I have an older HP PC with an Asus A7V8X-LA motherboard in it. I would like to buy a video card for it but I don't know much about video cards. From the research that I've done I've discovered that I need an AGP 8x/4x (1.5V) compatible video card. I've done a lot of searching and found a lot of various recommendations on video cards for my particular motherboard but they seem to vary all over the place. I've really only got one shot at buying a card since I'll be purchasing from a place such as ebay (ever tried returning something on there? - not easy), and I don't want to screw up and get one that's not compatible. Can anyone please give me suggestions as to what type of video card I should buy?
Here's a summary of the things I know need to be considered:
Here is a copy of Everest reports on my PC. I edited it down to only what I thought might be vital to choosing a video card.
Thanks for any help or suggestions, I'd really appreciate any advice I can get!
Here's a summary of the things I know need to be considered:
- I know I'm going to have to get it off of some place like ebay due to my motherboard being old and I'm fully prepared for that.
- The reason I'm looking for a video card is so I can play games. I play world of warcraft but with my current onboard graphics I have to keep the video settings at minimum. I want to be able to turn all the video settings in WoW to high and not have any lag. I would also like to be able to play other games which I am currently unable to. My secondary purpose for the card is that I want to be able to project my computer monitor onto my television via RCA cables (non-HiDef TV.)
- I'm looking to spend between $20 and $50. Ebay prices seem to confirm that this won't be a problem once I figure out what kind of card I want, considering that the card will more than likely be very out-dated.
- ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB
- ATI Radeon All in Wonder 9800 Pro 128MB
- ATI Radeon X1950 Pro 256MB
- ATI Radeon X1950 XTX Crossfire 512MB
- ATI Radeon Sapphire Ultimate X1950 Pro 256MB
- Sapphire ATI Radeon X1950 XT 256MB
- Sapphire Radeon X1650 Pro 256MB
- EVGA GeForce 7600GS 256MB
- ATI Radeon X850 Pro 256MB
- Novatech GeForce 6200 256MB
- Sapphire Radeon HD 4650 1GB
Here is a copy of Everest reports on my PC. I edited it down to only what I thought might be vital to choosing a video card.
Code:
--------[ Summary ]-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer:
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
OS Service Pack Service Pack 2
DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
Motherboard:
CPU Type AMD Athlon XP, 2200 MHz (11 x 200) 3200+
Motherboard Name Asus A7V8X-LA (Kelut) (3 PCI, 1 AGP, 2 DDR DIMM, Audio, Video, LAN, IEEE-1394)
Motherboard Chipset VIA VT8378A UniChrome KM400A
System Memory 960 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)
Display:
Video Adapter VIA/S3G UniChrome IGP (64 MB)
3D Accelerator VIA/S3 UniChrome
Monitor Sampo AlphaScan 812S (000001)
--------[ CPU ]---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPU Properties:
CPU Type AMD Athlon XP, 2200 MHz (11 x 200) 3200+
CPU Alias Barton
CPU Stepping A2
Instruction Set x86, MMX, 3DNow!, SSE
L1 Code Cache 64 KB
L1 Data Cache 64 KB
L2 Cache 512 KB (On-Die, Full-Speed)
CPU Physical Info:
Package Type 453 Pin PGA
Package Size 4.95 cm x 4.95 cm
Transistors 54.3 million
Process Technology 6Mi, 0.13 um, CMOS, Cu
Die Size 101 mm2
Core Voltage 1.65 V
I/O Voltage 1.6 V
Typical Power 53.7 - 60.4 W (depending on clock speed)
Maximum Power 68.3 - 76.8 W (depending on clock speed)
CPU Manufacturer:
Company Name Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Product Information http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0,,30_118,00.html
