WinXP to Win7 X86

[Go Vols]

This machine has been in the closet for a few years.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=bph07854&tmp_track_link=ot_faqs/top_issues/en_us/bph07854/loc:3&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=90823

Only changes are, it now has 2GB of RAM and a 250GB HD.
It is still running a GeForce4-MX420 64 MB DDR vid card which is AGP and the last update to the card I can find wont get it to directX9.

Will any AGP card that supports directX9 allow me to run Win7 X86,is it possible it could support a PCI vid card?

I don't mind spending for a decent vid card.

Any help is appreciated.

[Phillip McCleod]

1. i've been going by a 4GB preferred min.

and it's even possible you could get win7 32bit to take 4GB on that machine i haven't tried it specifically but in theory you could put 2 2GB sticks in.. XP can only use 2 GB maybe 3-3.5 on a good day on the right machine, but windows 7 can.

definitely worth a try in my estimation.

[Go Vols]

2. I have open PCI slots

do you think I could put a PCI vid card in and fix the directX9 problem or does it need its own/seperate power supply?

[Phillip McCleod]

3. oh you should be fine with a new generation PCI vid card..

..sorry yeah that should work too i'd wager.

[Phillip McCleod]

4. definitely the benefit of tower models is upgradability..

..unless it's a mac of course.

[Mnpaul]

5. Max motherboard 2GB

read the specs

I would go with this video card. Since the MX420 is 8x you can run this card.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ATI-Radeon-HD-4670-1024-MB-GDDR3-HIS-AGP-8x-Video-Card-Lightly-Used-/321093693218?pt=PCC_Video_TV_Cards&hash=item4ac2acef22

Direct X 10 capable and 1GB of DDR3 memory

[gvstn]

6. I think you

Should start by opening the case and looking for the wattage of your power supply. It is usually stamped on the side of the power supply.

HP ships with the absolute minimum power supply possible which limits upgrades. Many of their models use off-size (dimensions) for the PSU so they are difficult to find upgrades that will fit the case.

You also should be checking whether any new card requires a direct connection to the power supply and whether your power supply has those connectors available.

For a P4 machine I would be looking at the Nvidia PCI 6200 card (NOT PCI-e). It is fanless and will use little power. It supports Direct 9x. If you get the specs from Nvidia each card will have higher power requirements as you increase the amount of memory, ie. 128mb, 256mb, 512mb each have higher power requirements. For a PCI card I don't know if these are just technical requirements or really matter in the real world. I would probably pick the middle 256mb card if your power supply is under 300w.

[Go Vols]

7. Power supply is 300W

I don't think any AGP vid cards need a separate power source,the one I have now dosen't or the card I am looking at: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=853908&csid=_61

The card thats in it now supports 1080p and the new ones don't, that bothers me as I am going to hook this machine to a new HD TV.

[gvstn]

8. It looks like that card needs a 4pin molex

Which you should definitely have available with just about any power supply. It seems like a good choice.

I'm no expert on video cards but don't the specs say it supports 1080p? Or is that somehow limited to HD-DVD?

http://www.visiontek.com/3000-series/hd-3450-512mb-agp.html

[Go Vols]

9. I was going from the specs at the link I posted above.

Features
Overclocked No
APIs DirectX 10.1
1080p Support No
Video Output DVI
VGA
Low Profile No
Cooling Type Fan
Minimum PSU Wattage Requirement 250 Watt

[Mnpaul]

11. I would trust the manufacturers data

Tiger Direct might have an error
HD Video Beyond 1080p
With ATI Avivo™ HD technology, the latest Blu-ray and HD DVD movies play as smoothly as intended: at True HD 1080p. The Unified Video Decoder (UVD) relieves your CPU from the taxing video decode process and enables time-saving multi-tasking. Enjoy quality to spare with resolutions upscaled beyond 1080p for the most processing-intensive content.
Improved Unified Video Decoder – Enjoy Blu-ray and HD DVD movies with a dedicated hardware video decoder (UVD) that leaves your CPU unbound to do other tasks.
Ultimate Image Quality – Performance that rivals high end HD DVD and Blu-ray players at full 1080p HD resolution.
Integrated Digital Outputs – Enjoy your digital content the way you want to, with built-in DVI video capability.
http://www.visiontek.com/3000-series/hd-3450-512mb-agp.html

and it does look like you need a free molex connector:

System Requirements
Intel® Pentium® 4, Celeron™, AMD™Duron™/Athlon™/Athlon™ XP, Sempron or compatible with AGP 8x slot
Installation software requires CD-ROM drive
DVD playback requires DVD drive on PCs with an Intel® Pentium® III processor (or equivalent) and 256MB of system memory
230W or greater power supply recommended
Available 4 pin molex power connector from power supply

It looks like a pretty good choice for your system. From the comments it looks like you should go directly to the updated drivers, don't use the ones that come with the card. Amazon also has this card with free shipping for the same price.
http://www.amazon.com/VisionTek-Radeon-HD3450-Graphics-900374/product-reviews/B005DD5BX0/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

[hobbit709]

10. What Molex connector?

Straightforward plug into AGP slot and go.

[gvstn]

12. You can see the molex is probably the black box behind the fan

in this picture http://www.tigerdirect.com/include/AddCartfromGallery.asp?EdpNo=853908&csid=_61&Sku=V261-3453&imgcart=1&imgcounter=3

It is also mentioned in the reviews here: http://www.amazon.com/VisionTek-Radeon-HD3450-Graphics-900374/product-reviews/B005DD5BX0/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

[Go Vols]

13. Just ordered the card from Amazon

Appreciate all the help.

[Go Vols]

14. Got the new card

in and now any HD vid is jerky or completely stops.The old card played 1080p fine.Guess I will put it back in and do without the "aero" part of Win7.

[frylock]

15. go to the vendor site and check for new drivers

[Go Vols]

16. I had the latest drivers.

I put the old card back in and it is pretty much the same or worse now on a 60" LED.I am thinking it was hooked to a small monitor when it was playing HD with no problem.

I ordered a DVI to HDMI cable to hook the new card to the TV to see if faster data rate is needed,only cost 5 bucks to see.

[Mnpaul]

17. Are you running the correct resolution for that TV?

Make sure the settings in Catalyst match those of your TV. You could also try the latest drivers from ATI. It appears there is a hotfix to fix a conflict between Direct X and ATI HD AGP video cards