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18451
XPS-700 Video Card replacement
I need to replace the nVidia GeForce 7900GS video card (due to "0x---0EA theard stuck" blue screen error messages) on a XPS-700 that is out of waranty. I am using Windows XP-Pro and have no plans to update to Vista. I have not opened the cabinet but according to the Owners Manual the system board has two PCI Express x16 card slots. I presume the 7900GS occupies one of these slots. I am not into the latest games but do have some older ones installed for young visitors. Thus I believe I need backward compatibility to ay least DX9. Since the warranty is run out the Dell site is less than helpfull unless you want to pay for it. In the searching I have done, it seems that nVidia and ATI are the front runners. Because I now have a nVidia product I am leaning toward replacing the 7900GS with nVidia's GeForce 8600 GTS or GeForce 8600 GT card. I am just not confident that I have all the information I need to assure that these cards would work. Can anyone advise me if these cards are compatible with the XPS-700 as I have described it?
PH3N0M
650 Posts
1
April 8th, 2009 23:00
As long as your XPS 700 has a PCIE-x16 slot, it will work with any card that uses the same interface, whether it be ATI or NVidia. However, the XPS 700 utilizes SLI so I'd recommend getting an NVidia card so if later on down the road you decide to get another gpu of the same kind, you can connect it to the other one using an SLI bridge for added performance.
BertSo
8 Posts
0
April 10th, 2009 00:00
Thank you very much for your response. I have opened the case and note that I have dual nVidia GeForce 7900GS cards with what I presume is a SLI bridge. Each card has an auxiliary power cable attached. My monitor is connected to one of the two cards and a cap is over the other card connectors. I presume this setup enables me to connect a second monitor. Which makes me wonder if the "0x---0EA thread stuck" errors are due to problems with only one of the existing cards. In other words, should I remove the SLI bridge and change to monitor connection to the other card as a temporary measure?
I've started down the replacement path and found that for nVidia's SLI technology to be applied, the mother board also has to be compatible. This seems to be another reason for sticking with nVidia. I fianlly talked to a Dell representative. It was recommended that I purchase a single nVidia "GF 9500GT 550M 1GB DDR2 TV DVI PCI - E" card. After receiving the card I went to nVidia's web site to check it out. I couldn't find the 1GB card recommended by Dell. The one I received does not have a connector for auxiliary power nor a tab for installing a SLI bridge. Therefore, before I install it, I am still a bit confused about the capabilities I am sacrificing by replacing the existing dual card installation with a single card. If I dont have the proper card(s), I want to send it back and get what I should have.
Finally, the new card did not come with very much in the way of installation instructions. Placing the card in the motherboard is straight forward. However, is it important to remove the drivers for the original cards before starting? Shold both cards be removed? Any insight into this aspect of my project woud be appreciated.