Phew, it feels good to finally be back onto these forums... I have a TERRIBLE video card on my computer right now (an integrated intel i810 card... i believe that it has 4 mb of memory on the card, so it doent get TOO much worse than that...) and I am contemplating whether or not to upgrade that blasted card to a nicer one...
My computer is a 1.1ghz pentium3 (a Dell, please forgive me for not building my own :rolleyes: ) with 512mb of ddram, and it is running everything beautifully... except for my 3d graphics, that is!
The computer has no AGP slot, and this card on newegg.com looks promising: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?description=14-133-045 but I have a few questions about it before I go ahead and buy it...
1. Adding a PCI card onto a computer with integrated graphics doesn't cause any problems with operating, does it??
2. Also, has anyone had any complaints/problems/issues with gentoo with that card or a card very similiar to that one?
3. How are newegg's prices?? 58 bucks w/ free shipping for a 64 mb card seemed really good, but is there any better websites for buying peripherals than that one??
Thanks in advance for all of your input!
bascule
07-05-2003, 02:23 PM
First things first, there isn't usually a problem running the OS with two cards, you just disable the onboard chip in the BIOS, nice and easy
Gentoo shouldn't have a problem with that card as nVidias new drivers seem pretty good, they are only really interested in kernel headers.
The price seems about right, though I am only half knowledgeable about .UK prices.
Best I can do
TheSpeedoBeast
07-05-2003, 02:26 PM
Ok, awesome! I would have never of though of checking the bios for turning off the video card... thanks for the idea though!! I am going to go reboot quick though and check this out... keep the responses coming though! Thanks, all!
mdwatts
07-05-2003, 02:36 PM
Originally posted by TheSpeedoBeast
Keep the responses coming though! Thanks, all!
That should be all you need as most here would recommend getting a Nvidia video card and to disable the onboard video in the bios.
If Linux still tries to detect and use the onboard, use
lspci
to get the BusID and ensure that is defined in your X config. The BusID should be covered in the Nvidia Linux driver readme on their site.
Section "Device"
BoardName "GeForce3 Ti 200"
BusID "1:5:0"
TheSpeedoBeast
07-05-2003, 02:46 PM
All right, that sounds good then, I will probably end up getting this card, unless anyone has any complaints with this particular device, and could suggest a better one for around 50-65 dollars... And does anyone have a good grasp of whether or not 58 bucks for that card is a reasonable price? I have actually never purchased a vid card before, so I am pretty in the dark on this one, and don't know what websites (or retail stores, i guess..) are ideal to shop at... Thank y'all, the responses have been beaut' so far!
mdwatts
07-05-2003, 02:55 PM
Just get the best PCI based Nvidia video card that is supported and you can afford.
TheSpeedoBeast
07-05-2003, 02:58 PM
Alrighty, sounds like a plan! I have like 3 paychecks sitting around waiting to be cashed, so I am going to probably get on that as soon as I can... Thanks for all of your help guys, these forums are great! Keep it up everyone!
mdwatts
07-05-2003, 03:06 PM
Originally posted by TheSpeedoBeast
Alrighty, sounds like a plan! I have like 3 paychecks sitting around waiting to be cashed.
If you want to endorse them and send them to me, I'll cash them for you to save you the trouble. :D
BaVinic
07-05-2003, 03:15 PM
If you are worried about dealing with newegg.com, don't be, I have been dealing with them for about 19 months, and never once had a problem with anything I bought through them. and I am not kidding when I say I buy a lot from them.
As a matter of fact, with the exception of 4 cases, I have bought only from NewEgg.com for the past 15 months. you may find a cheaper price here and there, but not the service they give. and once you add in shipping, it ends up being cheaper at newegg.
and no, I don't own new egg ( hehehehehe )
BaVinic
TheSpeedoBeast
07-05-2003, 03:17 PM
If you want to endorse them and send them to me, I'll cash them for you to save you the trouble. :D
Oh, so you aren't only a linux guru, but you are a banker also!? Alright, what's you address, then?? This will save me like 48 cents on gas, so it must be worth it!! :p
If you are worried about dealing with newegg.com, don't be...
