Do all graphics cards work with all operating systems?

guitarguy · Jul 17, 2011, 06:33 PM

hi everyone i'm asking this as i'm building my first build with older tech (775 socket motherboard etc). i thinking of getting an nvidia 8800gt card but the most i have found on ebay say that they only support windows XP of vista, and i am planning on using windows 7. so can i use these older cards with windows 7 or do i need a newer, update card? also can i use a PCIe x16 card in a PCIe x16 2.0 slot?

thanks in advance

scaminatrix · Jul 17, 2011, 06:38 PM

Yup, I've used a 7500, 7950, 8600, 8800, 9600 and a 9800 all with Windows 7. You'll be fine.
And yup to your other question too

guitarguy · Jul 17, 2011, 06:41 PM

awesome, thank you.

qubit · Jul 17, 2011, 06:42 PM

Yup, that graphics card will work fine with 7.

One way to tell, is to find the latest driver at www.nvidia.com and look at the release notes. It will list each supported card - and yours will be there.

Dent1 · Jul 17, 2011, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitarguy

awesome, thank you.

You can download the latest Windows 7 driver from Nvidia.com or for a direct link click this---> http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

If you need help selecting a card let us know. 8800GT is OK but there might be something slightly faster for the same price on Ebay. Take a look at the prices of the ATI 4870, 4850, 4830, GTS 250 9800GTX/+ before committing to the 8800GT.

PCIe x16 card in a PCIe x16 2.0 slot, yes you can

Widjaja · Jul 17, 2011, 06:48 PM

When they say it only supports XP Vista, they mean it does not support DX11.

qubit · Jul 17, 2011, 06:51 PM

Dent1 & Widjaja are right. You'd be much better off with something like a new GTX 460, which is cheap now, much faster and supports DX11.

That 8800GT isn't worth more than $30 now and the 8800GTX just a little more, as they're both ancient technology by now.

guitarguy · Jul 17, 2011, 06:54 PM

am i able to use ATI if my motherboard has a NVIDIA 750i SLI chipset?

also how do i get drivers if its the computers first boot?

cheesy999 · Jul 17, 2011, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitarguy

am i able to use ATI if my motherboard has a NVIDIA 750i SLI chipset?

Yes

qubit · Jul 17, 2011, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitarguy

am i able to use ATI if my motherboard has a NVIDIA 750i SLI chipset?

Yes, they're all interchangeable. There would likely be an antitrust investigation if it didn't work...

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitarguy

also how do i get drivers if its the computers first boot?

Oh, come on, this is way too simple!

You stick in the driver disc that came with your mobo and install the network card driver. Problem sorted.

It's advisable to at least also install the chipset driver as well, if not the rest of them.

guitarguy · Jul 17, 2011, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qubit

Oh, come on, this is way too simple! You stick in the driver disc that came with your mobo and install the network card driver. Problem sorted. It's advisable to at least also install the chipset driver as well, if not the rest of them.

that all sounds rather terrifying

qubit · Jul 17, 2011, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitarguy

that all sounds rather terrifying

It isn't, I promise you.

It sounds like you've never done much PC tech before, so it seems rather daunting. I suggest:

1 Do this with a friend who has experience with this

2 Look up PC building on google. You'll get loads of hits on this. The most useful sites will have step by step photos for the whole build

There's only two real danger points with building a PC:

1 Installing the mobo

2 Installing the CPU & CPU cooler

Before buying any parts, ask us here about the ones you're interested in and you'll get loads of good advice.

guitarguy · Jul 17, 2011, 07:11 PM

ok, thank you

scaminatrix · Jul 17, 2011, 07:16 PM

If you are uncomfortable installing your own drivers, then it's recommended that you take a short educational course in Computers.

Pestilence · Jul 17, 2011, 07:17 PM

Old tech works fine in 7. I was just testing my 7950gx2

qubit · Jul 17, 2011, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pestilence

Old tech works fine in 7. I was just testing my 7950gx2

Oh man, I've got one of them! It's an Evga one, all new and shiny in its original box. I've also got a brand new BFG 8800 Ultra also shiny and new in its box, which are part of my collection of graphics cards. Got both cheap in firesales.

AphexDreamer · Jul 17, 2011, 07:27 PM

Drivers help hardware communicate with the operating system (OS) properly and effectively.

Each OS will usually have basic drivers to get the basic functions of the hardware working (From scratch without needing to install anything) but then its up to you to install the Manufactures proper drivers for your OS to get the full functionality out of your hardware (whether it be a Video card, network card, printer or whatever).

