Determing If you have a PCI or AGP video card slot

[fleft]

I currently have a Diamond Stealth II S540 for my video card. I need/want an upgrade. I was looking at a GeForce3TI500.

Anyways, my real problem is that I dont know what type of slot I have. I have learned there are two slots, AGP and PCI.

Is there a way to determine which port I have by going into MyComputer, or something similar?

This is a 'homemade' computer. I dont have a manual or anything like that.

Is it possible to check which I have by looking at either the back of the tower, or inside?

I pretty much new to computers, especially the hardware side. Any help would be very appreciated.

Thanks, Flefster.

 

[grassapa]

check your motherboard. look where your agp and pci cards are connected. now look, you should have maybe 4 or 5 or 6 PCI slots (white ones) where you sound card, modem, lan card should be connected. if your video card is PCI, it should be connected to one of the white slots like your modem or sound card. if your card is AGP, it should be connected to a brown slot and it should be the only AGP slot. the brown (AGP SLOT) should be about the same size as the white PCI slots.

real philosophy of life: "do onto others what you dont want them do onto you"

 

[fleft]

Like I said, I am not very good with computers...

I didnt take off the cover, but looking at the back of the motherboard, i can see my modem, sound card and others all in the PCI sots like you said.

There are like five white slots, then above it is a slighty different colored one, not exactly brown, but not really white(kind of metallic), where a big white cord comes from and continues to the monior.

Is this the video card, if not, what does it look like from the outside?

Are there any easier ways, by going into something in your computer like, My Compyter, control panel, or maybe dxdiag?

Thank you for the help.

 

[Stiffler]

Download a very nice program that can tell just about everything you want to know about your motherboard and every other little bit of your PC called SiSoft Sandra
<A HREF="http://www.sisoftware.demon.co.uk/san_dem/html/dload.htm" target="_new">SiSoft Download Page</A> Once you have this program you can run the "Mainboard Information" Scrolling through this you will see everything your motherboard can do... AGP should be towards the bottom above the PCI section.

Tim

EDit

PS: If you told us what sort of spec the system was CPU probably could be enough I could say how likely it is that you have an AGP...

PPS: You are gonna have to take the case off to put the Geforce 3 in how about getting used to looking at the guts of a PC (It is very simple) and looking at the board now ??

Above view of the layout of PCI and AGP SLots :

<Space>[-----------] (Brown AGP)

[-----------](White PCI)
[-----------](White PCI)
[-----------](White PCI)
[-----------](White PCI)
[-----------](White PCI)

Real Picture here : <A HREF="http://202.168.194.118/abit/upload/products/th7r-large.jpg" target="_new">Abit TH7 RAID</A>

I can call you Betty, and Betty when you call me... You can call me Al<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Stiffler on 08/10/02 01:50 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[fleft]

Thanks, I downloaded that very helpful program and it says

"Total Memory 31MB(31MB Video) (28MB AGP)"

I guess I can go buy myself that GeForce3 TI 500 now.

thansk guys.

 

[Crashman]

Look in Device Manager and find out what chipset you have!

<font color=blue>By now you're probably wishing you had asked more questions first!</font color=blue>