video card help

[makechips]

Hello,

this is my first post and i am not a big computer guy shich is why i am looking for help. i have a dell computer with a narrow tower and am looking for a replacement video card to help with gaming. this has not been an easy task. i have been told that I need a PCI card well I ordered one off newegg that was a pci and said it woiuld fit nearrow towers but no luck, any one have any ideas.

 

[shawnlizzle =]]

how narrow is your case? the pci slot opening(on the back of the PC, where you can remove the little slots for expantion) are universal... no matter how skinny your case is(unless its like super moded... which dell isnt) then you shouldn't have a problem finding a card. in my opinion, if you still have a pci graphics card... just ditch the whole system and get a new upgrade. i don't really know your specs, but adding a slow card won't boost your performance that much, plus if you are interested in playign recently released games... it is virtually impossible. so save the fifty dollars and buy a better system. if you really want to stick with the PCI, the radeon 9200, nvidia 5200, 5600 are good choices(go for the 9200)

<font color=red>One Lowe</font color=red>

 

[Crashman]

You mean those cases that can be laid down or stood up and have half-height slots? You should have looked at the pictures from Newegg!

A picture is worth 1000 words, you see a half-height card, you buy a half-height card. Some include a half-height bracket, others don't. I've modified full-height brackets on half-height cards to fit into half-height slots.

Also, AGP or PCI doesn't matter to half-height, if you have an AGP slot you should use it, otherwise get PCI. Either way, if you have a half-height slot, you need a half-height card!

So in summary, NEWEGG HAS PICTURES, LOOK AT THEM!

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[makechips]

i did look at the pictures and i did order a half hiegt card. the problem was that the distance from where the card plugs into to the back of the case was to short also my current card has an extra notch in the slot. if you can put pictures on this board i can show you what i currently have.
also th card currently in my computer had a little hook shape on the end opposite the port and the PCI one that i ordered did not? any ideas?


TIA,

tony

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by makechips on 03/26/05 03:07 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Crashman]

Uh, d00d, you don't know your slots! It sounds like you are trying to put a PCI card in an AGP slot. Of course it's possible you're trying to put a PCI card in a PCI-Express slot. What color is this slot? If it's brown, you shouldn't have been looking at an inferior PCI card anyway, when AGP offers better performance for lower cost. PCI-Express slots and PCI slots are both usually white on Dells, but are not compatable with each other. If it's white and the card has a hook, it's probably PCI-Express.

PCI Express and AGP slots are both inset farther from the back of the case than PCI cards.

How many slots do you have? Does the card look like it fits into one of the other slots?

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[makechips]

Your right, i don't know my slots, the info i had was from the guy at best buy who looked at the card i had taken out.
Anyway i checked the slot again and it is brown. Is this a foolproof way to tell if it is as AGP slot, and if so will any narrow AGP card work? Also when looking at the AGP cards whats does the 2x,4x, and 8x mean.

thanks again

tony

 

[Crashman]

Any 4x or 8x card will work in the board, as for whether or not you have a half-height slot, if you do, you'll want a half-height card. I'm almost positive what you're looking at is an AGP slot, and it's going to be either 4x or 8x. 4x cards work in 8x slots and vice versa, no worries there.

You had a guy at Best Buy look at your card? Remember that ANYTHING they tell you at Bust Buy is wrong, the guys there are mostly uneducated salesmen, and even the ones who know better...lie.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[makechips]

please help, if i am correct in assuming that the brown slot is an AGP please verify this, i found a one at new egg with the small bracket that looks to be exactly what i need but i would loke some reassurance be fore odering.

thanks again

tony

 

[makechips]

thanks crashman, the guy at best buy even worked at the geek squad counter and apparantly fixed computers. well thanks again

btw this is the one i am looking at on newegg, do you see anything way out of line with this.

Jaton nVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 64-bit, TV-Out, Low Profile, 8X AGP, Model "3DFORCE FX5200TV" -RETAIL

Model# 3DFORCE FX5200TV
Item # N82E16814139165

Specifications:
Chipset/Core Speed: nVIDIA GeForce FX 5200/250MHz
Memory/Effective Speed: 128MB DDR/400MHz
BUS: AGP 8x/4x
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub) + TV-Out (S-Video/Composite)
Support 3D API: DirectX 9, OpenGL 1.4
Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048x1536
Cable/Accessories: Manual, Driver CD
Retail Box (See pics for details)

this one has the small bracket included so i think is should fit.

thanks agian.

tony

 

[DCB_AU]

Take the PCI card back and demand a exchange to AGP with cash adjustment.

Since they sold you the wrong type of card, there should be no argument on there behalf.

<font color=red><b>DCB</b></font color=red><font color=white><b>_</b></font color=white><font color=blue><b>AU</b></font color=blue>