Hi everyone,
I'm a long time reader but first time poster (in fact, I can thank an amazing deal found on this website for the computer I have now.)
Anyway, I have a Dell XPS w/ a 3.0Ghz Pentium4 Northwood HT, 2 Gigs of RAM, and an ATI 9800XT 256MB AGP 8x video card. The computer has kept with the technology curve amazingly well over the last several years, thanks in large part to the 2 gigs of ram. However, I'm beginning to feel that my video card is growing long in the tooth, especially as I try to run the newest games at 1600x1200 (to match the native res on my monitor.) Currently it handles Far Cry well, Half Life 2 well enough, and Doom 3 okay until the later stages. However, it has significant trouble with high-res FEAR, and it isn't pulling its weight with HDR graphics (which worries me abit because Oblivion, a game that I'm greatly anticipating, features it extensively.)
In the past, I've upgraded my computer's graphics card midway through it's life, and now that my current PC is 2 years old, I'm thinking of doing it again. However, I haven't been following the latest card releases as of late, and would greatly appreciate any advice on what to purchase for an upgrade.
The big limitation with my PC is that it's AGP only, and upgrading the mobo isn't a solution, because unfortunately, it's a Dell. I'm willing to spend up to $350-$370 and basically want the best card out there (in terms of speed and features.) It's important that the card keep up with the technology curve for the next 2 years, so if that means Shader Model 3.0 is a necessary feature, so be it. So far, I'm considering the X800XL All in Wonder Edition, an X850 Platinum (or whatever the best 850 series AGP card is,) and a 6800GT (or GS.) Is nVidia the way to go, and if so, which of the nvidia 6800 cards are the best. Also, any information on the best AGP ATI cards would be most welcome.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
Mark Roboff
I'm a long time reader but first time poster (in fact, I can thank an amazing deal found on this website for the computer I have now.)
Anyway, I have a Dell XPS w/ a 3.0Ghz Pentium4 Northwood HT, 2 Gigs of RAM, and an ATI 9800XT 256MB AGP 8x video card. The computer has kept with the technology curve amazingly well over the last several years, thanks in large part to the 2 gigs of ram. However, I'm beginning to feel that my video card is growing long in the tooth, especially as I try to run the newest games at 1600x1200 (to match the native res on my monitor.) Currently it handles Far Cry well, Half Life 2 well enough, and Doom 3 okay until the later stages. However, it has significant trouble with high-res FEAR, and it isn't pulling its weight with HDR graphics (which worries me abit because Oblivion, a game that I'm greatly anticipating, features it extensively.)
In the past, I've upgraded my computer's graphics card midway through it's life, and now that my current PC is 2 years old, I'm thinking of doing it again. However, I haven't been following the latest card releases as of late, and would greatly appreciate any advice on what to purchase for an upgrade.
The big limitation with my PC is that it's AGP only, and upgrading the mobo isn't a solution, because unfortunately, it's a Dell. I'm willing to spend up to $350-$370 and basically want the best card out there (in terms of speed and features.) It's important that the card keep up with the technology curve for the next 2 years, so if that means Shader Model 3.0 is a necessary feature, so be it. So far, I'm considering the X800XL All in Wonder Edition, an X850 Platinum (or whatever the best 850 series AGP card is,) and a 6800GT (or GS.) Is nVidia the way to go, and if so, which of the nvidia 6800 cards are the best. Also, any information on the best AGP ATI cards would be most welcome.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
Mark Roboff
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