Wrong video card?

I recently tried to install a new video card in my five year old PC but it didn't fit. It was a PCI Express card I got second hand from a friend. He suggested I might need an APG card. The local computer store said they aren't available anymore so I looked on ebay. I found APG cards on ebay but they don't really look like they would fit either.
Not sure what info to give re my PC but I've got a LG desktop computer, Intel (R) Celeron (R).
The reason I want to install a new video card is so I can run the game Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines which requires "3D hardware accelerator card-100% Direct X 9.0c-compatible 64 MB video card and drivers".

 

There are several standards of AGP cards. You may have been unlucky enough to get the wrong one. What is the Make/Model of the card, and the MB?

I have several computers kicking around the house, to simplify my life I tend to stick with a particular make/model until it is totally obsolete. My current standard is a Radeon 8500, I may have to change that soon, but it's a pretty basic unit.

 

I haven't actually bought one yet. Could you give me any advice on how to know which one would fit my computer? And how to make sure my game would work with it. This is the first time I've actually opened my computer up so I'm kinda floundering.

 

It would be really helpful to know your motherboard make and model and how many watts your power supply Is. It will usually say so on the power supply. Also will the card fit into your case? Will your current power supply handle it.

 

The power supply has both 120w and 225w written on it.
The motherboard is I think VIA VT8237R Plus. Does that sound right? If not, could you tell me how to find out?

 

Oh, and no, the PCI card doesn't physically fit.

 

For more accurate info about your PC hardware and software, attach and upload an Everest report to a future post. The report will contain the motherboard make and model, and will tell us if you have an AGP slot, or just a PCI slot (not to be confused with PCI-Express which is totally different from PCI).

 

Here's my report.

 

http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=proddesc&maincat_no=1&prod_no=234 is your motherboard and it looks like you have a AGP 8X slot. On your power supply can you see were it says total output power? What is your budget for a new video card.

 

It doesn't seem to say "total power output" anywhere but after DC output there are a lot of numbers and symbols ending in;
+3.3V & +5V =120W (Max)
+3.3V & +5V & +12V =225W (Max)
Not sure about my budget. What's the usual price range?

 

It may be a 250-300 watt power supply. For you around 50-100$ for a decent card. Can you give up the full specs on the game you want to play.

 

I found the specs for the game. You may want a card like this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130233 also when you look for a card make sure your power supply can handle it.

 

Hey thanks, I checked the link you posted and that card kinda doesn't look like it would fit. Not having done this before, I'm not sure, but it looks like that card would fit into three slots whereas my computer has two, one big and one small. Any way of making sure before I buy it?

 

It should fit your slot because you have a AGP 8x slot. It says so on the report. Do you need help with installing it if you get one?

 

Possibly. I'll be sure to post if I do.

 

Unfortunately the link you posted doesn't ship to Japan. I've found a couple of cards on Yahoo auction. Any hints as to what to look for?

 

Post the links to the cards and i will take a look.

 

There are thousands and I don't really know what I'm looking for. But I'm communicating with a seller, hopefully he can help.

 

Ok, I went ahead (stupidly) and bought the card the seller recommended, a NVIDIA GeFORCE 4 64MB DUAL MONITOR PCI VIDEO CARD. The card arrived and it didn't quite fit. The bracket was too big. I took the bracket off and it seemed to fit but nothing happens when I turn it on. Am I doing something wrong or did I just get the wrong card?

 

I don't want to rain on your parade, but the card that was 'recommended by the seller' is a very, very old card. Much better cards are available and I wouldn't be surprised if the on-board video is about the same as the card you purchased. The Geforce4 cards were popular about 8 or 10 years ago. If the card is fully seated in the slot, and the PC was powered down AND UNPLUGGED from the power when the card was installed, and you plugged the monitor in to the card, it should work. If not, clear the CMOS with the PC unplugged from the power. If unsure on how to do this, check the motherboard manual available at the link provided above by pclover or at this link. If the card still doesn't work, you should return it promptly for a refund. Do not exchange it if possible. You do not want another card that old whether it works or not. Try to get a Geforce FX5 series or 6000 series with at least 128mb on board, preferably 256mb or more.

 

I haven't had time to clear the CMOS yet but I noticed that when I plugged the monitor into the video card, the little indicator light went blue, same as when it's on, rather than the red when it's off. I would guess this indicates that some signal is getting through.
By the way, do I need to back up my system before clearing the CMOS?

 

clearing the CMOS should not effect your hard drive. It just simply clears your CMOS settings and then you will make to make new settings.

 

Ok, I cleared the CMOS as per instructions. Just to confirm, I moved the JBAT2 from 1-2 position to 2-3 position and back again. The instructions said to do it with JBAT1 but I couldn't find JBAT1. Then I plugged everything back in and turned it on. Still nothing on the monitor when plugged into the video card. There are two ports on the video card an I can only plug it into the second. Would this make any difference? Or is it just rubbish?

 

hmmm, the 2nd port might be for the 2nd monitor. So you are getting a blank because you can't see to program the desktop to show the 2nd monitor.
What is the problem with plugging into the first port?

 

The bracket for the video card was too big for my computer. If I take it off, it kinda fits but the top socket is right at the top of the opening. If I pared back the plug for the monitor, I could make it fit but I don't really want to do that unless I know for sure that it's going to work.

 

Also I reentered the standard CMOS features but when I restart it comes up with the message, "floppy disk(s) fail (40)". Is there something else I need to do to get it to startup properly?

 

You lost me on that.

Perhaps you are trying to use a card that wasn't designed for your computer?

The floppy drive error can be caused by three things:
1. Floppy cable not connected properly
2. Bad floppy cable
3. Bad Floppy drive - I/O

Maybe when you installed the video card you loosened the floppy drive cable.

 

I'm pretty sure I am using a card not designed for my computer but the seller said it should work. The seller said I must need a small form factor card but that the one I bought might work with the bracket off. The other card he recommended was MATROX G550 SFF LOW PROFILE DUAL MONITOR AGP VIDEO CARD but it doesn't look to me like it woud fit in the AGP slot. What do you think? It would be nice if I could do a simple exchange.
As far as the disk error message goes, nothing appears to be loose. Which if the cables would be causing the problem?

 

Must say not to always believe the system reports, I have no AGP card slot, but Everest says I have an open one, didn't check it manually, and had to return AGP card for a PCI in exchange. If the motherboard has an AGP slot I couldn't find it. Wishful thinking I'm afraid. This site has pictures of each, the age of the computer would suggest a PCI card, http://www.buildyourown.org.uk/pc-building/fitting/adapter-cards/
And the power supply is a consideration also, you may have to disable other components to get your card working if the PSU isn't up to the task...

 

I think my computer has two PCIs and and AGP. The seller said a MATROX G550 SFF LOW PROFILE DUAL MONITOR AGP VIDEO CARD. I've attached a photo of my slots and this is the link to the item on ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...kparms=algo=SI&its=I&itu=CR%2BUCI&otn=4&ps=42
It doesn't look like it would fit because it look like it has three tongues to fit in two slots but does that matter?

 

Hey if anyone has any ideas about this I would really appreciate it! If I'm going to return the video card, I need to do it ASAP. Cheers!