Your Advice Gratefully Received !

[sleekit]

Hello !
I hope someone can help with this problem. I have blocks of colour, and various banding on screen, I have virus checked, spyware checked,checked all the cabling, done system restore, before it occurred to me that it may be the graphics card.

My current system is this
WindowsWindows XP5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 2
Internet Explorer 6.0.2900.2180
Memory (RAM) 1535 MB
CPU AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3000+
CPU Speed 1999.6 MHz
Sound card SoundMAX Digital AudioDisplay

Adapters ALL-IN-WONDER 9800 (MicrosoCorporation) ALL-IN-WONDER 9800 (Microsoft Corporation) NetMeeting driver | RDPDD Chained DDScreen


Resolution 1024 X 768 - 32 bit
Network Adapters Marvell Yukon Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000Base-T Adapter, Copper RJ-45 - Packet Scheduler Miniport

COM Ports COM3 | COM1 | COM2
LPT Ports LPT1
Manufacturer American Megatrends Inc.
AC Power StatusOnLine
BIOS Info ATAT COMPATIBLE 020904 A M I 2000409

Battery No Battery
Motherboard ASUSTeK Computer Inc. K8VSEDX

CPU Brand AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3000+
CPU Family Family 15 Model 4 Stepping 10
Manufacturer AuthenticAMD
Ext Clock Speed 200 MHz
Current Voltage 1.5
Max Clock Speed 2002 MHz
Socket Designation Socket Designation
Data Width 32
Revision 1034
L2 Cache Size 512

Adapters ALL-IN-WONDER 9800 (Microsoft Corporation)
Chipset RADEON 9800 SE AGP (0x4148)
DAC Internal DAC(400MHz)
Memory 134217728 bytes (128 MB)
BIOS (03/09/10)



My query is, can you recommend an upgrade to replace the 9800 ?
I was looking at the Sapphire X1650 Pro 256MB Agp, Do you think that would be compatible ? Or any suggestions on a replacement would be VERY grateful !
I enjoy Battlefield 2 ,Oblivon etc but the system wasn't really coping so with a budget of £70 ish any recommendations ?
I hope i've supplied all the info needed but if not, i can try and find it.
(Thanks to http://www.alexnolan.net/ for all the above details, using System Spec)
Thanks for now Ladies + Gents

sleekit

[TrendyMartini]

Edit: found the specs.. 1 agp, 5 pci.

Here's another video card that would work:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...637&CatId=1603

I went looking to find the specs on your motherboard, and couldn't find any. D you have agp, pci, or pci express ports?

I found someone else with a setup close to yours and they had one of these: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...8336&CatId=935

Tell me about the ports and I can help some more. ;-)
Also, welcome to TechIMO ..and just fyi, in the future try to make your thread titles the key words of your issue - makes it easier for others in the forum. See you around!

[him61]

Edit: I see that you found the specs Trendy.

Here's my suggestions:
NVidia:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...=56&subcat=411
ATI:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...=56&subcat=403

My personal suggestion would be the x1650, since BF2 and Oblivion tend to favor ATI cards over NVidia cards with simmilar specs. Might I make a suggestion for oblivion though? Have you ever tried the oldblivion mod?
http://www.oldblivion.com/
It relives the stress on older hardware, and I've seen it played on a 1.4 GHz Pentium 3 machine using a Geforce 3 Video card. It didn't run too good, but since your specs are above that, why dont you give it a try?
Also, to fix your color issue, try updating the drivers for your current PC.

[sleekit]

Thankyou both for your help !
Trendy, i have AGP, and sorry i didn't make the thread title the key word,... please be gentle, I'm new here !! ( I came here cause you guys are the experts and any advice you give to me is a great help, i doff my hat ! )

Him61 ..... thankyou for the oldblivion link, never seen it before, once i have a card that's working proper, i'll give it serious viewing !
I have tried updating the drivers but that didn't work either.

Can i just ask, if i purchased the X1650 would that be compatible with my present system ?

again any views, comments, thoughts, are most welcome,
thankyou !

sleekit

[him61]

Yes, an x1650 would probably be your best choice. As long as it is an AGP 8x or AGP 4x/8x card.

[carl33p]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleekit

Hello !
I hope someone can help with this problem. I have blocks of colour, and various banding on screen,

Artifacts. Usually due to the graphics card.
Most likely overheating, or underpowered.

The AGP x1650Pro is the best choice in its price range.
What is your power supply? Manufactuer, watts, and amps on 12V? (All can be located on side sticker of your PSU.)
You may need a new PSU as well.

[TrendyMartini]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleekit

Thankyou both for your help !
Trendy, i have AGP, and sorry i didn't make the thread title the key word,... please be gentle, I'm new here !! ( I came here cause you guys are the experts and any advice you give to me is a great help, i doff my hat ! )

Hey Sleek, didn't mean to come off as harsh. We're glad you joined TIMO, everyone is always willing to help, as you'll find out. I was just givin' ya a heads up, so you'll have the best experience and so you'll be sure to get the help you need fast.

I didn't realize that Oblivion favored ATI.. learn something new every day, thanks Him.

[sleekit]

I appreciate all your help Trendy !
I'm impressed + grateful ! ............. having read all the replies so far, I've already learnt a few things ... so i'm chuffed !!
Carl, thanks for your reply. I don't know the exact PSU details, but when purchased i ensured it was 400W , hoping it would be adaquate for the job !
Again, any further advice or thoughts are most welcome !
all the best for now,
sleekit

[him61]

Ahh... I missed that!

The PSU is a very important factor in upgrading a graphics card. The x1xxx series cards are pretty hungry when it comes to power. A 400w means nothing. We need the manufacturer name and the amperages on each of the rails on the unit. If you open up your case, the power supply should have a sticker on it. All we need is the manufacturer name and the model number. Then we can google it and find out what it's rated for.

List the specs of your current PSU. Also note that your current issues could be because of heat.

[Ultima]

Quote:

Adapters ALL-IN-WONDER 9800 (Microsoft Corporation)
Chipset RADEON 9800 SE AGP (0x4148)
DAC Internal DAC(400MHz)
Memory 134217728 bytes (128 MB)
BIOS (03/09/10)

that sounds an awfull lot like windows drivers.

Be sure to install the latest catalyst drivers from the AMD site, that will give you plenty of options

And powersupplies....it really depends on what brand you have. The rig in my sig (lol) is running perfectly on a 485W from Enermax, and I was told lotsa times that wouldn't be enough.