Can my hardware support much better graphics?

[knotnic]

I'd like some advice on whether my current system could handle a solid new video card, say a GeF2 or 3 Ti200 - something that will stay viable for a while. Could I expect major improvement (with FlightSim 2K for example) with just a new card or would a bump up to a better processor be needed to reap any benefit? That said, I'm trying to delay a new machine (which I will probably build - that's why I want a good card) as long as possible, but am I fighting a loosing battle with the 100 Mhz PIII and m-board? I'm not trying to do anything too hardcore, mostly FS and some lightweight 3d modeling.

PIII/500 on Intel 440BX-3 (Dell XPS T500)
416MB PC-100
16MB STB nVidia TNT graphics
Turtle Beach Montego A3D sound
12.9GB 7200 rpm HDD
3Com 3C905B-TXB 10/100 NIC
4.8x DVD with Quadrant Cinemaster 3.0 decoder card
12x/10x/32x CD-RW
Win 98

Thanks for any assistance,
Nick

 

[EdipisReks]

how soon are you going to be building a new rig? if you are going to be waiting for a while, then it is pointless to get a really nice video card now with the hopes of using it in the new system, as it will be obsolete by that time. i would suggest getting a radeon 32 MB ddr or a visiontek geforce2 gts-v for about $60 at www.newegg.com. either of them will give you a big boost over what you have, and they are cheap enough that you wouldn't feel bad abandoning it for something faster when you build your new rig down the road.

--jacob

 

[brianp34]

i'd agree with edipis, go with a gts-v or even a low end radeon. the performance increase will be nice but you can just abandon it or use as a secondary card when you build a new machine.

brian

 

[Willoughbyva]

I say go with a radeon.

 

[AA0]

A Radeon or GF2 pro or something would be the limit of that cpu. Since you don't want to build a new one, its not worth getting something super fast, as it will be slow when you do get a new one.

 

[EMAN]

I wouldn't go with a radeon. Go with a gts if you have a slow processor.

GTS runs better with slower processors.

 

[knotnic]

Thanks for the advice, going with one of these would save me some bucks.
Follow up: If I were able to drop in a 1Ghz PIII (the limit of the 100 Mhz Slot 1, right?) for a reasonable deal, would that then be in the ballpark to support a more modern card's performance? They're kind of expensive for an older CPU though.

Nick