SIMPLE CRAPHICS CARD QUESTION

[deltas69]

I have a pc chips mobo # M863G..i want to upgrade the video..i don't care a bit about games..never play them..but i want better performance watching old tv shows online. i have a 22" lcd flat panel, 1.8 amd processor,2 gig of memory..350 watt power supply..what PCI OR agp card do i need ? mobo accepts 8xagp.and there are two pci slots..thanks...pj

 

[mindless728]

neither , don't waste your hard earned money on old tech, save it for a new build

 

[cmichael138]

Here are some 4x/8x AGP video cards to consider:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=agp++videocard+&x=18&y=34
You can compare prices, memory, user reviews, etc. to help you make a decision. If any look good, Google it and check various sites for best price.

 

[Shadow703793]

neither , don't waste your hard earned money on old tech, save it for a new build

+1. I agree. Also, OP make sure your CPU/RAM/network (internet speed, assuming you watch Internet TV lol) isn't going to be bottlenecking you. Imo, save about $300-400 (or even less if lucky) and you can build a system that will pwn what you have.

 

[deltas69]

thanks for the fast replies, i know the pc is somewhat outdated, but it serves my purposes for what i do, i've looked at newegg..and have bought dvd burners from them..i'm just not sure whaich agp 8x card is best for my needs. i'll probably have my son build me a new machine at some point in the future..i'm a 58 year old guy that just wants to watch the old tv shows on hulu and other internet sites..without the picture freezing at times..thanks and please keep responding..pj

 

[1tym]

thanks for the fast replies, i know the pc is somewhat outdated, but it serves my purposes for what i do, i've looked at newegg..and have bought dvd burners from them..i'm just not sure whaich agp 8x card is best for my needs. i'll probably have my son build me a new machine at some point in the future..i'm a 58 year old guy that just wants to watch the old tv shows on hulu and other internet sites..without the picture freezing at times..thanks and please keep responding..pj

I dont think upgrading your graphics card will help with the picture freezing. When streaming video online the most dependent factor is having a fast internet connection but CPU, RAM play a role too.

Hulu recommends "a downstream bandwidth of 1,000Kbps or higher for the smoothest playback experience" how fast is your internet connection? Go to speedtest.net to check.

here are Hulu software and hardware requirements.

http://www.hulu.com/support
http://www.hulu.com/support/desktop
http://www.hulu.com/support/streaming

you might as well save up and wait for your son build you a new computer instead of upgrading the video.

 

[505090]

most likely a connection problem, not the video card

 

[Shadow703793]

+1 for above 2 posts.

@OP:

Do a Internet Speed test and link us to it:
http://www.speedtest.net/
(Click on "Copy Forum Link" when test is done.)

 

[deltas69]

i tested download speeds on several different sites and have anywhere from 1000 to 1300 KBS. I adjusted the bandwidth on their site down to a 1mb 480p stream..fine for the small window that opens..but still a little, jumpy in full screen mode..i have an AMD 1.8 cpu and 2 gig of ram..my onboard video card only has a memory of 32..so that may be the problem..thats why i tought an upgrade to an 8x AGP 128 bit memory card would help..thanks for all the replies..

 

[505090]

go to this site
http://www.speedtest.net/

run the test then click the button that says copy forum link

your result will look like this

 

[mcnuggetofdeath]

First off, Hulu's servers suck. They used the money they shouldve spent on adding more servers to pay for an austentacious albeit clever ad campaign. Even pulling 20mb/s i get stuttering and buffering on specific shows. The fact that you mentioned the issue presents itself when you put hulu in fullscreen makes me think its not a connection issue. For example, today while watching Kings ( A featured pick, so lots of simultaneous connections ) I tried to put the video in full screen and the framerate dropped significantly to an unwatchable level ( appx 10 -15fps ). I opened the pop out version, maximized it ( not fullscreen ) and didnt have an issue again. Flash currently doesnt allow for the GPU to render video, its a goal for flash 11 but hasnt yet been implemented. This causes older CPUs to struggle with fullscreen animation as they dont have the on board memory to render a video at any useful resolution and have to dig into the system RAM. I have no idea why using the pop out window helped, except to speculate that perhaps Windows 7 allowed the GPU to render the animation rather than the cpu because of its native support for parallel processing. In conclusion, get a better CPU, but note that at higher resolutions you may still experience performance issues until Flash gets onboard with GPGPU support as I have a core 2 duo at 4.05GHz and still experience stuttering.

 

[deltas69]

i updated flashplayer to the newest version 10, it's strange that this problem has manifested itself in the last 10 days or so..as before that i rarely had no problems in full screen. i'll try the popout version..didn't really know what that was until i looked around on the sight. originally i had been accessing these old shows via AOL in2 tv..and noticed that some of the shows were being hosted by hulu..i thought going straight to the source might give me better results..

 

[deltas69]

here's the speedtest results from the closet server to me..50 miles away

 

[deltas69]

after looking at my download speeds versus the above comcast speed..i think i need to change to comcast..their head end office is four blocks from me..

 

[505090]

you don't necessarily have to change providers. make sure your modem has latest firmware and is on a phone line by itself also use the filter on all other devices connected to the phone to prevent line noise which will slow u down. if all that doesn't help see what it cost for a faster line they can make the switch from the office there is nothing to change on your end.

If you still think the computer is to slow see if disabling all programs helps that meaning exiting every program running ie all those little icons next to the clock. If that fixes the problem then it is a hardware issue though i doubt that is the case.

 

[deltas69]

router firmware is up to date, system tray icons are minimal..but i did log on to the other computer next to my main one..i network 4 here, my two are hardwired via ethernet cables from the router to the pc's..the other two are using wireless usb connections. my second pc is a 2.4 intel with 2 gig ram..now heres the strange part..i'm watching an old 30 minute episode of "have gun will travel" in black and white full screen and the stream is perfect..when i tried an hour long color program in full screen it was just a tad jumpy..i've been wanting an excuse to change to comcast..i think this is the time..thanks to all who offered assistance..pj

 

[JAYDEEJOHN]

Its a cpu issue. Since its all being done on cpu, using a larger res, or using color presents more work for the cpu to do. Either wait til Flash gets their gpu acceleration right, or get a new cpu, a new gpu wont help at this point, tho, when flash does improve, the gpu implementation may require a better card for gpu acceleration

 

[deltas69]

a new gpu wont help hate to show my ignorance..what is a gpu ? and thanks for the continued tips..any idea when flash will update ? i can watch my old shows in the small window..just looks so much better on the 22 in lcd's i have..