Need help choosing a sound and video card

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
O

oz_herb

Reputable
Sep 11, 2014
17
0
4,510
Hi....I'm fairly unknowledgeable when it comes to computer components and what i need...I have a ThinkCentre M55e -type 9642...and would like to get a sound card and a video card...nothing to fancy(not that i know a lot about HDMI?...but is that a feature i could get on a card as well?)...just useable

Why?...because i have noticed distortion when playing movies,music etc...where once there was no distortion...its not my speakers for i have bought new ones...and the picture quality is ok...but i seem to have lines/squiggle's on black pictures...i could live with it but still a little annoying......from what i can tell the drivers are up to date and hope getting these components it will fix my problems..

If someone can explain what i am looking for then i will search around to find a decent deal...


Thanks for any help offered.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
I

indy17

Reputable
Aug 25, 2014
106
1
4,710
As i have noticed from personal experience, distortions in PCs occur due to parasite Voltage. It happened to me in an old laptop, but it only happened after 3 years of hard using it. I can say that I was hearing the CPU calculating, was a very very thin ZZZZzzzzZZZZzzz noise :lol:.

So, a separate sound card might solve the problem, or might not. At this point I`d say this is a gamble.

As for video card, what budget are you on, what PC components you already got and how old are they?


indy
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
O

oz_herb

Reputable
Sep 11, 2014
17
0
4,510
Hey....thanks for the reply ;)

sound first...not sure how i would describe it?....i thought at 1st it was the speakers(so bought a new pair) for its a scratchy,distorted sound...or the sound you get on a stereo(when turning up the volume) with dirty pots...but a constant sound just like that

I have no other components....i have tried to educate myself to see what slots this pc has...but this is where i get lost and i fear i will buy something unusable

price...well not a lot...the pc only cost me $40 to start with...but to enjoy my "pc experience" i guess I'm prepared to pay around the $100 mark or less for both(combined) of these components....i guess my first port of call will be searching on ebay(australia) to get a cheap deal....i plan to upgrade to another pc in 6 months or more...but these problems are wearing thin lol
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
jossrik

jossrik

Distinguished
Sep 26, 2002
1,549
1
20,915
I did a google search of your computer, and it looks like it wasn't made to upgrade, you can it just won't be worth the price. You can build a new computer and have a much better experience.

Most modern video cards have HDMI output, and that works for sound too. The problem is gonna be that you don't seem to have any PCI Express x16 slots, you have an X1 slot, which would be fine for a sound card, but pretty well useless for video. You have a PCI slot available, and they do make video cards for PCI slots, problem is they are really an ends to a means, you won't get a good experience out of that, though, probably better than what you all ready have though. PCI Video cards are less than a hundred dollars US. Not sure about Aussie prices. The thing is, the PCI cards are 5 or more generations behind todays tech, and the next generation of video cards are just around the corner.

With that in mind, if you can put up with it just a little longer, save a few more dollars, come here with a budget and a dream, and we can guide you through the rest. Building your own PC is very rewarding, and if something goes wrong in the future, you'll know exactly what you're dealing with, if not, the people here are friendly and knowledgeable.
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
O

oz_herb

Reputable
Sep 11, 2014
17
0
4,510
oh dear lol not what i wanted to hear lol.

..well...maybe?....i should start another thread to get my other pc working(in the mean time)....i think it should be a relatively simple fix....i think it started due to me changing the start up program list...and finished with me playing with the bios....thanks for the time,help and input people!!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom