Graphic Cards How to get HDMI output from my old PC

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@Tech123

Disciple
HI all

I am using an old mother board i845G it has only 2 PCI slots and 1 AGP slot and no PCIe slots.(Processor is Intel Pentium 4, 2.80Ghz)

recently i have decided to go for a new HD monitor probably Dell U2312hm, this monitor has DVI in .

So how to take the output from my Mother Board via DVI or HDMI.

Obviously I need a Video card or Graphics Card with HDMI and/or DVI out , but all such cards are PCIe compatible , but I have PCI not PCIe .Also I have windows XP.


So what should I do?

a) Search for a PCI or AGP based graphics card with DVI and/or HDMi output.
b) Change mother board so that I have PCIe slots to accommodate the Pcie based graphics card.
do I have any other options?

Would highly appreciate your Guidance in this regard.
 
i guess your motherboard has AGP slot. mostly top slot in brown color.
if yes you can get agp card which have dvi port.
there is better chance to find agp card than finding motherboard which supports p4 and has pci-e slot.
 
Thanks luster yes my mother board does have AGP slot, please suggest some cards.

Also if money is not an issue what could be the most optimal solution.

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luster said:
i guess your motherboard has AGP slot. mostly top slot in brown color.
if yes you can get agp card which have dvi port.
there is better chance to find agp card than finding motherboard which supports p4 and has pci-e slot.
Click to expand...

How about I get a new processor too. I am not adamant on using the same processor.
 
i would suggest you upgrade since p4 is too old.
you can post your requirements and budget so that others can guide you for an optimal system.
better you start a new thread in "PC Buying Advice" section.
 
CA50 said:
get the 256Mb GEforce Fx 5500 AGP8X from here
http://www.techenclave.com/sell-trade-products/dual-core-desktop-computer-e2200-139977/
Click to expand...

Hi thanks

is this the same thing as Forsa NVIDIA GeForce FX5500 256 MB DDR Graphics Card | Graphics Card | Flipkart.com.

Better to go for a new one, with warranty don't you think.

So guys do you think this card Forsa NVIDIA GeForce FX5500 256 MB DDR Graphics Card | Graphics Card | Flipkart.com

will give me good digital display, without me having to go for a complete new setup?
 
@Tech123 said:
So guys do you think this card Forsa NVIDIA GeForce FX5500 256 MB DDR Graphics Card | Graphics Card | Flipkart.com

will give me good digital display, without me having to go for a complete new setup?
Click to expand...

What is the definition of a 'good digital display'. I am not sure it will help you with your HD RIPz that will remain the purview of the processor and unfortunately they are not so capable.

Also as far as the output is concerned it should do fine.

Very important, do not expect this to run games.
 
Thanks

I meant better than analog display, of course I am not a gamer. My new monitor will have DVI in and HDMI in so I was thinking if I could get DVI out of mother board, the display would be of better quality?

Of course VGA input would also be there but every one says using VGA is a bit outed today.

appreciate your help
 
@@Tech123, yes though both a same, i suggest you to go for the used one, a your system is already very old and investing another 2k for that system is not advisable
 
Last edited by a moderator:
@Tech123 said:
Thanks

I meant better than analog display, of course I am not a gamer. My new monitor will have DVI in and HDMI in so I was thinking if I could get DVI out of mother board, the display would be of better quality?

Of course VGA input would also be there but every one says using VGA is a bit outed today.

appreciate your help
Click to expand...

Go for a second-hand card. No point splurging on a new card when it cannot be carried forward in your next upgrade.

And no VGA is not outdated, it is simply out of preference; if you are buying this card just to have DVI-OUT it will be a faux-pas in my opinion. Do not buy just for the sake of a DVI-out. And even if you want too, then stick to the second hand option. Cheerio!
 
Thank you all

I really feel outdated. but my old system is running fabulously, with no problem so I never felt the need to upgrade it , until now.
That too only for HD, all I want is to be able to take Digital signal out of motherboard rather than analog VGA.



I was thinking get a New mother Board , with PCIe expansion slots , fit my old p4 processor in it , buy a good Graphics card which will have DVI and HDMi out also I may need DDR3 RAM . bang that's it .

Now what I am not sure is this , will my old p4 fit in the new mother board?

Has the processor got to do anything with HD display? So even if it fits I may need a new one ?

And what is this processor with inbuilt graphics ? if someone could kindly explain what I am missing I could certainly become up to date.

