Ok so I need a new graphics card, HELP

SolidMetal

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Alright so I have a Dell Dimension e310 and I guess I have a integrated video card but it looks like i have 2 PCI slots and I was wondering if a nVIDIA Geforce 7100 GS 256MB TC 512MB PCI-E Video Card
would work for me?
What do you guys think?
 
Just took a look, and according to what I've seen... your motherboard doesn't have an AGP or PCI-E slot.

I don't know why Dell even sells machines without a PCI-E or AGP slot, but they've been doing it for years (although marketing the "upgrade possibilities" with their hardware). Low end to low-midrange PC's tend to have micro ATX mobos (actually Intel mobos if I remember correctly, with header pins for Dell's proprietary cases). So.. it'll be a bitch to swap out the mobo in the thing unless you're comfortable with cutting the plug on the cables for the power button, reset button, etc.

From the stock specs I've seen on the machine, it came with fairly slow RAM.. plus, that processor is a power and heat hog. I can see how the integrated graphics probably are slowing down your machine a good bit, so here's my suggestion.

Outside of building a new PC or purchasing a new one, get a PCI video card if you don't play any recent games. You'll see a decent performance gain with a GeForce 5 or 6 series PCI card, but you still won't be able to play many recent games. I'd also put some RAM in if you can..your PC came at base level with only 256mb DDR2 400mhz... you need at least a gig in there. Fortunately, a gig of 240 pin RAM is fairly easy to come by for cheap on Newegg or something... but will be WELL worth the investment.

Hope this helps man.. I honestly hate how Dell shafts their customers.. even most eMachines have a decent video expansion slot. They tout all of the marketing buzzwords, but leave you with a brand new system full of bloatware and few system resources to support it. If you're willing to toss about $80 into it, you should see a decent performance gain.. but unfortunately, you'll have to stick with games from a couple or three years ago.
 
[quote name='Capn Stabby']Looks like you're kinda screwed:
While the E310 has two PCI slots and a single PCI Express x1 slot, it lacks a dedicated x16 PCI Express slot for graphics cards. The integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics of the 915G chipset are your only option.

http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/dell-dimension-e310-pentium/4505-3118_7-31594474.html

Probably time for an upgrade.[/QUOTE]

Not meaning to double post here.. but I'm seeing some conflicting specs for this thing.

Your article states it having that, but this one states it as having only PCI slots:
http://products.howstuffworks.com/dell-dimension-e310-series-desktop-computer-review.htm

Weird..
 
I had the same problem, I bought an FX 5500 128mb PCI card and it did make it better for games but it couldn't play anything that was recent at the time, but it sure made it good for Halo

[quote name='matrixcaptain84']http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7638292&type=product&id=1130987962366

There you go, the best PCI card that exists and will ever exist.[/quote]
there's actually a better one out now, but it needs a 450 watt supply so I'm not sure if your dell is enough
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161074
clock is alot faster, but due to the limitations of PCI your FPS will always be slow.
 
here are my stats:
Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.80GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 1014MB RAM
Hard Drive: 54 GB
Video Card: Intel(R) 82915G/GV/910GL Express Chipset Family
Monitor: Dell E176FP
Sound Card: SigmaTel Audio
Speakers/Headphones:
Keyboard: USB Root Hub
Mouse: USB Root Hub
Mouse Surface:
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_qfe.070227-2300)
 
Hope this helps man.. I honestly hate how Dell shafts their customers..
His machine is pretty old. It was quite common for entry-level machines at that time to be devoid of AGP slots and PCI-e was still in its infancy in terms of the market. Now, just about every, single computer out there, including Dells, have PCI-e, so there is an x16 slot available.

to be honest, I wouldn't even bother buying one lol
Indeed. The PCI bus does not have the bandwidth to handle anything remotely close to a gaming card, which is why there are only a handful of really low-end stuff for PCI. At best, you'd be able to play games from a few years ago on low to medium. Unless you are desperately, desperately wanting to play some PC-exclusive titles, I'd pass on wasting any kind of money on a PCI card. If anything, get the absolute cheapest thing you can find on eBay. I've seen a bunch of Radeon 9250 cards lately. If you can get one for less than $30 shipped, I guess that wouldn't be the end of the world.
 
hard to say, I dunno, will it fit in a Dell case?

anyways, I'd just wait to get a new computer... your processor is kinda outdated and you have like no RAM in today's standards
 
