Best performance/value for a low end video card?

[JT47319]

Just was finally able to upgrade a 5-year old computer. Gonna give it to me GF and build me something new. But in the meantime, I need to replace what's currently inside this box.

Here's what it currently looks like:

PII 333 MHz
San Li i440LX Motherboard
128 MB Samsung PC100 SDRAM
128 MB Crucial PC100 SDRAM
10G Quantum Fireball LCT10 w/ ATA66 Promise Controller Card
44X CD-ROM
4112 Memorex CDRW
Soundblaster Audigy
Diamond Viper V770 Ultra (32MB RAM)

As you can see, its hardly top of the line, but it should be more than capable of taking on all that she'll be able to throw at it. I just need to replace the Viper now.

Considering that this is a 440LX chipset, it's AGP is 2X. What's the best and cheapest upgrade from the current Viper? And if I go to a video card that's 4X, will it retroactively perform on a 2X? or would I need to set jumpers on the video card to set it to 2X?

Thanks!

 

[BFG10K]

How much are you willing to spend? A Radeon 7500 and GF3 Ti200 both offer superb bang for buck and are ~$80 and ~$130 respectively. With such a slow processor I wouldn't go any higher than a Radeon 7500 and even that is complete overkill.

And if I go to a video card that's 4X, will it retroactively perform on a 2X?

Yes but such a slower processor won't make any difference whatsoever and even with a fast processor there's really no difference at the moment so don't worry about it. Just make sure to get the latest BIOS and chipset drivers for your system and make sure to read your motherboard FAQ about running newer AGP cards.