Basic video card question

[Drewcifer]

I have never put a new video card into a computer but I think it is becoming time to do so. Is there any way for me to tell if I need PCI, PCIe or AGP without opening the thing up?

 

[ainwood]

Go to the desktop, and right-click to bring up the properties window. Choose "Settings" and then hit the advanced button. Somewhere on the form that is brought-up (under "adapter"), you should get something that tells you what your card is. Post that back here.

Chances are that if your PC is older than 6 months, its not PCI-e. If its newer than about 3 years it will be AGP.

However, it may actually not be a graphics card at all - it might be built-in to the motherboard.

 

[damunzy]

AGP port is "circled" in red. If you don't have one of those (generally brown in color) then you probably only have PCI slots.

 

[Drewcifer]

AGP port is "circled" in red. If you don't have one of those (generally brown in color) then you probably only have PCI slots.

Hmm. It looks like I only have PCI slots. I don't see a video card either which makes me assume that it is directly wired into the motherboard. Can I still install a new video card and remove the drivers for the one on the motherboard or something?

 

[MarineCorps]

[Is it even possible to install a new video card onto the mother board?

 

[MarineCorps]

AGP port is "circled" in red. If you don't have one of those (generally brown in color) then you probably only have PCI slots.

Actually the AGP port I have is orange. THats one old mother

 

[Jeratain]

Hmm. It looks like I only have PCI slots. I don't see a video card either which makes me assume that it is directly wired into the motherboard. Can I still install a new video card and remove the drivers for the one on the motherboard or something?

What you want to do is go into your BIOS and disable the onboard video. Then you can use your PCI card as your primary video.

Your motherboard must be really old if you don't have an AGP slot.

 

[Grisu]

What you want to do is go into your BIOS and disable the onboard video. Then you can use your PCI card as your primary video.

Your motherboard must be really old if you don't have an AGP slot.

not really, there very several mainboard with onboard AGP-graphics that don't have a seperate AGP-Slot.

Anyway, I would advise against buying a PCI-Card. I don't think it will do you any good, since PCI is outdated anyway, there aren't really any good PCI-Cards around.

 

[Drewcifer]

Your motherboard must be really old if you don't have an AGP slot.

I bought the cheapest new computer I could in 2002 so I am thinking it was probably 1999ish technology, the computer specs say it is an AGP card. I now know for a fact that the card is on the motherboard.

My video card driver seems to be a windows file, I run Xp which was preinstalled on the computer, is it even safe to delete the file? I am thinking I might be better off just saving my money and buying a new computer. On the other hand all of the other attributes of my computer are enough to run most of the games that are comming out these days, though perhaps not well.

 

[Jeratain]

I am thinking I might be better off just saving my money and buying a new computer.

That is a good idea. Spending your money on a video card that wont even give you much of a performance gain would be a waste.