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Video Card problems..possible solutions


Viceman2004

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Hello all. I have an old PC with 32mb Matrox Millenium G400 (AGP 4x Interface speed) card that recently died. So I have 2 options here and I'm not sure.

1. Buy another AGP card tp replace it (will cost about $40 CAD, must be 4x interface and 64mb)

2. Buy a PCI card (will it work if I don't have an AGP card?) Will likely cost $55 CAD

I'm not a computer whiz, so would a PCI card even work? Also, if I buy an 8x AGP card, will it work on my motherboard? I'm pretty sure its only 4x.

Thanks a lot guys.

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Since you have an AGP slot on your motherboard, you don't want to waste it by installing a PCI card. The difference in performance will be noticable. You could buy an 8x AGP card as well, but if you only have a 4x motherboard, then the card would automatically be powered down to the 4x level.

If I were you, I would get the AGP card, but with at least 128MB of on-board memory. You'll be glad you did.

ez

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Yes, the 8x card will work on the 4x motherboard. However, you might, depending on the motherboard, have to set the AGP speed in BIOS. That's a fairly easy thing to do.

Most people tend to steer clear of the MX cards due to the fact that they are seriously hampered in terms of gaming. Since you state that you don't intend to use it for "serious" gaming, you should be OK. Not being home at the moment, I'm not sure if MX cards are good with MVP 2005. You might want to check the readme before buying it.

ez

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Well, it's a bit of a step up from the MX cards....but not much. The FX series was also plaqued with performance issues. I see you are trying to stay under $50 on this thing, but I saw this on the Tiger site you are visiting:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/Sea...2190054&CatId=0

The price isn't too bad and I think you would see better performance.

ez

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not all 8x will work with a 4x slot. there's differences in voltages that may cause it to malfunction. when you are looking at specs make sure it says 8x, 4x not JUST 8x. if you pick a card that only says 8x then you run the risk of it not working correctly in your 4x slot.

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