Member Avatar for Gararion

I would like to upgrade my video card.

Motherboard: MICRO-STAR MS-6728

My current video card is a GeForce 5600 FX.

What is the best video card I could upgrade to without upgraded my motherboard?

What is midrange video card?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Gararion

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Good progress so far — posted the board ID and card, reminded you to check the expansion slot, and dug up the motherboard specs. Two practical routes remain: find a compatible card that will drop straight into the existing system, or treat this as a platform upgrade and replace the motherboard (and possibly other parts). The remainder explains what to check for each route and a safe upgrade workflow.

If you want to keep the current board: inspect the physical slot and the card you have (length, cooler profile, bracket height) and match those constraints when shopping used. Prioritize cards with low power draw and active cooling so an older PSU and small case remain adequate. Ask sellers to confirm the card was tested in a similar system, and verify Windows drivers are still available for your OS before buying.

If you replace the motherboard: inventory these before you buy anything — CPU socket and whether the old CPU will fit, RAM generation (you may need new modules), case form factor (ATX/microATX), drive interfaces (IDE vs SATA), and PSU connectors/wattage (modern boards/cards often need extra CPU and PCIe power). Expect to reinstall or repair the OS after a motherboard swap because chipset drivers and HAL can differ. Back up data and have driver installers ready on USB.

Practical step-by-step: 1) Make a full parts list and photo the current layout. 2) Decide “card-only” (search used market, confirm driver support) or “platform” (pick a new board that fits existing CPU/RAM or budget for replacements). 3) Verify PSU capacity and physical fit. 4) Back up, then swap components on a test bench if possible. 5) If the new board changes major subsystems, plan a clean OS install. These checks will prevent surprises and keep costs contained.

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All 13 Replies

Member Avatar for jbennet

you need to find out if you have AGp or PCI express card slot

Member Avatar for kekekekkk

FX 5600 is an agp card... the best card u can go is Geforce 7600GT if im not wrong...

Member Avatar for caperjack

What is midrange video card?

maybe talking about to price!

Member Avatar for Serunson

mmm
Well something cost wise around £100 (~$200) is mid ranged. With top of the range going up to around £300 (~$600). Also are you running XP or Vista?
I am guessing you run XP. In which case you won't need to worry about DirectX 10. If you were thinking of upgrading to vista in the near future you could go for a DirectX 10 card, and stay with your current model until you upgrade.

Member Avatar for Gararion

FX 5600 is an agp card... the best card u can go is Geforce 7600GT if im not wrong...

Yeah, it's a AGP board.

So you think the best card I could go to would be a 7600 GT, which is a AGP. Where is the best place to find details on this card?

Member Avatar for Gararion

Okay. Though what I was really wondering was how do i know if a card is AGP or PCI Express if I were to go searching for another card?

As one site I read was mentioning things about PCI Express...

Member Avatar for caperjack

Okay. Though what I was really wondering was how do i know if a card is AGP or PCI Express if I were to go searching for another card?

As one site I read was mentioning things about PCI Express...

when you go to the store ,they will have a display of video cards and it will say on the box what kind it is ,what you will really need to know is if you board supports both the 1.5 volt and the 3.3 volt cards or just the 1.5 v,as the 3.3 will not work if it only take the 1.5v.

Member Avatar for nikkann

i have a windows xp installer.. i don't know how to reformat my pc.. can u help me bwt this?..tnks..

Member Avatar for Gararion

when you go to the store ,they will have a display of video cards and it will say on the box what kind it is ,what you will really need to know is if you board supports both the 1.5 volt and the 3.3 volt cards or just the 1.5 v,as the 3.3 will not work if it only take the 1.5v.

Hmmm...how do I find this out?

Member Avatar for caperjack

Hmmm...how do I find this out?

it might be written on the card ,or you will need the motherboard specs it will be in them .

Member Avatar for caperjack

when i search the model# you have in a previsous post it looks as though you board goes by 2 numbers ,i get this,MS-6728 =865PE Neo2-PFS
and i have found specs that say it doesn't support the 3.3v agp ,its not the pro agp slot !
also hard to find info on it because it's a older discontinued board .

Member Avatar for Gararion

when i search the model# you have in a previsous post it looks as though you board goes by 2 numbers ,i get this,MS-6728 =865PE Neo2-PFS
and i have found specs that say it doesn't support the 3.3v agp ,its not the pro agp slot !
also hard to find info on it because it's a older discontinued board .

Thanks, I was having a hard time finding specs for the motherboard and couldn't see any such spec on the box for the motherboard.

So, now to figure out what is the best videocard I can use. Thanks. Off to look up some video cards. I may end up just buying a new motherboard...but then I run into the problem of what else I need to upgrade if I do such a thing.

Thanks all for your help.

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