Video card does not support DirectX 8.1

Been :banghead: over this message. Maybe someone has some ideas over what I've tried.

Anyhoo, I have Medal of Honor Pacific Assault d/l'ed. Every time I start the game, error message in title shows. I currently have the 9.0c on the comp.

Dimension 2400 , Celeron 2.4Ghz, 256 DDR SDRAM 333Mhz, Intel 3D AGP graphics. Yeah, it's an older basic system, I know. But, generally, does okay for me.

I've gone to EA [game maker], they say update driver in a few ways. I have done so. [Through Dell]. Still no go.

Any ideas other than replacing the vid. card? I am somewhat confused as to why the card runs okay with 9.0c, but apparently won't support 8.1, which seems to be what the game wants?:screwy:

Thanks for any ideas.

How old is this game? If it is releatively new, theres no reason why it should want to run in DirectX 8. That is OLD technology. 9.0c has been out for many years now.

Also, since you mentioned that this game is downloaded, how are you running it?

Any gamer should have something other than onboard graphics (or whatever cheap AGP card you have that is as close to onboard as it gets). A $50 video card would do wonders for you.

your "Intel 3D AGP graphics" is very likely just marketing talk for: onboard Intel video chip with an AGP slot on the mobo for expansion. intel onboard video chips are notoriously weak just adequate to run a desktop and probably something like starcraft. This should not be a DX problem since DX9C that you have is backwards compatible, only DX10 won't be.


Eclipse is right, you should consider a dedicated video card. You could probably find a radeon 9800 pro for dirt cheap these days.

K, thanks for the replies, looks like a newer vid. card, then. I just try to run it off XP home, have tried it in safe mode, nada.

Try it in safe mode again, that should do the trick.

Knifeblade03:

Dells with built in intel graphic cards dont have an extra AGP slot, the AGP is already there. You have to get a PCI video. If you cant get direct 3d acceleration because you installed 9.0c on a computer that has a video card that only supports DX8.1 D3D accel., you may have upgraded to DX9c and simply because of that your software no longer supports d3d accel. Wich is no big deal except i dont think you can go back to 8.1 unless you reinstall windows.

Nvidia sells PCI video cards at wal-mart for 50 bucks with advanced instruction sets, dual 350MHZ video processor and 400 MHZ ram capability. I would look on ebay and find a MSI PCI video card. MSI has software that allows you to clock the speed on the video processor and the memory on the video card. Sometimes changing your version of windows can correct the problem. I would guess your video card had too low of GPU mhz, plus built in video on dells tend to have crap for video shading , no antialiasing that really works ,and poor or no antisotropic filtering. So even if you did get it to actually work at all, it would be slow and have poor appearance quality on highly shaded games or games that contain a lot of transparencies such as water.

Video upgrade would be your best bet. I know you said without replacing the video card, but if you go buy another updated video card, most will allow you to use both video cards at the same time, allowing you to run two monitors.

What the fuck are you on about? My post was taking the piss, yours is just utter nonsense.

Who are you talking too, OZ>?

Knifeblade03:

Dells with built in intel graphic cards dont have an extra AGP slot, the AGP is already there. You have to get a PCI video. If you cant get direct 3d acceleration because you installed 9.0c on a computer that has a video card that only supports DX8.1 D3D accel., you may have upgraded to DX9c and simply because of that your software no longer supports d3d accel. Wich is no big deal except i dont think you can go back to 8.1 unless you reinstall windows.

Nvidia sells PCI video cards at wal-mart for 50 bucks with advanced instruction sets, dual 350MHZ video processor and 400 MHZ ram capability. I would look on ebay and find a MSI PCI video card. MSI has software that allows you to clock the speed on the video processor and the memory on the video card. Sometimes changing your version of windows can correct the problem. I would guess your video card had too low of GPU mhz, plus built in video on dells tend to have crap for video shading , no antialiasing that really works ,and poor or no antisotropic filtering. So even if you did get it to actually work at all, it would be slow and have poor appearance quality on highly shaded games or games that contain a lot of transparencies such as water.

Video upgrade would be your best bet. I know you said without replacing the video card, but if you go buy another updated video card, most will allow you to use both video cards at the same time, allowing you to run two monitors.



Bwaaaaahahahaha!!!!!!:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


Anyway now I'll be off to my quad carb direct injection car to replace the suboverhead orbital cam because my vtec got stuck in my spark timing chain since i did not replace my o2 sensor bearings.

Get a hot plug spare while you're at it Neutrino and set it up in RAID9.

Fuck sake.

And don't forget the flux capacitor. I laughed when he said that they don't have an AGP slot, but I just had to keep reading. :rolleyes:

And don't forget the flux capacitor. I laughed when he said that they don't have an AGP slot, but I just had to keep reading. :rolleyes:

Not all of them have agp slots. I know because I have a newer dell tower that doesnt. Want a picture of it i can take one and show it to you if you dont believe it. The windows drivers, and the latest drivers dell had me download wouldnt let DFBHD or GTA SA play at all, among others. I found some MSI video drivers that would load to the onboard video, and it fixed the problems i was having. Works perfect now.

