Need help to install AGP video card into my computer, instructions please.

[John]

Hi I just bought this neat video card but I have read
elsewhere it might overheat my motherboard. My computer
maxes at about 95 degrees fahrenheit now. Also how exactly
would I put items like AGP cards and other stuff into my
computer myself without going out to a retail store and
giving someone my food allowance for the month to see them
pop a little thing in and watch windows xp do all the work?

What kind of basic tools should I use? Gloves? I have a
friend but he wants me to drive my big clunky tower PC a
half-an-hour to his place and carry it in his doors to get
it done. I just need some simple 1-2-3-4s on you get this
stuff, you put it in like this and you install it like this.

Right now I have a Prosavage onboard motherboard video
driver which means I have no video card and the hertz are
60 and the graphics are lousy at a bare bones 32MB for
DirectX 9.0b runtime for WindowsXP home sp1 + all updates
since. I got me an AGP Rageon 9200 128MB 8x/4x card and
I'm hoping the recommendations were right about it.

I am just down about how I've got to either pay Microsoft
for direct support or basically my computer company don't
much care cuz they are small and just need to sell sell
sell. Please let me know the basics thanks.

 

[Jim Macklin]

95 isn't too hot. The question is do you have an AGP slot
on the motherboard?
The only tools you need besides whatever you need to open
the computer case, a Phillips screw-driver, most likely a #2
although a #1 might be handy. A nut-driver set in metric
sizes or a 1/4 drive socket set with metric socket might be
handy. But just the screwdrivers should do it. You will
need to remove the filler plate in-line with the AGP slot,
insert the card and close it back up.

a search at www.pcworld.com in the "how to" section will get
you instructions with pictures.

A little effort should get you a copy of the motherboard
manual (download Bel Arc Advisor www.belarc.com to ident
your board) and then download the correct manual. You might
need to change some BIOS settings.

Static electricity is the danger to the system, it can fry
the chips. Be sure to read about how to control it.


message | Hi I just bought this neat video card but I have read
| elsewhere it might overheat my motherboard. My computer
| maxes at about 95 degrees fahrenheit now. Also how
exactly
| would I put items like AGP cards and other stuff into my
| computer myself without going out to a retail store and
| giving someone my food allowance for the month to see them
| pop a little thing in and watch windows xp do all the
work?
|
| What kind of basic tools should I use? Gloves? I have a
| friend but he wants me to drive my big clunky tower PC a
| half-an-hour to his place and carry it in his doors to get
| it done. I just need some simple 1-2-3-4s on you get this
| stuff, you put it in like this and you install it like
this.
|
| Right now I have a Prosavage onboard motherboard video
| driver which means I have no video card and the hertz are
| 60 and the graphics are lousy at a bare bones 32MB for
| DirectX 9.0b runtime for WindowsXP home sp1 + all updates
| since. I got me an AGP Rageon 9200 128MB 8x/4x card and
| I'm hoping the recommendations were right about it.
|
| I am just down about how I've got to either pay Microsoft
| for direct support or basically my computer company don't
| much care cuz they are small and just need to sell sell
| sell. Please let me know the basics thanks.

 

[John]

Yes I called the people that sold me this toasterof a
computer, well my Dad got it for me as a moving out present
in January for like $200. It is worth triple that now with
additional 512MB ram from initial 128MB and a printer and a
video card. I ran dxdiag and then it went to sysinfo and
told me the confirmation of what the computer company said
that I've got AGP and PCI slots. I had bought a PCI card
but the computer dealer said that unless I was producing
videos and editing them I'd be best off with an AGP card to
cut down on load on the processor and make it run much
faster, plus I saved a good $20 so it worked out. I really
appreciate your message thanks a lot. It was very
informative. I have a motherboard manual on a file
somewhere in an adobe format on one of my driver cd-roms so
I could read that but it is all greek to me. I will just
call them back in california when I have the thing on the
operation table and ask them the color of the slot again,
they mentioned it.

They are nice friendly folk, these little computer
companies out there, but they really aren't equipped to
handle the customer service like microsoft could. Anyway
thanks again sir, I appreciate access to these forums.

 

[D.Currie]

Yes I called the people that sold me this toasterof a
computer, well my Dad got it for me as a moving out present
in January for like $200. It is worth triple that now with
additional 512MB ram from initial 128MB and a printer and a
video card. I ran dxdiag and then it went to sysinfo and
told me the confirmation of what the computer company said
that I've got AGP and PCI slots. I had bought a PCI card
but the computer dealer said that unless I was producing
videos and editing them I'd be best off with an AGP card to
cut down on load on the processor and make it run much
faster, plus I saved a good $20 so it worked out. I really
appreciate your message thanks a lot. It was very
informative. I have a motherboard manual on a file
somewhere in an adobe format on one of my driver cd-roms so
I could read that but it is all greek to me. I will just
call them back in california when I have the thing on the
operation table and ask them the color of the slot again,
they mentioned it.

They are nice friendly folk, these little computer
companies out there, but they really aren't equipped to
handle the customer service like microsoft could. Anyway
thanks again sir, I appreciate access to these forums.

The AGP slot is usually brown, and if it's there, it's all the way at the
top, above the PCI slots. It's not like you could actually shove an AGP card
into a PCI slot, in any case.

As far as their opinion of PCI over AGP, they seem to have it backwards. AGP
is made for video and is going to give you better performance than PCI. Why
they would suggest a PCI video card would be better for videos and editing,
I have no idea. DO, for the wrong reasons, you ended up buying a better
card.

 

[Jim Macklin]

Motherboard manuals have diagrams and pictures too. Very
nice because you can see what and where the parts are on the
mobo. They also have step by step instructions for the
BIOS.


message | Yes I called the people that sold me this toasterof a
| computer, well my Dad got it for me as a moving out
present
| in January for like $200. It is worth triple that now
with
| additional 512MB ram from initial 128MB and a printer and
a
| video card. I ran dxdiag and then it went to sysinfo and
| told me the confirmation of what the computer company said
| that I've got AGP and PCI slots. I had bought a PCI card
| but the computer dealer said that unless I was producing
| videos and editing them I'd be best off with an AGP card
to
| cut down on load on the processor and make it run much
| faster, plus I saved a good $20 so it worked out. I
really
| appreciate your message thanks a lot. It was very
| informative. I have a motherboard manual on a file
| somewhere in an adobe format on one of my driver cd-roms
so
| I could read that but it is all greek to me. I will just
| call them back in california when I have the thing on the
| operation table and ask them the color of the slot again,
| they mentioned it.
|
| They are nice friendly folk, these little computer
| companies out there, but they really aren't equipped to
| handle the customer service like microsoft could. Anyway
| thanks again sir, I appreciate access to these forums.