Hoss

In December of 2004 my wife and I bought a Dell Dimension 3000. We kept our old Compaq monitor because there was nothing wrong with it and we wanted to save some money.

Well, a while back we decided to upgrade the monitor, so we bought a View Sonic 20" LCD flat screen.

The problem is this. Words and letters are now "fuzzy" (and it's not my eyes). The monitor says that in order to get the best image you need to set the resolution to 1400 x 1050. However, our computer will only go up to a 1280 x 1024 resolution. The video card is integrated, so I'm told by some dude in India who works for Dell.

I think if I get a new video card that supports the higher resolution then it will clear up the fuzziness and give me a much clearer and sharper image. However, I don't have a clue how to select a video card that is compatible with my computer...and I don't really know how to install one either.

Aside from waiting on hold for Dell, does anyone have any suggestions on how to select the right video card and how to install it??

Weg

With LCD screens they tend only to produce a good image in their "native" resolution. Which is the 1400x1050. It will clear the image up.

As far as the video card goes there is a few options on if it needs to be an AGP or PCIe card (depends on the motherboard). If your monitor supports it I would go with a card that has a DVI output to the monitor. Gives you a lot better transfer rate from what I understand.

DrDiesel

Disable the on-board card and add a new card capable of the spec your after.
Check the mother board to see if it`s AGP or PCI.
A brand name (stealth) with ram of 128 to 256 ddr would be your best bet.

runamuk

I'm sorry I'm into ATI products since they are the premier videocard maker bar none. Get the best ATI card that will work on your system and call it good!

P.S. On board video is virtually non existent anymore a system upgrade is in order. Pm me if you'd like help.

Rick

DrDiesel

Yes, I agree with that. ATI is #1 and they make the stealth/radeon cards.

Jim Lane

I am using ATI All in Wonder PRO 9700 on 2 of my computers and it suits my video needs.
I paid a bit under $400.00 for it about 6 months ago.

You can also get no name cards with the ATI chipset but I do not like them.

Begle1

Until the 9700 came out, nVIDIA was by far the premier card. The 9700 more than doubled performance of the GeForce 4, and I guess that nVIDIA hasn't caught up since...

I had a an ATI AIW 9700 Pro. Really good card; didn't like to overclock, and it melted... R.I.P.

nirion

I agree with the ATI statement. However, unless you are a hardcore gamer (and I doubt you are, since you have onboard video and a 3 year old pc) I would get a 256MB Radeon 9550 if you have an AGP slot or a 9250 if you have a PCT slot, they are under $100 (or just about) at Best Buy and should support up to some crazy resolution like 2048x1536 (if your monitor supports that high).
As a side not, most lower end and mid range systems are still using integrated video, but they use more memory and are much better than the intergrated video of 4-5 years ago.

Hoss

I appreciate all of the comments.

Please realize that I don't want to spend $400 on a video card. I'm not a gamer and I don't watch videos or anything like that on my computer. All I want is a clear picture in 1400x1050 resolution.

How do I find out if my motherboard is AGE or PCI and why does that matter??

THIS is the monitor I bought and it does have the DVI input that that Weg commented on (my CPU doesn't have a DVI output, but I assume the new video card will take care of that).

nirion

The 9250 or 9550 will get you taken care for under $100 (maybe a couple bucks more for the 9500 depending on where you buy it)

Open your case up and see which you have:
AGP Slot:


PCI Slot:


You might have both, as pretty much all PCs have PCI slots, but if you have an AGP slot, use it, its better.

Hoss

Thanks. That is VERY helpful.

jfpointer

Hoss, someone mentioned it upthread, but you may need to turn off the onboard video before the new card will work. Some computers require you to set a jumper on the motherboard a certain way, others require a change in the BIOS, but however it works Dell should be able to help you with that assuming you still have support. I don't know about the model you have; some PCs will turn it off automagically, others won't. I have a PC that I use as a wireless TV set, and it turned off its onboard video for me all by itself when I put in the new video card.

Hoss

Well, I went by Best Buy this evening and they had exactly ONE video card that would work on my PC (which only has PCI slots in case you're wondering). So, for $88 I walked out the door with a PNY Technologies GeForce FX5200 graphics card.

Once I finally figured out how to disable the integrated video card the rest was a piece of cake, and now the image on my 20" LCD flat panel is absolutely perfect.

Thanks for the help fellas. My wife is always amazed at the things I learn on DTR.

Mkinner

www.newegg.com

excellent prices and good customer service.

DrDiesel

Glad you could handle it for yourself...Saves the PITA of hauling it to someone and paying for a simple job....