What video card do I need?

[Jason Logan]

I just purchased a LG L1720P monitor which has the option of  using analog or digital.  My pc however only allows for analog.  I would like to get a video card to convert to digital, but I am a novice in this area and have no idea what to look for.  All I am primarily using this setup for is to do digital photography editing work, it is not for gaming although will play occasional games.  I would like to stay under $100 (the lower the better).  My pc is a Compaq Presario SR1330NX with a 3200+ Athlon.  Any help would be much appreciated, thank you.

Jason

[Flame]

Hello Jason... It seems like NVIDIA might suit your needs well... You can get a decent video card these days for about $77 or under... Also, MOST video cards these days allow digital outout, so you should not have much trouble trying to find one... HOWEVER.... You will want to check with your computer manufacturer BEFORE making ANY upgrades, so that you can find out if your new hardware will be compatible or not... Let us know what happens...

[glb]Flame[/glb]

[Zero42011]

This will help you narrow your graphics card choices down.

The graphics for that computer are on-board. Because of that, Compaq did not equip the motherboard with an AGP slot (most graphics cards use this)

There ARE PCI slot graphics cards though. For good prices, if you trust internet shopping, go to Newegg.com.

A link to PCI graphics cards from Newegg is right here
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=property&catalog=48&propertycodevalue=0,%200,%200,%203344,%200,%200,%200,%200,%200,%200&minprice=&maxprice=&mfrcode=0&DEPA=1&page=1&listStyle=2

If you have any other questions at all, we will be glad to help you, just post it here. Or feel free to send me an e-mail.

Update us on how you're doing.

Good luck.

[Jason Logan]

Hey guys, I appreciate your help.  I talked to Compaq and they actually recommended an AGP card (can that even work with my motherboard?).  I was also wondering what size you guys would recommend, 128mb, 256mb, or maybe even something else.  Here is an address of one I was looking at last night: http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-491-15-9-9-x
Would something like this card work?  Thank you very much for all  your help.

Jason

[Jason Logan]

Hey Flame and Zero, I did some looking around and found a picture that labeled and showed what an AGP and a PCI port look like.  So I looked in my tower and I do in fact have an AGP port.  So I guess what I would need to know is what size mb to get and what capabilities (abreviations) I should look for in an AGP video card to make sure that it will go digital to my monitor.  Thanks!

Jason

[Flame]

Tell you what... go to the store.... Get a few video cards in mind, and give us the specs... We can then tell you what the smartest choice would be...

[glb]Flame[/glb]

[Zero42011]

Hey Flame and Zero, I did some looking around and found a picture that labeled and showed what an AGP and a PCI port look like.  So I looked in my tower and I do in fact have an AGP port.  So I guess what I would need to know is what size mb to get and what capabilities (abreviations) I should look for in an AGP video card to make sure that it will go digital to my monitor.  Thanks!

Jason

Awesome.... btw sorry bout the false info, I assumed incorrectly, and with all the microATX motherboards that I deal with, most of em don't have an AGP if they have on-board graphics.

But since yours does, all the better.

That PNY card may look good in those comparisons, but those cards aren't as cost/effective as some of the others that you can get for a deal.

Take Flame's advice, that is the best action right now.

Good luck to ya, e-mail me if ya have any issues.

[Jason Logan]

Flame, here you go.  I've been looking on pricegrabber and did a comparison here is the link http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_compare.php/masterids%5B0%5D=2445319/masterids%5B1%5D=2652898/masterids%5B2%5D=4818484/masterids%5B3%5D=2555175/masterids%5B4%5D=5678266/masterids%5B5%5D=2505977/masterids%5B6%5D=1382941/page_id=5/pid=/topcat_id=1/remove=5678266
I'm particularly looking at the $88 Chaintech and the $101 XFX.  Let me know which you think would work best.  If you think 256mb is too much let me know.  Thanks!

Jason

[Jason Logan]

Flame, here you go.  I've been looking on pricegrabber and did a comparison here is the link http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_compare.php/masterids%5B0%5D=2445319/masterids%5B1%5D=2652898/masterids%5B2%5D=4818484/masterids%5B3%5D=2555175/masterids%5B4%5D=5678266/masterids%5B5%5D=2505977/masterids%5B6%5D=1382941/page_id=5/pid=/topcat_id=1/remove=5678266
I'm particularly looking at the $88 Chaintech and the $101 XFX.  Let me know which you think would work best.  If you think 256mb is too much let me know.  Thanks!

Jason

[Flame]

Well... I visited the site that you gave me, and read the reviews, and it seems like a good card for you! However, I perspnally have NEVER heard of that brand before, so I would question their service, and quality (in their products).... You might want to ask someone who knows more about this brand.... It looks good otherwise! Also, make sure that this card is compatible before you buy...

[glb]Flame[/glb]