Video card question.

alfaniner · 1st December 2003, 07:30 AM

I have a Dell XPS 500mhz 128mb ram with a Riva TNT2 nVidia video card. One day after rebooting I got grayed out lines on my screen in the same lines as text.

According to an internet forum, this is a common problem for this card, apparently happening immediately after the warranty runs out (about 3 years).

I'm wondering if anyone knows what card I could simply replace it with (to tide me over until I get a new computer!)

Thanks.

nyarltep · 1st December 2003, 10:36 AM

you can get a ati 9600 for under $125
look on pricewatch.com and try to find some deals

a_unique_person · 1st December 2003, 04:08 PM

Anything will be better than that. You just have to make sure your mother board will run AGP 2X. My guess is it will.

FFed · 1st December 2003, 04:10 PM

I would also recommend ati. I have the Radeon 9500 Pro and consider it the best card I ever bought. With ati having a big chunk of the market there are lots of forums for tweaking and problem solving if you ever have any, such as amdmb

thrombus29 · 1st December 2003, 05:20 PM

Try this thread at the [H]ocp fourms.

Average Joe's Buying Decision.. Thread For All Sorts of Buying Decisions

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread....5&pagenumber=1

DangerousBeliefs · 1st December 2003, 07:28 PM

Do you plan on upgrading any time soon?

If not, I suggest getting something very similar in power (for around $40 on the Internet - I recommend the GeForce4 MX 440).

If you are planning on upgrading soon, I would suggest the 9600 Pro is a very good buy right now at around $130.

The reason is that your current computer would not be able to handle a modern, powerful video card and you would really be wasting your money unless you're looking to upgrade your entire system.

alfaniner · 2nd December 2003, 06:01 AM

Thanks for the help.

Right, I'm only looking for something about the same until I get a new system in a month or so. I've done some research myself, of course, and haven't opened the computer case to check, but is a video card a "plug and play" thing?

I mean, is this a standard like a USB port where I can just remove the original and plug a new one in (perhaps having to install new drivers and whatnot also)?

FFed · 2nd December 2003, 09:09 AM

Your card is AGP and any card you buy now is AGP, which is the type of slot for the video card. Just pop it out and put in the new one. If the new one says it is AGP 4X then it will still work.
I would uninstall any of the old video drivers before you shut down and put in the new card.

thrombus29 · 2nd December 2003, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by FFed
Your card is AGP and any card you buy now is AGP, which is the type of slot for the video card. Just pop it out and put in the new one. If the new one says it is AGP 4X then it will still work.
I would uninstall any of the old video drivers before you shut down and put in the new card.

Not all AGP ports are the same. the first AGP ran at 2 diffrent voltages, I dont know how old your system is, but you should find out which your Mobo has.

Thread with the voltages:

http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/14271/

Edited- Even better page.

http://www.ertyu.org/~steven_nikkel/...atibility.html

a_unique_person · 4th December 2003, 03:15 AM

My brother in law bought an AGP2 card and tried to plug it into an AGP1 slot. Didn't work, and may have blown up the card.

DVFinn · 4th December 2003, 01:24 PM

See if you can pick up another TNT2 card. You should be able to get 32 meg one for about $20 and it will be compatible with the AGP slot you're running. Not at all a current card, but very cheap and the performance is in line with the old system. It should run you pretty well until you can get around to a new PC.

I have a pile of cards you can have for nothing including an old VooDoo3 which is more or less approximate to a TNT2. Just send me an email if you'd like, I'll only ask that you cover the shipping.

alfaniner · 5th December 2003, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DVFinn
See if you can pick up another TNT2 card. You should be able to get 32 meg one for about $20 and it will be compatible with the AGP slot you're running. Not at all a current card, but very cheap and the performance is in line with the old system. It should run you pretty well until you can get around to a new PC.

I have a pile of cards you can have for nothing including an old VooDoo3 which is more or less approximate to a TNT2. Just send me an email if you'd like, I'll only ask that you cover the shipping.

Thanks, I'll consider it. Don't you need to load some drivers for a specific card also?

I'm finally getting around to doing some shopping this weekend and we'll see what I find first.

DVFinn · 5th December 2003, 09:38 AM

Retail stores are not the place to get PC parts at reasonable prices, although you can return things easier that way.

try:
http://www.pricewatch.com
http://www.newegg.com

alfaniner · 5th December 2003, 10:00 PM

ATI Radeon 9000 from Comp USA. $49.99 (plus tax) after rebates.

Got it installed tonight -- along with DVD and other Multimedia applications, looks great!!! Minimal problems (but then I work a "good" support line so I know the questions to ask myself). I wonder why I didn't try this before.

Oh, yeah. I didn't need to!!

boomer6 · 6th December 2003, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by alfaniner
ATI Radeon 9000 from Comp USA. $49.99 (plus tax) after rebates.

