Graphics card

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The graphics card in my desktop has died - it's a Nvidia Geforce 8500GT. Device manager reports it has a problem - and the ASUS start-up screen is pixellated, so I doubt it's a software thing. But I've tried re-installing the driver.

Sadly, the motherboard has no monitor output so I'll have to replace the card. Don't need anything fancy - just VGA and DVI for a single monitor - although I suppose HDMI might come in handy too.

Ebay have a bewildering selection some costing more than I'd expect to spend on a new car. ;-)

Don't do any gaming. So what's a good value one to get?

[Paul D Smith]

I would be answering the following questions first:

1. What's the interface? PCIx or other? Very easy to buy the wrong card.

1. What's the highest resolution I use? I have a widescreen monitor and if you intend to buy one, you need a card to match.

2. Do you really want HDMI? Will obviously cost a little more but I believe you can interface DVI/HDMI if you have to.

Then if you really aren't doing graphics or games, look for the cheapest matching spec. More cash normally just means more graphics/games ability.

BTW, has this graphics card got a fan and if so is the fan clean and running? They're normally crappy little things and get bunged up easily. Might even have come adrift. No memory on this chop that might be loose? Tried removing/inserting the card - sometimes they move slightly and dust gets in.

It's an unusual motherboard to have no graphics at all. Out of interest, do you know the model?

Paul DS.

[John Rumm]

What bus interface for starters? (i.e. PCIe or AGP)

To be fair, for non 3D real time stuff, pretty much anything will be adequate unless you have particular applications in mind that will benefit from something special (like CAD etc needing OpenGL acceleration).

[Rob]

Could it be the fan/heat? Anyways . . .

Depends as ever on your needs - but if they don't extend to card-reliant graphics the cheapest branded card you can get, something like:

bought something similar a couple of years ago, and there's not much to say - just gets on with it. The thing to watch with fanless cards (indeed graphics cards in general) is heat - so if your case is not well ventilated and the card chucks a fair bit of heat out, they're not such a good idea. Also, check for OS driver support.

Rob

[Dave Plowman (News)]

PCI Express

Surely that's down to the driver? I started out with a 4:3 monitor but changed to a widescreen one recently. The card driver already had a suitable setting.

Looking at Ebay, most seem to have HDMI too - for under 30 quid.

No fan. And of course I did try removing it, cleaning the socket and replacing.

I think it may have graphics capability, but there is no socket for a monitor. Perhaps it needs a special adaptor card. May even have come with the motherboard. It's an Asus A8N-SLI Delux

[geoff]

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

Unlikely that you'd get a graphics card without HDMI now

I've prolly got a graphics card with VGA and DVI you can have, you'll prolly have to d'load the drivers for it

email me at [e-mail] if you want me to have a look

[Paul D Smith]

Worth checking as there are a small number of cards where the hardware won't do all the resolutions you want. For example my small ASUS eee laptop will do resolutions which are better, or worse, than the best my Panasonic TV can do, but don't match. So I have to pick the "best of a bad lot" rather than the one I want.

Teaching granny I see ;-). Will it fit into another slot to try just in case that one's dead? You probably know this but I believe you can put show PCIx cards in long slots and vice versa, though performance isn't as good.

Had a quick look and this really does not have on-board graphics.

[Mark]

OTOH I've had a few graphics cards where the fan goes noizy fairly quickly. A passive cooler should be no problem if you're not running

3D games since you'll never be pushing the card hard.

The one in the link looks fine to me. It would probably be easier to stick with Nvidia as there will be less messing about with drivers.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

It gets worse...

Have a second desktop not so much used these days - so decided to rob it of its graphic card. It has an motherboard VGA - so will be fine for the limited use it gets.

So the main machine is now fine.

Fired up the other one and nothing - no start up banner. Not even a bleep. It worked ok about a week ago. Decided I must have disturbed something so checked all the connectors - still the same. Unplugged everything except the PS and expected to get to the bios - but still nothing. 12v and 5v are fine as measured on a 4 pin Molex, and the green LED on the MB is lit. Even tried another known good PS - exactly the same. It switches on via the button on the front panel, but won't switch off via that. The HD light isn't flashing, so it's not trying to boot. The MB on this one is an Asus M2A-MX

[Mark]

All you've done to this machine is to remove the graphics card?

There's a useful checklist for new builds but some of it is relevant: