Help me replace my 9800pro AGP

[dakels]

I was in the same boat as you until I decided to upgrade my entire computer.

My R9800 pro died on me after 4 years of SOLID service running at 400mhz OC. R.I.P.
x1950 Pro seemed to be one of the best AGP options. It ran everything really well, even COD4 and WoW at respectable 30fps on med-high settings. I only used it for about 2 months before getting the new rig. I doubt D3 will be out till either this time 2009, or Q4. Gives you a lot of time to go to a PCIe rig.

edit: my old PC is/was P4 3.0ghz HT 800fsb, 2gb DDR400. Similar to yours but a bit higher bottleneck threshold.

 

[Dr G]

Originally posted by: dakels
I was in the same boat as you until I decided to upgrade my entire computer.

My R9800 pro died on me after 4 years of SOLID service running at 400mhz OC. R.I.P.
x1950 Pro seemed to be one of the best AGP options. It ran everything really well, even COD4 and WoW at respectable 30fps on med-high settings. I only used it for about 2 months before getting the new rig. I doubt D3 will be out till either this time 2009, or Q4. Gives you a lot of time to go to a PCIe rig.

edit: my old PC is/was P4 3.0ghz HT 800fsb, 2gb DDR400. Similar to yours but a bit higher bottleneck threshold.

I've been unable to find many X1950s and if I do run across them they usually go for 200+

 

[dakels]

Originally posted by: Dr G

Originally posted by: dakels
I was in the same boat as you until I decided to upgrade my entire computer.

My R9800 pro died on me after 4 years of SOLID service running at 400mhz OC. R.I.P.
x1950 Pro seemed to be one of the best AGP options. It ran everything really well, even COD4 and WoW at respectable 30fps on med-high settings. I only used it for about 2 months before getting the new rig. I doubt D3 will be out till either this time 2009, or Q4. Gives you a lot of time to go to a PCIe rig.

edit: my old PC is/was P4 3.0ghz HT 800fsb, 2gb DDR400. Similar to yours but a bit higher bottleneck threshold.

I've been unable to find many X1950s and if I do run across them they usually go for 200+

I'd have no problem selling mine for $100 or whatever the going rate is. I was gonna sell it on CL but I don't care. I thought the going rate on Ebay was like $100?

 

[Dr G]

Originally posted by: dakels

Originally posted by: Dr G

Originally posted by: dakels
I was in the same boat as you until I decided to upgrade my entire computer.

My R9800 pro died on me after 4 years of SOLID service running at 400mhz OC. R.I.P.
x1950 Pro seemed to be one of the best AGP options. It ran everything really well, even COD4 and WoW at respectable 30fps on med-high settings. I only used it for about 2 months before getting the new rig. I doubt D3 will be out till either this time 2009, or Q4. Gives you a lot of time to go to a PCIe rig.

edit: my old PC is/was P4 3.0ghz HT 800fsb, 2gb DDR400. Similar to yours but a bit higher bottleneck threshold.

I've been unable to find many X1950s and if I do run across them they usually go for 200+

I'd have no problem selling mine for $100 or whatever the going rate is. I was gonna sell it on CL but I don't care. I thought the going rate on Ebay was like $100?

I dont like to buy second hand parts.

 

[Dr G]

Originally posted by: JonnyBlaze
i bought a x1650pro to replace my dead 9800pro. worst buy ever. who cares if a little power is wasted with a 3850, its still gonna be much better than a x1650.

im planning on getting rid of this and getting a 3850 myself.

not even sure if my PSU can handle a 3850. Another board just basically told me to buy a whole new system.

 

[dakels]

I don't ever see new X1950's for less then $180ish... I would never spend that with the bottom tier new gen systems being so much faster. You face the problem I had though, 1 part replacement will basically mean everything. If you want a budget system you can build one (e2200, 8800gts) that will smoke your current system for $300-400.

 

[VChuck]

For you and the games you like(Oblivion,WoW) get the Sapphire 2600XT.have a friend with old AMD 2.7 skt 754 She has this card and plays same games,runs fine. your psu should work,hmm.:roll:use omega drivers,not the one on cd.

***t Rockhound said the same thing.

Or better yet complete upgrade such as dakels suggestion

 

[Dr G]

Originally posted by: VChuck
For you and the games you like(Oblivion,WoW) get the Sapphire 2600XT.have a friend with old AMD 2.7 skt 754 She has this card and plays same games,runs fine. your psu should work,hmm.:roll:use omega drivers,not the one on cd.

***t Rockhound said the same thing.

Or better yet complete upgrade such as dakels suggestion

So you think that my PSU could handle it?

What happens if I get a card thats too powerful for my powersupply?

 

[taltamir]

ebay or wtb/wts forum... i actually HAVE a 9800Pro sitting in a box...
I wanted to sell it, but I remembered that for it to be stable I had to have side fans in my case blowing on it... I am presuming because the original fan on it died, so i put on an after market fan on it that my buddy had lying around, but it is not a really good one.
With enough case cooling it will be perfectly stable, but without it, when it maxes out, it just gets too hot.

 

[Dr G]

Originally posted by: taltamir
ebay or wtb/wts forum... i actually HAVE a 9800Pro sitting in a box...
I wanted to sell it, but I remembered that for it to be stable I had to have side fans in my case blowing on it... I am presuming because the original fan on it died, so i put on an after market fan on it that my buddy had lying around, but it is not a really good one.
With enough case cooling it will be perfectly stable, but without it, when it maxes out, it just gets too hot.

I tried to find an after market fan but I couldnt find a fan that had the right size plug in. I spent 12 bucks on one and it was too big for my card and I dont want to spend money to order new fans and hope that they work.

I went to a few stores in town and none of em had fans that were able to plug into my card.

I'm currently using an old 9800 card I have that has bad memory. Cant really watch videos or play games on it but I can go on the net.

I was thinking about just swapping out the fan from my working broken card but they are differnt types of heat sinks.

This is my old fan/heat sink http://img.photobucket.com/alb...26/doc363/IMG_0209.jpg

Here is the heat sink and fan for my broken fan card: http://img.photobucket.com/alb...26/doc363/IMG_0184.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/alb...26/doc363/IMG_0186.jpg

 

[Narynan]

Amazon.com right now has brand new 1650's for 60 dollars.

not the greatest card in the world. but it will work for your system. is in your price range, and should be able to handle your gmaing needs for a year or two more at least.

 

[Sphexi]

Look for a used X800XT...they're still more powerful than some of the cards out there, just won't support DX10. You can find 'em cheap on eBay too.

 

[Dr G]

I'm just torn between just getting a cheap X1650 pro or go with the Sapphire 2600XT I still not sure if my power supply can handle the Sapphire 2600XT.

 

[Narynan]

I thinking with that 250W PSU, probally not. Even the x1650 is going to be a bit of a stretch. even a quality psu at 250 W is going to be a bit of a hard time because its going to requre the molex plug in and there is going to be a lot of a draw for that card.

 

[dakels]

Originally posted by: Dr G

Originally posted by: VChuck
For you and the games you like(Oblivion,WoW) get the Sapphire 2600XT.have a friend with old AMD 2.7 skt 754 She has this card and plays same games,runs fine. your psu should work,hmm.:roll:use omega drivers,not the one on cd.

***t Rockhound said the same thing.

Or better yet complete upgrade such as dakels suggestion

So you think that my PSU could handle it?

What happens if I get a card thats too powerful for my powersupply?

The comp will keep shutting down automatically. That's what happened to me when I added a 3rd drive to my dell 250w PSU. Those little dell PSU's are better then most people give them credit for. I used to run a 3.2ghz P4 800fsb, 4x512mb, 2 raptors, DVDRW, Radeon X1950 Pro, SB Audigy 2, all on that little 250watt. Wasn't until I tried a 3rd drive that it wouldn't boot anymore.

 

[secretanchitman]

7600GT AGP?

 

[Dr G]

Originally posted by: dakels

Originally posted by: Dr G

Originally posted by: VChuck
For you and the games you like(Oblivion,WoW) get the Sapphire 2600XT.have a friend with old AMD 2.7 skt 754 She has this card and plays same games,runs fine. your psu should work,hmm.:roll:use omega drivers,not the one on cd.

***t Rockhound said the same thing.

Or better yet complete upgrade such as dakels suggestion

So you think that my PSU could handle it?

What happens if I get a card thats too powerful for my powersupply?

The comp will keep shutting down automatically. That's what happened to me when I added a 3rd drive to my dell 250w PSU. Those little dell PSU's are better then most people give them credit for. I used to run a 3.2ghz P4 800fsb, 4x512mb, 2 raptors, DVDRW, Radeon X1950 Pro, SB Audigy 2, all on that little 250watt. Wasn't until I tried a 3rd drive that it wouldn't boot anymore.

so do you think it could handle a Sapphire 2600XT?

 

[dakels]

Originally posted by: Dr G

Originally posted by: dakels

Originally posted by: Dr G

Originally posted by: VChuck
For you and the games you like(Oblivion,WoW) get the Sapphire 2600XT.have a friend with old AMD 2.7 skt 754 She has this card and plays same games,runs fine. your psu should work,hmm.:roll:use omega drivers,not the one on cd.

***t Rockhound said the same thing.

Or better yet complete upgrade such as dakels suggestion

So you think that my PSU could handle it?

