Graphics Card Problem

[bashed1812]

Hey, i was needing some help with my graphics card. I got a Dell Dimension 4550, not sure what motherboard it has but it came with the computer, and my graphics card is the NVIDIA GeForce4 MX440 . I need to get a new graphics card because my current one cannot support the types of games i am trying to play , most because of the pixel shading. Does anyone know any graphic cards that i could put in my system without changing my motherboard? I need a good graphic card that will support high quality games (world of warcraft, fable, ect..). Thanks

 

[psychomage343]

yeah, gforce 6800 ultra agp 8x
imho i'd just get a new computer though, pcix rules, running 2 7800's in one machine, and one ati x850 xt pe in another, could'nt be happier with either

 

[bashed1812]

I still have some things i am having trouble understanding . First of all.....i understand that you cannot simply just go out and buy a 500 dollar graphics card and put it on a 30 dollar motherboard. The motherboard must be able to power the graphics card. Ok, so how do you determin if your motherboard would be able to run a specific graphics card? I am still having trouble finding the right graphics card that will be able to run perfectly in my computer. I dont want to buy a real expensive one, just one that cost around 100-150 . What i am mostly looking for is pixel shading so i can play the games i bought, because that is basicly why i am needing to get a new graphics card . I read somewhere that my computer contained the Intel 845PE chipset, but i'm not sure if that information is aqurate. If i was to take my current graphics card out, NVIDIA GeForce4 MX440, i would have an extra PCI port. Any information regarding to my response would be greatly appreciated . Thanks!

 

[bobyjo]

I still have some things i am having trouble understanding . First of all.....i understand that you cannot simply just go out and buy a 500 dollar graphics card and put it on a 30 dollar motherboard. The motherboard must be able to power the graphics card. Ok, so how do you determin if your motherboard would be able to run a specific graphics card? I am still having trouble finding the right graphics card that will be able to run perfectly in my computer. I dont want to buy a real expensive one, just one that cost around 100-150 . What i am mostly looking for is pixel shading so i can play the games i bought, because that is basicly why i am needing to get a new graphics card . I read somewhere that my computer contained the Intel 845PE chipset, but i'm not sure if that information is aqurate. If i was to take my current graphics card out, NVIDIA GeForce4 MX440, i would have an extra PCI port. Any information regarding to my response would be greatly appreciated . Thanks!

Your best bet would call Dell support, or look in the manual that came with the computer. That should tell you what board comes in the computer. It also should tell you all about the board, upgrade capabilitys etcl.
Dell uses a lot of Intel boards, they are not a $30 board.
One of the more expensive boards on the market.
If your board has an AGP slot there is no reason not to think you could use a 6600 GT card. That card now sells for probably $200 new due to the 7800 line has taken over as top dog in the nVidia line.

 

[bashed1812]

Ok, i found some of my system specs related to my graphics card. Here it is below:
2.4ghz Pentium IV processor, Intel 845PE chipset (2.0 to 2.8 ghz available)
GeForce 4 MX 420 video card (Rage Ultra, GF4 TI4200, Radeon 9700)
If anyone wouldn't mind telling me which graphic cards would work great on my sytem that would help out ALOT ( i dont really want the most expensive graphics card, just something around 150$) Thanks!!!!!!

 

[Solaris17]

and if u really whant to get some info on ur comp this would do it

 

[turbopsi]

If his card is a Geforce 4 MX440... It is an AGP card, if his motherboard has an AGP slot, there is no reason he can't get a 6800Ultra..

I would, however, get a refurbished 9800pro from newegg if you can't afford but 100bucks or so on a video card.

What is your price range?

EDIT: Ok, 150bucks? Get a regular AGP Geforce 6800 128mb, it will run your games awesome. It is the best deal you can get for 150bucks.

 

[bashed1812]

Hey, i was looking for some video cards and i found this one that seemed to support Doom 3 a whole lot,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130220
It looked pretty kool but i guess i was going to see what you guess thought of it first. What do you think of it? Does anyone have this one? Do you think this card might actually be good or do you think that doom just has some sort of contract with them to make this card look good? It also said under the requirements that "An available 4-pin Molex hard drive power dongle" is required. Is that something thats not on an ordinary hard drive or something that may already be used by something? Thanks

 

[Solaris17]

no it just means u need to plug the card in most agp u need to do this to i have observed i dont know what that card comes w/ but i bought an 80mm fan and instead of saping juice from my mobo i got like a splicer.....i unplugged my hard drive plugged the power cord into the splicer pluged the splicer into the hard drive and plugged the other wire into the fan now my hdd has juice and my fan....and that card is very goo i heard...equal or better to the 9800pro...and with clocks like that u cant go wrong...id nab it

 

[Thermopylae_480]

If you don't mind spending 20 dollars more the 6800 would be substantially better. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150106

Or the X800 GTOs are nice too. Either one is considerbly better than a 6600GT and worth the 20-30 extra dollars. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102608

and for less than 150 dollars the 9800 Pros are excellent too.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102281
This one is $139, but you can get the 256Mb version for $174.

