Aero effects dont work with my video card?

Swordmaster · May 22, 2009

hey, well i installed Windows 7 32-bit a few days ago. but i noticed that none of the transparency, peek, or anything else like that works. I went to Personalize> Troubleshoot problems and it told me "The current video card may support Aero with a different driver." Is there anything I can download to make Aero work?

My video driver:
SiS 651_661FX_741_760_M661FX_M661MX_M741_M760

My PC:
HP Pavillion a810n

12eason · May 22, 2009

It's dx8.1, so no. You have a spare agp slot though, get something off ebay.

Products > Desktop PC Chipsets > AMD 64 Chipsets > SiS760

Swordmaster · May 22, 2009

would adding another chip to the computer make 3D games and such better?

YupYup · May 22, 2009

Yes adding a AGP video card will give you better 3d performance as long as you don't buy the lower end cards. Here are some examples so you can get an idea on price.

ikilledkenny · May 22, 2009

I highly recommend the first one.

With that card, you can get a good framerate and decent visuals in most of the latest 3D games. I can't say that you can run it smoothly with all highs, but you could crank it up to medium and still enjoy the game.

Swordmaster · May 22, 2009

alright, thanks a lot guys

torrentg · May 23, 2009

HIS Radeon HD 3850 IceQ 3 Turbo Video Card - 512MB GDDR3, AGP 8x, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, HDMI Support H385Q512ANP at TigerDirect.com

yes, you want it.

12eason · May 23, 2009

Seriously, I would not spend that kind of money on a graphics card for a system that will be clearly out matched by it. You'll run into problems with the power supply for one.

You could pick up something on ebay for less than $30 that would run aero quite comfortably and would slot straight in without any hassle. Anything at or above a Geforce 6 series or Ati X1** series would be fine for most purposes.

Obviously you won't be breaking any framerate records, but something tells me that's not really an issue for you, since you'd probably know all this stuff already if it was.

Swordmaster · May 23, 2009

ah ok. thank you for the help but theres 3 more questions i have.
1.) I found this video card for $24 on eBay. Would it work for my computer?
NVIDIA GeForce 8400GS Video Card 256MB DVI PCI Express

2.) Would this work better than the first? (This was $33)
NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT Video Card 256MB DVI PCI Express

3.) How can you tell what video cards will work?

My computer: HP Pavillion a810n

12eason · May 23, 2009

Those are both PCI Express cards, you need an AGP card.

ikilledkenny · May 23, 2009

Swordmaster said:
ah ok. thank you for the help but theres 3 more questions i have.
1.) I found this video card for $24 on eBay. Would it work for my computer?
NVIDIA GeForce 8400GS Video Card 256MB DVI PCI Express

2.) Would this work better than the first? (This was $33)
NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT Video Card 256MB DVI PCI Express

3.) How can you tell what video cards will work?

1) If it's $24, don't get it. It's also on eBay, so don't get it. And no, you need AGP or PCI, not PCIE. It's also a bad gaming card.
2) It would work better (not in your computer, for the same reason as above), but it's still not a good card.
3)Video cards come use different slots. A video card should work if you buy it new. If you but one used (not reccomended), it is more likely to not work than to work well. Also, an AGP card will not fit in a PCI, PCIE, or a PCIEx16 slot.

All in all, go with the Radeon 3850. It's AGP, and it is better than the two nVidia cards that you suggested.

Also suggested, upgrade your RAM. 7 must hog a lot of it if you only have 512MB. Bump that up to a GB (no more than 2GB, as your computer does not support it). Your computer uses DDR RAM, so make sure you don't buy DDR2/3. I really don't like that processor. If you can, try to get a newer one that runs on Socket 754 (preferably a dual-core processor). Your hard drive seems fine. DVD drive is good. Sound is good.

Looks like your set. If you take my advice, than your computer will run Windows 7 really well.

Swordmaster · May 23, 2009

ikilledkenny said:
Also suggested, upgrade your RAM. 7 must hog a lot of it if you only have 512MB. Bump that up to a GB (no more than 2GB, as your computer does not support it). Your computer uses DDR RAM, so make sure you don't buy DDR2/3. I really don't like that processor. If you can, try to get a newer one that runs on Socket 754 (preferably a dual-core processor). Your hard drive seems fine. DVD drive is good. Sound is good.

Looks like your set. If you take my advice, than your computer will run Windows 7 really well.

hmm well I have upgraded my RAM to 1.5 gigs, and i have also bought a 1 TB external HD. the only problem really is aero effects not showing up so i dont believe i need an AMAZING video card.

12eason said:
Seriously, I would not spend that kind of money on a graphics card for a system that will be clearly out matched by it. You'll run into problems with the power supply for one.

You could pick up something on ebay for less than $30 that would run aero quite comfortably and would slot straight in without any hassle. Anything at or above a Geforce 6 series or Ati X1** series would be fine for most purposes.

Obviously you won't be breaking any framerate records, but something tells me that's not really an issue for you, since you'd probably know all this stuff already if it was.

i was thinking about getting the:
Nvidia GeForce 6200a 256 AGP Video Card

how would that do?

12eason · May 23, 2009

The 6200 is fine, but there has been one or two reports of the drivers not working correctly, although for most people they seem fine.

12eason · May 23, 2009

ikilledkenny said:
1) If it's $24, don't get it. It's also on eBay, so don't get it.

I forget Ebay varies from country to country, but here it's fairly safe to buy from so long as you are careful.

All in all, go with the Radeon 3850.

It also requires a 30amp 12v rail, which would need a new 500w psu.

If you can, try to get a newer one that runs on Socket 754 (preferably a dual-core processor).

lol. Maybe you should do some research?

torrentg · May 23, 2009

12eason said:
It also requires a 30amp 12v rail, which would need a new 500w psu.

Check my specs. I run on 350W psu with 2 IDE HDD in raid 1 also connected that I don't list. And that is while Firewire powering my MOTU audio interface.

This graphics card is awesome and can be overclocked to 810 MHz gpu and over 2300 MHz memory, easily out of the box. Plays H.A.W.X. on DX10 highest settings without stutters, if that's any indication.

As for the 6200, I have one in another machine. If the goal is to be gaming, I'd really have to say you want something better for sure. However, it handles Aero perfectly well.

12eason · May 23, 2009

You know when a cheap power supply fails on one rail, it will tend to spike the other rails and blow components all over the system. :eek:

Swordmaster · May 24, 2009

Just 1 more question...
I have DDR memory (RAM) and the video card i wanna get has:
256 MB GDDR2 memory

would this have any effect?

7Heaven · May 24, 2009

Don't like Aero Basic, check this out:
Guide How to change the colour of Windows 7 Basic - Windows 7 Center Forums

Swordmaster · May 24, 2009

Just 1 more question...
I have DDR memory (RAM) and the video card i wanna get has:
256 MB DDR2 memory

would this have any effect?

stormy13 · May 24, 2009

No it won't. One has nothing to do with the other.

Aero effects dont work with my video card?

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