If any one would kindly explain starting from ABC , I would forever be Thankful. usually I am quite techy , but for this issue I am missing some basics.
 
@Tech123 said:
I really feel outdated. but my old system is running fabulously, with no problem so I never felt the need to upgrade it , until now.
That too only for HD, all I want is to be able to take Digital signal out of motherboard rather than analog VGA.

I was thinking get a New mother Board , with PCIe expansion slots , fit my old p4 processor in it , buy a good Graphics card which will have DVI and HDMi out also I may need DDR3 RAM . bang that's it .

Now what I am not sure is this , will my old p4 fit in the new mother board?

Has the processor got to do anything with HD display? So even if it fits I may need a new one ?

And what is this processor with inbuilt graphics ? if someone could kindly explain what I am missing I could certainly become up to date.

If any one would kindly explain starting from ABC , I would forever be Thankful. usually I am quite techy , but for this issue I am missing some basics.
Click to expand...

That is fine, use the machine till it serves you and meets the needs (yours) but the moment it shows signs of ageing better to let it go rather than try to extract more out of it. About the digital signal element, that being your choice we are just advising you, instead of spending ~2000/- on a components and not being capable of using it in-case this system goes down is a little foolish.

If I am not wrong your Pentium4 will be the one based on the m478 socket-system and associated chipset. This is now a really old system and has fallen out of disuse for the greater part of the past ~7 years (EoL --> End-of-life (product) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), so chances are slim that you will be able to buy a compatible motherboard (with aforementioned features) and stick the processor and carry on working.

So, straight answer is NO, you will have to buy a new system from the ground-up.

Yes the processor will decode the HD-content as the FX-5500 is a pretty old card and does not feature the hardware acceleration technology. And as far as I have seen the single-core Pentium4's of yore struggle with these tasks (HD RIPz). Display also matters because without a widescreen display it is pretty pointless to view HD content, either the image will not display OR will come out cropped / stretched.

Since AMD bought ATi Graphics in c.2006 they have postulated that the processor and GPU will merge into an ambiguous system that can do both the tasks (equally well by switching resources as necessary) and with Intel's 'Clarkdale' release and AMD's 'Llano' release this has become a reality; theoretically the processor and graphics (iGP variant) have been on the same die but Intel's CPU is more capable at the expense of GPU while the reverse is true for AMD. For more on the same, read here --> Accelerated processing unit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Hope this explains everything, Cheerio!
 
Thank you alpha

Now i think I am beginning to understand things
So first I need a new motherboard with Pcie expansion slots and DVI and HDMI ports , now this mother Board will not support my P4, so I need a new processor, right?

Now I have two choices

1) Go for a processor with inbuilt graphics ---
2) Go for a processor without inbuilt graphics and buy a dedicated graphics card


if I go for the first case , how is it better than the second case .

Do all mother boards now days come with DVI and HDMI ports? I do not think so , Just a year ago I bought this 845G when the old one's FAN broke down,

so I could get a mother board without DVI/HDMI ports and buy a dedicated graphics card , will this be better .

or is it better to buy a mother board with these ports and a processor with integrated graphics so that I do not need an additional Graphics card.

I am guessing if I have a mother board with these ports and a processor without inbuilt Graphics , then I will not be able to View HD content through these ports right?

We need Graphics in order to view HD either in processor or in separate card , right?
 
you will need a new psu too if you're still using one of those old generic psu's. if i'm not mistaken your new monitor is the dell u2312hm right?
 
@Tech123 said:
Now I have two choices

1) Go for a processor with inbuilt graphics ---
2) Go for a processor without inbuilt graphics and buy a dedicated graphics card


if I go for the first case , how is it better than the second case .

Do all mother boards now days come with DVI and HDMI ports? I do not think so , Just a year ago I bought this 845G when the old one's FAN broke down,

so I could get a mother board without DVI/HDMI ports and buy a dedicated graphics card , will this be better .

or is it better to buy a mother board with these ports and a processor with integrated graphics so that I do not need an additional Graphics card.

I am guessing if I have a mother board with these ports and a processor without inbuilt Graphics , then I will not be able to View HD content through these ports right?

We need Graphics in order to view HD either in processor or in separate card , right?
Click to expand...

Yes you will need to go the whole hog (from CPU -->motherboard (and SMPS / PSU) -->RAM -->hard-drive)

With option two you will have the capability to play most games at higher settings than the iGP, also with latter you will need to share RAM with it as V-RAM to run so this affects the total RAM you have on you.