Got it installed tonight -- along with DVD and other Multimedia applications, looks great!!! Minimal problems (but then I work a "good" support line so I know the questions to ask myself). I wonder why I didn't try this before.

Oh, yeah. I didn't need to!!

Great! I am glad you problem is fixed. I am curious though; did you try to reinstall your drivers? Along with checking the connections, that is the first thing anyone should do. Time has a way of (working loose/creeping) cards and pins. Drivers sometimes become corrupted over time, and need to be reinstalled.

boomer6 · 6th December 2003, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by alfaniner
ATI Radeon 9000 from Comp USA. $49.99 (plus tax) after rebates.

Got it installed tonight -- along with DVD and other Multimedia applications, looks great!!! Minimal problems (but then I work a "good" support line so I know the questions to ask myself). I wonder why I didn't try this before.

Oh, yeah. I didn't need to!!

I am curious though; did you try to reinstall your drivers? Along with checking the connections, that is the first thing anyone should do. Time has a way of “working loose/creeping) cards and pins. Drivers sometimes become corrupted over time, and need to be reinstalled.

alfaniner · 6th December 2003, 04:52 PM

Yes, I tried resetting the card in the slot. Also tried reinstalling the original drivers but couldn't get through that process. I saw that my card had a little fan-thing with a lot of dust on it and decided it was just as well to get a new one, and to go through the learning process of upgrading something. Who knows? I mght even add some more RAM!

1st December 2003, 07:30 AM	#1
alfaniner Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Sorth Dakonsin Posts: 11,395	Video card question. I have a Dell XPS 500mhz 128mb ram with a Riva TNT2 nVidia video card. One day after rebooting I got grayed out lines on my screen in the same lines as text. According to an internet forum, this is a common problem for this card, apparently happening immediately after the warranty runs out (about 3 years). I'm wondering if anyone knows what card I could simply replace it with (to tide me over until I get a new computer!) Thanks.

1st December 2003, 10:36 AM	#2
nyarltep Student Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 35	you can get a ati 9600 for under $125 look on pricewatch.com and try to find some deals
nyarltep Student Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 35

1st December 2003, 04:08 PM	#3
a_unique_person Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Mt Disappointment Posts: 33,331	Anything will be better than that. You just have to make sure your mother board will run AGP 2X. My guess is it will.
	__________________ *Continually pushing the boundaries of mediocrity.* Everything is possible, but not everything is probable. For if a man pretend to me that God hath spoken to him supernaturally, and immediately, and I make doubt of it, I cannot easily perceive what argument he can produce to oblige me to believe it. Hobbes

1st December 2003, 05:20 PM	#5
thrombus29 Flame War Master and JREF kid Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 1,928	Try this thread at the [H]ocp fourms. Average Joe's Buying Decision.. Thread For All Sorts of Buying Decisions http://www.hardforum.com/showthread....5&pagenumber=1
	__________________ Now I am not going to justify what may appear to be a failure in carrying out this prediction but rest in the fact that there will be success. -St. Paul Bethke Targzissians are obviously reptilian

1st December 2003, 07:28 PM	#6
DangerousBeliefs Graduate Poster Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,304	Do you plan on upgrading any time soon? If not, I suggest getting something very similar in power (for around $40 on the Internet - I recommend the GeForce4 MX 440). If you are planning on upgrading soon, I would suggest the 9600 Pro is a very good buy right now at around $130. The reason is that your current computer would not be able to handle a modern, powerful video card and you would really be wasting your money unless you're looking to upgrade your entire system.
	__________________ Posting and you...

1st December 2003, 04:10 PM	#4
FFed Muse Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Smithers, BC Posts: 888	I would also recommend ati. I have the Radeon 9500 Pro and consider it the best card I ever bought. With ati having a big chunk of the market there are lots of forums for tweaking and problem solving if you ever have any, such as amdmb

2nd December 2003, 06:01 AM	#7
alfaniner Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Sorth Dakonsin Posts: 11,395	Thanks for the help. Right, I'm only looking for something about the same until I get a new system in a month or so. I've done some research myself, of course, and haven't opened the computer case to check, but is a video card a "plug and play" thing? I mean, is this a standard like a USB port where I can just remove the original and plug a new one in (perhaps having to install new drivers and whatnot also)?

2nd December 2003, 09:09 AM	#8
FFed Muse Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Smithers, BC Posts: 888	Your card is AGP and any card you buy now is AGP, which is the type of slot for the video card. Just pop it out and put in the new one. If the new one says it is AGP 4X then it will still work. I would uninstall any of the old video drivers before you shut down and put in the new card.

