HP Pavilion 6746c
Operating System: Microsoft Windows ME
Processor: Intel Celeron(tm) @ 731 MHz
Graphics Card: Intel(R) 82810 Graphics Controller Total Physical Memory: 318 MB
Motherboard Manufacturer: Trigem Computer, Inc.
Motherboard Model: Cognac

Ok I've decided to get an Xtasy Geforce4 MX420 64mb pci video card and I've heard some horror stories of people who have gut the newer pci cards and then found out when they installed them that they have probs. First I have heard of people who tried to disable the onboard video and couldn't . These people ended up buying new mother boards. Would kind of suck to get a pci card then end up with a board with an AGP slot. I would like to go this way but my budget(wife) will only allow for a card at this time and the store I'm getting the card from does not do refuns on opened electronics parts(Electronics Boutique). Other people I've heard were able to install the card and disable the onboard, but then had problems with the card not working properly on there mobo's.
I know that alot of the people in here build systems and I was wondering if anyone might know of any conflicks with my mother board or problems disableing the onboard video? Or maybe some other poor soul out there might have been sucked in by the false inpressions from HP that this system had an AGP slot (Bought the system 4years ago from Future Shop with thoughts of being able to upgrade later) and was able to install a pci video card with success. Or maybe even if anyone knows of a cheap(not crappy) mobo that has an AGP slot And atleast 2 pci slots that would fit in my Tower(13x12x7inches roughly) and accept my chip.

It is not the size of the case that may cause problem, more to do with the motherboard itself, some manufactures nuse their own case/MB design, so needless to say, only their MB with fit their cases and vice verse.

As to disable the onboard AGP, your best bet is to check the manual, if its like 4 years old, chances are, it will be more like a hardware jumper rather than a software BIOS setting. Problems with adding another graphics card does not always end with just a single problem, a number of other factors can also cause chaos, but its one of those - unless you try you wont find out cases.

HTH

have a look here

http://www.hp.com/cposupport/personal_computing/support_doc/bph06273.html#P5_566

I was to the HP site before and read these direction. I know that it says you can disable your onboard video but can you really. A freind of mine tried to install the mx400pci in his IBM computer and even after talking to there tec for 2hrs he ended up getting a new tower and mother board.
Thanks anyway, but I was kind of hopeing someone who has installed or tried to install a vid card in a Pavilion, with i810 intergrated graphics, would come forward and shed some light on the subject.

tecnotec,
i truely understand your situation, and my heart goes out to you `cause i`ve been in the exact same situation before with the 810 chipset (same dilema pci vs agp) and lack of finances.
please keep one thing in mind if you go for the pci card (assuming it works), the resale value will be next to zero.
i sincerely believe your best bet is to get rid of the 810, or do similar to what i did (i know it`s no consolation for here and now) but save your money towards an up grade and link the two together (quite easy in WinME).
there is another option, exchange the wife and get a brand new 2gig system.
i would have done but they only offered an atari 2600 lol. with no games may i add lol. x2

good luck mate.

I recently put an ATI rage 128 16mb pci card in my IBM and was able to shutoff the on board video and the card works great. Now I'm going to get a Geforce2 mx400 pci and slap that in. I'm expecting no problems!