So for instance you can install your graphics card and still use it with out installing the drivers and get a display going so you can use your PC but its likely that you won't be able to use the Video cards max resolution or tweak graphics settings until you download and install the latest drivers for your Video Card AKA Graphics Card.

Hope this helps you a bit.

Pestilence · Jul 17, 2011, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qubit

Oh man, I've got one of them! It's an Evga one, all new and shiny in its original box. I've also got a brand new BFG 8800 Ultra also shiny and new in its box, which are part of my collection of graphics cards. Got both cheap in firesales.

I have so much old shit its not even funny in my closet. Evga 7950GX2, Evga 9800GX2's, Pentium EE's, 3870X2. I should get rid of it but it'll probably sit in there for a few more years.

I have a thing for X2 cards

TheMailMan78 · Jul 17, 2011, 07:31 PM

A 3Dfx 5500 will not work on Mac OSX 10.0

scaminatrix · Jul 17, 2011, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMailMan78

A 3Dfx 5500 will not work on Mac OSX 10.0

Ok, since we're going there, a GTX 590 won't work on Windows 95

TheMailMan78 · Jul 17, 2011, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scaminatrix

Ok, since we're going there, a GTX 590 won't work on Windows 95

Actually no. Thats not even remotely the same. The 5500 debuted the same exact time as OSX 10.0 and yet wasn't compatiable.....it never was sadly thanks to Nvidia. 250 bucks I blew on that brand new card for it to be useless a month later. Apple told me to ask 3Dfx and 3Dfx told me to talk to Nvidia their new owner and Nvidia told me to talk to Apple. So began my epic hate of Apple and Nvidia.

scaminatrix · Jul 17, 2011, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMailMan78

Actually no. Thats not even remotely the same.

I wasn't implying it was the same, I was just joining in with an irrelevant fact.

TheMailMan78 · Jul 17, 2011, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scaminatrix

I wasn't implying it was the same, I was just joining in with an irrelevant fact.

Its not irrelevant. The question was "do all graphics cards work with all operating systems?". The answer is no. I was just giving an example.

qubit · Jul 17, 2011, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMailMan78

Actually no. Thats not even remotely the same. The 5500 debuted the same exact time as OSX 10.0 and yet wasn't compatiable.....it never was sadly thanks to Nvidia. 250 bucks I blew on that brand new card for it to be useless a month later. Apple told me to ask 3Dfx and 3Dfx told me to talk to Nvidia their new owner and Nvidia told me to talk to Apple. So began my epic hate of Apple and Nvidia.

You must have been pretty annoyed when this happened.

I know I would be. I remember how nvidia dismembered 3DFX after buying them. It was a pretty sad day for competition in the marketplace.

I had a Voodoo 3 at the time, which worked fine with Windows 98 and then 2000. But XP? Not so much. It was the removal of native OpenGL support in XP if I remember correctly, that caused the problem. Enthusiasts tried to fill the breach with hacked drivers, but they never worked all that well and were fiddly to install.

Quote:

Originally Posted by scaminatrix

I wasn't implying it was the same, I was just joining in with an irrelevant fact.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMailMan78

Its not irrelevant. The question was "do all graphics cards work with all operating systems?". The answer is no. I was just giving an example.

At least this kind of 'incompatibility' doesn't happen nowadays, which is what I think the OP is really after. You literally can run any card on any chipset, but it's worth being aware that this did happen not so long ago and could always happen again if vested interests aren't kept in check.

guitarguy · Jul 17, 2011, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AphexDreamer

Drivers help hardware communicate with the operating system (OS) properly and effectively.

Each OS will usually have basic drivers to get the basic functions of the hardware working (From scratch without needing to install anything) but then its up to you to install the Manufactures proper drivers for your OS to get the full functionality out of your hardware (whether it be a Video card, network card, printer or whatever).

So for instance you can install your graphics card and still use it with out installing the drivers and get a display going so you can use your PC but its likely that you won't be able to use the Video cards max resolution or tweak graphics settings until you download and install the latest drivers for your Video Card AKA Graphics Card.

Hope this helps you a bit.

ok so after i do get all my components plugged in i do install the operating system first? then the drivers for the different components, e.g. the graphics card? i have absolutely no idea how to install stuff without a OS installed, when you first power up (without a OS) is there not just a black screen?

