Posts: 16
Threads: 7
Joined: Sep 2003
09-28-2004, 06:24 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-28-2004, 06:46 PM by Dethseeker.)
I an considering buying a ATI Technologies Radeon 9200 128m graphics card cause:
I need a better card!
It's not too exspensive...
The problem is I have never installed something like this on a pre-built computer. This is a 2350 Dell with 1.8 Ghz cpu w/ 512 ram. My concerns:
Drivers - I am not sure how to remove the existing drivers for the old graphics card. I am assuming you would have to remove them before installing the new card to prevent any conflict.
The card - Is this a decent card for $80? I want to play some of the newer games as well as DII in 3D mode, which I never have.
As for more exspesive cards, I am not willing to pay for them, $80 - $100 is my price range :)
Edit: Didn't even think about add/remove programs :P Will that remove all the old drivers?
US East Hardcore Ladder
Posts: 372
Threads: 22
Joined: Sep 2003
Dethseeker,Sep 28 2004, 02:24 PM Wrote:I an considering buying a ATI Technologies Radeon 9200 128m graphics card cause:
I need a better card!
It's not too exspensive...
The problem is I have never installed something like this on a pre-built computer. This is a 2350 Dell with 1.8 Ghz cpu w/ 512 ram. My concerns:
Drivers - I am not sure how to remove the existing drivers for the old graphics card. I am assuming you would have to remove them before installing the new card to prevent any conflict.
The card - Is this a decent card for $80? I want to play some of the newer games as well as DII in 3D mode, which I never have.
As for more exspesive cards, I am not willing to pay for them, $80 - $100 is my price range :)
Edit: Didn't even think about add/remove programs :P Will that remove all the old drivers?
[right][snapback]56635[/snapback][/right]
I'll answer a few questions. If your pre-built computer has an AGP slot, and the new Radeon is AGP, then it
should be able to be installed without a fuss. Likewise, so too should the drivers. The old driver won't be used, if the old hardware isn't installed, so no worries there.
As far as what card to buy, I'm not really the guy for that. I'm still running my GeFroce 4 Ti4200, and I'm quite happy with it.
So, to be sure, you should pop open your case and see if the video card is AGP (it better well should be!) and that it is removable. I've seen it where they glue the damn pieces to the motherboard, or that the video is on-board, and there are no AGP slots.
"Yay! We did it!"
"Who are you?"
"Um, uh... just ... a guy." *flee*
Posts: 106
Threads: 10
Joined: Feb 2003
09-28-2004, 07:51 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-28-2004, 07:51 PM by smithy.)
Dethseeker,Sep 28 2004, 01:24 PM Wrote:I an considering buying a ATI Technologies Radeon 9200 128m graphics card cause:
I need a better card!
It's not too exspensive...
The problem is I have never installed something like this on a pre-built computer. This is a 2350 Dell with 1.8 Ghz cpu w/ 512 ram. My concerns:
Drivers - I am not sure how to remove the existing drivers for the old graphics card. I am assuming you would have to remove them before installing the new card to prevent any conflict.
The card - Is this a decent card for $80? I want to play some of the newer games as well as DII in 3D mode, which I never have.
As for more exspesive cards, I am not willing to pay for them, $80 - $100 is my price range :)
Edit: Didn't even think about add/remove programs :P Will that remove all the old drivers?
[right][snapback]56635[/snapback][/right]
Drivers : Your current drivers should be removeable from the add/remove programs menu. If they aren't, you will have to check with your current card's manufacturer.
Card : I have no idea.
Try this
If your motherboard has an agp slot, I am
almost certain any AGP graphics card will be compatible (sp?).
Good luck!
Smithy
Posts: 16
Threads: 7
Joined: Sep 2003
Love the link. Great prices there! Think I may go with a 9600, but first I have to go home and rip the cover off my computer to make sure it's apg. I am almost positive it is, but I know dell has a bad habit of having those intel intergrated graphics chips :angry:
US East Hardcore Ladder
9200 is a bad card. Get a 9600.
Posts: 10
Threads: 0
Joined: Dec 2003
I'm running a 9200 and I find it works well, but is not for your hardcore gamer wanting to run Doom 3 on top graphics settings :P
DII runs well in 3D mode and my friend who has exactly the same card, but slightly worse 'peripherals' (sp?) has played Doom 3 on his computer with little to no lag (albeit on lowest graphics settings).
I do not have much knowledge pertaining to drivers so I will leave that up to others with more knowledge :blink:
SD
Posts: 7,955
Threads: 286
Joined: Feb 2003
Dethseeker,Sep 28 2004, 01:24 PM Wrote:...
Drivers - I am not sure how to remove the existing drivers for the old graphics card. I am assuming you would have to remove them before installing the new card to prevent any conflict.
The card - Is this a decent card for $80? I want to play some of the newer games as well as DII in 3D mode, which I never have.
When you install Catalyst, it installs to a directory like "C:\ATI\SUPPORT\wxp-w2k-catalyst-7-94-030917m-011434c"... Each version of Catalyst drivers you install will install to a new directory. Each has a setup.exe that will override the current installed drivers, so you can go from 4.9 to 4.2, and back if you need to (as I recently did to fix the SWKOTOR atioglxx.dll problem.) If you had old geForce drivers installed, no problem, XP will ignore them as they do not match any installed hardware. I would ignore them unless they are a problem.
ATI 9200 for $60 is too high if you live in the USA.
I know you said $100, but
this card is pretty nice for $133 + S/H.
Or,
this one for $65 + S/H.
”There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." - Hamlet (1.5.167-8), Hamlet to Horatio.
![[Image: yVR5oE.png]](http://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/329/yVR5oE.png)
![[Image: VKQ0KLG.png]](http://i.imgur.com/VKQ0KLG.png)