OK, don't buy those things, the combination will not work for you. What you need to do is check and see what you have for expansion slots. Open your case and look and see if you have a PCI-Express 1x slot. By the look of the motherboard pic I found online there should be one. It is very small and right next to your PCI slots. The PCI-E 1x slot will most likely be black. It will look like the small black connectors in this pic: http://techgage.com/reviews/gigabyte/p35c_ds3r/gigabyte_ds3r_07_thumb.jpg

Now if you have that slot there are only a few options for you. I would recommend this card, as it has the largest frame buffer and fastest GPU I could find for a PCI-E 1x slot.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161079

Yes its $129.99, but your looking for a special part that isn't common and any other solution will be either too slow or too expensive.

If you only have a PCI slot (like the white ones in the pic above) then this is your bes option:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131082

Good luck, hope this works out. A new computer would be best if you really want to play games. Building it would be also the right way to go, but since you have limited knowledge maybe a PS3 o 360 is the bes route for you.

Know that you will be able to play some games with this, but not all. I would download a demo of any game you try to see if it works well on your machine before buying. Also, 2GB of RAM would help your system out too.
 
[quote name='Fender084']OK, don't buy those things, the combination will not work for you. [/quote]

As we've gone over before I don't have a pci-e slot. Only a pci. I don't see why those things I picked out won't work. Care to tell me why?
 
I'm a bit confused. Why are buying a new case and power supply...but not a new motherboard? I'm pretty good with computer hardware, so I'd love to help, but I'm just not sure what you're trying to get done here.
 
[quote name='SolidMetal']As we've gone over before I don't have a pci-e slot. Only a pci. I don't see why those things I picked out won't work. Care to tell me why?[/QUOTE]

just buy a whole new computer, man :cool:
 
[quote name='Oktoberfest']just buy a whole new computer, man :cool:[/QUOTE]



agreed... even a chepo dell would be better/have a pcie slot.
 
[quote name='SolidMetal']ok so I was thinking of buying these 3 items and I was wondering what you guys think, would they be compatible and good to use?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146025
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130289
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817170017[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve here. You planning on transferring the parts from your current Dell case to the new case and use the new power supply and video card? According to this Dell service manual, that won't work:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim3100/en/sm/techov0.htm#wp1052309

The motherboard in your Dell system is not a standard ATX or mATX motherboard, so it will not fit into the case you've picked out, or any retail case for that matter. So you're stuck with that motherboard in that Dell case, no matter what.

The best advice is, save up more money for a completely new computer. Research before you buy for upgradability. You don't seem to know computer much, so I would suggest against building your own computer, because you'll run into many problems, unless you research A LOT and learn your computer parts.
 
[quote name='SolidMetal']As we've gone over before I don't have a pci-e slot. Only a pci. I don't see why those things I picked out won't work. Care to tell me why?[/quote]

For the record, no we have no established that you only have PCI slots and not a PCIe 1x slot. Open your case and look. You never said that you did, your just going on the assumption of people here. If you don't have PCIe 1x then just get one of the PCI cards.

One more thing, if you are willing to build a gaming computer for around $500 that will play all current games at great settings, then let me know, I'll price things out and step you through building.
 
According to the tech specs from Dell, the Dimension E310 does have one PCI-e x1 slot, but I wouldn't waste my money on a card for that, either. Like PC, all you will get is an overpriced, low-end card.
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']According to the tech specs from Dell, the Dimension E310 does have one PCI-e x1 slot, but I wouldn't waste my money on a card for that, either. Like PC, all you will get is an overpriced, low-end card.[/quote]

Well, for a person that is desperate for PC gaming, that really would be the best option. Even though it would be an overpriced card, its still cheaper than starting all over with a new PC.
 
[quote name='Fender084']Well, for a person that is desperate for PC gaming, that really would be the best option. Even though it would be an overpriced card, its still cheaper than starting all over with a new PC.[/quote]

Paying $100+ for what is essentially a $20 GPU is a complete waste. It wouldn't even create a gaming environment. Low-end cards from previous generations will barely play things on low. Even if it barely runs the game the person is trying to run, what happens when the next game comes along that won't work? In the long run, it's better to save up and spend the $500 on a system that will actually last a few years, instead of $100 on a part that might last a month.
 
Thats not even my computer...

Also I only really need the new power supply and graphics card since I don't think the card could handle my power supply, right?
 
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