Vista says I need better Graphics ! Help !

mandi_moles

Well.... I love the new Vista...Its lovely...
Trouble is it scores my pc 1.0 !!! :eek:
Main problem being my 128 rage card not being recognised I think.
Its probably a good time to upgrade my graphics.
Can anyone recommend a good card for me at a reasonable price ?
Been looking on Ebay and found 3DFUZION GEFORCE 7300 GS 512 MB PCI-E GRAPHICS CARD VGA for just under £50. Any good ?
Mand x

cdbrown

From Vista site - need to make sure the card meets the min requirements. Sorry can't help more.
A Windows Vista Capable PC includes at least:

* A modern processor (at least 800MHz1).
* 512 MB of system memory.
* A graphics processor that is DirectX 9 capable.

Windows Vista Premium Ready PCs
To get an even better Windows Vista experience, including the Windows Aero user experience, ask for a Windows Vista Capable PC that is designated Premium Ready, or choose a PC that meets or exceeds the Premium Ready requirements described below. Features available in specific premium editions of Windows Vista, such as the ability to watch and record live TV, may require additional hardware.

A Windows Vista Premium Ready PC includes at least:

* 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor1.
* 1 GB of system memory.
* Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)2, Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel.
* 40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.
* DVD-ROM Drive3.
* Audio output capability.
* Internet access capability.

thecremeegg

How old is your Pc? by the sounds of the graphics its fairly old and wont be PCI-Express and so you need a graphics card thats AGP....lots on ebay, or you can buy a new one. The only problem is that AGP cards tend to be more expensive due to the lack of demand

mandi_moles

Hi thanks Its about 4-5 years now and its PCI im sure. How can I find out ?
All the cards im looking at are PCI-E ! Thats not going to fit my pc then is it ? Oh no !!
Ive done a belarc on the pc and it dosnt help me confused now
This is what Belarc says I have .....
Controllers
Standard floppy disk controller
ATA Channel 0 [Controller]
ATA Channel 1 [Controller]
Intel(R) 82801DB Ultra ATA Storage Controller-24CB
Display
RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
[Display adapter]
RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 - Secondary [Display adapter]
TEO TECO TL966A [Monitor] (18.8"vis, s/n RY5CH01089, November 2005)
Bus Adapters
Microsoft iSCSI Initiator
Intel(R) 82801DB/DBM USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller - 24CD
Intel(R) 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C2
Intel(R) 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C4
Intel(R) 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C7
Multimedia
C-Media PCI Audio Device
Unimodem Half-Duplex Audio Device

tamste

You'rs quite right...PCi-e is not the same as PCI.
You should however have an AGP slot for a computer of that age, and AGP cards can be picked up very reasonably these days on sites like ebay, or you can even still buy a new one.

If buying second hand I would look for one that has been used by the seller for a number of years rather than one that has been removed from a system that the seller has little knowledge of, e.g. recycling 2nd hand machines. If it has been used by the seller for a reasonable period of time, he/she should be able to advise if they have experienced any problems with it, whether it has been overclocked, etc. etc..

I'm selling one on ebay at the moment as I have this week upgraded my graphics card, however I don't like the idea of taking advantage of independant sites like this to promote it, thus my ebay user name has not been entered here.

Defiant_3

A newer OS doesn't mean a better system if your computer is getting on. I wouldn't put anything newer than Windows 2000 on that system you have

mandi_moles

Defiant wrote:

A newer OS doesn't mean a better system if your computer is getting on. I wouldn't put anything newer than Windows 2000 on that system you have

Make it sound antique !
It came with windows XP actually !

whotook316

Find out which motherboard you have and then check to see what type of expansion slots it has - you may find that it only has PCI. You should also check your power supply unit before upgrading the graphics card - some of the new cards have very high power requirements and your old PSU may not be able to keep up. A 300w PSU is considered a minimum for many modern graphics cards.

CAT-THE-FIFTH

ATI Rage???

It seems you have an ati 9500 pro. This is faster than an ATI 9600 pro. I played DOOM 3 using a 9500 pro. If this is the case you can run Vista using this card and the advisor is talking !!!!!!!!!!

cdbrown

Rage 128 is the chipset on the graphics card - which fits in with the time frame of 4-5 years ago. Definitely not what's on the 9500/9700 so I don't know what Berlac is talking about. The 9500 is fine for Vista as it supports the requirements - a card 4 years old with the Rage 128 chipset wouldn't be supported as it couldn't handle the new DX9

trets77

ATI sapphires are always a quality make i used to have this one played half life 2 like a dream
http://www.beyond3d.com/reviews/sapphire/x800pro/