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| How to replace an integrated video card?; Newbie with an etower 433i | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 10 2004, 06:55 PM (228 Views) | |
| battlesite | Dec 10 2004, 06:55 PM Post #1 |
JUNIOR MEMBER
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I thought that it was not possible to change the video card on my etower 433i (Celeron, 256 MB RAM). Of course, until I came here, I also did not know that I could install 512 MB RAM. I have never tried to do this before. Are there instructions on how to do it somewhere? Do the video cards come with instructions for this? Do you guys have any suggestions as to how good a card I should get? I don't need a totally maxed out screaming gamers' card, as that would be overkill for this machine. I'm generally not a serious gamer. I would just like to improve my computer's general performance/speed. Later however, I MIGHT try to do some light video editing. |
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| dsf260 | Dec 10 2004, 07:32 PM Post #2 |
SENIOR FORUM CONTRIBUTOR
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Adding a new video card is really only one step harder than adding memory. You aren't really replacing the built in video--you never remove it, you just disable it. In your case, you would plug a new video card in a PCI slot (the white slots on your motherboard). There are plenty of cards in that format, although PCI cards are usually at the lower end--AGP and PCI-e 16x are the favored formats for higher end cards. Your motherboard is not compatible with the higher end options, so don't go that way. After installing the card, you need to move a jumper on the motherboard to turn off the built in graphics. It is Jumper J1--I don't know specifically where it is located on your motherboard, but it is there somewhere. Disabling this might not be absolutely necessary--even w/ the additonal card, you might be able to use the built in video to run a dual monitor setup (I can do this w/ my T1090.) If you do disable it, then move your monitor cable over to the video card. boot up the PC, and install the drivers that came with the card, and reboot again. That should get you running, although you might want to install the latest drivers from your chip manufacturer (i.e. nvidia or ATI). Things should be that easy, although sometimes these upgrades can get more complex. Try it out and if you have problems, leave some messages here. Here a rec for a card: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc....-140-041&depa=1 This will be a top performer for the PCI form factor, and will have some nice oveclocking potential if you move in those circles. However, it's probably a bit much for the relatively slow Celeron you have in there. You can sometimes find GeForce 4MX's on sale for $20 or so if you look hard enough. Here's one...if interested, you should pick it up quickly as it is "while supplies last" http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Se...58533&CatId=319 This would also be a fine match for your system, but note that the 5700LE card will be somewhat faster even with your relatively slow proc. The 5700LE also has more capabilities. Note that if you ever upgrade your system, you would likely get one with AGP or PCI-e capabilities, so planning on the future upgradibility of this card is kind of unnecessary. My gut says go w/ the $20 card to save a few bucks, but it's up to you on this one. Hope that helps. D |
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T1090--Upgraded everything except floppy drive MSI KM2M Combo-L w/ Athlon XP 2400+ Tbred-B INWIN 523G case w/ 250w PS*GF3TI200 64MB*OrangeMicro Firewire/Network PCI card 2x WD Caviar 120GB*Lite-ON 40x12x48 CD-RW*768 MB PC133 (1 512, 1 256) Original T1090 license of XP Home running (sort of) Compaq Presario 910US Upgraded to undervolted XP 2400+ (from 1500+)*512 MB*W200 Wireless (802.11B)*30GB*Combo DVD 8x/CD-RW 24x | |
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| geophi | Dec 10 2004, 11:02 PM Post #3 |
CREW MEMBER
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That MX440SE card would likely do poorly with most games. I know he said he's not really into gaming, but the SE's have the 64 bit memory interface that really cripples memory performance. EDIT...whoops, never mind, with that processor, it likely wouldn't matter too much. |
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| dsf260 | Dec 10 2004, 11:42 PM Post #4 |
SENIOR FORUM CONTRIBUTOR
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Given the speed of the proc, I am not sure where games that run on it will become CPU limited no matter what graphics card is used. I think the MX440SE will be ok, and I am sure that the 5700LE will be faster, but it's hard to tell how much of a speed bump it will bring. |
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T1090--Upgraded everything except floppy drive MSI KM2M Combo-L w/ Athlon XP 2400+ Tbred-B INWIN 523G case w/ 250w PS*GF3TI200 64MB*OrangeMicro Firewire/Network PCI card 2x WD Caviar 120GB*Lite-ON 40x12x48 CD-RW*768 MB PC133 (1 512, 1 256) Original T1090 license of XP Home running (sort of) Compaq Presario 910US Upgraded to undervolted XP 2400+ (from 1500+)*512 MB*W200 Wireless (802.11B)*30GB*Combo DVD 8x/CD-RW 24x | |
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| lubner10 | Dec 10 2004, 11:47 PM Post #5 |
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OFFICIAL SEARCH ENGINE.. & BIOS BADBOY..!