CPU Utilization:
CPU #1 0 %
--------[ CPUID ]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPUID Properties:
CPUID Manufacturer AuthenticAMD
CPUID CPU Name AMD Athlon(tm) XP 3200+
CPUID Revision 000006A0h
Extended CPUID Revision 000007A0h
Platform ID CBh (Socket A)
IA CPU Serial Number Unknown
HTT / CMP Units 0 / 0
--------[ Motherboard ]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Motherboard Properties:
Motherboard ID 06/11/2004-KM400-8237-6A6LYA0EC-00
Motherboard Name Asus A7V8X-LA (Kelut)
Front Side Bus Properties:
Bus Type DEC Alpha EV6
Bus Width 64-bit
Real Clock 200 MHz (DDR)
Effective Clock 400 MHz
Bandwidth 3200 MB/s
Memory Bus Properties:
Bus Type DDR SDRAM
Bus Width 64-bit
Real Clock 200 MHz (DDR)
Effective Clock 400 MHz
Bandwidth 3200 MB/s
Chipset Bus Properties:
Bus Type VIA V-Link
Bus Width 8-bit
Real Clock 67 MHz (ODR)
Effective Clock 533 MHz
Bandwidth 533 MB/s
Motherboard Physical Info:
CPU Sockets/Slots 1 Socket 462
Expansion Slots 3 PCI, 1 AGP
RAM Slots 2 DDR DIMM
Integrated Devices Audio, Video, LAN, IEEE-1394
Form Factor Micro ATX
Motherboard Size 240 mm x 240 mm
Motherboard Chipset KM400A
Motherboard Manufacturer:
Company Name ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
Product Information http://www.asus.com/products1.aspx?l1=3
BIOS Download http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us
--------[ Chipset ]-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ North Bridge: VIA VT8378A UniChrome KM400A ]
North Bridge Properties:
North Bridge VIA VT8378A UniChrome KM400A
Revision 00
Package Type 552 Pin HSBGA
Package Size 3.5 cm x 3.5 cm
Process Technology 0.22 um
Core Voltage 2.5 V
In-Order Queue Depth 4
Memory Controller:
Bank Interleave 4-way
Memory Timings:
CAS Latency (CL) 3T
Command Rate (CR) 2T
Memory Slots:
DRAM Slot #1 512 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)
DRAM Slot #2 512 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)
Integrated Graphics Controller:
Graphics Controller Type VIA/S3 UniChrome
Graphics Controller Status Enabled
Graphics Frame Buffer Size 64 MB
AGP Controller:
AGP Version 3.05
AGP Status Disabled
AGP Device VIA/S3 UniChrome Integrated
AGP Aperture Size 64 MB
Supported AGP Speeds 1x, 2x, 4x, 8x
Fast-Write Not Supported
Side Band Addressing Supported, Disabled
Chipset Manufacturer:
Company Name VIA Technologies, Inc.
Product Information http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/chipsets
Driver Download http://www.viaarena.com/?PageID=2
Problems & Suggestions:
Problem AGP is disabled. This may cause performance penalty.
[ South Bridge: VIA VT8237 ]
South Bridge Properties:
South Bridge VIA VT8237
Revision 00
Package Type 539 Pin BGA
Package Size 2.7 cm x 2.7 cm
Process Technology 0.22 um
Core Voltage 2.5 V
AC'97 Audio Controller:
Audio Controller Type VIA 8233/8235/8237
Codec Name Avance Logic ALC658
Codec ID 414C4780h
S/PDIF Output Supported
Chipset Manufacturer:
Company Name VIA Technologies, Inc.
Product Information http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/chipsets
Driver Download http://www.viaarena.com/?PageID=2
--------[ Monitor ]----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------
[ Sampo AlphaScan 812S ]
Monitor Properties:
Monitor Name Sampo AlphaScan 812S
Monitor ID STC0812
Model KDS VS-190is
Manufacture Date 2001
Serial Number 000001
Max. Visible Display Size 36 cm x 27 cm (17.7")
Picture Aspect Ratio 4:3
Horizontal Frequency 30 - 110 kHz
Vertical Frequency 50 - 160 Hz
Maximum Resolution 1600 x 1200
Gamma 2.86
DPMS Mode Support Standby, Suspend, Active-Off
Supported Video Modes:
640 x 480 160 Hz
800 x 600 160 Hz
1024 x 768 135 Hz
1152 x 864 120 Hz
1280 x 1024 100 Hz
1600 x 1200 85 Hz