Graphics Card Questions

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wassup_ken

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I have a bunch of questions about graphics cards becausei'm planning on buying a new one.

1) Which graphics card should i get? Which is the best? I need one with T&L. Is Nvidia GeForce 4 good?
2) Where can i find prices for graphics cards? (in Canadian $ prices)
3) How do i know where my graphicscard (slot) is inside my computer? Is there a label or something?
4) Is it easy to install a graphics card? Is there a website or anything that explains? Are the instructions that come with the card good enough? Do i just turn of the comp, replace the card, turn on the comp & install the drivers?

Thanks for any help!
 
Right now the 2 best cards on the market are the GF4 and the Radeon 8500, I personally prefer the GF4.

As for canadian prices your best bet would be to check local computer shops and such, just look in your phone book and start calling, I've found ordering over the web is just not good for somethings and you also save the shipping and handling.

As for installing, first thing to do is check and see if your card is AGP or PCI, easy way to tell is to read your mobo manual or look in the computer the AGP slot will 9 times out of 10 be all the way on the right and set forward more then the other slots. Installation is a breeze, pop card in install drivers and your done :)

one thing to take into consideration if you have an older computer is to goto your mobo makers website or check your manual and see if your mobo is AGP 2.0 compliant as the newer cards require this.

hope that helps :)
 
ok, what is "mobo"
and i have a P3 550mhz, so it should be fine
 
also, gf4 is really expensive, is
Gainward GeForce3 PowerPack Ti/450 good? i don't need a perfect video card, just a better one than i have now (to play spiderman =)), do i need to know if i have an AGP or PCI card before i buy it? or do i need to know which i have and buy the same kind? thanks for all your help!
 
ok agp slots are brown and smaller than pci slots(white)
you need a agp slot for a decent video card. The gf4 is the best, and also the most expensive. If you want to go and compare prices i suggest www.newegg.com, they have never done me wrong, kick ass shipping and service....good luck ;)
 
ok, thanks, now i just need to know:
do i need to find out if i have agp or pci before i get the card? or will the card fit in both?
 
you need to find out first AGP won't fit in PCI and PCI won't fit in AGP :p
 
ok, thanks,
mines on PCI bus 1, can i get any video card for PCI? or do they just come for AGP ? all computers have some AGP slots, right? can i just take out the card from the PCI and put the new (AGP one) into the AGP slot? will that work fine?
 
that will work fine as long as your mobo(motherboard) has an agp slot. some older ones dont. make sure to check your documentation before u buy. most cards come in agp these days

ps where u from in canada?? i can direct u to some good local shops in richmond/vancouver if you are from around here
 
ok, thanks, i live in vancouver so what are some good computer stores in the area?
also, too bad the Canucks lost on Sunday :(
 
dont worry about the nucks my friend. I was concerned after their two wins cuz it didnt look like they had much offense going...just getting lucky. But there defensive play has been exceptional. I am loving the penalty killing right now...they are pressuring the wings and not giving them time to shoot especially from the point. Im less concerned about the offense since the 3rd period of the last game...they really turned it up. but it seems the dominator is back in the zone so it should make for an interesting rest of the series.

Anywayz...back to business

ive shopped at a few places.... there is only one in vancouver that ive shopped at called ATIC computers . Their prices are good...buts its far for me cuz i live in surrey. Now beware...pretty much anything u buy at any of these shops will have a very limited or no return policy unless defective, so if you change your mind...too bad. Its not a problem for me cuz i know what i want before i get it.

Another good place is A-power but its in richmond on bridgeport rd. Ive shopped there a few times and have had no problems.

One more is ACrazy . They are also on bridgeport about a block away. Ive shopped here once and the guy there was super nice. they have good deals too. As a matter of fact...just drive down bridgeport near these stores and you will find dozens of computer shops.

Now i know of one more shop calledAnitec . Its in vancouver on kingsway, but ive never shopped there. From their website they seem to have the best prices overall with the exception of a few things, but their selection isnt huge. Acrazy and ATIC seem to have the best selection.

You wont notice a big difference in price between the places (~$10-$15 at most for the expensive stuff) and some of the places do price matches so that shouldnt be a prob. Just take a look at the sites and see what u are looking for and send em an email if u have a question. They are very prompt with replys. Dont forget about the retun policy. Make sure to ask if u are not sure. Im sure you'll notice a huge price diffence between these places and a place like futureshop (i hate them with a passion) and london drugs (i actually like them). You'll save a few more bucks if you get the OEM version (wont come with any instrucitons or a box), but for someone like u who doenst have a lot of experience i dont know if that would be the best idea ;)

give me a shout if you have any more questions:)
 
...

ken, if you get a Ge-Force 4 card, get one of the Ti series, I got a Ge-Force 4 MX 440, would have been happier with an ATi Radeon 8500, which was the same price.
 
i just looked quickly and it looks like u might have some trouble finding a pci card at these places..did you check if you have an AGP port on your motherboard?? Do you know which motherboard u have? Ill take a better look for pci cards later...off to right my last final exam before summer vacation:D
 
Originally posted by wassup_ken
also, gf4 is really expensive, is
Gainward GeForce3 PowerPack Ti/450 good?

Yes the G3 Ti is a great card but, why go there when you can get the GF4 TI4200. It kicks the GF3 ass and it comes in 64 & 128 ddr flavors. [$179-$199]. If you look around you can probably find a good deal. This card was made to replace the 3's and from what I've read the Nvidia is thinking about phasing out the 3's because this card goes for the same price and does so much more.
 
i'd agree. you're better off going with a geforce 4 ti-200. its the best bang for your buy right now.
 
ok, thanks for all the help guys, i don't know if i have an AGP slot and my computer is all packed up inside the table so i can't check right now, i have a Dell Dimension XPS T550, anyone know if it has AGP card slots?? thanks!
 
ok, thanks soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much man!!
 
and i'll have to get a card with AGP 1.0 then, cuz thats what i have
 
i have a Geforce 3 ti 500 and i love it.. but would love to seee what a GF4 can do :) a good website to check prices is www.pricewatch.com they find the cheapest prices for you :)
 

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