dual PCI cards

[andrew456]

hey i just wanted to know if i could run 2 PCI cards together neither of which are PCI express, or if its possible for me to install a PCI express port or AGP port to my motherboard? the motherboard model is MIS name: MS-6577 M-ATX Rev. 3.1 (Giovani), Rev. 4.0 (Giovani2)

here are some images for it

thanks,
Andrew

 

[prozac26]

Unfortunately, it looks like you cannot run AGP cards.

However, it is possible to run two PCI cards just fine.

 

[andrew456]

thanks but also how would i overclock it because its not available in the BIOS menu?
and would i have to by a special cable to connect both cards together?

 

[sirrobin4ever]

What are you trying to do exactly? This may be a golden opportunity to upgrade your computer. If the BIOS menu does not have an overclocking option at all, the motherboard will have to be upgraded before any overclocking can take place.

 

[andrew456]

well the thing is that i dont have 50$ to buy more ram and i heard about overclocking so i wanted to try it out but i dont know how. i need to get a job i know. lol i read somewhere that u have to switch the jumper cables around but i dont know which ones and to where.
andrew

 

[prozac26]

You can't overclock a video card though the BIOS. You need a program such as ATI Tool or RivaTuner.

Also, you cannot connect the cards together, you can only run dual cards, but they are separate, for multiple monitor setups. Can't SLI/CF.

 

[andrew456]

ok gotcha wat bout my processor i want to overclok that too
its a intel celeron cpu 2.80 ghz or like 349mhz or somin
can i overclock that?

 

[Anoobis]

You cannot overclock with that board. It looks suspiciously like a Gateway, HP, Compaq etc.... It's an entry level 845 chipset which wasn't meant for overclocking and the lack of an AGP port reeks of OEMness.

Sorry.

 

[andrew456]

kk thanks yea its a compaq presario
but i did have a new one in mind heres the link
http://shop4.outpost.com/product/4907791?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
my comp is the compaq presario s6100nx
could i slap this new one in or is it to small or large?

also do the gfx cards have to be the same model or can they be varied same maker and type just varied models like a 256 one also cause i have a geforce fx 5200 and i want to add a PNY FX 5200 256MB PCI Graphics Card is that possible?

 

[sirrobin4ever]

Nope. That one won't work.... That one is a Socket AM2 AMD motherboard. A.K.A- Not gonna work.
Look for a socket 478 motherboard.

 

[aximbigfan]

look andrew, you obviously dont have any idea as to what you are doing. why dont you go by a dell desktop, and never open it.

 

[sirrobin4ever]

look andrew, you obviously dont have any idea as to what you are doing. why dont you go by a dell desktop, and never open it.

@aximbigfan: Thats enough of that!!! If you can't be constructive, just go somewhere else! The people here on the THG forumz are here to help others, of all technical knowledge. If someone wants to build their own computer, help them out. If you can't, then don't comment, and somebody else will leave them a helpful and constructive comment.

 

[Kronos]

Indeed...all kinds of people frequent "Tom`s". The very brightest to the novice, but all have questions and answers. Thanks to the "original poster"..I now know what one Compact Motherboard looks like and some of its limitations.

 

[lunyone]

You cannot overclock with that board. It looks suspiciously like a Gateway, HP, Compaq etc.... It's an entry level 845 chipset which wasn't meant for overclocking and the lack of an AGP port reeks of OEMness.

Sorry.

This is why I started looking into building my own systems. When I bought my first Compaq PC (mistake), it didn't have a AGP slot in it, which I didn't know much about PC's at the time to look for it. I was very frustrated when I had to put in a Voodoo 3 2000 PCI in, when I could've had an AGP card. This frustrates the heck out of me! So hopefully the OP will get the idea that maybe he/she can build their own and get out of buying OEM's!!!! FREEDOM at LAST!!!

 

[andrew456]

lol thanks guys yea i am a novice when it comes to computers parts
kinda sad but anyway thanks for the help
ill make a mental note to stray away from compaq comps thanks



o also so if i were to buy a whole new case could i get any motherboard i want then???
cause i wanted to get a bigger case not a fancier 4 fan case just a bigger one.
because i want to have a min of 3 PCI ports (like i have already) but also atleast 3 PCI-E ports and atleast 1 AGP port.
Thanks a mill
Andrew

 

[eckre]

I think we would like to know what on earth you want to do.

You need 3 PCI slots? what on earth for?
You need 3 PCI-E slots? What on earth for?
And yet you also want a single AGP Slot? what on earth for?

You will not find any such motherboard with THREE PCI-E slots and an AGP port. I think you need to catch on up on the last five years of computing. Some of your questions don't even make any sense. Start at the start, and tell us what you are trying to DO. We can then help you find out what you need.

To us, you're asking questions like "I need three neck holes in my shirt, six left arm holes, and a pocket for my belt buckle collection" we are just scratching our heads here...

 

[lunyone]

I think we would like to know what on earth you want to do.

You need 3 PCI slots? what on earth for?
You need 3 PCI-E slots? What on earth for?
And yet you also want a single AGP Slot? what on earth for?

You will not find any such motherboard with THREE PCI-E slots and an AGP port. I think you need to catch on up on the last five years of computing. Some of your questions don't even make any sense. Start at the start, and tell us what you are trying to DO. We can then help you find out what you need.

To us, you're asking questions like "I need three neck holes in my shirt, six left arm holes, and a pocket for my belt buckle collection" we are just scratching our heads here...