You're an idiot.

You're an idiot.


For those of us less enlightened, are you going to tell him why?

Doesnt bother me, ive been called worse.

Heres what i think. A Dimension 2400 probably has a Intel 845 setup. That video doesnt meet the system requirements of the game thats trying to be played. Heres a note on that direct from the game site. This is what the say about video message error problems:

First, verify that your video card meets the minimum requirements for the game. You will need a 64mb video card with at least one of these chipsets or better:

ATI Radeon 8500, 9000 Pro, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800
ATI Radeon x300, x600, x800
Nvidia GeForce 3, GeForce3 Ti 200
Nvidia GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP8X, GeForce Ti 4600, GeForce4 Ti 4800 SE
Nvidia GeForceFX 5200, 5300, 5500, 5600, 5700, 5750, 5800, 5900, and 5950
Nvidia GeForce 6800.

Does he have one of these or better. No he doesnt. That doesnt mean you cant get it to play. mine played it on a GeForce 2Ti.


That brings me to upgrading the version of DX. Upgrading DX can make you lose certain features on certain video cards. You can lose both or either D3D acceleration, and AGP texture acceleration when you upgrade direct x. This is true for a lot of barebones, HP, Compaq, and Dell towers that have intel chipsets and integrated graphics.

Next we have video drivers. You can lose or gain certain direct x features depending on what driver is loaded to some video cards. The features im talking about are D3d and texture aceleration. Ive noticed this problem more with intel chips than any other . Update the driver and boom no more texture aceleration.


The game site also said this:

If you have updated your drivers and still get this error, you must make sure that the DirectX features for your video card are enabled.
Click on Start.
Click on Run...
Type dxdiag into the box.
Click OK.
Click on the Display tab.
Find the DirectX Features box.
The first feature is DirectDraw Acceleration. It should say Enabled next to it. If it says Disabled, click the Enable button.
The second feature is Direct3D Acceleration. It should say Enabled next to it. If it says Disabled, click the Enable button.
The third feature is AGP Texture Acceleration. It should say Enabled next to it. If it says Disabled, click the Enable button.
Once all three are enabled, close the window.You may now start your game. The error should no longer occur. If the features are Disabled and you do not have the option to Enable, you will want to contact your computer manufacturer or your video card manufacturer for further assistance.]


All they are going to say is your running outdated hardware for whatever it is your trying to do in software.


This brings me to upgrade. It may or may not be able to be upgraded be means of an AGP slot.

Here are some examples of Intel 845's that do not have AGP slots.
http://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/d845gvsr/index.htm
http://www-old.epox.nl/english/products/motherboard/4gvm9i.htm

On this page you will find intel 845's that do. Scroll down the page and find the intel 845 chipset motheboards. Some have it some dont.
http://www-old.epox.nl/english/products/motherboard/478.htm

If his doesnt he will have to upgrade to a PCI video.

As for calling me names its not like i care.

See all of that makes a lot of sense to me.

There are plenty of M/Bs out there with out AGP or PCI-e slots on them, and its a its a budget model Dell with on board video then its quite possible there is no AGP slot.
So PCI is the only way to upgrade the video card, although I wonder how fast it could possible be, and therefore how useful?

Drivers for older chipsets etc, can be funny things.
I used to have an old 32mb Nvida card that would NOT work with the latest drivers, despite their claims to support it. I had to uninstall the latest drivers, and find some that were about a year old to get the card to work.

And of course some cards, or chipsets, are not so totally outdated they will not run the latest direct X versions.

See all of that makes a lot of sense to me.

There are plenty of M/Bs out there with out AGP or PCI-e slots on them, and its a its a budget model Dell with on board video then its quite possible there is no AGP slot.
So PCI is the only way to upgrade the video card, although I wonder how fast it could possible be, and therefore how useful?

Drivers for older chipsets etc, can be funny things.
I used to have an old 32mb Nvida card that would NOT work with the latest drivers, despite their claims to support it. I had to uninstall the latest drivers, and find some that were about a year old to get the card to work.

And of course some cards, or chipsets, are not so totally outdated they will not run the latest direct X versions.


Another thing to think about is if your power supply is up to snuff. Most 8x agp cards require over 300 watt power supplies. PCI cards can be just as competitive and require less power to do so. Most dell econo models have 250 watts or less. The wrong video in one of those can overheat the power supply and potentially sabotage the entire system.

I just sold a PCI video that did pretty well when i tested it. 350 MHZ core with 128MB DDR. Since it was an MSI the software had D.O.T. A feature that allows you to over clock the memory and core of the video. It auto adjusted itself and it was pushing 468 memory clock speed and 374 MHZ core clock frequency. It benchmarked really well..Other features included were 8x antialiasing, and if i remember right 8x on the anisotropic filtering. I payed 30 bucks for it on ebay, and turned around and sold it for $60 installed. Very good color and image quality. looked wonderful on my viewsonic p225f monitor.

