Ok, I?ve got a couple questions here. I?m not as computer savvy as I?d like to be, so I thought I?d ask for help. Anything would be appreciated!
My system specs are:
Mobo: Asus A7N8X
Processor: AMD Athlon XP 2700+
Video Card: 128 MB ATI Radeon 9700 Pro AGP 8X
Memory: (2) 512MB of DDR DIMM PC3200 at 166 MHz
Power Supply: 420 watts
OS: Win XP w/ SP2
The computer is about 3 years old
1.) I recently started having problems with what I believe to be my video card. I get visual distortion on the monitor in the shape of little boxes when Windows first starts to load up, then thick vertical lines when the desktop comes up. The lines come and go, but jiggling the case sometimes helps as well as jiggling the video card itself. I?ve tried reinserting the card which seems to help temporarily, but the problem always comes back. I can make the lines come and go by physically moving the card slightly back and forth which makes me think there is a bad connection somewhere.
I don?t think this is a driver issue. Do I need a new video card, and/or a new motherboard? Are there any definitive tests I could do to determine this? I don?t have any other video cards to swap out or extra AGP slots to try.
2.) So, if I need a new video card and/or mobo, I need advice on hardware options. Would it be better to just get a new upgraded AGP video card, or get a whole new mobo with PCI-E? I only want to spend about $150 now because I?d like to get a whole new system in a few months. I don?t currently play any super graphically-intensive games, but I do play Everquest 2 a lot, and I?d like to be able to turn the graphics up a little higher than my currently low level.
Thanks again!
My system specs are:
Mobo: Asus A7N8X
Processor: AMD Athlon XP 2700+
Video Card: 128 MB ATI Radeon 9700 Pro AGP 8X
Memory: (2) 512MB of DDR DIMM PC3200 at 166 MHz
Power Supply: 420 watts
OS: Win XP w/ SP2
The computer is about 3 years old
1.) I recently started having problems with what I believe to be my video card. I get visual distortion on the monitor in the shape of little boxes when Windows first starts to load up, then thick vertical lines when the desktop comes up. The lines come and go, but jiggling the case sometimes helps as well as jiggling the video card itself. I?ve tried reinserting the card which seems to help temporarily, but the problem always comes back. I can make the lines come and go by physically moving the card slightly back and forth which makes me think there is a bad connection somewhere.
I don?t think this is a driver issue. Do I need a new video card, and/or a new motherboard? Are there any definitive tests I could do to determine this? I don?t have any other video cards to swap out or extra AGP slots to try.
2.) So, if I need a new video card and/or mobo, I need advice on hardware options. Would it be better to just get a new upgraded AGP video card, or get a whole new mobo with PCI-E? I only want to spend about $150 now because I?d like to get a whole new system in a few months. I don?t currently play any super graphically-intensive games, but I do play Everquest 2 a lot, and I?d like to be able to turn the graphics up a little higher than my currently low level.
Thanks again!
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