AGP 8X Video Card--Which one to Get ???

[crockman]

Here's a Link to a thread, that of which I'm asking the same Question, But for my specific PC.

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=31&threadid=1685118&enterthread=y

My PC:

MB: Soyo Kt400 Dragon Ultra Black
http://www.soyogroup.com/products/proddesc.php?id=185

CPU: XP 2400+ Tbred-B-266Fsb
RAM: 2x512MB PC3200
VID: ATI 9500 Pro

My "9500" is Outdated. I want to Upgrade to the Best Video Card w/o the Video Card being Overkill. IE.. I don't want to buy "More" of a Card, then my Mobo/CPU can Utilize.

I could possibly Upgrade my CPU to a 333Fsb (IE.. 2800+ Barton, about $70), But my "2400" already runs at 2000MHz , Plus if I Run a 333Fsb CPU, My DDR 400 Memory can only run at 333, due to some kind of Chipset limitation.

I want to & will Upgrade to a Socket 939, but not right now. I want to "Maximize" my Present PCs' Performance.

Any Suggestions ?

Thanks

 

[almach1]

x800xl!! only because i got one

 

[wildcat86]

6600gt or a vanilla 6800

 

[crockman]

x800xl!! only because i got one

I Read some Reviews that Really Liked that x800"XL", even calling it "Better-than-the-X850PRO. And I've Seriously thought of Buying an x800XL

But would that be Overkill for my Older PC ?

6600gt or a vanilla 6800

I've read a lot of comments on those 2 particular Video Cards.

Again though, Would either of those NVidias' be Overkill ? Could I even get a Faster Card than a 6800, Considering my Mobo/CPU ?

A Thank You to you both

 

[wildcat86]

Anything higher than those would be overkill, its not worth spending the money on the 6800GT or anything better because your CPU is pretty outdated.

I would go for a Venice 3200+ and that ASRock board AT reviewed before upgrading the video card if I was in your position and limited on cash for an upgrade.

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=A64-3200BW - $135

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813157081 - $68

 

[IceMole]

I also think you should buy the stuff wild said before a video card. That'll give you a much better upgrade path, and if you have the cash, then get a video card also.

 

[wildcat86]

That board will allow you to upgrade to the next AMD CPU also, socket M2.

 

[crockman]

Anything higher than those would be overkill, its not worth spending the money on the 6800GT or anything better because your CPU is pretty outdated.

A 6800 Vanilla what do you mean by Vanilla ?

I was looking at that 6800, or X800.

What if I upgraded my CPU to a 2800+ 333Fsb Barton ?

I would go for a Venice 3200+ and that ASRock board AT reviewed before upgrading the video card if I was in your position and limited on cash for an upgrade

I'll check out those Links, Thanks. I looked into Socket 939 about 3-4 months ago, but could never decide on a Particular Motherboard, without spending a Bundle$.

I also think you should buy the stuff wild said before a video card. That'll give you a much better upgrade path, and if you have the cash, then get a video card also

Thanks, I'll check out those Links

 

[exar333]

grab the new Asrock 939 agp/pci board...good review here on anand...70 bucks..and a 300 venice...120...200 all told...

 

[crockman]

grab the new Asrock 939 agp/pci board...good review here on anand...70 bucks..and a 300 venice...120...200 all told

I took a look at it, at Newegg.

Really though the 'Multiple' Video Slots are rather useless in 'My' case, because I need a New Video Card anyway. New Video Card = PCIe (It only makes sense to use the Best Technology).

The Price is Very Good though

It may be worth a try looking for a S-939 Used, here at AT

Thanks


What kind of Performance could I expect out of My Present MB/2400+ together w/ a Vanilla 6800 ?

And if I add a 2800+ Barton ?

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: crockman

grab the new Asrock 939 agp/pci board...good review here on anand...70 bucks..and a 300 venice...120...200 all told

I took a look at it, at Newegg.

Really though the 'Multiple' Video Slots are rather useless in 'My' case, because I need a New Video Card anyway. New Video Card = PCIe (It only makes sense to use the Best Technology).

The Price is Very Good though

It may be worth a try looking for a S-939 Used, here at AT

Thanks


What kind of Performance could I expect out of My Present MB/2400+ together w/ a Vanilla 6800 ?

And if I add a 2800+ Barton ?

It'll let you use your current AGP card and then upgrade to PCIe down the road.

 

[crockman]

It'll let you use your current AGP card and then upgrade to PCIe down the road.

True; But, My Vid. Card is Only a 9500 Pro, so I'd like to Get a Better Vid. Card If I buy a New MB or not, I'm going to get a New Vid. Card, just to start with.

I'd rather not Upgrade to AMD 64bit at this moment.

What's the Fastest Video Card that My Soyo Kt400 w/ XP2400+ will Effectively Utilize ??? & Will Changing the 2400+/266Fsb to a 2800+/333Fsb give any Noticeable Performance Increase, Considering a $70 price for the used Barton ???

Thank You

 

[wildcat86]

We gave you advice, we told you what we think.

 

[EightySix Four]

It honestly depends on the game. Some games require a lot of CPU performance, while others don't. If it doesn't rely on the CPU much, then you won't be bottlenecked and could reasonably get the highest end available to you.

 

[xanis]

Yeah, upgrade the mobo and CPU first. That will give you many more options for upgrades down the road. However, if you insist on getting a card now, try a 6200 or a 6600GT.

 

[charlietee]

Great deal right here ATI X800 Pro 256mb

 

[crockman]

We gave you advice, we told you what we think

I do agree about the Socket 939, i just didn't want to do that now, but maybe i will

It honestly depends on the game.