Not all of them have agp slots. I know because I have a newer dell tower that doesnt. Want a picture of it i can take one and show it to you if you dont believe it. The windows drivers, and the latest drivers dell had me download wouldnt let DFBHD or GTA SA play at all, among others. I found some MSI video drivers that would load to the onboard video, and it fixed the problems i was having. Works perfect now.

You said, and I quote:

Dells with built in intel graphic cards dont have an extra AGP slot, the AGP is already there.

Some don't have AGP slots, but some do. It is rather irrelevant as the rest of your post was completely assinine.

And don't forget the flux capacitor. I laughed when he said that they don't have an AGP slot, but I just had to keep reading. :rolleyes:

what was you laughing about? The fact that its common knowledge that most of the boards running intel 845s dont have AGP slots?

Some don't have AGP slots, but some do. It is rather irrelevant as the rest of your post was completely assinine.

care to explain what you mean? At least im not on the thread telling him to get hardware he probably cant even use. Im not the one here calling people names, or agreeing to somthing i dont know about. If i said somthing in error, it was no less ignorant than the rest of the thread has been. Im done with this thread, say what you will cause i dont care.

here let me explain all the information you have posted in error:


Dells with built in intel graphic cards dont have an extra AGP slot, the AGP is already there.


That phrase is wrong. Yes sometimes mobos with an oboard graphics accelerator do not have an AGP slot, however "the AGP is already there" makes no sense because it it not there, they DO NOT have an Accelerated Graphics Port. The bus that connects the onboard GPU is not called AGP. So its clear you do not have a proper understanding.



Nvidia sells PCI video cards at wal-mart for 50 bucks with advanced instruction sets, dual 350MHZ video processor and 400 MHZ ram capability.

Really??? Could you send me a link to a PCI Nvidia video card with 2 350MHZ GPUs? Last two cards i remember with more than 1 gpu's are certain Voddoo 5 models and one of the ATi Rage series and ofcouse the 7950 GX2.


Another thing to think about is if your power supply is up to snuff. Most 8x agp cards require over 300 watt power supplies. PCI cards can be just as competitive and require less power to do so. Most dell econo models have 250 watts or less. The wrong video in one of those can overheat the power supply and potentially sabotage the entire system.




Again wrong, the fact that the card is using the AGP or PCI bus will not make any significant difference in power consumption.


Most of the things you have posted are utter nonsense. Yes perhaps Oz used some strong words but he had a reason.

here let me explain all the information you have posted in error:


That phrase is wrong. Yes sometimes mobos with an oboard graphics accelerator do not have an AGP slot, however "the AGP is already there" makes no sense because it it not there, they DO NOT have an Accelerated Graphics Port. The bus that connects the onboard GPU is not called AGP. So its clear you do not have a proper understanding.

Most of the things you have posted are utter nonsense. Yes perhaps Oz used some strong words but he had a reason.

Last time i checked, AGP has nothing to do with any bus, its a point to point connection between the
video card and the processor, wich is pretty much direct, and does not support multiple devices like a bus would do. SO if you already have a AGP video onboard, its over go get a PCI video, or a new MOBO that will allow you to turn off the built in AGP, to run one from a built in slot .

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/AGP.html

lets see here...does this not say and i quote:


AGP has a couple important system (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/AGP.html#) requirements:

The chipset (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/chipset.html) must support AGP.

The motherboard (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/motherboard.html) must be equipped with an AGP bus slot "or" must have an >> integrated AGP graphics system <<.

heres an example of a computer that has agp integrated onboard but no slot . It doesnt have a slot because the AGP is a direct connection, wich doesnt support a second AGP.

http://www.gatewayatwork.com/mes/specs/Integrated_Intel_810E_Integrated_Graphics.html

This is an example of a tower with integrated AGP graphics, and no agp slot on the board. Its a 32 meg video on a 560 celeron with the 133 system FSB. The video is on a 32bit channel that is 66 mhz. It has direct memory access. Thats what makes it an AGP. And the system bios doesnt let you turn off the built in AGP, like some of them do. So your pretty much stuck.

You can look at some boards and see a place where a slot normally would be but the actual slot itself isnt soldered to the board. The circuit board has provisions for a slot, it simply wasnt put on the board. I think this might be because inside of a micro tower with only a 150 watt power supply, they take away the slot and change up the system board a little to keep people from putting a video card in it that requires 90 watts to use. Its "lite".

I thought AGP used up more power than PCI because the overall megahertz of a PCI connection is lower than AGP. Plus the MBPS is so much higher on AGP. I could be wrong but either way not all computers can support major video upgrading due to lack of power .


Oh and what i meant to say, instead of dual core i should have said "dual 350 mhz ramdac". My fault i will admit i was busy reading somthing else at the same time and it blended in with the post...OOPS. Is that a good reason to call sombody names? Not where im from.