Yes all new motherboards (which support iGP's) come with a HDMI and DVI-OUT. Also, why did you stick to the old system last year you should have changed it when you had the option.

Yes you can get a motherboard which come with a HDMI and DVI-OUT and get a dedicated graphics card. So in-case if the GPU fails you can hold out with the iGP till you get a replacement for the former. And as already mentioned a d-GPU doesn't eat your RAM and will perform better than an iGP.

Most current generation entry-level CPU's come with an iGP on die but there are exceptions yes and motherboards that do not support iGP's OR whose processors do not have an iGP system will not come with a HDMI and DVI-OUT on the rear I / O, so there is no question of viewing HD content from these.

We need a processor OR GPU / iGP capable of decoding HD-content that's it. You need not add a discrete GPU if your processor and its iGP are capable of HD-content.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!
 
Come on folks. OP came asking for a digital out from his old system and we have managed to convince him to buy a new system itself, that too on the first page.

@Tech123,
while I too think that you should get a new PC instead of spending more on the old P4 based PC, I would suggest you try using the VGA out of your current PC via a VGA-DVI cable or a VGA/DVI convertor + a DVI-DVI cable. If you are not satisfied with the display, you can always come back here for more suggestions for building a new PC.

Getting a new computer just to support your monitor's digital input is overspending IMO. If you can afford it, go ahead.
 
pr0ing said:
Come on folks. OP came asking for a digital out from his old system and we have managed to convince him to buy a new system itself, that too on the first page.
Click to expand...

He wants to watch HD RIPz on a DeLL Ultrasharp series monitor and the P4 is not going to digest even a 720p RIP (personal experience), so OP spends ~500/- quid for a DVI-port OR ~200/- for a VGA -->DVI converter which still does not change the fact that signal is analog and cannot get him what he wants. Savvy.
 
@alpha that was Amazing just the info I was looking for, also @sixpack thank you for the PSU tip, did not think I will need that too.About the monitor still on hold till Viewsonics VX-70 series is launched by the 4 week of November, I know View sonic do not have a good reputation regarding After sales , but lets such see the reviews and see if this monitor is worth the risk.
Its most probably going to Dell U2312hm as advised by you, or AOCi2353ph or lastly Viewsonic , do not have much choices here for IPS, I think . anyway that's for a separate thread.

Coming back to the main issue: so this is what I have understood.

Get a processor with IGP and a compatible motherboard ,which will have DVI and HDMI out.I should be able to view HD content. If however I am facing some problems , then I can get additional Graphics card , right?


Also IGP will eat into my RAM so I need to make sure I have sufficient amount of it , right.

now in future if I install a d- graphics card will the Graphics component in the IGP become disabled or will both work simultaneously, giving me double benefit , just like adding Two RAM's. Somewhere I read that the Graphics in IGP becomes disable in case there is a d- graphics card.
 
@Tech123 said:
Get a processor with IGP and a compatible motherboard ,which will have DVI and HDMI out.I should be able to view HD content. If however I am facing some problems , then I can get additional Graphics card , right?


Also IGP will eat into my RAM so I need to make sure I have sufficient amount of it , right.

now in future if I install a d- graphics card will the Graphics component in the IGP become disabled or will both work simultaneously, giving me double benefit , just like adding Two RAM's. Somewhere I read that the Graphics in IGP becomes disable in case there is a d- graphics card.
Click to expand...

Yes, the first point is right but its latter part is wrong that the processor + iGP will be incapable of HD-viewing. Most current generation dual-cores (entry-level) and iGP's are more than capable of decoding HD content. So no issues there, in-case you feel there is a necessity of a discrete sub-system then you can purchase a cheap HD6450 (OR equivalent card as long as you are not gaming) to complement the iGP and CPU in the task.

Yes the iGP will take up some of your RAM but this can be controlled from the driver / BIOS so you can limit the amount of RAM marked as V-RAM (for the iGP), so you needn't buy more than say ~8GB of RAM.

Depends on which processor you buy right now. AMD's Llano and Trinity APU can do so (Hybrid CrossFire --> http://www.overclock.net/t/1206881/hybrid-crossfire) but only with entry level cards which makes the point moot as the impact on overall performance is negligible. Intel and nVidia graphics do not support any such modes for their own hardware.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!
 
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