Oh, and i wasnt worried about newegg's customer service, i was just wondering what their prices were like, and with free shipping, it looked pretty bloody reasonable! I am probably going to jet on over to that website and order that card later today! Thx for the input!
TheSpeedoBeast
07-05-2003, 03:53 PM
Hmm just one more quick '?'... md, when you said that I should buy an nvidia card, does that mean ANY CARD with the nvidia chipset, or is there a certain brand (i.e. pny, 3dlabs, etc.) that I should go with for compatability with linux? Thanks for the patience!
mdwatts
07-05-2003, 04:03 PM
It doesn't really matter as they all use the same Nvidia chipset though some include different types of fans/heatsinks and software cd's in the package.
See if you can find a write up for the model you are considering that compares the different manufacturers (Pny, 3Dlabs etc.) TomsHardware ??
I did the same when I was looking at the ATI cards.
TheSpeedoBeast
07-06-2003, 09:36 AM
Sorry about sounding so paranoid about this purchase, but I found a really nice looking card for 60$ this time (this one has ddr memory instead!) but it seems kinda... offbrand-ish... I was just indecisive on whether or not this card could have any linux compatablility issues, or if, just because its based on the gf4 chipset, it should endure compatability either way... I am just not that secure feeling about this particular card... it isn't a well known brand (to me at least) so I dont know how well it has been documented, etc.; I will post a link here, so just let me know what you think about this particular card... Once again, thanks for everything, guys!
Looks fine to me as it does have the Nvidia chipset and will work with the X default 'nv' driver and the drivers 'nvidia' from Nvidia.
TheSpeedoBeast
07-06-2003, 11:40 AM
Alrighty, I am going to go ahead and buy that thing; I will keep you posted on how the purchase turns out! Thanks for the input; it helped a ton!!
TheSpeedoBeast
07-31-2003, 06:07 PM
Well, the video card purchase turned out beautifully; definately recommended for a budget video card! I toasted my partitions due to an error on my part (using outdated drivers) but I didn't RTFM, so I take full responsibility for my mistakes :p
I am currently re-compiling gentoo on my computer (and downloading the mandrake beta, just for testing!!) but somehow I have a good feeling about this card and its compatibility! Thanks to all who helped me out with this purchase, and I will continue keeping you all posted on it!
mdwatts
07-31-2003, 06:19 PM
Originally posted by TheSpeedoBeast
I didn't RTFM, so I take full responsibility for my mistakes :p
Tsk Tsk... now you know better. :D
Glad to see you are satisfied with your new video card. Happy Linuxing!!!
freakmn
07-31-2003, 06:25 PM
(I just reread this, and it seems like a bit of a rant, so please forgive me/feel free to ignore this post.)
I had the AGP version of the mx420, and it fit my needs well, at the time. I had a friend who had the PCI mx440, and he thought it worked ok, too. (Sidenote, he sold his computer to his sister's boyfriend, and I sold him mine, so now he has the mx420, and likes it, too.) But you must realize that it is a budget videocard on a budget mainboard. I say this because not only is the PCI slot much slower than AGP, but it's bandwisth is shared with all devices on the PCI bus. So having that soundcard and network card running at the same time is going to slow you down. I've always been a quality before quantity kind of guy, so I got myself a GeforceFX5600, but my little brother (who is not so little any more) is perfectly fine with his geforce4 ti4200.
Anyways, my point is: the video card is probably good enough for almost anything now (save high res UT2003), but it doesn't have a lot of the newer features built in to the hardware. That card will probably not run many games that come out in a few months (i.e. Doom 3). Had I seen this thread before today, I would have recommended a MB upgrade to AGP, and a geforce4 ti or better. But I understand money being an issue. It will be for me when the summer is over and I go back to college.
