Trying to determine what kind of video card to buy (expansion slot type)?
06. Jan, 2011 
5 Comments
Question by Aly: Trying to determine what kind of video card to buy (expansion slot type)?
I’m trying to find a video card that I can use to play The Sims 3, and in reading a tutorial to find a card for the game, I was reading about different kinds of computers (ie, older ones) having different slots; I know the computer I want to install the game on is probably too old for a PCI-E slot, so I’m looking for either a PCI or an AGP (and hoping for the latter.)
I went to my device manager in hopes of finding what kind of slot I had, looking under system devices, and I met with some confusion. There was a device called “PCI bus,” but there was also once titled “VIA CPU to AGP2.0/AGP3.0 Controller.”
So, both of the key phrases I was looking for were there – so which one applies to my card slot?
Updating the computer really isn’t an option – this is not my main computer, and I don’t want to have to get a whole new computer just for this one game. So at this point, I’m really wondering whether it’s worth continuing to try and find an AGP card that will work at least somewhat and be worth the effort, or just give up on making this happen on this computer.
Alright, so the first computer I mentioned is apparently a lost cause. I was going through the information of another, however, which says it has an “Intel(R) 82845 Processor to AGP Controller -1A31.” This one is much nicer, with about four times the RAM, so I think I’ll be looking up specific cards now that will work for this. Thanks to all for the information.
Best answer:
Answer by Vomit
Both, but you’d be an utter fool to buy a PCI card. If you have an AGP slot, you probably should just upgrade your whole computer at this point. AGP is old and your CPU will only barely make the cut no matter what video card you put in it.
Cody, she said PCI, not PCIe, you idiot, and it’s seriously doubtful that her board has PCIe if it also has AGP. AGP is faster than standard PCI by several orders of magnitude.
Beomothx…again, SHE DOES NOT HAVE A PCIE SLOT! Jesus, do people here not know the difference between PCI and PCIe? They’re not compatible, folks. Stop telling her to buy a video card that will run like utter crap or one that won’t even fit in her system.
So what kind of CPU do you have in there? How much RAM? If both of those are up to snuff, then it might be worthwhile to spend -60 on an AGP card. If not, then you probably shouldn’t bother.
Give your answer to this question below!
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you have both a PCI and an AGP slot so either one will work but I’d recommend a PCI since they’re generally faster. Good luck and best answer!
they barely make anymore AGP cards anymore, so definitely get a PCI-E card there the most recent types and the most common. if your looking to game i recommend yo looking at Geforce cards. I have a geforce 9500 GT and it can handle everything i threw at it! hope this helpsss
I somewhat agree with “Vomit”. Perhaps I can explain what he means. Your PC supports only an AGP-type graphics card. The PCI slot is for other purposes, NOT for graphics cards.
This also means that the best graphics cards you can buy today aren’t going to be high-performance cards because of the limitations of the AGP technology. That said, you can get some pretty decent AGP cards like the ATI Radeon HD3850 ( http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Sapphire-ATI-Radeon-HD3850-512MB-AGP-8X-/330431776191?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Components&hash=item4cef44c5bf ) or even the ATI Radeon HD4670 ( http://cgi.ebay.com.au/HIS-IceQ-ATI-Radeon-HD4670-1GB-1024MB-DDR3-HD-4670-AGP-/330412548973?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Components&hash=item4cee1f636d ).
Either of these cards will handle The Sims 3 comfortably (as long as your processor is sufficiently capable). Maybe post another question here to check if specific AGP cards are suitable.
Get a nice AGP, Do not buy a PCI, Video cards cannot run on them.
Video cards support PCI-E 16x and AGP
Since you can’t upgrade the only viable option is an AGP card since PCI is much slower. AGP is an old technology, some companies still make them but they cost a little more than the current standard (which is PCI express x16 1.0, 2.0).
I would recommend one of these cards
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102814
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814139043
http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2427400&CatId=2234
Here are 2 lists of AGP cards if you wish to choose another or have someone else help you select one.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%201069609639&name=AGP%204X/8X
http://www.compusa.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=318&name=AGP&