AGP graphics card

[GravyBoy]

I can no longer play game on my pc. They simply won't start. Scrolling web pages is slow and choppy and there are sometimes strange lines around my mouse cursor. The lines around the cursor disappear when I decrease graphics card acceleration. All these factors have lead me to the assumption that my graphics card is dead.

Could there be any other problems causing such issues? I've tried new graphics card drivers and took the card out of my pc to clean. All the air intakes around the fan were completely blocked so I assume that is what did the damage.

Assuming the card is dead I'm thinking of getting a new AGP graphics card. The x850 xt sounds like the best available. The 7800gs AGP card has been severly restricted so the x850 seems better. Any other suggestions for a better AGP card?

I have a dell dimension pc and I've heard that they are not very flexible when it comes to upgrading. Would a x850 xt work in my pc? Would the dell power supply be capable of suppling enough power? I would really appreciate any relpies as this could be a very long summer if my pc won't be able to play any games.

 

[SciFiMan]

I'm not sure about the display problems you are having. Is it otherwise normal operation when you are in other applications like Excel, or just surfing the web? You might also try reinstalling your graphics drivers, and maybe BIOS also if you haven't in a long time.

You didn't say which Dimension you have so it's hard to say. I wouldn't spend more than $180 for a video card for any AGP system, because DX10 cards will be out in 6 months, and PCI-e cards are cheaper anyway, you might move to Vista in a year, etc.

But for that money you can get a 6800GS or for a bit less money and performance a X1600 Pro 512. Both would be good enough to last a year. I have the X1600 and I can play Fear, Quake4, etc. at decent settings. Also, if you are hoping to stretch the life of your system, don't consider a X800/X850 that aren't SM3.0, IMO.

 

[GravyBoy]

The choppy scrolling happens in all programs. I'll try reinstalling graphics drivers. It's a Dimension 8300. Though PCI-e cards are cheaper I don't have enough money to get a whole new PCi-e pc. I can't replace the dell AGP motherboard with a PCI-e one because of the strange motherboards of dell pcs. So I'm basically going to get an AGP one.

As to the x850 mot being SM3.0, the features of SM3.0 aren't overly important to me. I played many games on my 9800 and it's lack of SM3.0 never bothered me. The x850 is quite a bit faster than those you mentioned so I think I'll stick with it. I do appreciate your suggestions however.

My worry with the x850 xt is its power comsumption. ATI suggests at least a 350w power supply. I'm thinking of upgrading my power supply but dell use a strange power supply. Does anyone know more about how to upgrade a dell power supply?