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Help! Need new video card!


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I'm in serious need of a new video card since my current one simply seems obsolete. It runs KOTOR 2 but I have trouble running newer games with high settings. So its time for a new one. I'm considering the an ATI Crucial card but you folks seem intelligent enough from my lurks so I'll ask you if you have another idea. I'm not looking to spend alot but I can probably dish out a little more then $250. Here are my specs:

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OS Information:

PropertyValue

OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition|C:\WINDOWS|\Device\Harddisk0\Partition1

Service Pack 2.0

OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation

Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS

 

 

Processor:

PropertyValue

Current Clock Speed 3005

Description x86 Family 15 Model 3 Stepping 4

Manufacturer GenuineIntel

Name Intel® Pentium® 4 CPU 3.00GHz

 

Current Clock Speed 3005

Description x86 Family 15 Model 3 Stepping 4

Manufacturer GenuineIntel

Name Intel® Pentium® 4 CPU 3.00GHz

 

 

Memory (RAM):

PropertyValue

Bank Label Bank0/1

Capacity 536870912

 

Total Memory Deteced in Hardware: ~512 MB

Memory Reported to Operating System: 511MB

 

Disk Drives:

PropertyValue

Description Disk drive

Manufacturer (Standard disk drives)

Model SAMSUNG SP0802N

Media Type Fixed hard disk media

Size 80056650240 (~75 GB)

Number of Partitions 2

 

 

Motherboard:

PropertyValue

Manufacturer Biostar Group

Model

Name Base Board

Part Number

Product P4TSV

Serial Number

Version Intel 865G/ICH5

 

 

BIOS:

PropertyValue

Manufacturer Phoenix Technologies, LTD

Name Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG

Release Date 20040415000000.000000+000

Version IntelR - 42302e31

 

 

Monitor:

PropertyValue

Description Plug and Play Monitor

Name Plug and Play Monitor

Screen Height 1024

Screen Width 1280

 

Description Default Monitor

Name Default Monitor

Screen Height

Screen Width

 

 

Keyboard:

PropertyValue

Description Easy Internet Keyboard

 

 

Pointing Device:

PropertyValue

Manufacturer Microsoft

Name HID-compliant mouse

 

 

Sound Card:

PropertyValue

Manufacturer Creative Technology Ltd.

Description Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit

Device ID PCI\VEN_1102&DEV_0007&SUBSYS_10061102&REV_00\4&1F7DBC9F&0&10F0

 

Manufacturer C-Media

Description C-Media AC97 Audio Device

Device ID PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_24D5&SUBSYS_F6141565&REV_02\3&13C0B0C5&0&FD

 

 

Video Card:

PropertyValue

Adapter Compatibility ATI Technologies Inc.

Adapter RAM 268435456

Description SAPPHIRE RADEON 9250 128MB

Installed Display Drivers ati2dvag.dll

Driver Version 6.14.10.6517

Driver Date 2/22/2005 6:36:04 PM

Video Mode Description 1280 x 1024 x 4294967296 colors

 

Adapter Compatibility ATI Technologies Inc.

Adapter RAM 268435456

Description SAPPHIRE RADEON 9250 128MB - Secondary

Installed Display Drivers ati2dvag.dll

Driver Version 6.14.10.6517

Driver Date 2/22/2005 6:36:04 PM

Video Mode Description

 

 

DirectX Installation:

PropertyValue

Version 6.03.01.0148

 

 

Modem:

PropertyValue

 

Network Adapters:

PropertyValue

Description Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC - Packet Scheduler Miniport

Description Packet Scheduler Miniport

Description RAS Async Adapter

Description D-Link AirPlus DWL-G520 Wireless PCI Adapter(rev.B) - Packet Scheduler Miniport

Description WAN Miniport (L2TP)

Description WAN Miniport (PPTP)

Description WAN Miniport (PPPOE)

Description Direct Parallel

Description WAN Miniport (IP)

Description Packet Scheduler Miniport

Description Packet Scheduler Miniport

Description WAN Miniport (ATW)

 

External Ports:

PropertyValue

External Reference Designator

External Reference Designator

External Reference Designator

External Reference Designator

External Reference Designator

External Reference Designator

External Reference Designator

External Reference Designator

External Reference Designator USB0

External Reference Designator USB1

 

Expansion Slots:

PropertyValue

Slot Designation PCI0

Slot Designation PCI1

Slot Designation PCI2

Slot Designation AGP

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You need 512 mb of matching ram, and a new video card if you want to see a major overhaul. I'm guessing you have AGP instead of PCIE. So your best AGP options are 7800GS $300, or it might be better to get a 6800GS for $230 and then get your matching 512MB Ram, that shouldn't run you much at all. good luck man! :o

Always outnumbered, never out gunned!

