Hurt my finger trying to change graphics card!

[ParisScot]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of upgrading my graphics card on my RS 202 to be able to play Farcry without lowest settings on everything! The card that comes with this model is a Geforce FX 5200 - which is dreadful!

But anyway as a first step I was going to make sure that there weren't any problems and my plan was to install my old Geforce 4 ti card to test. However I soon came across a problem. It is extremely difficult to remove the current graphics card - there seems to be a kind of plastic tab lock that keeps the card in place at the motherboard socket, and you need to bend it back to release the card.

Anyway after about 20 minutes of frustration I now have a very sore finger, and still the same graphics card.

Anyone got any handy tips? At one point I was even considering blocking the lock open with a metal screwdriver, but then decided against it!

[ParisScot]

Oh forgot to mention, but I downloaded that Everest program and it says my motherboard is an "Asus P4SD-VX"

[VAIOneer]

That plastic tab should just bend down towards the motherboard, and at the same time it will lift the AGP card a little from the back.

If it doesn't do that, then it will be the type that have to pushed back (towards the top of the board) and the card pulled out.

I'll have to get near a PC with my digi cam and send some pics - but that'll be tonight at the earliest

[grahambird80]

Yep as stated just hold down the tab and give the card a pull at the back first. Also ensure that you have removed the screw from the card's plate. This is where the graphics card meets the computer case.

A little bit of force might be nessicary but dot go to town on it.

Before you buy a top of the range card check out what speed the AGP port is on your motherboard. If its 8x then the sky is the limit for you. If it is 4x then mabey a ati 9600 pro or 9800 pro would be best.

Also another way to improve game performace is to upgrade you RAM is you have only got 256 MB the you want to go to at least 512 MB or even 1GB.

Check out www.crucial.com for memory upgrades.

If you are in the uk check out overclockers.co.uk for graphics cards they have a good range and also great prices.

One of the best manufactures of Ati cards is Sapphire or ASUS.

Also you might want to hold out for a few weeks as Ati is about to relaese a new graphics processor that is rummored to kick the ass of nvida's new 6800 chip set.

Check out this link for a review of the new nvida card http://www20.tomshardware.com/graphic/20040414/index.html

For a review of current graphics cards on the market check this link out http://www20.tomshardware.com/graphic/20031229/index.html

Finaly if you go to www.ati.com you can signup to be notified when there new chipset comes out.

[ParisScot]

Thanks for all the tips! I will try again today - I think possibly trying to do it at 3am was not a good idea, and I was too tired to pull hard enough!

Anyway as for the graphics card itself. Unfortunately my AGP slot is only 4x - annoying as I only got this computer 3 months ago! So it looks like I won't be able to get a top of the range card.

In fact, looking at the following web site, I came to the conclusion that it might not be worth my while getting a new card at all - as I already have a Gefore ti 4400. Would you agree with this?

http://www20.tomshardware.com/graphic/20030311/geforcefx-5600-5200-03.html

Oh yeah and as for the RAM I threw caution to the wind last night and stuck in my two memory cards from my old computer, without really checking model type etc, but it seems they're compatible, and on the system menu it says I now have 1 giga RAM... yay!

[grahambird80]

I would say ditch the FX and go with the Ti for the moment, but you could go to a Ati 9600 or 9800.

But the Ti is still a great card.

[ParisScot]

OK thanks for the confirmation - it's funny how a card I bought a couple of years ago is still actually quite good, and much better than the one they put in my 3 month old, brand new PC!

But anyway, if I do decide to upgrade, I found in a local store two cards that are almost exactly the same price. Which one do you think is best?

-ATI 9800 SE (128 Mb) Agp 8x4x

or

--FX 5700 Ultra (128 Mb) Agp 4x8x

I've always gone Nvidia before - should I make a break for Radeon this time?

[kee-lo_]

--FX 5700 Ultra (128 Mb) Agp 4x8x

[ParisScot]

wow thanks for the speedy reply!