• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

How Can I tell which new video cards will work with my old motherboard?

S

SardonicSymbiont

Junior Member
Greetings all, since this is my first post I will try to be as clear as superheated silicon dioxide. I intend to appreciate any help that can be offered to me.

I have in my possession an Intel 845G (Max Series) Model MS-6580 (v1.x) ATX Motherboard.

Now what this means to you, is that I cannot discern what type of video cards it will accept. I wish to upgrade, as my current video card is literally hours away from exploding. I can feel it. This is an old machine, from April 2002, but it works well. I was handy enough to assemble it, but once I had it in working condition I really stopped paying attention to many new developments in the techno-world. I have an almost philistinistic understanding of graphics cards at this point.

Now, in my manual for the mainboard, I am attempting to find how many x's I can handle, as I do have an AGP slot and I have noticed many video cards today are advertised as '8x' etc. I am not sure precisely what that means.

Manual: " The AGP slot allows you to insert the AGP 1.5V graphics card. 66Mhz, 32-bit channel for the graphics controller to directly access main memory." " Please note that the AGP slot does not dupport 3.3V AGP card. Use of 3.3V AGP card may cause dmg to the mainboard. <goes on about built in MSI failsafe> "

So I think to myself, great. 1.5 is not an appealing number in the computer world. is it prime? I don't know. prime numbers are bad luck in computers and good luck in real life. anyway. . .

Machine001:
2.28GHz
1.024GB RAM
128mb Ti4600 GeForce Graphics Card
200GB WD HD with room to spare.

I long to resume playing games on demand. A simple b.net match of Warcraft III: FT will overheat my machine to the point where my failsafe-reboot is triggered. Much less frequently, while running the same program, the machine will lock up (numlock light frozen), leaving the sound skipping endlessly in a loop and a frozen on the same display. Sometimes I can hear the fan on my card squeaking, as the fan is indeed loose in its moorings and sometimes does not spin when crooked.

For a while I entertained the thought that my thermal paste had gone bad over the last four years, and I needed more. However, I believe the video card is the culprit. Even with my side-panel removed and a housefan aimed at it on the "high" setting, the computer may run WC3 for 5-30 minutes before triggering one of these two errors.

I have open PCI slots, but it is older than PCI-E is and therefore does not have it. The card I have now is in the AGP slot.

So my conclusions, and I am not positive that I am right, are that I need a new video card (but how can I know which will be compatable with my system?) and perhaps a format, mainly to reset certain cluttered aspects of my machine which are (probably) not at issue here.

thanks you if you felt like reading and intend to respond.

-c
 
I agree that's it's most likely the cpu overheating, thermal paste needs to be reapplied at least one a year, and how long has it been since you've bought a can of compressed air to blow all of the dust out of your heatsink?

Anyway, it does sound as if you need a new video card, especially since your Ti4600 is ~4 years old. I wouldn't spend $100 on that video card, though. For $20 more, you can get an AGP 7600GS, that will destroy that 6800XT: link.
 
myocardia

Where did you get "thermal paste needs to be reapplied at least one a year"?

I've never done that, and I have rigs out there (both in an office enviornment and home machines) that have run for years without doing that.
 
the inside of the chasis is completely free of dust, as near as the eye can see anyway; up to and including the heatsinks of the cpu and the graphics card. i see that you have suggested a 4x/8x video card. will my motherboard be able to handle this? am i worrying for nothing?
 
some of those cards look pretty nice. i'll be ordering one in the next few days. also a new foot massager for under my desk since the old one burned out recently as well. at least that is only 30 bucks!
 
Originally posted by: SardonicSymbiont
Greetings all, since this is my first post I will try to be as clear as superheated silicon dioxide. I intend to appreciate any help that can be offered to me.

I have in my possession an Intel 845G (Max Series) Model MS-6580 (v1.x) ATX Motherboard.

Now what this means to you, is that I cannot discern what type of video cards it will accept. I wish to upgrade, as my current video card is literally hours away from exploding. I can feel it. This is an old machine, from April 2002, but it works well. I was handy enough to assemble it, but once I had it in working condition I really stopped paying attention to many new developments in the techno-world. I have an almost philistinistic understanding of graphics cards at this point.