Unreal Tournament 2004 Handle:Enlight_2.0

Myspace Website!

My rig

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well. I did as you said. Got a 7800GS....now I have a new problem. I've installed it fine and it worked for a little bit but all of a sudden, my monitor shut down and now I constantly get an RGB No Input Signal not even 3 minutes into gameplay and I'm forced to restart. Gah!

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RGB No Input Signal This means your monitor itseld is not getting a signal at all. Have you fastened your moitor cable? And if not try again. RGB stands for red blue green. Have you tried a new monitor cable? Also look at the prongs/male connectors to see if they are bent.

 

If those don't work, try reinstalling the new 84.21 drivers for Nvidia, or try an older Driver if that one doesn't work.

 

;)

Always outnumbered, never out gunned!

Unreal Tournament 2004 Handle:Enlight_2.0

Myspace Website!

My rig

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Heres your problem.

 

"Version Intel 865G/ICH5"

 

On board video causes conflicts with video card adaptors. If onboard video is disabled it causes even more problems. You can leave it disabled but it likes to take front seat and over ride your video card.

 

Better option is to get a new motherboard that fits your current hardware that does not have onboard video.

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Heres your problem.

 

"Version Intel 865G/ICH5"

 

On board video causes conflicts with video card adaptors.  If onboard video is disabled it causes even more problems.  You can leave it disabled but it likes to take front seat and over ride your video card.

 

Better option is to get a new motherboard that fits your current hardware that does not have onboard video.

Nah, thats just his Northbridge chipset from intel, its not an intel video chipset. I have the 875P/ICH5 the step up from him. Intel Makes good reliable chipsets.

Edited by WITHTEETH

Always outnumbered, never out gunned!

Unreal Tournament 2004 Handle:Enlight_2.0

Myspace Website!

My rig

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Well, I can't find a previous driver so I reinstalled the latest one. Didn't work. Purchased a new 500w power supply. Didn't work. Trying to update the chipset. Not working at all (getting an error about missing files or corrupted). I really don't know what to do anymore.

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I suspect your problem is either the onboard video (the BIOWARE P4TSV does have Intel 3d Video) or your video driver.

 

I recommend the following ...

(1) Ensure you've uninstalled the ATi driver.

(2) Install the latest NVidia Driver.

(3) Disable your onboard videa in the BIOS.

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Well the video card you have clock speed wise is not yet slow (core/mem 240/400), same clock speed as Dx9 cards upto a year old not factory OCed (300/500). Cycle time is abit slow, around 3.3ns...Dx9 cards run around 2.8-1.1ns for the newest (NS is how many nanoseconds it takes to render one frame of graphics). Also it is unable to display Dx9 rendering which any title since late last year has been requireing.

 

What will increase what your system can display better is system settings, registry tweaks and system service manageing. Heres some links for that info:

http://www.blackviper.com/index.html (currently down)

http://www.tweakxp.com/TweakXP/default.asp

http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm (this one is not as good as BV, but still useful)

http://www.theeldergeek.com/registry_edits.htm

 

Heres some sites that list what process's run when you hit "Ctrl-Alt-Del", what they do and if their needed:

http://www.blackviper.com/index.html (currently down)

http://www.annoyances.org/

http://www.answersthatwork.com/

http://www.whatsrunning.net/whatsrunning/ProcessList.aspx

http://www.neuber.com/taskmanager/process/index.html

http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintas...processlibrary/

 

Heres a site to test your systems performence and will sugest fixs for anything flag as performing below par.

http://www.pcpitstop.com/default.asp

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I suspect your problem is either the onboard video (the BIOWARE P4TSV does have Intel 3d Video) or your video driver.

 

I recommend the following ...

(1) Ensure you've uninstalled the ATi driver.

(2) Install the latest NVidia Driver.

(3) Disable your onboard videa in the BIOS.

 

 

Problem with disabling onboard video is it causes more problems then with it enabled. I have tried disabling it and then no video at all would be displaied. With it enabled it prefores to take front seat and over ride the video card. With it enabled you can't just not install drivers for it. Best option is to not have a motherboard with onboard video...ie, no broads that have chipsets "NForce" or "i8XXX, i9XXX". Both of those are onboard video, NForce being for AMD processers and i8XXX/i9XXX being for Intel processers.

