is and what happens exactly, i dunno if it'll help solve the problem but maybe
Posted by: goranpaa
I think it's a good idea to try all those steps. But as you say, that both the 6800GS and the onboard video chip, acts the same way. I would'nt be surpriced, if you found that the monitor is the main problem.
A longshot, would be to try to update the Chipset driver also.
If you dont know what chipset you have got?
Download "Everest Home" And look under "motherboard" + chipset" + "northbridge chipset. And then head over to the chipset manufacturers home for a new driver.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html
Posted by: rabidgecko
just a question, on everest home edition, it said there was a problem with the monitor. it said "At least 85 Hz vertical refresh rate is recommended for classic (CRT) displays" however my manual for my monitor says that maximum reslution allowable is 1280 x 1024 @ 75 Hz
do you think this is the problem?
edit: also here is the link for that video clip i took, i dunno if you wanna see it but its there, maybe it'll help. I forgot to show one thing in it though, I forgot to show that the screen always jumps higher up, making the black space bigger, whenever I right-click on the nvidia control centre or when I right click on desktop, go to properties, settings, then advanced.... but yea i still havent tried changing the monitors yet, i'll do that right now
http://www.filefactory.com/?2e3a7c
Posted by: rabidgecko
ok well i think you were right goranpaa, the issue is not the video card, it is the monitor.
i brought down my old school monitor from my backup computer, and that worked perfectly on my computer.
then I took my lcd monitor up to my old dell, plugged it in and it worked fine.
plugged my lcd into my labtop and it worked fine.
ive brought it back down to my normal computer and it seems to be ok so far, the black space is no longer there, but im cautious to say its fixed cuz i havent done anything to fix it, at least not to my knowledge.
edit: i think its fixed  i dont know how its fixed now, but i think it is!! oh wait, i updated the chipset driver like you told me to, i guess that did it?
man goranpaa, if you had $1000 for every ass you've saved, you'd be a rich man. cant even say how thankful I am, dont know if i could've fixed it on my own
double edit: looks like I spoke too soon....turned it on this morning and the monitor was back to its usually self, with a big black gap......
Posted by: goranpaa
Sigh!!! When I read the first part of your post, I whas glad you got it fixed. And it whas with growing dissapointment I read the rest.
I guess, it's time to replace the monitor. But as a kind of last resort. Can you replace the monitor cable?
And also shake the cable, and see what happends? If it is the cable? Then at least, it is cheaper to replace a cable instead of a whole monitor.
And even if the chipset driver update did'nt help this time. It is good to update it now and then, as it improves the performance of all ports, including AGP or PCI Express graphic ports.
Posted by: rabidgecko
yea, im dissappointed too. this is a new monitor! i got it for christmas, which makes it only 4 months old! shaking the cable doesnt seem to distort the image in any way, and i dont have a different cable to check it out with, but i'll double check. i guess i'll just call metro's customer service and see if I can get a new monitor, cuz this one doesnt seem to wanna work.
*sigh* too bad technology isnt always perfect
thanks for the help goranpaa, i really do appreciate it 
edit: ok well ive got the solution. I called Metro, the brand of my monitor, and the customer support guy said that, unfortunately, that monitor is not compatible with the nvidia geforce 6800. so he said I can send my monitor to them, and they'll put in a new motherboard or w.e he said into the monitor which will make it able to support my video card. i guess the shipping and handling cost to send it to them aint quite as bad as having to buy a new monitor, so i'll just do that. thanks for the help again !
Posted by: goranpaa
Good Metro whas that service minded. But it would have been interesting to hear, what it is that makes that monitor incompatible with the 6800GS? Never heard of such a thing before.
But whatever. The most important thing, is that the stuff works for you in the end.
You're welcome.
Posted by: goranpaa
P.s. Does Metro, have a site where you can download a new driver for the monitor? Maybe worth a try?
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