JimHare Posted December 27, 2005 Report Share Posted December 27, 2005 Boy, all kindsa fun stuff goin' on here now, eh?... I don't want to jump in on other people's good recommendations, but here is my cut at it (my first PC was a TRS-80, so I've seen a lot.. lol) 1) nVidia makes the chip sets that many other MFG's put on their cards. PNY, eVGA, etc. Pretty much any card with an NVidia chip on it should work great. 2) If you go to nVidia's website, you can download their latest "driver set", sometimes seen around the 'net as "Detonator Drivers". I've used nVidia chips and drivers for about half a dozen years now, and they are very well done. 3) I BELIEVE, but correct me if wrong, that an 8X AGP card will work in your 4X slot, but you'll only get 4X worth of acceleration. I don't do a lot (ok, NO) gaming, so I can't speak for how well shoot-'em-ups will work, but my old nVidia card about 4 years ago ran the Links golf game pretty well, and if it worked then, I don't have any doubts the new chips and drivers should be fine. nVidia makes the chipset for the Xbox, by the way. Oh, and by the way - NO, most LCD monitors have an input for both digital (DVI) and analog inputs. If your card ends up having both, I recommend the digital. "For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard P. Feynman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcperki Posted December 28, 2005 Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 I'm gonna try reseating the card before I purchase another card. I currently have a CRT monitor. To upgrade to a flat panel monitor, do I need a video card with a DVI output? And, when choosing a card, if the card says AGP 8X and the specs don't indicate 4X, then should I presume it's not backwards compatible with my 4X interface? I noticed some AGP 8X cards will have 4X listed in the specs, while most 8X don't have 4X listed. And when I disable the video driver, will I be able to see my monitor without going into safe mode? Should I download the new drivers for the new card to my desktop to have them ready to install before the R&R? Here is a cheaper solution eVGA GeForce 6200 256MB Manufacturer: eVGA, Category: AGP NVIDIA Video > GeForce 6200 OEM SKU: 256-A8-N341 http://labs.anandtech.com/alllinks.php?pfilter=4158 (Found 10 links) $74.00 at NewEgg $64.00 After Rebate Week Change +$7.90 Price History Other Vendors Specifications Click an image or graph for larger view With 256 MB, this one looks decent for the price. Is eVGA a decent brand? Here at tigerdirect, it doesn't say it's for 4X - has listed 8X, while at anandTech it says 4X/8X...confusing. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Se...&Tab=2&NoMapp=0 http://labs.anandtech.com/alllinks.php?pfilter=4158 Yes eVGA is a good brand. Check their website , I think it was PC Mag "Editor Choice" eVGA has a forum as well http://www.evga.com/community/messageboard...p?TOPIC_ID=3976 You can also check www.tomshardware.com for reccomendations and "howto". This is where I first started overclocking and building PCs back in '95 The card is backwards compatible with 4x AGP slot on your board. What I would be most concerned with is your "Power Supply" rateing. However To really trouble shoot correctly, you should uninstall your display adapter driver, power down, disconnect all case fans and remove, network cards, and all other expansion cards in the PCI slots from your computer. Reboot to "Safe Mode" (windows driver will allow your monitor to work) re-install the latest nVida driver which you had previously downloaded. Reboot see if this fixes the problem. If it does you may need to re-configure your display setting to what you where used to, then re-connect fans ect. I sounds complicated but really I think it is easier than working on a Cadillac. Sometimes an under rated PU or an overheated computer case can cause bad things to happen. Another thing to do is pick up a used AGP card at a PC shop for $20-$30 bucks and stick it in. Technology advances so fast that you could be served better buy just getting it running and keep a lookout for the next big sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgr7 Posted December 28, 2005 Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 Here is a pretty good video driver removal tool. http://www.drivercleaner.net/ Poorly removed video drivers can cause all kinds of problems. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattd Posted December 28, 2005 Report Share Posted December 28, 2005 OK I'm not a computer expert by any means but it seems like you can't do no wrong within windows xp , I recently replaced my vid card (simply an upgrade) I simply shot off my PC, pulled out the old one and put in the new one. Windows will automatically recognize that it's not the same card and will remove that device automatically, the beauty of plug and play technology. It will give the new card a default driver with absolute minimum settings like 16 colors and 640x480 resolution, then simply install the driver from the disc supplied or download a fresh set of the web site of the manufacturer that you decide to buy from...restart and presto done!, although it's a lot simpler to write it the do it but good luck none the less , hey at least your caddy is running good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted December 31, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2005 I wanted to THANK everyone for their help and advice with this problem. I haven't yet had time to tear into it, but I will be sure to posts back when I do. I printed out a copy of this thread for referrence. Thanks again EVERYBODY!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMWburner Posted December 31, 2005 Report Share Posted December 31, 2005 It's true. Swapping one video card for another is actually about as hard as putting gas in your car. Take the side of your case off. Give your self a zap (or attemt to) on the side of your case, and pull the single bolt off your video card and be carefull as you pull it from it's socket. Reverse the process. You're done. Drop a CD in and load some drivers and all is well. You would be well advised to download the current drivers via the internet for best performance as chipmakers update drivers every few weeks. Hope you're card is still salvageable, --Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marika Posted December 31, 2005 Report Share Posted December 31, 2005 I'll throw my 2 cents in here as well: I've got the NVIDIA GeForce4 MX440 with AGP8X card. I think it's a great card and it's sort of their middle of the line model with plenty of drivers written for it so there are very few incompatability issues between the card and various programs. If you have PC Doctor loaded on your computer, and many machines come with it, it will tell you exactly what card you have and whether it's AGP or not. If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted December 31, 2005 Report Share Posted December 31, 2005 Epriced, if you are going to purchase a new card consider a 'dual-head' card. The dual-head card allows you to utilize two monitors. For my work, I can put my Word doc on one and my Excel spreadsheet on the other or caddyinfo on the other. I never use the cards drivers and always use Nvidia drivers. Currently I am using an ASUS GeForce 5900 dual head card. For about $60 this card is more than adequate: http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetai...ductCode=320456 Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.