Ya know i was talking to knifeblade03 and nobody else. Thats who my reply was aimed at. So why is it that i get attacked by several people for saying somthing that was wrong, when just about everybody giving info on the page did the same exact thing?

I sense a power struggle.
I feel that some members of this forum maybe over reacting to another members simple mistakes.
I sense some un-ease at the possibility that an old Chevy driver might know something about computers, and may challenge the knowledge of those more established here.
I also sense the power of the Yaya is weak in a member here, and this saddens me.

Ah I see intel did leave a loophole in their own definition of the AGP system, guess I should not be surprised since their onboard GPU market is quite lucrative.


Anyway I will repeat myself an PCI video card will not offer similar performance as an AGP card at lower power requirements. Post this in any computer forum and you might find yourself ridiculed again. At the most the power draw difference between a PCI and a AGP slot will be of a watt or so basically insignificant.


Could you also be so kind as to post that PCI NV card with dual 350 mhz ramdac, I'm curious to see the specs.


Anyway knife I should have posted this earlier before being caught in this BS, your problem might be caused by a simple game bug and not necessarily be related to the video card. Best thing would be to open up the comp, see if you do have an AGP slot and if you do borrow an AGP card from a friend and see if that solves your problem. This way you do not have to spend unnecessary money.

http://www.surftechcomputers.com/vcards.aspx

Check out the PCI-E nvidia 7300 with 575 core clock and dual 400MHZ ramdac. Could you imagine coolbits on that!

dayum only 60 bucks! That makes my video card look like mickey mouse.

Heres a regular PCI with dual 400 ramdac. I just sold one like it used cause I hate jaton.

It looked good though, it filled up my 21 inch monitor and was rockin and rollin. I didnt explore it too much tho i think the most i got it to was 1200x1600 or somthing like that. Of course i had it set on quality. I Played San Andreas v2.0 and it looked wonderful, that was my tester. It wasnt any better than my MSI Starforce g2ti (nvidia GeForce2 Ti overclocked), Except i didnt have to overclock the 5200 to make it perform. The heat generated by the g2ti video i have now, could cook a steak so>

http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/detail~dpno~299715.asp

http://www.surftechcomputers.com/vcards.aspx

Check out the PCI-E nvidia 7300 with 575 core clock and dual 400MHZ ramdac. Could you imagine coolbits on that!

dayum only 60 bucks! That makes my video card look like mickey mouse.

Heres a regular PCI with dual 400 ramdac. I just sold one like it used cause I hate jaton.

http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/detail~dpno~299715.asp



Hmm...just as a small coment: I find it a bit humorous that you have such an excited reaction to a 7300 card since most people would call it quite weak but whatever floats your boat.

Its not that its the cost. Its just impressive to see such a good card at such a fair price. If they are 60 brand new, what will they go for on Ebay? like 25 bucks.

Its not that its the cost. Its just impressive to see such a good card at such a fair price. If they are 60 brand new, what will they go for on Ebay? like 25 bucks.


no so much when you consider that with 26 more dollars you can get 3 times the performance with an x800gto:

POWERCOLOR X800GTO:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814131007


http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/x800%20gto%20and%20gto2_11070571141/9726.png
http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/evga%207300gs_022006120239/10939.png

ATI is getting back into the market arent they? Good for them but i will say this, i bought the ATI all-in-wonder card, and sent it back because my four year old hauppauge WinTV stomped its butt off. On paper the All-in-Wonder was supposed to be so much better, it wasnt. Nice interface tho. And it was nice that i didnt have to run a seperate sound cable out of the ATI card, just for sound cap. On the WinTV, i have to run a seperate cable out of the wintv to a input on my SB24 to capture audio. The ATI did it all in software.

ATI is getting back into the market arent they? Good for them


getting back in the market? where have you been? Its true that they have not enjoyed the domination they had with the 9700 and 9800 series but they have been quite well placed against Nvidia. The X800 and X850 have been very competitive against the 6800s and the current 1900 are also very strong versus the 7900s.

They have also enojed a very good good lead over Nv in the very large laptop embedded graphics market


So I'm confused when they have been out of the market?

IMO AGP is faster then PCI. BUT, If its 8xAPG its fast but the PCI Express is fasterrr.

If you buy a new card you'll need a power suply upgrade for sure!
Some more Ram never hurts either, max that out!

I beleive the PC i'm using right now is an 845Chipset. :(
Its only a 1.6ghz overclocked to around 2.4ghz.
IT has an 4x AGP w/radion 9800 pro w512mb ddr its hella fast :grinyes:
THo it has a 500w PS for all the fans :lol:

The problem with Nvidia and cheap PCs is thier can be conflicts and shit craps out and crashes or just wont work.

