Installing a video card...

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SpartanEvolved

SpartanEvolved
Okay, since I may be getting a new graphics card for Xmas, I have a few questions.

Two questinos for right now
How can I find out if this card
SAPPHIRE 100176L Radeon X1950PRO 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card
is compatible with my computer?

If it is not compatible, how can I make it compatible?
 
Is your computer a prebuilt? If so, what's the make/model?

If not, you'll have to let us know some other information, such as your motherboard and power supply.
 
Hey spartan...I just realized that card you showed me yesterday was an OEM version, which means you won't get any cables, driver cd's, or accessories. I did some looking and I came across this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814161053
If it were me buying it, that's the card I would buy. Keep me posted :)
 
Really? The pictures on the website show the cables and stuff in the picture section... But if OEM means no cables etc, then I'll get the one you recommend.
 
Well, they usually show those pictures so you can see what will not be included. I also just think it's a better card, so I figured you'd want the best you can get :)

EDIT: My fault, that card does come with the stuff pictured. But again, for not much more money the x1650 is a better card.
 
The X1650 is cheaper than the 1600.

But why is the x1650 better than the 1600 Pro? The 1600 has twice the video memory, but the 1650 has a slightly higher memory clock (800 MHz instead of 780 MHz) and its core clock is 600 MHz instead of 500 MHz.

And also, the 1650 doesn't come with anything other than the driver disk, but the 1600 has Driver Disk, Power Cable, HDTV Cable, S-Video Cable, Composite Cable, DVI to VGA/D-sub Adapter, and an S-Video to Composite Adapter.
 
He doesn't have a pci-e slot unfortunately :-\ I think the x1650 is the best he can get in AGP, unless you know of something better.
Oh and spartan, the 256mb card will be faster than the 512mb. Search around a bit, you will see what I'm talking about. And the cables, I guess if you really need them try to find another brand that includes them, but most likely you will just use the cable you have now.
 
SpartanEvolved said:
The X1650 is cheaper than the 1600.

But why is the x1650 better than the 1600 Pro? The 1600 has twice the video memory, but the 1650 has a slightly higher memory clock (800 MHz instead of 780 MHz) and its core clock is 600 MHz instead of 500 MHz.

And also, the 1650 doesn't come with anything other than the driver disk, but the 1600 has Driver Disk, Power Cable, HDTV Cable, S-Video Cable, Composite Cable, DVI to VGA/D-sub Adapter, and an S-Video to Composite Adapter.
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Memory means jack if the card doesn't have the power to use it.

It's like having a 3 story mansion and only enough furniture to furnish an apartment.

Anyway, If you buy an OEM card, it MIGHT not come with what you need. I once got an OEM X850 Pro, and it was missing a power cable. Another time I got an X1800 XT (pretty cheap on Newegg), and it came with pretty much everything.
 
Yea, that OEM stuff can be confusing. I bought a 9250 a while back that was "Open box OEM" and it was supposed to come with nothing, yet it came with everything the retail version did :lol
 
SpartanEvolved said:
Yeah, recky, I would get a better card but without a PCI Express slot my options are more limited.
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No offense but almost all quality cards ($200 range) require PCI X16. And don't be fooled into needing two cards for SLI or Crossfire, I've done some research and most people agree it's not worth it.
 
77bigmac77 said:
No offense but almost all quality cards ($200 range) require PCI X16. And don't be fooled into needing two cards for SLI or Crossfire, I've done some research and most people agree it's not worth it.
Click to expand...

Oh please, who wouldn't want to run 2 8800's in SLI!?? ;) In all seriousness though, I've heard conflicting reports on the benefits of SLI/Crossfire, some say it's awesome, some say it's not really worth it. I think most people see it as, it's better to buy one really good card than to SLI 2 weaker cards. I dunno, I bought a Crossfire motherboard. Whether I'll ever use 2 video cards I do not know, but I like knowing I have the option at least. But really, can you imagine 2 8800 Gtx's in SLI? I can't.... :o
 
SLI and Crossfire are for the uber rich that need the absolute best.

A single card though (like an 8800), can take up to 1600 * 1200 by itself. SLI and Crossfire would be for those people trying to run Oblivion on those 32" Monitors at maximum settings.
 
Nova said:
SLI and Crossfire are for the uber rich that need the absolute best.

A single card though (like an 8800), can take up to 1600 * 1200 by itself. SLI and Crossfire would be for those people trying to run Oblivion on those 32" Monitors at maximum settings.
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It's not for the uber rich. You can get decent prices on Mobo's and graphics cards these days.

Anyways, like Recky said, it's mostly for pushing a high amount of pixels. You won't get much improvement for a game if you have a low resolution monitor.
 
It's not for the uber rich. You can get decent prices on Mobo's and graphics cards these days.
Click to expand...

Any video cards that get any decent performance boost from SLI or Crossfire will be well over $250.
 
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