anyone here good with computers?

I need to find out if my motherboard can handle a different card.

first I need to know how to find out what kind of mother board I have, is there a way to do that, without having to take the PC apart?

(this relates to SL, in the sense a better card = better SL)

I did not post in the tech section because (like everyone else) this place gets the most traffic

Thanks in advance and hopefully someone can help

(I feel so stupid when it comes to this stuff)

I found something called PC Wizard that tells you everything you want to know about your machine, it's very easy to use. It's free,

http://www.cpuid.com/pcwizard.php

awesome thank you

I tried looking at the dxdiag info and that got me lost LOL

edited to add

got it, downloaded it and WOW

now I am more than lost LOL

lots of info that, this should help

now to surf the web and find the card site and see if it can handle a specific card (hubby's dad loaned him the money to get a new PC, and he got a card too, so I will be getting the one that came with the PC as long as it is not an onboard one.. that will piss me off if it is LOL)

I used Everest and Belarc - although the one Brenda has suggested does the same thing.

Once you know your motherboard model, you will need to find the manual for it on the manufacturers website. This shouldn't be a problem, although remember that some motherboards use different designations. For example, both diagnostic tools I used identified my motherboard as the MSI-7173, however MSI didn't have this model listed. After much googling I found that it was also designated as the MSI RC410M too.

As mentionned in a thread of mine on memory upgrades however, the manufacturers specs are not always 100% reliable. My motherboard's manual says it supports 2gb of memory, but infact only recognises one of my two 1gb DIMMS.

Good luck.


These are probably not the most recent versions, as they are just taken from my browser bookmarks, and it was over a year ago that I downloaded them. They should still work though.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.h... for everest
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html for belarc

maybe tomorrow you can call the Geek Squad and see if they can talk you through it. i forget which retail store they work through, but i heard they are helpful to everyone who contacts them.

if I try to put the card in, and the mobo has a slot that the card will fit into, is it a good bet that is the right slot?

(have not opened it yet as hubby still has not switched out his cards, so this could all be for naught, if his card is onboard, which I hope it isn't)

You don't actually say what sort of card you mean. I'll assume you mean a graphics card, since you mention wanting to run SL better.

These come in several form factors, but AGP and PCI-Express (sometimes shortened to PCI-E) are the two main ones these days. If you can find the motherboard manual now that you have identified it, it will tell you if it has a PCI-Express slot, and should also have a diagram of the motherboard which tells you which slot it is.

Have you identified your motherboard now?
If so, have found the manual? If not, would you like some help finding it?

That PC Wizzard you downloaded will tell you what kind of slots you have........and if any are open (available). The three graphics card slots are AGP (not too many computers have those any more), PCI, and PCI Express (PCIe). And yes, if the card will fit it's the proper slot.........but I suppose you could force a wrong hardware card in the improper slot but you'd know it. Different size and pin alignment for each slot......rather hard to make that mistake.

oops yes video

I thought I typed that in

that is what I get for having my brain go faster than my fingers

well I am researching, getting no where but at least trying heh

this is the info I get from that pc wizard thing

Manufacturer : Intel Corporation (Intel)
Product : D865GLC
Version : AAC28705-409

did a search for intel D865GLC and found what I think is the manual, and am looking through that now

I am such a ditz with this stuff


the card I want to put in (is possibly the ATI x3850)

basically that is what I was wondering, slots do not mimic each other

It will also say on the box for the card if it is AGP or PCI-E. PCI-E is the most recent type, but AGPx8 still has plenty of life left in it yet. But yes, if the card fits in the slot without needing to be forced, then it is more than likely the right one. Obviously, you will have to open the computer to put it in, and the motherboard will have printed on the board itself next to the slot what it is (normally). You may aswell just open it and have a look, to be honest - so long as you don't touch anything you'll be fine.

If you do open it, do the following before touching any component;
Disconnect the power (I know it's obvious, but some people need it spelling out)
Press the power button and hold it in for a few seconds to disperse any residual charge.
Touch something that is earthed to disperse any static charge in your fingers.

That last point is the tricky bit. In the UK, I would just touch the bottom of my radiator, as
building regulations require properties to be earthed. However, I don't know where in the world you are and so can't say if your property is earthed or not.

oh yeah, definitely, I am bad for static buildup, so I always have to make sure I am grounded

I need to get a grounding strap

PS I am in the USA

I usually just ground out on the case or my desk, anything to disperse the static buildup will do it

When you take the side off, lay the computer on a wooden table or maybe glass...something nonconductive. Touch the side of the case with one hand and maybe touch a metal part of your TV set or a lamp.......or just hold your hand on the case for a few seconds. The whole purpose is to discharge any static electricity you might have stored up in your body.......you know, like when you drag your feet on a nylon carpet and kiss hubby?

The slot you are looking for will be located near the bottom of the computer tower and will line up with one of the removable slots on the back side of the case back.

And while you have that case all opened it would be a great time to get a can of compressed air and blow all that accumulated dust out.......blow everything, even the fans. Just don't get the nozzle so close to the components that the air coming out condenses on stuff. That's not good.

I am currently using a NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 video card

may get the ATI x3850, or the GeForce 8800 GT

are both of these cards better than my current one? (I know the 8800 is)

and will both work in my PC?

(still lost) but learning some stuff

I blow out mine about once every 3 months, gets real dusty here in arizona
(and I also keep it off of the floor)

Yes, these are both good cards. Better than my new one *sniff*

Whether they will work all depends on whether you have the appropriate slot. They are fairly recent cards, so will probably be PCI-E (although manufacturers are still making AGP cards). As long as you have a PCI-E slot for them they will work.

There is, I'm afraid, the issue of power consumption. They will probably require a 400w power supply. Most off-the-shelf PCs tend to ship with 300w or 350w. Not a big deal if you are not running lots of optical drives and harddrives too, but there could be a problem with cooling if you try to run too many devices of an insufficient power supply.

My graphics card says it needs a 400w power supply, and I have been running it on a 300w power supply for two months now without it even getting warm.

I am still looking at the info in that manual thing

I have no idea if it has that slot LOL

by the way, thank you all for helping me with this, I feel like such a dummy and had no where else to turn to (hubby is about as knowledgeable as I am)
his brother... even worse LOL

Both are better. But if they will work depends on the slots you have available in your computer vs the card's requirement. The card is probably PCI or PCI e. If you have the matching slot it will work.

are PCI and PCIe slots the same erm.. shape/size?

still waiting to see which card hubby is gonna use, then try the other in my PC

might end up being tomorrow or the weekend

we are gonna be playing musical PC's here this weekend

hubby got a new one, brother in law is taking the bulk of hubbies old one (exchanging HD's and pray that it works) then the boys will get brother in law's old one, AND try to get there existing one working, if need be, use my old case... just need to see which is a better power supply in it...

blech heh

(and brother in law doesn't know how to change out a HD so guess who gets to do that)
at least I know how to undo a screw LOL

From Intel's website:

How many expansion slots does the Desktop Board D865GLC contain?

The Desktop Board D865GLC has three dedicated PCI connectors and one Universal 0.8/1.5 V AGP 3.0 connector (with integrated retention mechanism) supporting 1x, 4x, and 8x AGP cards. All PCI slots support bus-mastering devices.

==

This means you should look for an AGP card. newegg.com has a number of Nvidia-based 7600 AGP cards; this is likely to be one of the fastest video cards you'll find that is still in the AGP format.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=7600+agp&x=0&y=0

P2

thanks for the info


not looking to buy a card

hubby just got a new system and purchased a card, he may use the new one in which case I get the one that came with his system, or he uses the one with his system and I get the new one (listed in a previous post)