I saw that comment at some Online review of Video Cards, and there was quite a bit of difference between the games

Yeah, upgrade the mobo and CPU first. That will give you many more options for upgrades down the road. However, if you insist on getting a card now, try a 6200 or a 6600GT

I really would like to Upgrade to 939, just not sure if i can 'swing' it or not. The 6600GT is the Card I've been looking at

Great deal right here ATI X800 Pro 256mb

Good deal, i saw that 'Refurb' in the "Hot Deals" Thread. The Deal is 'Dead' now though. I wasn't going to buy it anyway

A Thank you to you all

One Last Question How much Performance Increase could I expect if I replace that 2400+(running at 2000MHz) 266Fsb w/ a 2800+ 333Fsb ??? FYI--My Mobo wont accept the 400Fsb

Thanks

 

[Crono]

If you don't have too much money to upgrade everything, just get a Radeon 9800Pro. Sure, it's not as good as the PCI-e cards, but it handles pretty much everything fairly well, and it's not more than your current system can utilize. Plus, it'c cheap and readily available in the FS/FT forum.

 

[dguy6789]

I would get either a 6600GT or an X800 XL with a rig like the one you have.

 

[crockman]

If you don't have too much money to upgrade everything, just get a Radeon 9800Pro. Sure, it's not as good as the PCI-e cards, but it handles pretty much everything fairly well, and it's not more than your current system can utilize. Plus, it'c cheap and readily available in the FS/FT forum

I have a bit of money to spend, it's just that I have 2 PCs' 1, which I'm using now, I use it 90% of the time. It's just a PCChips M810L Mobo w/ a Athlon 1.333g & Integrated Graphics. I use it to for all my Computing needs Except for Gaming. It's cheap to run, and being it's age(value) I do not have to worry about Viruses ruining it.
The Other: a Soyo Kt400 Dragon Ultra w/ a XP 2400+, & a ATI 9500 Pro. But I only use that PC for Gaming. So i don't want to Spend a Bunch of $$$ on a Socket 939 Setup for a PC I'll only be using "On Occasions".

So Basically I want to Maximize the "Soyo"s capabilities.

I'm looking at an XP 2800+ 333Fsb Barton from a Trader here at AT, I have already bought a Couple of Items from him and can get the 'Barton' for $70 Shipped. But what I'm Wondering is How much of a Performance Gain will I see w/ the 'Barton', Considering my 2400+ already runs at 2000MHz ???

Does that make sense ?

And Thanks for the Assistance

 

[Munky]

My advice - get a venice 3000 and a decent s939 board, with a pci-e card. I've been in the same boat as you, and the upgrade is a vicious cycle - you get just the cpu at first, but wait - you need a new mobo to really take advantage of the new cpu, but for gaming what you really need is a new video card in addition to all that. Let's just say that I upgraded from a slower axp system to a fast axp system piece by piece all the while I could have upgraded to to an even faster totally new a64 system, and that was a mistake (I have since remedied my mistake with a brand spanking new system )

Get a Venice 3000 and a good OC'ing board (like that Epox one that I cant remember the name of), and some card along the lines of a 6600gt or better (I'd personally recommend a x800 "vanilla" instead). Or if you can wait a few weeks, Ati should be releasing their new range of cards soon, so you'll have even more options. You can even save some money by selling you old rig and buying used parts in the FS/FT section. But I wouldn't spend another penny into an old axp system.

 

[kleinwl]

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2381&p=5

An XP 3200+ (2.2 GHZ) with a X800Xt is running WoW at 48.6 frames (1024x768)
An A64 3000+ (1.8GHZ) with the same is at 65.9 frames
A 3200+ is at 69.5 frames...

So... your cpu is going to bottleneck the GPU alot, which is why everyone suggests upgrading your CPU prior to buying a new GPU.

 

[winr]

Here is an article on cpu scaling.

It has XPs and Intel cpu's.

They are tested using a GeForce 4 4200.

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=1718&p=5

A 9800 PRO would make a difference and selling the 9500 PRO would offset the price.

 

[crockman]

My advice - get a venice 3000 and a decent s939 board, with a pci-e card.

Your right, And I'm starting to do what you did (Pumping bundles of $$$ into 'Dead' Technology). No, your right, it's time to jump to 64 bit.

Get a Venice 3000 and a good OC'ing board (like that Epox

That 3000+ Venice is the one I'm looking at.

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2381&p=5

I thought these XPs' still Had some 'Umph', guess not

So... your cpu is going to bottleneck the GPU alot, which is why everyone suggests upgrading your CPU prior to buying a new GPU.

That is what I was wondering about, and that Link proved that it really isn't worth upgrading my 'XP' System

A 9800 PRO would make a difference and selling the 9500 PRO would offset the price.

Actually I'm taking that 9500 Pro & installing it into a PC I'm building for a Friend, in return for Him Helping me paint my Home. He's not a Big 'Gamer', so that '9500' will do him fine.

Thank You All, your Help was very valuable

I've decided that I'm going to go with that ASRock-939 (AGP & PCIe) that ya'll suggested, & a Venice 3000+

I bought an EVGA 6800-vanilla-AGP from Newegg yesterday, $154 after MIR. I'll hook that up with my 2400+, while I Buy/Build the ASRock & Related Parts. I Bought it because I needed a Video Card being that '9500' has been traded(for work) to the Friend, & that EVGA was a pretty good price.

That EVGA 6800 AGP along with the ASRock-939, & a Venice 3000+ should 'Suffice' until I add a Dual-Core CPU & a PCIe Vid. Card. When those Dual-Cores come down in price.

Again, Thanks for all the Help