Go to Dell and ask what video cards they would recomend with the MBoard you hav. Thats what I'd do :2cents:

They have also enojed a very good good lead over Nv in the very large laptop embedded graphics market


Which is still incredibly weak stuff for having such a dominant presence in the laptop world. I'm running the xpress 200m on my Athlon 64 4000+ laptop, and this thing couldn't even beat out a $40 graphics card you can throw in a desktop. They can't figure out (or choose not to) combine amazing processor power (which I have and is readily available) and a decent GPU for the life of them. Laptop graphics have progressed so slowly compared to everything else.

Granted laptops are not built for gaming, but it would be nice to atleast have the option without spending $2,500 on a XPS.

Sorry for the off-thread post, but I wanted to chime in and vent on that.

Which is still incredibly weak stuff for having such a dominant presence in the laptop world. I'm running the xpress 200m on my Athlon 64 4000+ laptop, and this thing couldn't even beat out a $40 graphics card you can throw in a desktop. They can't figure out (or choose not to) combine amazing processor power (which I have and is readily available) and a decent GPU for the life of them. Laptop graphics have progressed so slowly compared to everything else.

Granted laptops are not built for gaming, but it would be nice to atleast have the option without spending $2,500 on a XPS.

Sorry for the off-thread post, but I wanted to chime in and vent on that.


true that, there are some very bad tradeoffs with laptops. Good gaming laptops cost an arm and a leg and have garbage battery life especially when gaming plus they are huge and heavy. On the other hand proper portable laptops only have the most basic onboard GPUs that have to share main mem. very hard to find a happy medium.

Personally i tend towards smaller portable laptops with good battery life and leave the gaming to my main desktop.

I know that intel has been pushing for a laptop standard so maybe we might get sometime the flexibility of a self build laptop in the future.

Doesnt bother me, ive been called worse.

Heres what i think. A Dimension 2400 probably has a Intel 845 setup. That video doesnt meet the system requirements of the game thats trying to be played. Heres a note on that direct from the game site. This is what the say about video message error problems:

First, verify that your video card meets the minimum requirements for the game. You will need a 64mb video card with at least one of these chipsets or better:

ATI Radeon 8500, 9000 Pro, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800
ATI Radeon x300, x600, x800
Nvidia GeForce 3, GeForce3 Ti 200
Nvidia GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP8X, GeForce Ti 4600, GeForce4 Ti 4800 SE
Nvidia GeForceFX 5200, 5300, 5500, 5600, 5700, 5750, 5800, 5900, and 5950
Nvidia GeForce 6800.

Does he have one of these or better. No he doesnt. That doesnt mean you cant get it to play. mine played it on a GeForce 2Ti.


That brings me to upgrading the version of DX. Upgrading DX can make you lose certain features on certain video cards. You can lose both or either D3D acceleration, and AGP texture acceleration when you upgrade direct x. This is true for a lot of barebones, HP, Compaq, and Dell towers that have intel chipsets and integrated graphics.

Next we have video drivers. You can lose or gain certain direct x features depending on what driver is loaded to some video cards. The features im talking about are D3d and texture aceleration. Ive noticed this problem more with intel chips than any other . Update the driver and boom no more texture aceleration.


The game site also said this:

If you have updated your drivers and still get this error, you must make sure that the DirectX features for your video card are enabled.
Click on Start.
Click on Run...
Type dxdiag into the box.
Click OK.
Click on the Display tab.
Find the DirectX Features box.
The first feature is DirectDraw Acceleration. It should say Enabled next to it. If it says Disabled, click the Enable button.
The second feature is Direct3D Acceleration. It should say Enabled next to it. If it says Disabled, click the Enable button.
The third feature is AGP Texture Acceleration. It should say Enabled next to it. If it says Disabled, click the Enable button.
Once all three are enabled, close the window.You may now start your game. The error should no longer occur. If the features are Disabled and you do not have the option to Enable, you will want to contact your computer manufacturer or your video card manufacturer for further assistance.]


All they are going to say is your running outdated hardware for whatever it is your trying to do in software.


This brings me to upgrade. It may or may not be able to be upgraded be means of an AGP slot.

Here are some examples of Intel 845's that do not have AGP slots.
http://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/d845gvsr/index.htm
http://www-old.epox.nl/english/products/motherboard/4gvm9i.htm

On this page you will find intel 845's that do. Scroll down the page and find the intel 845 chipset motheboards. Some have it some dont.
http://www-old.epox.nl/english/products/motherboard/478.htm

If his doesnt he will have to upgrade to a PCI video.

As for calling me names its not like i care.


Ayep, the above is precisely what I face, and what I've tried, thanks for putting that up, it exactly what I get and have tried.

Soooooooooooooooo................. Obviously a new card. Nuts, lol. [But I felt that would end up being the case, anyway]. My chip is an Intel 82845G.

