Computer Hope
Hardware => Hardware => Topic started by: jinlai68 on September 18, 2006, 12:39:08 PM
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I am wanting to upgrade my graphics card on my Gateway E4100. I can't find out which AGP graphics card is compatible. I'm looking for a 128 or 256 MB card. Any suggestions what to look for and the cost?
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I wouldn't bother spending too much on it, AGP is becoming outdated and the cards are far too expensive considered to PCI-E, which your mainboard is not capable of supporting. If you do buy an AGP card, buy one that doesn't cost more than 100~120 dollars or so otherwise you'll end up with a card that might make the rest of your system a bottleneck for performance
MB RAM doesn't mean a lot. It's the processor core and RAM speed on the videocard that makes the biggest difference. Plus the amount of pixel pipelines. In any case; the higher, the better.
What games do you plan on playing?
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Nothing too graphics intensive. I was looking more for a mid level card that could handle some games and Windows Vista when it comes out.
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I wouldn't bother buying Windows Vista for your current PC, when Vista comes out it will be cheaper to buy a new computer that comes with Vista (OEM) than it will be to purchase the OS in its retail form.
Besides, I don't think they're bringing out any Vista-ready AGP cards anymore, like I said, the technology is too outdated. It is now PCI-Express that is taking the lead. This doesn't mean that you can't install Vista on your current machine, though.
What kind of videocard is currently installed?
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Here are the relevant specs on my computer:
Intel Extreme Graphics 2 controller
Universal 0.8 V / 1.5 V AGP 3.0 connector supporting 1X, 4X, and 8X AGP cards or an ADD card
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Any new videocard would most likely make a vast improvement in the 128-256MB range.
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How much do you want to spend? It can very from £20 to £200+. Have a look at 6600GT for a starting point and go up or down from there.