Computer Hope
Hardware => Hardware => Topic started by: trisma on March 21, 2006, 02:49:22 PM
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I just recently bought Black & White 2, but I need a video card that supports pixel shader v 1.1 I am also not sure If I have PCI or AGP slots.
My computer is:
hp pavilion a345w
intel 4 2590 mhz
1024 mb
windows xp home
I know that the ati radeon 8500 as well as others support pixel shader v 1.1, but I want to make sure it will work in my computer.
Thanks for the help
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if this: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?dlc=en&lc=en&product=383638&lang=en&cc=us&docname=bph07845 is indeed the Motherboard that is in your system (and I think it is) then you only have PCI slots. I think most consumer non-special order computers that come premade only have PCI because they have onboard video.
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most PCI video cards are not 3D accelerated, unlike AGP video cards, theres still a big difference between the two most especially when it comes to gaming, if it is a built in video, you might experience a problem playing the game,
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I think most consumer non-special order computers that come premade only have PCI because they have onboard video.
I believe it's not accurate to say "most" consumer computers have no AGP or PCI Express slots. Many computers with onboard video do have an AGP slot. I have a friend who had a Compaq desktop computer - one at the low of the price spectrum - that came from the factory configured to use onboard video. However, it had an AGP slot and I helped him install an AGP video card. I also had an ECS K7SEM motherboard a few years ago that had onboard video but also had an AGP slot. I initially used it with onboard video but later installed an AGP card.
But, in this case, trisma's motherboard only has PCI slots, as shown by the link you posted.
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most PCI video cards are not 3D accelerated
I believe the fact of the matter is that practically all video cards on the market in the last few years, whether AGP, PCI, or PCI Express, have 3D acceleration.
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Thanks for the help, So there is a nvidia geforce fx 5500 128 mb PCI card at wal mart for 69.99. Should I buy it, or is it pointless to try to play the game on my computer. Or will the game not work at all?
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I'm not a gamer, so I can't say whether or how well the game would work with that card. I discovered a forum devoted to Black & White 2 (http://allboards.lionhead.com/forumdisplay.php?f=63). If I were you, I would post my question over there.
By the way, if you've ever thought about running two monitors with your computer, you might be interested in this: PNY Verto GeForce FX 5500 / 128MB DDR / PCI / Dual VGA / TV Out / Video Card (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1071564&Tab=11&NoMapp=0).
Also, here's a GeForce FX 5500 (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1641739&CatId=0) for $49.99 from TigerDirect. No sales tax but shipping fee would be added. Would still be $10, maybe $15 or so less than from Walmar. Note that this card only has a DVI connector. So, if you need a VGA connector, you would need a DVI to VGA adapter (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/search.asp?keywords=DVI+to+VGA+adapter&image1.x=10&image1.y=6) with this card.
Edit: Correction. The GeForce FX 5500 for $49.99 from TigerDirect comes with a DVI to VGA adapter.