With the above said, I really am a best-case NEWBIE at replacing this stuff, I really don't know wtf I am looking for. I am competent in replacing a card, but what card?
[i.e. geforce ATI upper cards, pci or agp]

What else really confuses me, as I don't want to buy something that won't work [and be stuck with it] is that since I have the onboard AGP, can I or should I go PCI? I was under the impression that the two are not plug-in compatible for this dinosaur Dell 2400.???????????????

I do really appreciate your willingness, all you folks, to help this confused newbie out!!!!!!!!!!!!! I also apologize for using so much space in this post. But, I've done some research, and it only seems to get me more doing a :screwy: than steering me to the solution, sigh. And this may be irrelevant, but I got a similar rendereing error message on another new game I tried to play [WW11 sniper]. Obvious that a newrer card is the fix, ah well.

[
>snip<
Anyway knife I should have posted this earlier before being caught in this BS, your problem might be caused by a simple game bug and not necessarily be related to the video card. Best thing would be to open up the comp, see if you do have an AGP slot and if you do borrow an AGP card from a friend and see if that solves your problem. This way you do not have to spend unnecessary money.[/quote]
>unsnip<

It's all good, I have already started to learn a great deal from the discourse happening here!!!!!!!!!!! It is obvious that I truly know enough to know I don't know enough, and I freely admit it. [no disparagement to any of the folks who were willing to try to answer my OP]. I said this was totally new to me, I've not the experience all of you have with this.

With that said, it IS a not-quite bare-bones older Dell 2400 Dimension, about 3 years old now. And please don't laugh to much at me, but how do I check for a AGP slot, as mentioned earlier? Don't get me wrong, I do know how to open a case and identify components, but this my first ever shot at trying to replace a video card. Sort of want to do it right the first time. It seems no doubt that the crummy card I have is strict on-board, and Dell isn't answering my ? about having a AGP slot yet, gggggggrrrrrrrr, LOL.

I would get a PCI video card, and i would go for nvidia over other brands like ATI. The reason i say this is when i had the 845 chipset computer, a friend gave me a 128mb ATI card and when i plugged it in, it wouldnt work with the onboard AGP. It would work as a standard adapter, but as soon as i loaded the software from the cd, the computer wouldnt boot, it would restart itself halfway through booting and automatically go into safe mode after it came back on. I eventually grew tired of trying it over and over .I tried it on win98se, 2000 pro, and xp pro, wich the computer had all three OS's at the same time on it. I gave it away to another person who installed it, still has it, and i think he wants it to have his baby, hes really wow'ed by it . As for me I got on ebay and bought a Nvidia card and it worked fine the first time out.


Not trying to say ATI or Nvidia is better, thats a different topic all together. But ATI is known for having some issues with "certain" VIA and INTEL chipsets. Ive dealt with this problem twice. The very first ATI card i ever bought was a 16MB ATI rage card and it wouldnt work with my VIA chipset Mobo. It did the same thing. And now that my new shuttle board has a VIA chipset, guess wich brand of card i will never buy.

Dont forget to check out minimum power supply requirements for the video card you choose. I believe the power supply you have is a 150-250 watt, wich you can read on the side and tell what it is. It will say somthing like "model atx250" or a phrase sort of like "max continuous output power is 250 watt". As long as you have at least 250 watts and havent added a lot of PCI cards, you should be good to add whatever you want.

EDIT: http://www.pcguide.com/byop/byop_Chapter7InstallingAGPandPCICards.htm

The slot at the very top of the picture is what an agp slot looks like. It would be the slot thats closest to the processor.

Yes yes please by all means, even if you have an AGP slot available do get a PCI video card after all they are far more power efficient as its been proven earlier. And yes based on that anecdotal evidence presented earlier clearly ATI cards have huge issues with via and intel chipsets and nvidia cards never have any conflicts whatsoever. Their drivers are also quite an example of perfection (the nvidia access manager for NF4 chipsets is the best piece of software ever written).


In conclusion would go with that 7300 mentioned earlier since as you can see in benchmarks it is the best card for the money. Or even better an earlier Fx series card from Nvidia since back then they were so much superior to the 9700/9800 series from ATI who could blame them after all ATI has been gone apparently.

Anyway I'm done here, I have better things to do than waste my time arguing with a wall. Bye! :wave:

Here ye go>

Just scroll down and read these links im posting.

http://www.uk-shop-index.co.uk/Dell.html

quote:
Posted on 09 / 11 / 2003
Dell Dimension 2400
This computer can pack out the power.
The OS hardly crashes (win xp) and even though it has crashed it was partly down to me opening up to many apps, (ie. Microsoft Office XP, Dreamweaver MX, Fireworks MX, Explorer).
This computer is more for the Home / Small Buisness user as it has rather poor graphics performance (NO AGP SLOT).
The Dimension 2400 costs only (£450) as standard but with an up grade to the following specs you should have a very fast and reliable computer.
256 MB NON ECC 333MHZ DDR MEMORY (1*256)
Celeron 2.4GHZ PRO
80GB HARD DISK (7,200RPM)
4 * DVD-R/RW
2400 Celeron 2.4GHZ Integrated Sound , Vi
I would rate this product 5 out of 5 for the following reasons:-
Price,
Design,
Tidy Build,
Great choice of monitors,
Upgradable to your needs,
and Dells Support and Servicing is great.
end quote.

