Can I add a video card to this system?

[Pete]

I have an old PC which my son would like to use for games, but the
video isn't up to it. How can I tell if I can add a video card to it?
Despite being a software techie of many years standing, not being a
games or CAD person I've never bothered to look into graphics.

It has an Sis 6326 (see below) which a google seach tells me is an AGP
video card. If this is correct, presumably I can swap this out for one
with more memory. After a very little research into cards, I was
looking at GeForce4 (64Mb) on eBay, as I don't want to spend much on
an old m/c.

Here's the Belarac analysis of the machine:

Operating System: Windows 98
System Model : (built buy a shop for me)

Processor : 500 megahertz AMD K6-2 w/3DNow
64 kilobyte primary memory cache
1024 kilobyte secondary memory cache

Main Circuit Bd : Board: First International Computer, Inc. PA-2013
PCB 2.X
Bus Clock: 100 megahertz
BIOS: Award Software International, Inc. 4.51 PG
03/21/00

Memory : 2 x 128 Mb memory in sep slots, with 2 spare

Controllers : floppy, primary & secondary IDE
VIA Bus Master PCI IDE Controller

Display : SiS 6326 [Display adapter]
Plug and Play Monitor

Multimedia : Creative Gameport Joystick
Creative Sound Blaster AudioPCI 128
Sound Blaster AudioPCI 128 Legacy Device
Wave Device for Voice Modem

Any advice welcomed!

Thanks

Pete Jones

 

[Dark Avenger]

I have an old PC which my son would like to use for games, but the
video isn't up to it. How can I tell if I can add a video card to it?
Despite being a software techie of many years standing, not being a
games or CAD person I've never bothered to look into graphics.

It has an Sis 6326 (see below) which a google seach tells me is an AGP
video card. If this is correct, presumably I can swap this out for one
with more memory. After a very little research into cards, I was
looking at GeForce4 (64Mb) on eBay, as I don't want to spend much on
an old m/c.

Here's the Belarac analysis of the machine:

Operating System: Windows 98
System Model : (built buy a shop for me)

Processor : 500 megahertz AMD K6-2 w/3DNow
64 kilobyte primary memory cache
1024 kilobyte secondary memory cache

Main Circuit Bd : Board: First International Computer, Inc. PA-2013
PCB 2.X
Bus Clock: 100 megahertz
BIOS: Award Software International, Inc. 4.51 PG
03/21/00

Memory : 2 x 128 Mb memory in sep slots, with 2 spare

Controllers : floppy, primary & secondary IDE
VIA Bus Master PCI IDE Controller

Display : SiS 6326 [Display adapter]
Plug and Play Monitor

Multimedia : Creative Gameport Joystick
Creative Sound Blaster AudioPCI 128
Sound Blaster AudioPCI 128 Legacy Device
Wave Device for Voice Modem

Any advice welcomed!

Thanks

Pete Jones

You should easily swap that SIS crappy card with a nice GF4 ti 4200
card. Just remember to remove the SIS drivers before removing the old
card

 

[?uzzled]

You're right. You should be able to fit an AGP graphics card into your
machine but I'd be careful with which one you go for. I had an ATI Radeon
32Mb DDR in my PC. It was fine in 2D but kept crashing in 3D games. My
current spec. is:

Win98SE / Win2K SP3
K6-2 350 @ 450
FIC VA-503+
2 X 256Mb PC133
8Gb IBM
3Gb Seagate
16Mb Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
230W AT PSU
32x Toshiba CD-ROM
6x4x16 Yamaha CD Writer
SB 64V PCI card
5 port USB2 PCI card
SCSI 2 PCI card
3C509X ISA NIC

I went for a Voodoo 3 card in the end because I wanted to keep playing my
glide games. My motherboard is supposed to be the AT version of the same
board you have. You may want to wander over to
alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.fic and ask the question in there. Or you can
google it and find that a lot of people recommend the Kyro II chipset for
the old SS7 board. By the way, I picked up my Voodoo card on ebay for £17
about a year ago.

Hope that helps.

 

[Darthy]

I have an old PC which my son would like to use for games, but the
video isn't up to it. How can I tell if I can add a video card to it?
Despite being a software techie of many years standing, not being a
games or CAD person I've never bothered to look into graphics.

It has an Sis 6326 (see below) which a google seach tells me is an AGP
video card. If this is correct, presumably I can swap this out for one
with more memory. After a very little research into cards, I was
looking at GeForce4 (64Mb) on eBay, as I don't want to spend much on
an old m/c.

Here's the Belarac analysis of the machine:

Operating System: Windows 98
System Model : (built buy a shop for me)

Processor : 500 megahertz AMD K6-2 w/3DNow

What kind of games does he plan to play on it? With that kind of
CPU, it becomes the bottleneck for everything. A $50 videocard would
not run much slower than a $500 video card on such a system.

If the games are simple kid games, then a ATI9200/Pro or 9000/Pro
would be about as good as it gets. These are under $100.

Unreal Tornement and other 1999 games and older will work fine.

Newer games... not playable... run perhaps, but not enjoyable.

 

[Ben Pope]

What kind of games does he plan to play on it? With that kind of
CPU, it becomes the bottleneck for everything. A $50 videocard would
not run much slower than a $500 video card on such a system.

If the games are simple kid games, then a ATI9200/Pro or 9000/Pro
would be about as good as it gets. These are under $100.

Only if they support the correct AGP spec... I think that board is the first
spec which required a higher voltage signalling.

Ben

 

[Malc]

Only if they support the correct AGP spec... I think that board is the first
spec which required a higher voltage signalling.

Ben

The 1st spec was AGP 1.0. This runs at 1x/2x speeds and uses 3.3v. Some
new video cards are backwards compatible and will run on AGP 1.0, but
others won't.

Check the spec of any video card before you buy it. If it says it needs
AGP 2.0 then it won't work. If it needs a voltage other than 3.3 v then
it won't work. If it doesn't mention 1x or 2x speed then it won't work.

I have a 4 year old 750Mhz Athlon which has AGP 1.0. I recently upgraded
to a Sapphire Radeon 9000 Pro and it works great.

Malc

 

[thegame]

A 500mhz k2 will not run much of anything. If he would just want some
'light gaming' i would go to ebay n buy a 20buck used geforce2 or 3.
With that kind of cpu, it doesnt really matter what gfx card, it will
be slow as hell.