need new video card (cheap too)

[Mr. Dictator]

is there any VC out there that will play CIV IV for a reasonable price out there

i tryed a Nvidia GeForce 5500 but when i put it in i only got a black screen

then we tryed calling Nvidia but all they could do was put us on hold for 2 hours

 

[Mr. Dictator]

btw please somthing under 200 if possible

 

[CruddyLeper]

200 what? Bags of peanuts?

 

[Speedo]

I would think that a 5500 would at least be capable of running Civ4.

If not, a 6600GT should work: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ice=&MaxPrice=&SubCategory=48&Submit=Property

 

[Mr. Dictator]

yeah i know it would work i checked but i only got a black screen

ill try calling NV again tommorow and hopefully its just a small thing

 

[Speedo]

Don't waste your time calling nVidia.

Start by going here and downloading the latest driver for your card: http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

Go to Start>Settings>Control Panel>Add or Remove Programs

Look for "nvidia display driver" listed there and remove it. Then reboot your comp and install the driver you downloaded.

If that doesn't fix it then have a look through the Civ4 FAQ or forums to see if others have had an issue like yours, and what their solution was. If you can't get anywhere with that, then contact support for whoever makes Civ4. [Assuming that Civ4 is the only game you have the problem with] The nvidia people aren't going to know jack squat about it, since it will be something that Civ4 is unhappy with.

 

[CruddyLeper]

DriverCleaner to remove the old driver? Standard Windows methods don't always squash the old one.

Google it. Download it. Run it (assuming you are changing graphics drivers).

 

[Speedo]

No need IMO when just upgrading nvidia drivers (unless may you're upgrading from a seriously old version of forceware). I've upgraded drivers without using drivercleaner about 5 times since the last rebuild of my PC, no problems.

Now, if you're moving from nvidia to ATI, or vise versa, that can be a diffrerent story.

 

[Mr. Dictator]

no when we put the card in we take out the other but when we boot up we cant even do anything

its just black

 

[Speedo]

Wait- you're trying to install the 5500? What was your previous video card?

 

[Mr. Dictator]

an Nvidia GeForce 400

came stock

 

[Mr. Dictator]

sorry a GeForce2 MX

either way, still stock

 

[MarineCorps]

no when we put the card in we take out the other but when we boot up we cant even do anything

its just black

Yeah same here. I replaced my Nvidia GeForce 4 with an ATI X9550 but when I booted yp my computer the moniter didn't turn on. GeForce didn't work either.

 

[Speedo]

Was the old card PCI or AGP?

 

[Mr. Dictator]

We thought it was a PCI since the system info had pci in it, but when we opened the case the slot was AGP and the Bios settings showed AGP. The card we bought is a PCI and we do have slots open. Here is what my system info shows

Name NVIDIA GeForce2 MX (Compaq Consumer)
PNP Device ID PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0110&SUBSYS_88261462&REV_A1\4&2299AE5B&0&2808
Adapter Type GeForce2 MX, NVIDIA compatible
Adapter Description NVIDIA GeForce2 MX (Compaq Consumer)
Adapter RAM 64.00 MB (67,108,864 bytes)
Installed Drivers nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version 5.13.01.2183
INF File oem6.inf (nv4_novpe section)
Color Planes 1
Color Table Entries 4294967296
Resolution 1024 x 768 x 75 hertz
Bits/Pixel 32
Memory Address 0x80000000-0x80FFFFFF
Memory Address 0x88000000-0x8FFFFFFF
IRQ Channel IRQ 16
I/O Port 0x000003B0-0x000003BB
I/O Port 0x000003C0-0x000003DF
Memory Address 0xA0000-0xBFFFF
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\nv4_mini.sys (5.13.01.2183, 883.88 KB (905,097 bytes), 8/4/2004 12:29 AM)

do you think the problem is i need a AGP even tho i have a PCI slot opened

 

[Mr. Dictator]

double post

 

[Speedo]

That's what I figured.

PCI *should* work. You will need to go into your BIOS and look for a setting that should be something like "Primary Graphics Adapter." It should currently be set to AGP. Switch it to PCI and see if you have any more luck.

 

[MarineCorps]

That's what I figured.

PCI *should* work. You will need to go into your BIOS and look for a setting that should be something like "Primary Graphics Adapter." It should currently be set to AGP. Switch it to PCI and see if you have any more luck.

Hmm, both of my graphics cards were AGP and neither of them worked.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Its propbably your MOTHERBOARD

GFMX2 is a very old card and the AGP slot will possibably only support 4x AGP ay 1.2volts. The newer FX5500 will be 8x AGP and require a 2.4v AGP slot.
Check your motherboard AGP spec in the bios