Once again no agp slot. Right from the mouth of another 2400 owner.

heres sombody else with dell 2400 problems.

http://forums.pcworld.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=11672&sid=25e0cbea39c43b4d37c74fcd b1fa2709

Another...

http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/43104

Bleh>

If he upgrades to ATI might be a better choice.

As for what i was talking about earlier. Via and ATI issues.

http://forums.viaarena.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=73601&enterthre ad=y

http://forums.viaarena.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=74525&enterthre ad=y

http://forums.viaarena.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=74355&enterthre ad=y

http://forums.viaarena.com/messageview.aspx?catid=31&threadid=74256&enterthre ad=y


The list goes on and on. This is just a couple examples. these issues are known by both companies. and it goes back years. Ive seen Intel chipsets do the same thing and spit out ATI cards. no workie workie.

I myself have good luck with Nvidia. To each his own. But any way he goes hes still going to have to upgrade his power supply. His (like many dells) have unstable power supplies that are not even a 300 watt. As cheap as video cards are thats the only thing holding him back.

Heres an upgrade power supply for dell dimension 2300-4600 models for dirt cheap. It upgrades them from whatever they have to 300 watt. You can get a even higher watt power supply if need be.

http://www.affordablesurplus.com/del...wer-supply.asp

I would get a power supply before i start doing any serious upgrading. Thats just how i am. Ive heard more bad about factory dell power supplies, than i have good.

>Nobody is arguing with you Neutrino. Ive done nothing but give the facts i know of that could help with the issues knifeblade is having. Every time sombody has shot at what i was saying ive replied, trying to explain what im saying with fact as oppose to attitude. Im finished explaining myself. Knifeblade has an idea of what hes looking at now, based on fact. I didnt just spout somthing off the top of my head without looking into it first. Really i already knew all i have said. Been there done that its old news. I simply dug around and found proof of what i was talking about, in defense of being called stupid. This thread isnt productive anymore. All has been said that needs to be said. Good luck knifeblade.

>Nobody is arguing with you Neutrino. Ive done nothing but give the facts i know of that could help with the issues knifeblade is having. Every time sombody has shot at what i was saying ive replied, trying to explain what im saying with fact as oppose to attitude. Im finished explaining myself. Knifeblade has an idea of what hes looking at now, based on fact. I didnt just spout somthing off the top of my head without looking into it first. Really i already knew all i have said. Been there done that its old news. I simply dug around and found proof of what i was talking about, in defense of being called stupid. This thread isnt productive anymore. All has been said that needs to be said. Good luck knifeblade.


No what you did was become a google scientist. want to find problems with ATI or nvidia, thousand are only a google search away.

nvidia video card problems: Results 1 - 10 of about 3,510,000 for nvidia video card problems.

nvidia video card problems: Results 1 - 10 of about 3,650,000 for ati video card problems.



With a bit of patience anyone can claim to be an expert. Want to claim you are an expert in bose einstein condensate----->Google then you can spew technical info for ages: instant cold atom scientist.


With all that amazing expertise you claim to have I still have yet to see reasonable explanations for the gross errors you have posted. And somehow all your extensive pots are based on searches.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

As a last piece of advice knife you may take it or leave it as it is: Do not start waiting your money yet on components. The problem could be caused by an unrelated problem, you do not want to start blowing money just yet before isolating the issue. And since you are not comfortable messing around the inside of the comp find a knowledgeable friend to help or a local reputable comp shop that will not rip you off. They will have the parts to isolate the issues in minutes.

Furthermore if you actually want a computer that is decently futureproof (as much as a computer can be)and can play current games at decent settings find someone to do a custom-build for you using standard components. Its simply not worth it to waste money on completely outdated AGP or far worse PCI video cards. not to mention that since DX10 cards are arriving in a few days (Nvidia G80) you could purchase a very powerful current gen video card for quite cheap very soon.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyway all that is beside the point right now, I though that in my years of posting in this section helping people I would have established that I have some adequate knowledge. Anyway its clear from the flack I have been receiving for this thread my presence is no longer welcomed in "Computer/Electronics/Technology" so as far as I'm concerned I bid farewell to everyone.

Good lord, can i get a witness?

No what you did was become a google scientist.

Yeah thats it, i know nothing . It was all google your right.


With a bit of patience anyone can claim to be an expert. Want to claim you are an expert in bose einstein condensate----->Google then you can spew technical info for ages: instant cold atom scientist.

Yeah thats it. I "claimed" to be an "expert" cause i can google stuff. Although that part of the thread evades me..could you please show me where i claimed this?

With all that amazing expertise you claim to have I still have yet to see reasonable explanations for the gross errors you have posted. And somehow all your extensive pots are based on searches..