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Not sure if you found TD's site also. A lot of good info here. Might want to read how others diabled their onboard video. Look under the "End Users Upgrades" link. http://www.e4allinc.info/dir1/motherboards...0/floridatg.htm |
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| Big Kev | Dec 11 2004, 07:19 AM Post #6 |
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Sssooooperman !!!
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Just for the record m8. I also have a non-AGP board (bloody eMachines) & my only options were either stick with the onboard (Intel Extreme) or purchase a PCI format stand alone. Now, because i live in the UK there is really no market for PCI boards & i was forced into buying an FX5200 which to be honest isn't the fastest (being PCI does'nt help either), but i have found very reasonable when running todays latest games. If you can, buy a 5700LE as this is the fastest & most up to date board that is available for PCI. Even though the core & memory speed are similar (250/400Mhz) the 5700LE is a cut down version of the full blown 5700 & as a result most (if not all) 5700LE's are extremely overclockable without the addition of any extra cooling so the performance can really be boosted quite dramatically. If you live in the states buy the LE. If you live elsewhere look for an LE (you may find one), but if not consider the BFG Asylum FX5200. This version comes with 256Mb of ram (pretty excessive though) but the onboard cooling allows this card to be overclocked higher than any other card of this type. Both are priced around about the same. PS. From my experience in running todays games (eg. Doom 3, Farcry & Half Life 2 etc.). I have never found the processor to be the bottleneck but rather the GPU that it handling the graphics. |
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e190 (UK model) Trigem IM845GL mobo Pheonix 4.0, Release 6.0, v1.09 BIOS Windows XP Home Edition (SP2) Intel Celeron 2.20Ghz 512Mb PC2100 266Mhz DDR 60Gb Samsung SV0602H / 40Gb Samsung SP0411N Samsung SM348B DVD/CDRW AOpen CRW5232 CDRW PNY Verto FX5200 PCI 128Mb (OC'd to 300/475Mhz) SoundMax YMF724 PCI soundcard Trust 1000P Soundforce 2.1 speakers Proview EM175 17" CRT monitor Trust 305KS wireless keyboard/optical mouse Lexmark X1150 All in One Broadband connection (cable) | |
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| dsf260 | Dec 11 2004, 10:56 AM Post #7 |
SENIOR FORUM CONTRIBUTOR
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Everything Big Kev says is true, but keep in mind that on your system (battlesite's), the CPU and memory access times will likely be the bottlenecks, not the GPU. |
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T1090--Upgraded everything except floppy drive MSI KM2M Combo-L w/ Athlon XP 2400+ Tbred-B INWIN 523G case w/ 250w PS*GF3TI200 64MB*OrangeMicro Firewire/Network PCI card 2x WD Caviar 120GB*Lite-ON 40x12x48 CD-RW*768 MB PC133 (1 512, 1 256) Original T1090 license of XP Home running (sort of) Compaq Presario 910US Upgraded to undervolted XP 2400+ (from 1500+)*512 MB*W200 Wireless (802.11B)*30GB*Combo DVD 8x/CD-RW 24x | |
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| battlesite | Dec 12 2004, 01:20 AM Post #8 |
JUNIOR MEMBER
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Thank you everybody. Those are some excellent posts. What is the difference between a video card and a GPU? |
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| Big Kev | Dec 12 2004, 07:09 AM Post #9 |
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Sssooooperman !!!
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The GPU (Graphics Proccessing Unit) is the processor that any video card is built around (you'll either find it under a heatsink or a cooling fan or both). If you look at the mobo that is currently in your system you will see a small heatsink (yor celeron may have one to, but larger) attached to it. Under that will be your onboard GPU. |
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e190 (UK model) Trigem IM845GL mobo Pheonix 4.0, Release 6.0, v1.09 BIOS Windows XP Home Edition (SP2) Intel Celeron 2.20Ghz 512Mb PC2100 266Mhz DDR 60Gb Samsung SV0602H / 40Gb Samsung SP0411N Samsung SM348B DVD/CDRW AOpen CRW5232 CDRW PNY Verto FX5200 PCI 128Mb (OC'd to 300/475Mhz) SoundMax YMF724 PCI soundcard Trust 1000P Soundforce 2.1 speakers Proview EM175 17" CRT monitor Trust 305KS wireless keyboard/optical mouse Lexmark X1150 All in One Broadband connection (cable) | |
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| battlesite | Dec 16 2004, 08:31 PM Post #10 |
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Thank you, Big Kev. Excellent explanation and description. |
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