Please help with graphics card

[gb44]

Hello,I should start by saying I know very little about computers and Im running an old dell dimension 3000. A few months back I took my machine to the geek squad to have them put in a graphics card and have seen little or no difference. GeForce 8400 Gs-pci is what I bought. Lately Ive been doing some research and toying with the idea of building my own machine to learn more. While doing so Ive discovered my device manager shows that the Intel 82865G graphics controller is enabled - I believe this is the onboard video that came with system; and that the Nvidia card is also enabled. Can I just disable the Intel onboard and restart since the new card and drivers are already installed? Ive read that you need to plug new card directly into monitor to set up but I believe this has already been done. I dont want to mess anything up, and Im not sure that I have the know-how to do this either. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[house70]

How do you measure the effectiveness? What are the benchmark results?
Anyhow, to do that follow this:

Go into BIOS - it may be F2 or another key for that particular model, if you pay attention while it boots up it will tell you - and see if you can disable the onboard video. Save and shut down. Switch monitor to the graphic card port, then re-start.
Note: if you can boot and get video running on monitor while plugged in the graphic card, you don't need to do the switch, just to disable the onboard video.

When you're done, download the latest drivers from Nvidia and install; the guys might have just installed the drivers that came with the card, which are usually a couple generations behind the current ones.

Lastly, check some older reviews of that card and compare your benchmark numbers with those in the reviews. That model is not very new and it is possible that you are just getting what the card can offer.

 

[archer7282]

double check to ensure that your monitor is plugged into the video card and not your motherboard video port.

everything should update itself after that.

 

[gb44]

Im downloading the drivers now. When I enter the bios there are two options-auto and enable, its set for auto. I need to switch monitor plug ...Im assuming that its the one that has what appears to say pny next to it. Then if I disable the Intel through the properties > hardware >device manager I should be able to restart and go?

 

[archer7282]

if your monitor is plugged into the correct slot and you are getting a picture then its working.

here is a rough pic of where your vid card should be located.. please make sure your monitor is plugged in there and not in the old vga / dvi port at the top.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[gb44]

Monitor is working , and its a good thing I saved the box for the new card because it had the adaptor that I needed for the plug in it ! Next time I `ll come here and try it myself. you guys know alot more than the folks at the box store. Thanks for the time

 

[house70]

No problem, glad we could help.

 

[archer7282]