Buying my first video card. Ideas?

TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
edited February 2005 in Hardware
My Dell Dimension 2100 has on board video. I think that uses the main system memory, right?

Well, it's generally okay except when I'm playing high bit rate video or bump the resolution to 1280 by whatever as compared to my usual 800 by 600 setting. It can't handle it. Jerky video, pixelation, etc. Sound plays fine.

I have an open PCI slot on the MB, so I may go to Comp USA or Circuit City and buy a video card. Any good brands to pick? Under $50? Under $30?

I'm thinking 16 MB or 32 MB or even 64 MB will be good, but since I don't play video games and only have a weak little Celeron 1.1 anyhow, I don't need some huge fancy video card.

AND - I'm also building a computer for someone else right now, and I need a decent video card for it also. More suggestions? It'll be a 500-800 Mhz Pentium 3.

Comments

  • TheBaronTheBaron Austin, TX
    edited November 2003
    alright well first i'm very surprised your board doesn't have an agp slot, i guess thats what you get with old dells. but still my 400mhz aptiva even has an agp slot. if you see your PCI slots, they ought to be white, and there should be a brownish one if you have agp. for PCI video cards these would be my choices

    1) $100 nvidia geforceFX 5200 / ATI Radeon 9200SE
    2) $50 powercoler ati radeon 7000

    prices are from newegg, i'd suggest you order from there instead of buying it in a retail chain... or they'll rip you off

    i really cant recommend anything below that
  • WuGgaRoOWuGgaRoO Not in the shower Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    the problem here tim is that u have an opened pci slot...most graphics cards require that u use an agp slot
    (seriously speakign)
    do you know the difference? Are u sure its a pci not an agp?
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    I think the best bang for you buck would be a Radeon 7000 PCI. It is fast enough to do what you want with ease as well as having good copor and picture rendering qualities. Lees would not be enough of an improvement and more in your case would be overkill unless you wanted the 64Mb version. I would stay away from the FX line as you won't get as much for your buck.
  • CAGCAG Boca Raton, Florida
    edited November 2003
    Tim:

    You might want to peruse this, particularly the "Technical Specifications" http://docs.us.dell.com/docs/systems/dim2100/index.htm but I am almost certain that the Dimension 2100 will not take an AGP graphics card.

    P.S. I did my graduate work at the University of Pittsburgh. Are you from anywhere around there?
  • TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    CAG - thanks for the link. As you can see, my system sucks.

    Yes, I know the difference between a PCI and an AGP slot. My Dell has 4 PCIs and no AGPs. Any MB we buy for the other system may have an AGP slot, in which case we'll buy an AGP video card.

    But are there any PCI video cards I can put in my 2100?
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    Look in the link in my post above. ;)
  • CAGCAG Boca Raton, Florida
    edited November 2003
    Tim:

    Check out the link that mtgoat posted and also look here http://support.dell.com/us/en/docs/index.asp?cc=8 Click on "PCI Adaptor" and I think it gives you a list of the compatible cards. But I'm not sure of this and its likely that Dell's list isn't complete (I don't see the Radeon 7000 PCI on it). But the Radeon 7000 PCI that mtgoat posted looks like a good card for what you want and it would be my suggestion to go with that and, if it doesn't work out, take it back.

    For the other system you're building, maybe an ATI Radeon 9200 or 9600 but check out the system requirements for these cards first at www.ati.com
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    I've done several "last ditch upgrades" for customers with onboard video and no AGP slot, and I use the PCI Radeon 7000 every time. It's a fantastic card for $40 or whatever it costs. It will be the best card you can put in that machine.
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    Hey Tim! You really can't go wrong with the Radeon 7000 these guys are suggesting, unless you get this one instead ($6 less, made by Sapphire):
    (url removed)

    Or this one (Also $45, but made by Sapphire and has 64MB RAM instead of 32):
    (url removed)

    And if you get your video card from Newegg, don't forget to get your free T-Shirt!

    I've had PowerColor cards, and I've had Sapphire cards, and I thought that the Sapphire was better. Then again, the PowerColor I had was anemic because it was underclocked...

    //edit: both cards can be found here, the 32MB PCI version is $39, and the 64MB PCI version is $45... (thanks CAG)
    http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=BROWSE&manufactory=1561&depa=1
  • CAGCAG Boca Raton, Florida
    edited November 2003
    To GHoosdum: When I click on the links you posted, I get "Search string can not be space" and then some search boxes.

    To All: I read somewhere about "low profile" cards for Dimensions. Dell uses proprietary cases and I'm wondering if the 7000 PCI would fit.
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    I edited the post with a good link... the two PCI cards in question are about halfway down the page on newegg.

    And man, that is really shady of Dell to do that!
  • CAGCAG Boca Raton, Florida
    edited November 2003
    GHoosdum had this to say
    And man, that is really shady of Dell to do that!

    From a market standpoint, Dell is to the pc what Intel is to the cpu and MS is to the OS. Need I say more?
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited November 2003
    Tim, how high are the metal brackets for the cards? If they're low profile cars, they'll only be like 2" tall, as I recall...
  • CAGCAG Boca Raton, Florida
    edited November 2003
    Tim:

    I posted in the Dell support forum re the 7000 PCI and here is the response http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=dim_video&message.id=72700 Enjoy your new card.
  • TimTim Southwest PA Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    Thanks for all the answers so far. I'll definitely look into the Radeon 7000 PCI card. It's got to be better than the integrated graphics I have now.

    The PCI card slots in my case appear to be standard size, about 4" tall.

    Whenever I get some cash, my next system will be custom built. I'll buy all the parts I want and do it myself. No more of this proprietary BS from Dell, like their power supplies / MB's.

    Just to review my current specs:

    Dell 2100
    Celeron 1.1
    384 MB of PC100 SDRAM (133 Mhz memory chips, but has a 100 Mhz MB / processor bus speed)
    145 watt power supply
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited November 2003
    Wouldn't a GFFX5200 128MB or 256MB card be faster than the 7000? I swear I've seen 256MB PCI cards...
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    Tim
    With your current specs you should see a nice increase in graphics performance with that card.

    Geeky
    If you read back at the beginning, he doesn't want it for gaming.
  • MarcusWelbyMDMarcusWelbyMD
    edited February 2005
    I stumbled on this site and have a PC configuration similar to Tim. I took the advice given here e.g. purchased and installed the Radeon 7000 PCI 64MB card. It worked fine. Thanks to all for the good advice! Tim - this thread is old - so you have probably upgraded since it was started. I still have my Dell Dimension 2100 and am happy with it.
  • JimboraeJimborae Newbury, Berks, UK New
    edited February 2005
    Another "Holy Thread Revival", what's going on today. ;D
  • djstubbsdjstubbs NJ
    edited February 2005
    If I were you I'd save for a new computer instead of buying an inexpensive video card.
Sign In or Register to comment.