And please don't forget to give us a budget for your projected plan. We all strive hard to fit everything needed into a given budget. I, for one, don't have alot of spare $ sitting around to spend, so I usually have a very tight budget to work with.

We aren't trying to sound rude, but we do need full details on what your looking to do and for how much. I know you originally had just wanted to add a slot on your motherboard, but now you have realized that there is more to this than that.

You have come the the right place to get help. I'm not an expert, by any means, but I do like to help if I can.

I didn't mean to it sound like the Compaq computer was a bad thing, just a learning experience for me. Compaq, HP, Dell all have their proprietary motherboards and power supply cables and other things. This doesn't necessarially make them bad, but it does limit your options (if any) when you want to change things on the inside of the case.

 

[sirrobin4ever]

Ok Andrew. There are several choices for you ahead. I will try to make this as easy and painless as possible.

Choice 1= Upgrade your current PC. This involves replacing the motherboard and graphics card. (And maybe the power supply) This will gain you a decent gaming PC with very minimal upgrade capabilities. However, the PC will be able to run any game out right now with decent settings. Should be ok for the next 1 1/2 to 2 years for games. COST- ~$250.

Choice 2= Build a new PC from scratch. We can reuse some components, like the hard drive and DVD-Burner. Everything else will be replaced, including the processor, motherboard, power supply, case, and RAM. With this option, you should be able to play any game out for the next 4-5 years with upgrades throughout its life cycle. (new graphics card) COST ~$800. (Could be lower, and could be much higher depending on component choices.)


Andrew, tell me what you think of the two major options I have written here, then I'll ask you some more questions.

 

[andrew456]

lol ok sadly since i dont have enough money to build from scratch ill do option 1 but since i have to by a new motherboard i would have to by a new case then right cause i searched the other ones that someone said i can use and they are no better. they just have different settings like 3 PCI ports and 1 AGP or 3 PCI ports and 1 PCI-E or 5 PCI ...
what i want to do is be able later on when i have 2000$ in the future (i hope) to build a computer so that i can run top of the line games like halo 2 when it comes out which means i have to buy vista, which is 159$ right there because if/when i do buy it i'm going to get home premium. But also i want it to be fast enough so that i can run the settings on the highest possible for games, music (i love it so i want the best quality) and video. but my dad (who used to build comps) said that i'd probably need to buy a new power supply, then a new case, motherboard, RAM. i dont need a new procesor i like the one i have and i have 380 total gigs of hard disk space so im good with that. but thanks for the major support guys



Oh also is it possible to put a DDR RAM stick into a DDR2 slot
because i dont want to move to DDR2 when i have 768 RAM of DDR and plan on buying 3 more DDR 512 Patriot PC2700 333MHz cards?

 

[fredgiblet]

Oh also is it possible to put a DDR RAM stick into a DDR2 slot because i dont want to move to DDR2 when i have 768 RAM of DDR and plan on buying 3 more DDR 512 Patriot PC2700 333MHz cards?

No, but there are a few mobos that will allow both DDR and DDr2 (but not at the same time).

 

[andrew456]

ok heres a list of stuffs i want to get
i couldnt find a mobo that fits with my processor and RAM, or a mobo that i want that supports my RAM (ill get one with a processor on it)
nor did i pick a case cause i dont know what size i would need to get
but anyways here it is
my list for upgrades

 

[fredgiblet]

Your shopping cart is saved in a cookie on your computer, none of us have that cookie so none of us can see your shopping cart.

 

[andrew456]

lol woops sry here's the url then
http://shop4.outpost.com/ShopCartServlet?action=display_cart

 

[eckre]

lol woops sry here's the url then
http://shop4.outpost.com/ShopCartServlet?action=display_cart

shakes head in utter disbelief at this entire thread.

You cats still gonna rag on aximbigfan's most accurate post on this topic?

what do you need 5 PCI slots for budget man? 1. Sound card, 2. TV card....um... 3. Raid Card? 4. SCSI scanner interface? 5... I'm out.

if you loose the MB you also loose your legit copy of windows... when you become a college student, in about 10 years it sounds like, you can get an academic version of vista premium for about $70.

 

[choirbass]

it says your cart is empty. but really though, your current system isnt very upgradable as it is... the better option, would be to keep your system how it is, and save up enough money to assemble 'most' of a tower from scratch, and reuse parts from your existing system when possible to fill in the unpurchased (needed) parts.

a retail copy of the OS you know youll need

if you want to reuse your existing ddr1 memory, youll need an ATX or mATX motherboard that has ddr1 memory slots (ddr2 has 240pins, wheras ddr1 has 184pins, so physically theyre not compatible)

a socket 939 setup is a fairly inexpensive option, making it possibly your best choice currently, if youre wanting to keep your memory anyhow (and soon to be cheaper in the next couple months or so i believe, due to another price drop from amd)

socket 939 supports either agp or PCI-e, some motherboard have both (and some mATX motherboards have an integrated gpu too, giving you the option to upgrade to an add on gpu later on, integrated gpu performance typically isnt top notch either though)

youll need a new cpu, preferrably a s939 X2 or a s939 dual core opteron if you can

youll need an ATX power supply (preferrably a seperate purchase), with the needed amps dependant on what hardware you purchase

youll need an ATX case (without power supply), something as cheap as $40 may work here

and, you can possibly just reuse your hard drives, cd drives, floppy drive, monitor, kb, mouse, speakers, etc


if you were to ditch your ddr1 memory though, and go with ddr2, youll have more upgrade options available