Diddy4444

hi am new to computers and i dont no anythink about my computer but i tried to play call of duty 4 for pc and i get the message Video card or driver doesn't support alpha blending if any1 knows an easy way to help me out please post thanks alot

koala

Hi Diddy, welcome to TSF

Even without seeing your computer's details, I would say that your graphics card or onboard graphics device is not powerful enough for GTA San Andreas, which means you'll need to upgrade in order to play this game.

Go to Start > Run, type dxdiag and click OK. When the DirectX Diagnostic window opens, click the Display tab at the top and post back with the Device Name & Manufacturer and the Main Driver & Version.

Diddy4444

hi and thanks
Name SiS 741
Manufacturer SiS
Main Driver SiSGRV.dll
Version 6.14.0010.3840(English)

and sorry its for call of duty dont no if this helps lol

koala

It's very unlikely that your low quality graphics device(SiS741) will run any new games like Call Of Duty 4 or GTA San Andreas. What you have is called integrated or onboard graphics, which is fine for general desktop use and some older games, but it's really not suitable for modern 3D games which are very demanding and require advanced features that onboard can't provide.

If you want to upgrade to a proper graphics card that can handle CoD4, what is your price limit and what kind of graphics slot does your motherboard have (PCI, AGP or PCIE)?

Diddy4444

sorry i dont know what kind of graphics slot my motherboard has and i just want a cheap 1 am not 2 rich lol

koala

OK, to find out your computer's details, download and run Everest. Go to Computer > Summary on the left and post back with the details listed under Motherboard on the right. Then go to Motherboard > Motherboard on the left and post back with all the details on the right. This will tell us what card slots are available.

EDIT: I'll move your posts to a new thread after your next reply to avoid confusion for the original poster.

beefers1

lol that's perfectly understandable. but check your graphics adapter by right-clicking on the desktop, clicking "settings", "advanced", then in the new window, "adapter". take a look at this picture for graphics slots: http://www.playtool.com/pages/selectvid/mballslots.jpg

Diddy4444

CPU Type Unknown, 1666 MHz (10 x 167) 2400+

Motherboard Name ASRock K7S41GX (2 PCI, 1 AGP, 1 AMR, 2 DDR DIMM, Audio, Video, LAN)

Motherboard Chipset SiS 741GX

System Memory 448 MB (DDR SDRAM)

BIOS Type AMI (10/28/04)

Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)

Communication Port ECP Printer Port (LPT1)

i hope this is what u want lol i am crap

koala

Yes, that's all we need for now. It's saying you have an AGP slot which you can still get cards for, although newer motherboards use PCIE which is faster.

You only have 448mb RAM. This will actually be 512mb, with the rest being shared by your onboard graphics device. Upgrading to an AGP graphics card will free up this shared RAM, meaning you should be able to play games like CoD4 which need a minimum of 512mb RAM.

The only other limiting factor is your CPU. You'll need to check the minimum requirements for each game to see if your 2400+ CPU is fast enough.

Next, open the case and look at the top rear for the power supply unit (PSU), the one with the power cable plugged in at the back. Post back with the details from the PSU label (make/model and total watts). This will give us an idea of what kind of AGP card you can upgrade to. Graphics cards need more power than your current onboard, so we need to make sure your computer can handle the upgrade.

Diddy4444

Model LPT2
350 watts
thats all i could find sorry ope it helps

beefers1

350W should be enough for a basic video card upgrade. look into something like a geforce 6800 or 7600.

koala

A 350W PSU might be enough for a graphics card upgrade, but it depends on the build quality and the age of the unit. A PSU's power output will decrease over time, so one that is 3 years old will be much weaker than a brand new one of the same model.

Also, PSUs are only 70-80% efficient, so your 350W might only be putting out 200W of power. If this is the case, then adding an AGP graphics card might be too much for the PSU to cope with.

For example, adding an AGP GeForce 6800 would require an extra 50W of power.

The easiest way to find out how much power your computer needs is to enter your full system specs into this power calculator and set Capacitor Aging to 25%. Click the Calculate button, then add 30% to the total to allow for PSU inefficiency. Note: You can use Everest to find out the details for the calculator if you're not sure.

Diddy4444

am sorry this is too confusing is there an easier way thanks

koala

Take the computer to your local PC store and tell them you want it upgraded to play CoD4.

Diddy4444

thanks i will take it to a store by what specs u have of my computer how much do u think i will have to spend

koala

If it's just a graphics card, about $80. Add another $80 if you need a PSU. These are rough estimates, of course. Prices vary depending on the store and the quality of the parts.

Get them to install all the drivers and run a 24 hour stress test before handing over any money.

You might want to take a printout of this thread so they can see what's been discussed.

Diddy4444

ok thanks

Diddy4444

does any1 know a good website i could use to learn about computers

beefers1

i got all my knowledge from magazines, try pc mag or pc world. smart computing is also pretty good.

Rb1003

Hey dudes i have a problem with my graphics//video card i cant run cod4 it comes up with something like cannot run because video card isnt compatable so can someone help?