Video Card Upgrade

[Pioneer]

My tower PC has come down with an issue - it has a video card in it which seems to have expired within the warranty period. The card was an AGP configuration. Attempts to contact the manufacturer have so far resulted in no response, thus, I am forced to replace the card...or do without any form of gaming at all over the four day Thanksgiving weekend.:doh:

The dilemma: I have available a brand new PCI e video card with the same 512MB capacity. The motherboard has available two PCI slots. Can I remove the old video card, install the new video card (drivers firmware etc) without complication the BIOS or having to reboot everything. Worst still, some of the stuff on the tower has not been backed up yet, so if it goes in, might it require a fresh install.:nope:

[Wolfehunter]

Try to remove all the drivers from your old vid card and then install the newer one next. Maybe you don't need to have a clean install?:hmm:

[longam]

Those PCI slots, are they PCIe? I mention this because of the Vid Card type.

Remember to make a restore point using system restore before doing anything so you can roll back to where you started from.

To install the new card all you have to do is uninstall the drivers, it will then go back to windows standard vga mode. Then you can shut down the system and remove old card and install new card.

Have the new drivers ready to go when you boot up. The BIOS might also have a setting which type to use by default..AGP - PCIe, but it still should see it.

Something I recommend to anyone. Stick a second drive in your system and use it for data (by data, I mean important files and downloads, music, ect...not game installs). You should still back it up but you don't have to worry about the data if windows takes a dump and you cant recover the C drive.

[FIREWALL]

Simple answer> A PCIe ( PCI express) will NOT work in a pci slot. You need another MB for the PCIe to work.

That meams your ddr ram probably won't work, and depending on the socket, your cpu either.

Sorry Bro I've been there. :yep:

[FIREWALL]

Cheaper solution : http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/compare.asp?CatId=2234

[Zachstar]

If there is not even one PCiE slot...

Well lets just come out and say your mobo sucks.. Even my 2004 computer has atleast one slot.

AGP is dead. These newer cards have long outclassed the AGP slot and thus you get far reduced performance compared to a PCIe type.