TheSpeedoBeast
08-02-2003, 01:11 PM
IMHO, a 3 year-old dell with a 1.1ghz pentium3 on it isnt worth having any too serious upgrades on it (i'd have to uppy the case too, as it only has one cd-sized slot... 5 1/2", i believe it is) I am not HEAVY into gaming, and i just wanted a little something over that integrated card so that I can do some warcrafting NOT in 600x800 resolution!! (can barely read any text in that resolution even...)
Also, this is my only box that I have, (and its starting to show its age) so I figure that I will start piecing together a new box about mid-april of 2004... it would set me back about 350usd to nab all of those things for this computer, so I figured that I would rather have 2 functioning boxes for about 300usd more... 2 boxes really helps you sit out those huge gentoo compiles :p
I understand what you are saying, but I will have another box on me for high-end gaming, etc within 7 months, so I will just let this one serve its purpose for the time being! Thanks for the rant though, it was worth hearing about how hardware-intensive the new software coming out is!!
Let me know what you think about this idea, ok??
freakmn
08-02-2003, 03:42 PM
Having another box around for gaming is a very good idea. I completely agree. I was under the assumption that having another was out of the question (many people think one computer per house is more than enough).
My family has 4 computers for 8 people (2 under 6yo). I've got one for myself, that I'm always trying some new dual boot on, One serving as a router/internet content filter/fileserver, my brother has one, and one for the rest of the family. There are many times when all 4 are in use (server can be used for internet). 2 have cheap video cards and 650mhz processors, so are not set up for real gaming. I know I compile SourceMage (www.sourcemage.org), and I go on another computer to use while that one is in use.
Also, if you ever do decide to upgrade your motherboard on the dell, be very careful with the power supply. Many, if not all, Dells use a nonstandard powersupply with a standard ATX connector (since ~1998). If you plug a new motherboard into that, you are going to see a lot of sparks flying, I'd imagine. I guess I should have mentioned it earlier, but it didn't click in my head first. There is an adaptor (http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/dellconverter.html) to fix that up, though.
So, if that suits your needs, go for it. I never meant to say that not having the latest hardware is a waste of money. It's like having a car. I drive my geo metro with no A/C, and some people think I'm crazy. Other people drive Subaru Baja's and I think they are crazy (aside: That is the ugliest car I have ever seen). It's all a matter of choice.
TheSpeedoBeast
08-02-2003, 05:53 PM
Yeah, our family has had a lot of computers running through here, but we unfortunately gave away/sold/whatever all of them up to our last two (my dad has a laptop, i have this one, and we have an old 300mhz pentiumII) before I was in realization of how much cool stuff you can do on an old comp with linux :)
Anyway, (sorry to anyone who came here wondering about video cards, I am gradually getting more and more OT, just let me know if you want me to start a new thread on this one) would everybody agree that is IS cheaper (part for part) to make your own computer than buying it from a manufacturer? I have been doing a LITTLE research on the topic, and I really havent noticed much of a difference between the prices... although I may not have been comparing similar MOBOs/cases/system caches; I know that it would be EASIER to get it from the manufacturer, but I am always up for saving a few bucks on anything! Just let me know what your stand on this is, alrighty!?
(p.s. totally agree on the baja comment; I would take my $3000 (used) 1999 chevy lumina over a new one of those any day! that whole 'pickup truck on a car chassis' thing isn't working for me!)
freakmn
08-03-2003, 03:39 AM
If you started a new thread, you may get more replies, but what I do know is that if you do save a little money or effort by buying a computer, you lose a lot in the quality department. For instance, that dell you started this post about. No AGP on a motherboard for a >1Ghz machine? I got AGP standard on a cheap motherboard for my Athlon 600 when they were new. I build all my own, and some for other people. Then I know that what's in there comes from a reputable dealer, and I know what features I have. The only quality pre-built computers I have seen are very high end, such as alienware, and you pay by the fistful for those. Feel free to PM me if you want more of my opinion. Others may or may not want to know all this stuff.
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