Graphics card question

[dalesys]

Quoth Der Cute

@ Barcode. Can we say scope creep here?

Djoser's Law: The first 90% of the project takes 90% of the time, materials, gold and slaves budgeted.

So does the next 9%.

And the next 0.9%.

...

...

[Eireann]

Well.

Today I met with him again, and he gave me the other card. I gave him the one I bought from him earlier.

The new card won't work, either. But this time, I discovered it before taking it home. The measurements are right, but the long-space-short plug is just the reverse of the socket in my computer.

I think he feels sorry for me now. He was very good about it; he returned my money, and we went our separate ways, after he told me about a computer-repair place not far from here.

The search continues.

[Der Cute]

Again, send me the motherboard in your pc.
Or, if it's a Dell, send me the service tag number.
I need make model and year, like HP Somthing 1030 , purch new in 2011

[Eireann]

HP dx7300, bought new five years ago (this month, I think).

[Der Cute]

Okey dokey.
From this site:
http://www.hpir.ir/hp%20desktop/7000...7300-spec.html

It shows the specs even better than HP does!

Expansion slot
2 full-height PCI, 1 full-height PCI Express x1, 1 full-height PCI Express x16
This IS a microtower Chassis (that means it's not the full sized fatass towers (where you can put more parts cd roms/dvd/hard drives/doohickeys into)

So your card needs to be a full height PCI Express x1 or a x16. Let's go look for those.
@ Amazon:
http://amzn.to/JGui1R ATI Radeon PCI 16. Matches specs of your motherboard on the link above.
This is from Newegg:
http://bit.ly/KMBTgy

Those should work. @ Barcode - the 2nd one is 64 bit; I forget if that matters. I don't think so.
But those are full height cards, they both have DVI AND VGA (the blue port) just in case you've got an older monitor. Ya never know anymore. Reading customer feedback, those cards with all their built in memory helps the PC actually run faster.

So, take a look.

Eireann - I'm SO glad you're asking questions and listening, I'm very glad you're being logical and practical with your questions. So many people just yell FIX IT BITCH. You're not That helps us techy people do better jobs. I'm getting spoiled here on customer service. Can I clone you for people needing helpdesk support?

[Eireann]

Thanks, Der Cute! I want to know as much as I can about these things; eventually, I want to be able to build a computer from the ground up. Those cards look great, but for one thing - the fitting (for lack of a better work; the part that plugs in) is backwards from the plug I have in my computer. My plug is long strip - space - short strip. Or, I think, I can put one of those strip - space - strip - space - strip cards in there. I found one online recently, and I'll have to look for it again, because I didn't make a note of it.

Looking at the ATI card, it's very similar to the one the man had yesterday, and the only problem with it was the strip. Right length, wrong configuration. I wonder if all this means I'm going to be gifted with a nice new computer soon?

[lordlundar]

Okay, We need (or at least I need) some visual reference to go by, so here we go:



This should be the board you have (ignore the advertising, it's the best pic I could find on short notice.) I have the PCI-E x16 which you call the "long" one and the PC!-E x1 which you call the "short" one circled red and blue respectively.

Now from what I'm trying to figure out from what you're saying is that you want to keep the "short" one open. I'll put this simply, you can't. The card you want has a heat sink that's going to occupy the slot that the "short" one uses. I know of no card that occupies two slots that has the sink on the other side because the "long" plug tends to be the closest slot in the case.

The good news is that unless you have something in that "short" slot, you can cover it without worry. The heat sink will rest close to the socket (what you've been calling plugs) but won't damage it. If you do have something occupying it, you will need a card that's called either "single slot" or "low profile" or if it's not being used (it's usually used for dial up modems) you can pull out what's in there and put the card in.

To summarize:

-If short one is unoccupied, put the card in and hook it up. you won't harm anything (remember to remove the plate [the metal strip] in the case first though)
-If short one is occupied but not used, remove the device and put the card in.
-if short one is occupied and in use, tell your sales guy you need a single slot card.

[Eireann]

Oh dear.

Oh my.

DAMN, it's a good thing I never pretended to know anything at all about computer hardware!

Okay, everyone, gather 'round. You see those two slots to the RIGHT of the ones circled in the picture?

I've been using one of those. All those cables, you know... I didn't even SEE the ones circled in the picture.

So it looks like the one the guy had for me, the second one, would work after all. Thoughts?

[emax4]

IMO, you might be able to contact the guy and see if he wants to resell it. Don't beat yourself up, but don't pretend that you're too proud to say "I screwed up". The seller may or may not want to deal with you, but if you promise to buy from him again (and keep the promise), he may still sell it to you. Don't be afraid to say that other people have helped you, but you didn't see that the ports you needed were obstructed by cables since you never took the motherboard out of the chassis.

[Der Cute]

Ah. You have been using the PCI slots. No PCI express..generic PCI.
Both of the cards I posted about will fit. Because...I think...you were talking about PCI the whole time and thought it was PCI-x. But - you did also find out that your chassis is a full width, not low profile chassis. So all is not lost.

Up to you now, I'd contact the guy, send him pics! and ask for the stuff again. Tell him you were looking at the wrong slots but you're all good now.

Hey, you're doing very well with this stuff!