Can someone recommend a video card for me?

[Bob98SR5]

Hi guys,

I am really confused with all the new lingo and hardware requirements/capabilities of computers to new monitors. I bought a Viewsonic Optiquest Q19wb wide screen monitor. I found this on Yahoo, but I have not a clue what this means:

When looking to upgrade your old AGP system you had better check to see that the motherboard has an AGP slot that will accept 1.5V boards.

Many older AGP slots are keyed to only accept older 3.3V boards, limiting you to models like the 9250 or 9800 Pro.

The best way to determine the AGP voltages supported by your motherboard is to:

I. Identify your current AGP card

Remove the current AGP card from your PC
Compare the card's keying to the Wikipedia reference article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerated_Graphics_Port#Compatibility)

If your card is universal it will have two keys. The card is inconclusive and you must directly look at the AGP slot on the motherboard.
You should continue to section II
If your card is keyed for 3.3v AGP you may or may not be able to support 1.5v.
You should continue to section II
If your card is keyed for 1.5v AGP you can (and should) freely use newer AGP cards.
Congratulations!



II. Identify your current AGP slot (if prior step was inconclusive)

Look at the empty AGP slot
Compare the AGP slot's keying to the Wikipedia reference article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerated_Graphics_Port#Compatibility)

If your AGP slot is keyed for 3.3v AGP you must use an AGP card that is universal or keyed for 3.3v.
Most all DirectX 9 and newer cards are not compatible. The 9800 Pro mentioned earlier (http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=9007&p=5658488#post5658488) may be a recommendable upgrade option.
If your AGP slot is universal (not keyed) you may support 3.3v and 1.5v AGP cards.
You can (and should) freely attempt to use newer AGP cards. (see caveat below)


This method may not be definitive as power supplies and motherboard designs can become a factor; my notes are meant to address the basic physical compatibility.

A card like the 9250 is a safe bet for compatibility (they're universal cards) and resolution support, but it is not a DirectX 9.0 part. The 9800 supports DirectX 9.0 and still retains compatibility with 3.3v slots.

Cards like the NVIDIA 6200 (a common sub-$50 AGP card) are 1.5v-only and will not fit/operate in older systems.

Good luck!

Jon

******************

:headscratch: :headscratch: :headscratch:

Ok, so this is the computer my wife has:
Dell Dimension DIM4550
P4 CPU 2.53ghz
2.52ghz, 768mb ram
Video card is 32mb ATI Rage 128 Ultra

the monitor is capable of 1440 x 900, but her vid card is only capable of 1280 x 1024

She is not a gamer, but she reads alot and does her work on this computer. the text quality is stretched in appearance and slightly blurry. not good!

Thanks for any help

bob

[MTL_4runner]

Bob, this thread should cut to the chase and get you where you want to go with that ole desktop of yours. :P

http://forum.pcmech.com/showpost.php?s=fc57bb708656b12d7bb47fd799f6f6c5&p=1177447&postcount=4

Bottom line is to just look for a:
1) Radeon 9700 card (128MB ATI Radeon 9700 TX with TV-Out was an option too)
2) GeForce 4 Ti4600

If you stick with these two cards then at least you can be guaranteed to get compatible drivers from Dell.

[arjan]

I had the same issue and was able to add the resolutions manually. Then I could select it from the display properties.


Chances are, is that you current video setup can handle it, but the drivers are not setup to use it.
I couldn't find anything on ATI cards. I have a Nvidia and it has an option to add resolutions. Cards don't really care what resolution combo it is as long as there is enough memory to handle it.

[Bob98SR5]

guys,

i bought a radeon 9700 which according to the post that jamie linked, was an option for dells. hopefully it will come this week and then i'm off the hook for v-day gift! ;)





















(i can hear the whirrr of the frying pan coming my way)