Does anyone have a suggestion to what video card i can upgrade to with an old dell dimension 3000? i just installed windows 7 home premium 32 bit and I'm having a major resolution issues. the computer is old, so I'm looking to spend 30-40 clams. i have no idea what will work/fit, so any suggestions would be much appreciated!
Thanks,
Lost
Looks like this is it, Visiontek 3450 with 512mb VISIONTEK 3450 PCI 512MB DMS59 SFF DDR2 Dual Monitor SFF-Short + Tall brackets : Desktop Accessories | Dell
The easiest way is to take the side of the case off and see what kind of graphics slot you have available. If it is an AGP slot, you'll have a lot more options.
One of these,
Newegg.com - EVGA 512-P1-N402-LR GeForce 6200 512MB 64-bit DDR2 PCI 2.1 Video Card
might find it cheaper if you shop around or can find a used one.
So after a few weeks of busy work, final got the recommend video card above. Opened the package tonight and the card doesn't fit! I'm now noticing that the box it came in doesn't say "ddr2 dual monitor sff-short tall bracket.
Here's what it says :
Visiontek radeon 512 mb 3450 dms59 b2 pci m#900292.
As you can see by my username, I am "lost". Did I get the wrong card? I could have sworn it was the same thing when I ordered it. I got it from a website called "techforless.com".
OEM software is tied to the motherboard that it is first installed on Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - Operating Systems
That version listed above will die with the motherboard....you have no right of transfer to a newer system...(However if you are a good story teller, you can call Microsoft and they MIGHT/MAYBE let it be activated on a different system)....A old Dell system is not a good candidate for OEM software:)
If the board is short enough a computer repair shop can change out the bracket for a nominal fee:)
Last edited by Ivan the SoSo; 20 Dec 2011 at 21:52. Reason: answer question
The only problem with going to a PCI video card verses the onboard video with this model is the AGP texture acceleration. Found in the the Direct X information & setup screen. (click Start/ run/ type dxdiag / enable-disable agp text accel.
AGP texture acceleration is a must when using 2d-3d graphic applications. When trying to run some applications without it the program will crash right back to the desktop screen. Some applications will just not work at all without it.
The BIOS in this model has a video memory adjustment. But it is based on a percentage of total RAM.
The more RAM you have , the higher your video memory adjustment can go. So depending on what you use the computer for, it may be more benificial to increase the memory to get better graphics , than to change to a card with out some of the benefits you have already.
Also make sure you have the latest Direct x version.
Windows 7 on that model will not use Direct X 10 or 11. I believe with the onboard video, DX-9c is the limit.. Also if you can, use a PCI mounted sound card (even if it's just a cheap one) so you don't use up system resources (cpu & ram) with the onboard audio application).
Documentation
Documentation
Documentation
Here is a page from TIGER DIRECT with more detailed pics and 3/4 down the page is a diagram with the different types of video card slots.
Although I may be wrong, it looks more like an AGP than a PCI card . but then again, does two sections fit in the long area of the PCI slot
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...oductresources
Last edited by MrYouMrTube; 20 Dec 2011 at 23:01.
The card is listed there as "low profile ready". You may have to come up with the half-height bracket. (I hope that they included the DMS59 to dual DVI adapter. You'll need one of those too.) A quick look at the techforless web site suggests that they don't guarantee that you'd get anything other than the card itself.
A quick check at www.newegg.com showed a number of PCI half-height cards that support DirectX 10, 10.1, and 11. (DX9 support is necessary but maybe not sufficient to support Aero Glass.) They aren't especially cheap, though: approx. $100 and up.
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