Oh yeah i forgot i claimed to have "amazing expertise". Care to show where i said that. Ive worked on computers for almost ten years, and went to OSU for computers back in 2002. But i never anywhere claimed to be any kind of computer expert.

Neutrino, i have no beef with you. But at the same time im not going to just sit here and be treated as if i were stupid. I dont care how much longer you have been on AF than me, no member on here deserves this sort of treatment. Its disrespectful, and frankly you dont know me like that. If a regular member treated other members like you do, they would be banned. Yourself is guilty of giving bad info on this thread, among others. So what big deal.

THIS THREAD IS BEYOND THE POINT OF NO RETURN!!!

Well, I think it's time to close, LOL. I certainly didn't intend any animosity to arise, for that I apologize [although I don't feel I need to].

I thank everyone so very much for the help and advice, regardless!!!!!!!!!!!!! I now have a MUCH clearer idea of what I need to do, and what my options likely are, as well as other areas that I wasn't even aware of.

My sincere thanks and gratitude to all of you for helping, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

Tam [aka Knifeblade_03]

K, decided to open this thread again for update from all the great advice I received.

1] I have PCI slots available.

2] I need more RAM, that's a separate issue, sheesh, lol. Maybe not, though, thinking a 128 or 256 RAM card might cover the weak 256 RAM I have.

3] Regardless of what Dell responded, I understand I can pci a good graphics card, and disable the onboard AGP graphics via BIOS or Device Manager.

Man, this has really been a learning and research experience, but it all good for the learning!!!!!!!!!!

K, decided to open this thread again for update from all the great advice I received.

1] I have PCI slots available.

2] I need more RAM, that's a separate issue, sheesh, lol. Maybe not, though, thinking a 128 or 256 RAM card might cover the weak 256 RAM I have.

3] Regardless of what Dell responded, I understand I can pci a good graphics card, and disable the onboard AGP graphics via BIOS or Device Manager.

Man, this has really been a learning and research experience, but it all good for the learning!!!!!!!!!!


Your built in video is feeding off the 256 ram you have. The system reserves either 32mb or 64mb of your systems ram to run the onboard video so when you replace the video your overall system performance should improve.

Glad you have it figured out now. A lot of different companies make good quailty PCI video cards. When you buy one make sure its dx9 compliant and will work with your operating system, or you could spend money and be back to square one. Oh and good luck.

I dont plan on posting on this section of the forum anymore. Neutrino, sorry you feel you have to "bid farewell" or whatever it was. Seems kinda extreme if you ask me. Obviously you know people who hang out here in this section of the forum, ive only posted twice here and got treated rudely, and was made out to be stupid (or at least the attempt was made). I have better things to do besides that anyways so dont let me stand in your way (or however else i could put it).

[quote=hotrod_chevyz]Your built in video is feeding off the 256 ram you have. The system reserves either 32mb or 64mb of your systems ram to run the onboard video so when you replace the video your overall system performance should improve.


Exactly correct!!!!!!!!! A pci card not only can be put in, but it will have choice of 128 or 256 Ram built-in. That will release my primary RAM's draw-off for video and graphics. And, you were correct, my Dell has no AGP slot, but has three PCI slots available. :biggrin: . Whether an ATI or NVidia, well, I have to decide that. Re potential power-supply issues, I have found that there is no problem with putting in a pci, as far as I have determined. Once I disable the onboard graphics, it seems that some power required gets released, and can then be used for the card. [As far as I have determined so far].

I have, however, determined that the problem is not within the game itself. My g/f ran it on her Viao with sans problems, but she is diddling around trying to find what video card she has, ggggggrrrrr, LOL. That would point me one direction. Either that, or go to her place and play the game:lol: . Prob. is, she'll want to play "games" when I'm there, so while enjoyable, it doesn't let me play what I want to at the time :evillol: . Well, maybe it does, but that's not for anyone else's biz, LOL.

I really learned a lot, and I again thank everyone for their thoughts and suggestions.

well, quick update. Bought a GeForce FX 5200 [supported by this comp.] and a 512 RAM to add to the 256. Here we go, do or die, LOL.

Dell is silly. They stated I could not do what I wanted to do to upgrade. According to Dell, I "need a new system", yeah, right, what a crock.

Granted, this is a base 2400. However, I have put in a GeForce FX 5200 pci card, disabled the onboard graphics, and the card is doing very well, thanks for nada, Dell, LOL. My games [the original issue I was having, they weren't playing] now come up and play great. I also put 512 Mb RAM to boost RAM total 768 Mb. Not a full Gig, but another RAM at 512 is in my future, LOL.

Essentially, thanks again, everyone. Problem solved, and I am one happy camper, for a while :wink: . Next projects are another 512 RAM to replace the 256 original, an external HD for more storage, and possibly a more updated video card [but that's way away, yet, those suckers can be expensive, LOL]. Sometimes it truly works not to listen to manufacturers spiel as gospel.