new gfx card

[seanicca]

just bought a new tower and gonna get a new gfx card, i have a couple of qyestionswhich are, does it matter whether it got a heatsink or a fan? and pci or pci e?

dont use pc for gaming just surfing, downloads etc do watch a film on it now and again when i cant be arsed converting it, if that makes any difference

cheers

 

[digicol]

Yes it does matter mate.

I imagine your PC wil have a PCI-express slot, which is the default gfx card slot in this day and age. So yu will need a PCI-express card. The other you quoted ""PCI is an older connection which is now mainly used for rear expansion ports, like soundcards, digi tv cards, maybe the odd convertor etc.

If your not gaming then a heatsink will be ideal to keep noise levels down. But may I ask why you need a new card on your new PC if you really don't need a card due to your activity on the PC?

An ATI 2400 or 2600 seems about right for your needs, the 2600 giving you that little bit extra if you need to play a game. The 2400 is about £20-£30, the 2600 is maybe £40 or so. Could be cheaper second hand.

 

[seanicca]

Yes it does matter mate.

I imagine your PC wil have a PCI-express slot, which is the default gfx card slot in this day and age. So yu will need a PCI-express card. The other you quoted ""PCI is an older connection which is now mainly used for rear expansion ports, like soundcards, digi tv cards, maybe the odd convertor etc.

If your not gaming then a heatsink will be ideal to keep noise levels down. But may I ask why you need a new card on your new PC if you really don't need a card due to your activity on the PC?

An ATI 2400 or 2600 seems about right for your needs, the 2600 giving you that little bit extra if you need to play a game. The 2400 is about £20-£30, the 2600 is maybe £40 or so. Could be cheaper second hand.

i only thought of getting one cos thought it might help me in the future, but i may just wait and spend it on something else for now if what your saying is i dont really need one, sorry if this sounds stupid but, dont ask dont learn i say, if i'm understanding you properly a card is only needed if i play games it wont help with playback of films etc?

 

[oneman]

If you have on-board VGA on your motherboard I suspect you will be fine for what you want to do. Most modern integrated video already include hardware acceleration for video playback as the video companies realise that lots of people including business do it.