2nd December 2003, 11:19 AM	#9
thrombus29 Flame War Master and JREF kid Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 1,928	Quote: Originally posted by FFed Your card is AGP and any card you buy now is AGP, which is the type of slot for the video card. Just pop it out and put in the new one. If the new one says it is AGP 4X then it will still work. I would uninstall any of the old video drivers before you shut down and put in the new card. Not all AGP ports are the same. the first AGP ran at 2 diffrent voltages, I dont know how old your system is, but you should find out which your Mobo has. Thread with the voltages: http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/14271/ Edited- Even better page. http://www.ertyu.org/~steven_nikkel/...atibility.html
	__________________ Now I am not going to justify what may appear to be a failure in carrying out this prediction but rest in the fact that there will be success. -St. Paul Bethke Targzissians are obviously reptilian

4th December 2003, 03:15 AM	#10
a_unique_person Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Mt Disappointment Posts: 33,331	My brother in law bought an AGP2 card and tried to plug it into an AGP1 slot. Didn't work, and may have blown up the card.
	__________________ *Continually pushing the boundaries of mediocrity.* Everything is possible, but not everything is probable. For if a man pretend to me that God hath spoken to him supernaturally, and immediately, and I make doubt of it, I cannot easily perceive what argument he can produce to oblige me to believe it. Hobbes

4th December 2003, 01:24 PM	#11
DVFinn Thinker Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 161	See if you can pick up another TNT2 card. You should be able to get 32 meg one for about $20 and it will be compatible with the AGP slot you're running. Not at all a current card, but very cheap and the performance is in line with the old system. It should run you pretty well until you can get around to a new PC. I have a pile of cards you can have for nothing including an old VooDoo3 which is more or less approximate to a TNT2. Just send me an email if you'd like, I'll only ask that you cover the shipping.
DVFinn Thinker Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 161

5th December 2003, 07:14 AM	#12
alfaniner Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Sorth Dakonsin Posts: 11,395	Quote: Originally posted by DVFinn See if you can pick up another TNT2 card. You should be able to get 32 meg one for about $20 and it will be compatible with the AGP slot you're running. Not at all a current card, but very cheap and the performance is in line with the old system. It should run you pretty well until you can get around to a new PC. I have a pile of cards you can have for nothing including an old VooDoo3 which is more or less approximate to a TNT2. Just send me an email if you'd like, I'll only ask that you cover the shipping. Thanks, I'll consider it. Don't you need to load some drivers for a specific card also? I'm finally getting around to doing some shopping this weekend and we'll see what I find first.

5th December 2003, 09:38 AM	#13
DVFinn Thinker Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 161	Retail stores are not the place to get PC parts at reasonable prices, although you can return things easier that way. try: http://www.pricewatch.com http://www.newegg.com
DVFinn Thinker Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 161

5th December 2003, 10:00 PM	#14
alfaniner Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Sorth Dakonsin Posts: 11,395	ATI Radeon 9000 from Comp USA. $49.99 (plus tax) after rebates. Got it installed tonight -- along with DVD and other Multimedia applications, looks great!!! Minimal problems (but then I work a "good" support line so I know the questions to ask myself). I wonder why I didn't try this before. Oh, yeah. I didn't need to!!

6th December 2003, 06:56 AM	#15
boomer6 Student Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 34	Quote: Originally posted by alfaniner ATI Radeon 9000 from Comp USA. $49.99 (plus tax) after rebates. Got it installed tonight -- along with DVD and other Multimedia applications, looks great!!! Minimal problems (but then I work a "good" support line so I know the questions to ask myself). I wonder why I didn't try this before. Oh, yeah. I didn't need to!! Great! I am glad you problem is fixed. I am curious though; did you try to reinstall your drivers? Along with checking the connections, that is the first thing anyone should do. Time has a way of (working loose/creeping) cards and pins. Drivers sometimes become corrupted over time, and need to be reinstalled.
boomer6 Student Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 34

6th December 2003, 06:57 AM	#16
boomer6 Student Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 34	Quote: Originally posted by alfaniner ATI Radeon 9000 from Comp USA. $49.99 (plus tax) after rebates. Got it installed tonight -- along with DVD and other Multimedia applications, looks great!!! Minimal problems (but then I work a "good" support line so I know the questions to ask myself). I wonder why I didn't try this before. Oh, yeah. I didn't need to!! I am curious though; did you try to reinstall your drivers? Along with checking the connections, that is the first thing anyone should do. Time has a way of “working loose/creeping) cards and pins. Drivers sometimes become corrupted over time, and need to be reinstalled.
boomer6 Student Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 34

6th December 2003, 04:52 PM	#17
alfaniner Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Sorth Dakonsin Posts: 11,395	Yes, I tried resetting the card in the slot. Also tried reinstalling the original drivers but couldn't get through that process. I saw that my card had a little fan-thing with a lot of dust on it and decided it was just as well to get a new one, and to go through the learning process of upgrading something. Who knows? I mght even add some more RAM!