Jul 17, 2011, 06:33 PM	#1
guitarguy Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: UK brighton Posts: 48 (0.07/day) Thanks: 3 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts System Specs	Do all graphics cards work with all operating systems? hi everyone i'm asking this as i'm building my first build with older tech (775 socket motherboard etc). i thinking of getting an nvidia 8800gt card but the most i have found on ebay say that they only support windows XP of vista, and i am planning on using windows 7. so can i use these older cards with windows 7 or do i need a newer, update card? also can i use a PCIe x16 card in a PCIe x16 2.0 slot? thanks in advance

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Jul 17, 2011, 06:38 PM	#2
scaminatrix Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: By the Channel Tunnel, Kent, England Posts: 2,432 (2.06/day) Thanks: 1,834 Thanked 802 Times in 672 Posts System Specs	Yup, I've used a 7500, 7950, 8600, 8800, 9600 and a 9800 all with Windows 7. You'll be fine. And yup to your other question too __________________ MKMods Tribute Rig - the Power of the Community HeatWare Did I make the 2,000,000th post? If an 8 Core can hit 6Ghz with an H100 i'll post pictures of my hot fiance - Pestilence Every day I come to this site, I am reminded why I come to this site every day!!! - Iggster

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Jul 17, 2011, 06:41 PM	#3
guitarguy Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: UK brighton Posts: 48 (0.07/day) Thanks: 3 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts System Specs	awesome, thank you.

Jul 17, 2011, 06:42 PM	#4
qubit Overclocked quantum bit Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Quantumville UK Posts: 8,648 (4.34/day) Thanks: 4,178 Thanked 3,303 Times in 1,943 Posts System Specs	Yup, that graphics card will work fine with 7. One way to tell, is to find the latest driver at www.nvidia.com and look at the release notes. It will list each supported card - and yours will be there. __________________ Siggie in the post.

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Jul 17, 2011, 06:48 PM	#6
Widjaja Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Wangas, New Zealand Posts: 4,022 (1.85/day) Thanks: 241 Thanked 617 Times in 534 Posts System Specs	When they say it only supports XP Vista, they mean it does not support DX11.

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Jul 17, 2011, 06:51 PM	#7
qubit Overclocked quantum bit Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Quantumville UK Posts: 8,648 (4.34/day) Thanks: 4,178 Thanked 3,303 Times in 1,943 Posts System Specs	Dent1 & Widjaja are right. You'd be much better off with something like a new GTX 460, which is cheap now, much faster and supports DX11. That 8800GT isn't worth more than $30 now and the 8800GTX just a little more, as they're both ancient technology by now. __________________ Siggie in the post.

Jul 17, 2011, 06:54 PM	#8
guitarguy Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: UK brighton Posts: 48 (0.07/day) Thanks: 3 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts System Specs	am i able to use ATI if my motherboard has a NVIDIA 750i SLI chipset? also how do i get drivers if its the computers first boot?

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Jul 17, 2011, 07:11 PM	#13
guitarguy Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: UK brighton Posts: 48 (0.07/day) Thanks: 3 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts System Specs	ok, thank you

Jul 17, 2011, 07:16 PM	#14
scaminatrix Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: By the Channel Tunnel, Kent, England Posts: 2,432 (2.06/day) Thanks: 1,834 Thanked 802 Times in 672 Posts System Specs	If you are uncomfortable installing your own drivers, then it's recommended that you take a short educational course in Computers. __________________ MKMods Tribute Rig - the Power of the Community HeatWare Did I make the 2,000,000th post? If an 8 Core can hit 6Ghz with an H100 i'll post pictures of my hot fiance - Pestilence Every day I come to this site, I am reminded why I come to this site every day!!! - Iggster

Jul 17, 2011, 07:17 PM	#15
Pestilence Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 556 (0.71/day) Thanks: 4 Thanked 68 Times in 60 Posts	Old tech works fine in 7. I was just testing my 7950gx2

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Jul 17, 2011, 07:27 PM	#17
AphexDreamer Eligible for custom title Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: C:\Program Files (x86)\Aphexdreamer\ Posts: 5,614 (2.59/day) Thanks: 812 Thanked 888 Times in 674 Posts System Specs	Drivers help hardware communicate with the operating system (OS) properly and effectively. Each OS will usually have basic drivers to get the basic functions of the hardware working (From scratch without needing to install anything) but then its up to you to install the Manufactures proper drivers for your OS to get the full functionality out of your hardware (whether it be a Video card, network card, printer or whatever). So for instance you can install your graphics card and still use it with out installing the drivers and get a display going so you can use your PC but its likely that you won't be able to use the Video cards max resolution or tweak graphics settings until you download and install the latest drivers for your Video Card AKA Graphics Card. Hope this helps you a bit. __________________ Sent from my PC using chrome.

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Jul 17, 2011, 07:31 PM	#19
TheMailMan78 Banstick Dummy Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Crystal River, FL Posts: 15,109 (6.93/day) Thanks: 1,337 Thanked 6,829 Times in 3,739 Posts System Specs	A 3Dfx 5500 will not work on Mac OSX 10.0

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