Video Card compatiblity

[Amidamaru]

Hi, I am thinking of buying the new "ATI Radeon x800 Pro edition." But i am unsure of whether my Pc is compatible. I know that from looking on the box

That it does say "AGP 4x" Which is seems to show on the on the website of my chipset.

An image of what i think is my motherboard is

I havn't yet opened up my PC, so i am unsure of whether this is my motherboard.

The website i got it off was: http://sysopt.earthweb.com/articles/sis730/

I havn't yet opened up my PC, so i am unsure of whether this is my motherboard.

My full system information is (taken from System information):


OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2, v.2149 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Manufacturer SiS
System Model 730S
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 8 Stepping 0 AuthenticAMD ~1144 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date American Megatrends Inc. 062710, 15/07/1997
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.2149 (xpsp_sp2_rc2.040610-1520)"
Time Zone GMT Daylight Time
Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 130.54 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.97 GB
Page File Space 1.03 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

My current integrated graphics card information:

Name SiS 630/730
PNP Device ID PCI\VEN_1039&DEV_6300&SUBSYS_63001039&REV_31\4&349B7D1E&0&0010
Adapter Type SiS 730, SiS compatible
Adapter Description SiS 630/730
Adapter RAM 64.00 MB (67,108,864 bytes)
Installed Drivers sis630v.dll
Driver Version 6.13.10.2090
INF File oem10.inf (SiS630 section)
Color Planes 1
Color Table Entries 4294967296
Resolution 1024 x 768 x 75 hertz
Bits/Pixel 32
Memory Address 0xC0000000-0xC7FFFFFF
Memory Address 0xCFEE0000-0xCFEFFFFF
I/O Port 0x0000AC00-0x0000AC7F
Memory Address 0xA0000-0xBFFFF
I/O Port 0x000003B0-0x000003BB
I/O Port 0x000003C0-0x000003DF
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\sis630p.sys (6.13.10.2090, 160.75 KB (164,608 bytes), 18/03/2004 11:59 PM)

Name Mirage Driver
PNP Device ID ROOT\DISPLAY\0000
Adapter Type Not Available
Adapter Description DemoForge, LLC
Adapter RAM Not Available
Installed Drivers Not Available
Driver Version Not Available
INF File 1.0 (oem32.inf section)
Color Planes dfmirage
Color Table Entries Not Available
Resolution Not Available
Bits/Pixel Not Available
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\dfmirage.sys (1.0, 9.50 KB (9,728 bytes), 31/07/2004 12:03 PM)

So, please if this does make any sense to you lot Please reply and tell me whether
my pc is compatible for the new graphics card or not.

Cheers (Y)

P.S If anyone lives in the England, UK (preferably in the midlands) could you tell me
any places that you know of that sells the new ATI Radeon x800 and the prices i would
be expecting to pay.

 

[cajun33]

The black socket above the three white ones is your AGP socket. According the article you posted about the mobo, it is a 4x AGP socket and should work with your mobo.

As far as prices go, check Dabs, they are usually pretty cheap.

 

[sithspawn]

if u are going to go for a card of that caliber, i would suggest buying a new motherboard, one that supports agp 8x. theres no point in buying a $500-$1000 if it is only going to work at half power....
Also your CPU would need an upgrade...
From your current specs your 'new' graphics card would not even be BEGINNING to use its potential power. If money is not an issue i recommend building a completely new system from scratch. However if money IS an issue i suggest buying a cheaper graphics card (Radeon 9800 maybe), and spending the rest of the money on other upgrades , ie chip, motherboard and ram.

 

[Amidamaru]

Thanks for the reply. My PC was customly made, its only a year old but i knew the guy didnt put in the best he should of put in for the money he got.

Anyway cheers, i will take this into consideration