If you have an AGP 8x slot on your motherboard, then your motherboard will not limit the card you can put in (Assuming the card is AGP). Your Power Supply on the other hand may. Most high end cards recomend a 300watt or better. You can probably run a 6600GT or 9800 Pro on a 250 watt, but for any card better than these you really should have a 300 watt.

 

[turbopsi]

Yeah dude, screw the 6600GT... what I said was the best deal. Get the 6800 series..

 

[ENGINEER-1]

i have a dell dimentia 4300 with g-force 400mx 64 agp4x and have thought of upgrading to better one but as i use the dell as a server i cant see the point.

but as you have agp 8x bus i would say that almost all of the agp 8x ranges are open to you
as long as you dont put in a card that excedes the 1.5v standard agp 8x rating, i would deffinatly look at 6600gt for gamming.

 

[bobyjo]

Ok, i found some of my system specs related to my graphics card. Here it is below:
2.4ghz Pentium IV processor, Intel 845PE chipset (2.0 to 2.8 ghz available)
GeForce 4 MX 420 video card (Rage Ultra, GF4 TI4200, Radeon 9700)
If anyone wouldn't mind telling me which graphic cards would work great on my sytem that would help out ALOT ( i dont really want the most expensive graphics card, just something around 150$) Thanks!!!!!!

I would go for a Radeon 9800 Pro.
This is a great video card.
Performs great and is vanilla in the compatibility area.
Price is really good for this card at present.

 

[ENGINEER-1]

Im not personaly an ATI lover but its your choice you have two gates one ATI and one Nvidia, ive allways trusted Nvidia gpu's and good for overclocking.

Nividia are better for gamming in my opinion.

but the choice is yours, but like i say if it's a cheap price and it's better than what you've got then you have'nt lost alot you've just got one more step to where you want to be.


Good luck!

LKM-1 A.C.I.T.P, M.C.S.E, M.C.P

 

[bobyjo]

Im not personaly an ATI lover but its your choice you have two gates one ATI and one Nvidia, ive allways trusted Nvidia gpu's and good for overclocking.

Nividia are better for gamming in my opinion.

but the choice is yours, but like i say if it's a cheap price and it's better than what you've got then you have'nt lost alot you've just got one more step to where you want to be.


Good luck!

LKM-1 A.C.I.T.P, M.C.S.E, M.C.P

I wonder, have you actually owned the Radeon card?
Have you setup the radeon card and used it, actually compared the Radeon with the nVidia card of about the same catergory?

 

[Silverstone]

I'd take a 9800 Pro > 6600GT anyday....FAR less problems with the ATI card & performance is damn near the same.

As usual ATI has D3d superiority & Nvidia has Open GL superiority.

Google search Nvidia 6600 GT problems sometime.....I had a 9800 Pro for over a yr, damn nice card.

 

[Solaris17]

I'd take a 9800 Pro > 6600GT anyday....FAR less problems with the ATI card & performance is damn near the same.

As usual ATI has D3d superiority & Nvidia has Open GL superiority.

Google search Nvidia 6600 GT problems sometime.....I had a 9800 Pro for over a yr, damn nice card.

like ati? i didnt think u did sweet i guess im kinda a fan boy myself...but the diff is i will admit the faults of ati cards...and sadly enough i in my personal opinion think nvidia got ati this gen w/ the 7800gtx

 

[Thermopylae_480]

like ati? i didnt think u did sweet i guess im kinda a fan boy myself...but the diff is i will admit the faults of ati cards...and sadly enough i in my personal opinion think nvidia got ati this gen w/ the 7800gtx

I disagree. From what I hear, the 7800s seem to get better fps, but the X1800s are supposed to have better picture quality. So my conclusion is it's all about what is more important to you.
As always each card has its drawbacks and bonuses which seem to just about even out in the end. They are both truely excellent cards.

 

[Silverstone]

If his card is a Geforce 4 MX440... It is an AGP card, if his motherboard has an AGP slot, there is no reason he can't get a 6800Ultra..

Yeah, there IS A REASON why he can't run a 6800 GT Ultra on a Dell proprietary system. The Dell psu definitely won't supply enough power to run that vid card in their preconfigured systems.

Likely a 9800 Pro would be the "best" vid card you can run with stability in that rig. Buy one & try it but keep the receipt. Don't tell Dell unless you don't mind voiding the warranty. I did the same thing 6 yrs ago in a Dell, upgraded my vid card but had to be realistic understanding the power limitations I was working with. Went from a tnt2 ultra to a gf2 mx, lol.

You can upgrade the card but you will be limited by the systems psu.