I want to replace my IGP (Intel 82945G Express Chipset) with a real graphics card. I have an available one that's kind of old: Dominator FX 5500 PCI GeForce FX. Would this improve the system's graphics? And if so, how do I go about replacing the IGP? Do I have to disable the IGP before putting in the new card? Help greatly appreciated!

Some IGP's will auto-disable when a discrete video card is detected, others have to be disabled in the BIOS & in device manager. The FX5500 isn't a great card, especially since it's the PCI version, but it's definitely a step up from the Intel graphics. I just had a look at the HP site & found this "how to" guide: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/... Your board has a PCI-e x16 slot, why don't you take advantage of it? You wouldn't have to spend all that much to get a card that's at least 5-10 times better than the outdated FX5500. Here's your board specs: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...

Thanks so much for your help. The main reason why I want to update my graphics is to play the Sims 2. With the current IGP, you can imagine what the graphics are like and the game freezes all the time saying "Graphics driver stopped working normally" etc. Would the game run smoother if I put in the outdated FX5500? Or would there be no difference and I shouldn't bother? I will take up your advice on getting a PCI-e card as soon as possible though. Any suggestions? Thanks again!

"Would the game run smoother if I put in the outdated FX5500? I doubt it. I keep a PCI FX5200 around for testing. My laptop, powered by GMA950 (i945) graphics, easily beats the PCI FX5200 in all versions of 3DMark. The PCI 5500 probably wouldn't be much faster. The bus just kills video performance...a SATA port can transfer data over 2x faster than PCI. Take jam's advice and use your PCIe slot. The creme de la creme of Socket 939: Opty 185 @ 3.2GHz SLI'ed GTS-640s, both flashed to 625/1458/1950 4GB PC3200 Blu-Ray/HD-DVD, X-Fi A8N32-SLI Deluxe 3DMark06: 13896

If you already have the FX5500, go ahead & try it...you have nothing to lose. It *should* perform better than the IGP. At least it won't be running on system RAM. You list 504MB memory, does that mean the IGP is only setup to use 8MB?

"You list 504MB memory, does that mean the IGP is only setup to use 8MB?" Newer IGPs can dynamically adjust the amount of system RAM used as VRAM. On my laptop, Windows displays 2036MB of RAM (12MB for video). But as soon as I open up additional windows (in Vista's 3D interface, each window requires around 6MB of VRAM), the GMA control panel shows the amount of memory used as VRAM jump way up...sometimes up to 100MB if I've got a crazy amount of stuff on the screen. The creme de la creme of Socket 939: Opty 185 @ 3.2GHz SLI'ed GTS-640s, both flashed to 625/1458/1950 4GB PC3200 Blu-Ray/HD-DVD, X-Fi A8N32-SLI Deluxe 3DMark06: 13896

If I were to get a PCI-e card, which one should I get? As I'm not a super gamer, I don't need a very fancy one. Just enough to see the fish in the ponds in Sims 2. Just to clarify, if I were to install the FX5500, I'd take these steps: 1. Disable the current IGP in BIOS 2. Turn off computer & open up case 3. Put card in PCI slot. 4. Turn on computer & install driver 5. Restart computer & play Are those steps correct?