Solved Graphics Card Upgrade For WinXP That Supports Window 7

[Lacene]

Hello, I have old computers that have worked like champs for me for years, but now computer manufacturers and programmers are leaving them behind!! I would like to upgrade them for Windows 7 while that OS is still supported by Microsoft and Firefox/Chrome browsers.

For starters, I have a Dell Dimension E310 desktop with WinXP HE SP-3 32-bit that has the Intel GMA 900 82915G/GV/910GL chipset that will need to be upgraded to support DirectX 9 and the Aero feature in Windows 7. What compatible cards are there for my PC - they don't have to be the latest/greatest nor very powerful - I'm thinking of cards that are older a bit themselves, just not as old as my incumbent card that will support Win7.

The graphics card seems to be my biggest hurdle for the OS upgrade: all hardware specs are good - 2.8 GHz CPU, 2GB memory, 500GB storage. My printer driver are not compatible but there may be an updated driver for that and anyways if not I can always buy a newer printer that isn't too costly.

Thanks in advance for any advise you can give me, and apologies in advance if I'm treading on worn ground - I've looked a little for similar threads but haven't found any. I know this is an old topic, so I'll keep browsing for older threads. Also, how do I find out my motherboard info?? Thanks again!

 

[SIW2]

You can use siv to get your mobo info

SIV - System Information Viewer

e310 manuals

There may be a bios update on that site.

info here
Dell Dimension E310 Desktop Computer for Home Specs - CNET


Basic guide for win 7 on e310 here:
Dimension 3100/E310 – Windows 7 64 Bit – The Unofficial Windows 10 Reinstallation Guide

post from rdunill

There's a long thread on this: suffice it to say, the E310 is compatible with Windows Vista, 7 and 8 (both 32- and 64-bit) and Windows 8.1 32-bit.

AFAIK a video card is needed, as Intel did not provide a post-XP driver. I installed an HIS 6450 PCIe-x1 in mine.

Dimension-3100-Graphics-upgrade

Std PCI video card for Dell Dimension e310 - [Solved] - Graphics Cards

 

[Lacene]

Thank you for your response, SIW2! I downloaded and installed SIV - now, I may need to be pointed in the right direction of all the data it provides of my PC to find my motherboard data, as it's a ton of info! Once I find the data, I'll update my profile info here.

And also thank you for providing the link to the other thread: it's a ton of info, and I am reading it now. I've learned one thing that 64-bit graphic cards has nothing to do with 32-bit or 64-bit OS versions. Also, so far most of the graphic cards that were referenced in that thread don't seem to be in stock at any of the online source sites they linked to. I guess that's to be expected as the thread is dated 2013. But it's still very helpful information.

And one final question to show off my noobishness regarding all of this: I'm assuming that any graphics cards that support DirectX 11 will also support DirectX 9 and anything else up to and including DirectX 11, right?? Thanks again!

 

[SIW2]

You can probably get a suitable graphics card second hand on ebay or other similar sites.

There will also be sites that just deal with old computer parts, selling refurbs, etc.

Your motherboard is displayed in the very first line of the siv main window:

Windows 7 x64 Professional V6.01 Build 7601 Service Pack 1 YOURMOTHERBOARD YOURUSERNAME YOURLOCALE YOURTIMEZONE YOURBIOSVERSION YOURCPUµCode

If you are thinking of a 6450 graphics card ( as suggested in one the linked threads above). you may need an adapter
STARTECH.COM PCI Express X1 to X16 Low Profile Slot: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

BIOS UPDATE

 

[Lacene]

Thanks, SIW2! So I guess this is the info:

Windows XP x32 Home V5.01 Build 2600 Service Pack 3 Dell DV051 A-1AC0F2289E784

??

I'll check ebay and other sites for older cards. Thanks again for the help!

 

[Lacene]

I've found these two options on the web:

ZOTAC GeForce GT 710 1GB DDR3 PCIE x 1 , DVI, HDMI, VGA, Low Profile Graphic Card (ZT-71304-20L)

and

VisionTek Radeon 4350 SFF DMS59 512MB DDR2 PCIe x1 Graphics Card - 900308


They are both PCIe x 1 cards, both support directx 9+, and both are compatible with both XP and 7. Would either or both of these cards work for me? Also, what is the difference between a video card, and a graphics card, or is there no difference, and it's just semantics?

 

[SIW2]

I am not familiar with either of those, or your machine.

But if you have PCIe x1 slot, they should work.

Looks like you would need the 1gb version, the other allegedly requires slots you don't have.

Customer review here:
If you really need a pcie 1 card

They are supposed to be backward compatible, so you might be able to use the 2gb version
What is the best graphics card for PCI-Express 1.0

 

[Lacene]

Incidentally, I performed a scan of my PC using System Information Viewer, and it stated:



Slot 1: PCI 1 - 32 bit PCI - available
Slot 2: PCI 2 - 32 bit PCI - available
Slot 3: PCIe 1 - x1 PCIe - Conexant PCI CX11256 Soft Modem [D850]
Slot 0: PEG - x16 PCIe - In Use


So does this mean that my PCI express slot is already used for the PC's modem??



EDIT - after looking at a picture I googled of it and then checking out the back of my PC, this modem is down at the bottom rear of my PC tower, and it has never been used by me ever. The dual phone jacks are dusty and forgotten. My internet modem port is up nearer to the top alongside the USB ports for my keyboard, mice, etc. So I guess I answered my own question in that I can probably take out the Conextant modem card and replace it with the graphics card, correct??

 

[SIW2]

If you are not using the modem, then of course.

 

[Lacene]

After some reading and researching, it seems to me that the possibility of upgrading my E310 from XP to Win 7 is not very feasible. With the prices of any available graphics card, and then possibly other needed upgrades like power supply, etc., and the fact that I haven't found many confirmed success stories that it even worked very well, it may be just as financially effective to purchase a refurbished newer PC with more recent CPUs, graphics cards, and OS already bundled, and then just save my pennies for a new PC more to my personal specifications in the meantime. So I guess I will go that route, and continue to use my trusty E310 as is with XP for whatever uses it still provides, until it no longer can.

Thank you SIW2 for your help! It was greatly appreciated!

 

[SIW2]

I was going to suggest you consider that, but didn't know what your budget was.

One way is to buy an ex business HP8300. They can be had quite cheaply on ebay and similar. The 8300 runs ivybridge processors. They run windows 7/8/10 well. I would suggest the 8300 rather than the 8200, because the 8300 normally comes with a cpu with onboard graphics, and will have sata3 and usb3 included. They are proprietary machines so the upgrade potential is not what you would get with a full desktop, but they are cheap. They will often come with an OS installed, or with the slic table for windows 7 pro.

They are available in the UK for as little as £75 - though if they are that cheap they will come with a dual core cpu. That duo core is much better than what you are currently using, and it has onboard graphics ( no graphics card required) , it is not as good as a quad core. That can be easily upgraded as funds allow. An ivybridge ( socket lga 1155) quad core cpu is typically $40-$50 or so.

HP Compaq Pro 8300 SFF Core i3-3220 3rd Gen 3.30GHz 4GB Ram 250GB HDD Win 10 PC | eBay

Some upgrading is possible as demonstrated in these videos:

How to Upgrade or Replace Parts on HP Elite 8100, 8200, 8300 Small Form Factor Desktop - YouTube

HP8200 Graphics Card Replacement - YouTube

HP Elite 8200 Gaming Upgrade Video Card SSD Drive RAM - YouTube


An alternative is to put together a full size desktop yourself from second hand parts, which can be done cheaply and ultimately has more upgrade potential.