Question about graphics/video card I'm looking into getting a new video card because mine seems to go wonky even when I first start up the game. I've been looking at website like Best Buy and CompUSA, but I realized that I don't know what kind of card I should be looking for. Right now I have an ATI Radeon series x1300/1650. Does anyone have any suggestions for my next graphics card? Preferably one that hasn't given them ANY trouble. Thanks in advance.
You might ge tlucky and go to the maker of your computer's website and look for any kind of specs on it. Or you can pop open the side of the case and peek at the motherboard and look at the motherboard itself and see if you see a slot that looks like the two pictures i have attached. The first picture is an Agp slot which is a standard for older (3-5 Years) computers and the pci-express x 16 slot is very common in newer computers and some older computers. It depends on the manufacturer of the motherboard. The first picture is of a agp slot (the farthest one on the right) and it's next to a pci-expressx16 slot. The second picture shows two regular pci slots next to a black pci-expressx16 slot. If you look at the slots from overhead the agp slot is shorter (usually a brown plastic)and the divider in the slot is different from the pci-express slot. The pci-express slot is longer and sometimes blue,black or different colors depending on the motherboard maker. You're going to also need to know how big the power supply is before you throw just any video card in there. If the power supply isn't big enough to handle the additional wattage the video card needs then it can cause various computer problems. If you pop open the case like I said look up in the top of the case for a big metal box with lots of wires coming out of it. Look for a tag or label on the side of it and it should say something max watt output.
Just remember if you go looking through the case to ground yourself before touching any card! Leave the computer plugged into the wall and have the switch set to off, then touch the metal outside of the PSU (the thing all the wires come out of).
