Video Card

How do I figure out what type of video card I have? I can't find it on my computer!

Fastes wy to find out is right click on your desktop... then click on properties. After that click on the settings tab and it should say what type of display adapter you're using.

If you ahve the right drivers (not the generic Windows ones) installed for it then it should be in the Device Manager under Display Adapters. If not then get Everest which will tell you everything you would EVER want to know about the hardware and software on your computer.

It says "ASUS RADEON A9200SE."

Is that good?

SE means #ty Edition

Its okay for low to midrange games. But wouldnt be able to play the upcoming games that well.

Originally posted by maynardsthirdeye
It says "ASUS RADEON A9200SE."

Is that good?

nope that's a crippled version of the 9200 GPU. Comes with a 64bit bus so it wont play new games well. I suggest upgrading to a 9800pro or if you have the money an X800pro.

If you're looking to upgrade here's some suggestions:

in the $200-250 range:
SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9800PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP

If you wanna go all out then I suggest these, $420-$600 range:
SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON X800 PRO Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "AX800PRO/TD/256"

PowerColor ATI RADEON X800 XT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, DVI/VIVO, 8X AGP W/ Limited Assassin Edition Backpack, Model "R42-TVD3"

or

eVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6800GT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "256-A8-N344-AX"

eVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra Video Card, 256MB GDDR3, 256-bit, Dual DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "256-A8-N345-AX"

I would recommend you have at least a 420W PSU on your machine for any of the above cards.

What does "420W PSU" mean?

Originally posted by maynardsthirdeye
What does "420W PSU" mean?

sorry PSU = Power Supple Unit. It supplies power to your computer components. New video cards need a lot of power to run. So I recommend you getting a PSU of at least 420 WATTS if you're planning to upgrade

How do I check the Power Usage I have now?

Originally posted by Ocelot

Originally posted by maynardsthirdeye
It says "ASUS RADEON A9200SE."

Is that good?

nope that's a crippled version of the 9200 GPU. Comes with a 64bit bus so it wont play new games well. I suggest upgrading to a 9800pro or if you have the money an X800pro.

You say it won't play new games well. Does that mean games coming out next year or games coming out in three months? The reason I'm so curious about the video card is because I was interested in this game.

pc.ign.com...

Its based on Half Life 2...so its very doubtful that it will be able to play it.

When the demo comes out and if I'm able to play the demo without problems, does that mean the full game won't give me problems?

I dont see why not...Demos are just like the first level.

Oh, that's good. I'm really pressed for money now and don't want to go into upgrades just yet.

[Edited on 19-8-2004 by maynardsthirdeye]

How does this look? Is this a good video card?

cgi.ebay.com...

Originally posted by maynardsthirdeye
How does this look? Is this a good video card?

cgi.ebay.com...

Yes thats a good card and way better and faster than the one you have now.

But I would buy it new just for the warranty. But yes that is a good card.

Stay away from SE's, they are literally crippled editions, Pro and XT are fast versions.

9000 and 9200 series are based on many years old R200 technology. (8500 was original name)

9500 and 9600 series are "halved" versions of R300 generation GPUs so they aren't good for any newer game (if you don't want low resolutions and turning of effects/lowering quality)

I would recommend 9800 Pro or XT, good "bang for buck" and I think they'll run without any problems games coming still next year.

Originally posted by E_T
I would recommend 9800 Pro or XT, good "bang for buck" and I think they'll run without any problems games coming still next year.