PCI? How to tell

[aaronjbc123]

Hi, I have a dell 2400 dimension desktop and it came with integrated, then I changed to a geforce fx 5200. Now when I ask the dell people what slots I have, they say three PCI, but I seem to remember the geforce i put in was agp, or maybe it was PCI express, I dont know. But anyways, is it possible to tell what slots you have by just looking at it. Also, is it possible to change the interface for just video cards without replacing the whole motherboard? Thanks for your time

 

[robkas]

HERE YOU GO

no, you have to buy a new motherboard for different interfaces/sockets

 

[Maximilian]

You cant replace the interface without replacing the whole board unfortunately.

 

[aaronjbc123]

Ok, but is there anyway to check what slots you have? As I said I put in a GEforce fx 5200, and I seem to recall it might of been PCIe or maybe agpx4

 

[robkas]

click my link....look at that slot pictures. open up your case and look at your mobo slots. an fx5200 is PCI, and that is probably all your dell has. (4 of them i think)

 

[aaronjbc123]

so a agp is actually brown.. or is that just colored that way for fun?

also I'm looking through newegg and bestbuy and all these places, and it almost seems like 5200 is basically top of the line for PCI? it kind of depresses me if that's the case, although if it's not could you point me towards one?

 

[imported_Kiwi]

I suspect that our newby is reluctant to take the access panel off and actually use his eyes:

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/cooldrives/sata-pci-express-pci-card.jpg

Of course, it would only have taken seconds with Google to find this:

http://compreviews.about.com/cs/desktops/gr/aaprDellDim2400.htm

With the omitted video bus plainly referenced. Plain PCI is *NOT* a video bus at all. A PC produced without a real, dedicated video bus was junk when it rolled off the line. How else was its price only $400?

What exact card is used in a Plain PCI slot makes almost no difference, since the poor slot speed cripples even the crummy cards to be even less than they otherwise would have been. It's like I told another thread starter here, that Dimension 2400 is a DEAD HORSE. Makes no difference how big of a whip you beat it with, it's not going to play games, or give you a ride.

 

[aaronjbc123]

Yes. thanks, not sure what the access panel is but yes I opened it up and yes it is a a PCI as you say. Thanks for the info Kiwi, it explains alot, I have that geforce card and 1.5gig of ram and the intel processor but games still lag quite a bit even though I'm far past the recommended, I guess I'll just get a new computer. I'd create a new topic on the appropriate board but since this is here, I hope it's ok to ask anyways. I'm looking at geeks.com desktops, and theres a Acer Sempron 3300+ 2.0GHz with some stuff for 300$, its refurbished but hopefully its ok. Anyways, is the acer sempron 3300+ 2.0ghz a good processor? Or at least the same a as an pentium 4 ? Also it says it has 1 AGP 4x slot however, however when looking at newegg for videocards, I see 2x/4x and 4x/8x, I dont understand, if you have a 4x could you use a 8x, and it would be slower?

 

[TanisHalfElven]

Originally posted by: aaronjbc123
Yes. thanks, not sure what the access panel is but yes I opened it up and yes it is a a PCI as you say. Thanks for the info Kiwi, it explains alot, I have that geforce card and 1.5gig of ram and the intel processor but games still lag quite a bit even though I'm far past the recommended, I guess I'll just get a new computer. I'd create a new topic on the appropriate board but since this is here, I hope it's ok to ask anyways. I'm looking at geeks.com desktops, and theres a Acer Sempron 3300+ 2.0GHz with some stuff for 300$, its refurbished but hopefully its ok. Anyways, is the acer sempron 3300+ 2.0ghz a good processor? Or at least the same a as an pentium 4 ? Also it says it has 1 AGP 4x slot however, however when looking at newegg for videocards, I see 2x/4x and 4x/8x, I dont understand, if you have a 4x could you use a 8x, and it would be slower?

do you live the US.
if so can you order online (from newegg or someother good store) ?
if so do you mind buying parts and assembling it yourself.
if so PM me and i'll tell you what to buy.
if you follow it i you probably get a better proc,better mobo,and beter upgrade options. for far less than 300