Computer Probs

[Guest chris]

Totally unrelated to our cars but here goes.My pc is running a G-force 256 graphics card,my pc has been running very badly lately.After trying all the usual

defrag and scandisc stuff along with a few diagnostic programmes I decided to open up the case of the tower to see if the prob was hardware related.Low and behold I found that the fan mounted to the graphics card had fallen apart! :gdit: The PC still runs if I lower the screen resolution settings on the graphics card to 16 bit,my question to my learned fellow members is this.Is the card now US or do you think if I replace the fan all will be well again?

yours hopefully

chris

[Guest Battery Bill]

Chris

Your best bet will be a new graphics card, get one from a computer fair not pc world and you will get a better one quite cheep, its not worth messing around with hardware you could spend hours and hours trying to get it right and in the end have to replace it anyway.

Good luck

[Guest mkeats02]

Hello,

 

Visit www.novatech.co.uk

 

Bought my PC from them, they also supply parts as well as machines at very reasonable prices.

 

Mike

[Guest chris]

Thanks for the info chaps,could have done without the cost this side of xmas but s**t happens!

regards chris

[Guest MikeD318]

Have a look here too. Before you buy a graphics card, you'll need to check wether it is AGP or PCI (probably AGP). If it is AGP the card will be pluged in to a brown slot nearest the centre of the motherboard set slightly further back then the other white (PCI) slots, The AGP slot is generaly brown and is slightly shorter in length than the PCI slots.

 

Hope this helps rather than hinders

 

Mike.

 

P.s: you could use either PCI or AGP graphics cards but it is probably better to use AGP if possible.

[Mat-Moo]

If you where happy with it before the fan issue, then personally I'd just replace the fan. You'll probbaly need some frag tape to mount it, unless it's attached via screws to the card, and itf it takes power from the gfx card then you man need to splice the old connector onto the new fan. Other option is to pic up a replacement of ebay, e.g. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...&category=27387 9 hours left and still at a fiver.

[ibrooks]

Personally I'd try a fan cos they should only cost a pound or two (unless you shop at PC World like Bill said). It just sounds like the card is getting too hot now that the fan isn't working. If it was goosed I'd expect it to stop altogether. How big is the fan and what voltage - I may have something suitable I could post.

 

Regarding new AGP cards - buyer beware there are two standards. (4x and 8x from memory) and they use different voltages. There is a divider in the AGP slot and depending on which type of slot it is the divider is at a different end (the cards have cutouts to allow them to fit over these dividers). Basically this is to stop the wrong type of card from fitting in the wrong type of slot as they can be damaged by getting it wrong. Just to add confusion some slots have no dividers and some cards have both cutouts. These are supposed to be universal and should work in either combination but check the motherboard manual and the manual for the card. Or check the manual for your existing card and buy a new one the same. You look silly when you get it wrong and it could end up costing more if you start having to take cards back or post them back.

 

Iain