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Amount of RAM can help...but mostly in loading times being reduced. But the board you have is limited to PC2100 which is a low clock of 133. It's not that slow...same clock as a 2ghz processer.

 

I would like to note that your board is incorrectly listed as "P4TGV" when it should be "P4TGV-R". The later has an AGP slot which would support your AGP card the other does not.

 

Instead of upgrading your video card. I would upgrade your motherboard first. Then see how things are after that. It would be easy to get...any board that support Intel and is socket 478 with an AGP 4x/8x slot. A new motherboard will run around $20-$60.

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Great...I need to spend more money...Now I'm told to get the card replaced by EVGA.

You just bought the card ... isn't it under warranty?

 

Also, you previously stated you had 512MB RAM ... is that one stick or two? Memory is best used in pairs ... three 256MB sticks of RAM will only show as 512MB in most systems ... If you have 2 sticks of 256MB (now 3) I recommend buying 2 512MB sticks.

 

shadowriath, while I agree that the best option is to not have onboard video, but if he's "disposable-cash-limited" we can't very well justify buying a new mobo just to play a game.

 

BTW ...

- you can disable onboard video in the BIOS without incident if you have a VGA card installed

- not all 8XX or 9XX series mobos have onboard graphics

- from BIOWARE's website ... http://www.biostar-usa.com/mbdetails.asp?model=p4tsv ... the P4TSV does have an AGP slot and supports PC3200 (DDR 400) RAM.

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Also, you previously stated you had 512MB RAM ... is that one stick or two? Memory is best used in pairs ... three 256MB sticks of RAM will only show as 512MB in most systems ... If you have 2 sticks of 256MB (now 3) I recommend buying 2 512MB sticks.

Before, it was one stick of 512 (looked like it was duel sided). And after I put in the 256 MB of RAM, it shows up as 768 MB in my computer.

 

-you can disable onboard video in the BIOS without incident if you have a VGA card installed

- not all 8XX or 9XX series mobos have onboard graphics

When I enter BIOS, there isn't any option to disable or enable the onboard video...so, that means I probably don't have the onboard graphics.

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These suggestions were good that a poster previously gave you.

I recommend the following ...

(1) Ensure you've uninstalled the ATi driver.

(2) Install the latest NVidia Driver.

(3) Disable your onboard videa in the BIOS.

 

As for your ram, i wouldn't reccommend getting a new motherboard. If you have a 865 then your doing alright, your mother board should support 3200Ram not just 2100m although you might have 2100 Ram in your machine.

 

And It is best to buy ram in pairs definatly because its called DRAM as in D for Dual. And the dual ram works with another one, and if the two sticks are the same it can communicate clearly with eachother. Thus making it more reliable and faster.

 

The bottom line isn't your ram thouth, although a performance boost from 2 sticks of ram would help.

 

Its something with your video card period. hmmm

Always outnumbered, never out gunned!

Unreal Tournament 2004 Handle:Enlight_2.0

Myspace Website!

My rig

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-you can disable onboard video in the BIOS without incident if you have a VGA card installed

- not all 8XX or 9XX series mobos have onboard graphics

When I enter BIOS, there isn't any option to disable or enable the onboard video...so, that means I probably don't have the onboard graphics.

 

From the Award BIOS FAQ ... try this:

 

Question: My AGP video card is not functioning properly, why?

 

Answer:

In the CMOS Setup, under the Integrated Peripherals screen and set the

'Init Display First' setting to AGP slot.

 

By the way, according to the BIOWARE site, you do have "Intel Extreme Graphics 2", which is essentially a very crappy 3d graphics accelerator.

Edited by SamuraiGaijin
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Have any suggestions for that graphics accelerator? I've attempted to Update the drivers. But I get a missing or corrupt file.

ftp://aiedownload.intel.com/df-support/94...eadme_2k_xp.txt

 

Have you thoroughly read (and followed the directions in) the read_me file?

 

You're really better off just disabling the thing, though - compared to almost any add-in VGA card, it's crap.

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In your BIOS ... at the main screen you should be able to access a screen labeled "Advance Chipset Features", from there you should have an option the select either "Init Display First" or "Primary VGA BIOS" ... select AGP.

 

While this does not completely disable the Intel Graphics on your mobo, it does force the computer to look to your graphics card first.

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