Now, in my manual for the mainboard, I am attempting to find how many x's I can handle, as I do have an AGP slot and I have noticed many video cards today are advertised as '8x' etc. I am not sure precisely what that means.

Manual: " The AGP slot allows you to insert the AGP 1.5V graphics card. 66Mhz, 32-bit channel for the graphics controller to directly access main memory." " Please note that the AGP slot does not dupport 3.3V AGP card. Use of 3.3V AGP card may cause dmg to the mainboard. <goes on about built in MSI failsafe> "

So I think to myself, great. 1.5 is not an appealing number in the computer world. is it prime? I don't know. prime numbers are bad luck in computers and good luck in real life. anyway. . .

Machine001:
2.28GHz
1.024GB RAM
128mb Ti4600 GeForce Graphics Card
200GB WD HD with room to spare.

I long to resume playing games on demand. A simple b.net match of Warcraft III: FT will overheat my machine to the point where my failsafe-reboot is triggered. Much less frequently, while running the same program, the machine will lock up (numlock light frozen), leaving the sound skipping endlessly in a loop and a frozen on the same display. Sometimes I can hear the fan on my card squeaking, as the fan is indeed loose in its moorings and sometimes does not spin when crooked.

For a while I entertained the thought that my thermal paste had gone bad over the last four years, and I needed more. However, I believe the video card is the culprit. Even with my side-panel removed and a housefan aimed at it on the "high" setting, the computer may run WC3 for 5-30 minutes before triggering one of these two errors.

I have open PCI slots, but it is older than PCI-E is and therefore does not have it. The card I have now is in the AGP slot.

So my conclusions, and I am not positive that I am right, are that I need a new video card (but how can I know which will be compatable with my system?) and perhaps a format, mainly to reset certain cluttered aspects of my machine which are (probably) not at issue here.

thanks you if you felt like reading and intend to respond.

-c
Click to expand...

845G = AGP 4x

Many video cards that are 8x are also AGP Universal. Meaning that they will funtion in a 3.3v (1x,2x) as well as a newer (faster) 1.5v AGP slot. Not all AGP 8x cards can do that and those that cannot are always compatable with AGP 4x, so this should not be an issue.

Does your problem only happen when you are playing a game? How about when running folding at home, pi-fast, or super pi?
 
Thanks for your replies. It would appear that there are still a large number of cards which will be able to prop my system up for a few more years.

And yes, it usually only happens when I am running a game. It is possible to see an overheating outside of a video intense program, but it is rare. I think it has to do more with the particular game than a lot of other things. Some games never trigger this error.

As for folding at home, or pi-fast, I am not sure what either of those are.

Thanks for your help!
 
Originally posted by: SardonicSymbiont
the inside of the chasis is completely free of dust, as near as the eye can see anyway; up to and including the heatsinks of the cpu and the graphics card. i see that you have suggested a 4x/8x video card. will my motherboard be able to handle this? am i worrying for nothing?
Click to expand...
What motherboard are you working with? If it's a good board putting new mid-range AGP card is probably worth it, that?s what I did with my AMD nForce2 system about a month ago. By good I mean it has features that would make it valuable (Firewire, SATA, good onboard audio, ect.) and well built, typically Asus, AOpen, Intel, and some MSI boards are put together pretty well.

If on the other hand it's a low-end ECS or some other junk brand I would say it's probably not worth it.
 
Originally posted by: Slammy1
I think the fastest card you could run would be a 9700Pro (1.5V support).
Click to expand...

Not true. Any AGP 8x card will work fine in a 4x AGP slot. That includes the latest and greatest from nVIDIA and ATi.
 
PCI-express motherboards for socket 478 do exist and they cost about or just a little bit more than a brand new video game.
 
My Asus P4PE is a 2002 vintage ATX mobo - socket 478. It has a 4X AGP slot, and I am running a very stable ATI X1600 AGP card with 512 MB of vidram. The key to AGP compatibility is that it be a 1.5V AGP. It will not take a 3.3V card.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top