Abit BH6 - CPU & Video Card Upgrade HELP

[Bronze]

Abit BH6 Rev 1.0x..... Looking to add a little life to my machine (and hopefully get some more time out of it before a wholesale upgrade). I think I am set on a Celeron 1.1, but am trying to find the best Video Card to upgrade to. I currently have a Hercules 3D Prophet II MX and am wondering what I can hop up to with my board. Any suggestions are appreciated, plus comments on what you have and how it works in your system. My machine is mainly used for surfing the web, games (EA sports, etc.) and watching DVD's from time to time (I have a Real Magic Hollywood + in the system, so DVD playback is not a requirement of a new Video Card, nor is TV out).

Thanks.

 

[oldfart]

Lots of options. The C1.1 looks good. Be sure not to get the C1.1A, it wont work. Video....depends on what you want to spend. I'd say for cheap, a VisionTek GF2 GTS-V. Next, I'd go with a GF3 Ti200. This will be a nice boost and will work well in a faster machine later on down the road.

 

[oslama]

hope this helps

list of video cards i have used with the bh6 1.01

 

[Bronze]

Thanks for the reply. How about if I rephrase my question as to.... Taking money out of the equation (within reason), what is the fastest (best) video card I can run in my BH6?? I would like to keep the video card under $200 as the CPU will run me around $80, so I figure for under $300 I can have a very nice rig that should take me through another year or so.

 

[kan3]

u can put any video card u want in it, it doesn't do x4 or fastwrite but thats not a big deal
so go look at benchmarks

 

[PullMyFinger]

Bronze,
You need to look at the video card choice as "what will best fit the performance of my platform". True, you can put a top of the line GF4 4600 in there, but beyond one of the GF3 TI200's, you quickly reach the point of diminishing returns. Going from your current Hercules to a GF2 GTS would show a noticeable improvement in game play, especially at higher resolutions and higher detail levels. This would only cost you about $70 or less. Going to a GF3 TI200 would probably cost around $140+ and it will provide an increase in frame rates over the GTS, however it's doubtful that you'll get a 2x increase in overall video performance. One of your best bets right now would be to look for a deal on a Gainward GF3 TI450 or one of the Radeon 8500 flavors (their prices have really dropped in the last couple weeks). Both cards will give you outstanding performance for around $150 +/-, with the Radeon being slightly more future-proof due to it's DX 8.1 support.

Even though the new processor will be running at 1.1 GHz, your fsb will still be running at 100 MHz which doesn't help overall system perfomance (unless you overclock it and then my reasoning goes right out the door )

Now don't get me wrong, by all means upgrade that puppy (my BH6 is still running strong w/ a 566/850 Celery in it). I just would hate to see you spend more money than you need to.

 

[manko]

I've been running a VisionTek Geforce3 ti200 in my BH6 rev 1.0 since I got it for $99 at a Thanksgiving sale. It runs great and allows me to play almost all current games at a reasonable frame rate, with lower detail settings (with a Celeron300a@450). My 3dmark is somewhere in the 2600 range. RTCW is good, while MOHAA is a little choppy. I play a lot of Half-Life mods (like DoD and CS) and UT, so it's fine with those, since they are older engines.

Anyway, although it works great in the BH6, the taste of a bit of speed has convinced me to build a new system, so I'm now setting up a new 1.6A overclocked system. I want to be ready for UT2 and Doom3 (and Halo?).

 

[drchickenman]

The real question is what are you gonna do when you totally create a new system. Gonna stick a brand new card in or use this new one? If you want a card to leave in the BH6 indefinately, then go with a gf3 ti200 and be done with it. If it's gonna go with a future upgrade - spend the whole 200 bucks and get a gf3 ti500 or g gf4.

 

[BuckNaked]

<< The real question is what are you gonna do when you totally create a new system. Gonna stick a brand new card in or use this new one? If you want a card to leave in the BH6 indefinately, then go with a gf3 ti200 and be done with it. If it's gonna go with a future upgrade - spend the whole 200 bucks and get a gf3 ti500 or g gf4. >>



I agree with this... I would map out your upgrade path, what you may intend to do with it in the future. If this combo with a GF3 ti200 would keep you happy for a 9-12 months or longer, stick with that... If you feel like you might upgrade sooner, or feel the GF3 ti200 might be too limiting in the near future, go with a GF4.

Dave