What happens if I get a card thats too powerful for my powersupply?

The comp will keep shutting down automatically. That's what happened to me when I added a 3rd drive to my dell 250w PSU. Those little dell PSU's are better then most people give them credit for. I used to run a 3.2ghz P4 800fsb, 4x512mb, 2 raptors, DVDRW, Radeon X1950 Pro, SB Audigy 2, all on that little 250watt. Wasn't until I tried a 3rd drive that it wouldn't boot anymore.

so do you think it could handle a Sapphire 2600XT?

I wouldn't recommend it, but I think it may run. Some figures state 160w under load, but some state 220ish. At 160 I bet it would run, as I have run similar wattage cards on a dell 250w for a long time. 220 I don't think it will run. One thing is that the X1950 Pro is a much better card and much lower power consumption. I think that's your best solution for power to performance but I know you don't want to buy a used card (I don't blame you).

I would really recommend putting your money to something more then a bandage solution like you are looking at. Meaning, bite the bullet and get a new cheap rig for $300-400 instead of $100-150 that won't transfer to a new computer. Or get a decent 530w+ PSU you can carry into your next computer.

I don't think your computer with the video cards you are looking at will run D3 in any sort of playable quality either. This comp is really below requirements for most current games, let alone something coming out next year.

 

[Dr G]

Originally posted by: dakels

Originally posted by: Dr G

Originally posted by: dakels

Originally posted by: Dr G

Originally posted by: VChuck
For you and the games you like(Oblivion,WoW) get the Sapphire 2600XT.have a friend with old AMD 2.7 skt 754 She has this card and plays same games,runs fine. your psu should work,hmm.:roll:use omega drivers,not the one on cd.

***t Rockhound said the same thing.

Or better yet complete upgrade such as dakels suggestion

So you think that my PSU could handle it?

What happens if I get a card thats too powerful for my powersupply?

The comp will keep shutting down automatically. That's what happened to me when I added a 3rd drive to my dell 250w PSU. Those little dell PSU's are better then most people give them credit for. I used to run a 3.2ghz P4 800fsb, 4x512mb, 2 raptors, DVDRW, Radeon X1950 Pro, SB Audigy 2, all on that little 250watt. Wasn't until I tried a 3rd drive that it wouldn't boot anymore.

so do you think it could handle a Sapphire 2600XT?

I wouldn't recommend it, but I think it may run. Some figures state 160w under load, but some state 220ish. At 160 I bet it would run, as I have run similar wattage cards on a dell 250w for a long time. 220 I don't think it will run. One thing is that the X1950 Pro is a much better card and much lower power consumption. I think that's your best solution for power to performance but I know you don't want to buy a used card (I don't blame you).

I would really recommend putting your money to something more then a bandage solution like you are looking at. Meaning, bite the bullet and get a new cheap rig for $300-400 instead of $100-150 that won't transfer to a new computer. Or get a decent 530w+ PSU you can carry into your next computer.

I don't think your computer with the video cards you are looking at will run D3 in any sort of playable quality either. This comp is really below requirements for most current games, let alone something coming out next year.

I really dont know much about putting together a system. Could I just buy the guts and the case then just put my HD into it?

Could my system at least handle and X1650?

 

[dakels]

Mine ran an X1950 Pro with that PSU so I don't see why yours wouldn't.


I would look on the general hardware forum. That forum has turned into mostly a new computer building forum
fantastic primer

And yes you should be able to recycle your HD and optical drive into your new computer. You may want to reinstall windows though on the new comp. You may be able to reuse your dell case too but I would recommend getting a new one. PSU and MB may not fit right.


Basically you can get a bargain computer like:
$69 E2180 Dual core
$50 motherboard
$30 case
$65 8800GS
$50-60 PSU
$30 2GB ram

For about $350-400 shipped and is an entirely different league from your current computer. This would run D3 fine, especially if you OC.

Oh and the reason I don't recommend just buying a new PSU is that you could run into a problem I had, the Dell wasn't using a normal ATX design so I couldn't properly fit a PSU and needed an adapter cable for the mobo. Not too much of a hassle but I just had enough and got a new system.

 

[Dr G]

I was just going to say screw it and buy a 1650X pro so I can play WoW and my old games again but I googled "WoW 1650X performance" and get a lot of complaints about the 1650x WoW perforance. Like people who had 9800s noticed tons of slow down.

 

[Dr G]

Is the ATi Radeon 9800 XT an upgrade from the 9800 pro and if so can you still find them? Newegg doesnt have any and I dont know of any trustworthy and good priced sites to look at.

 

[Dr G]

bump.

 

[spdfreak]

You will have a hard time finding new "high-end" agp video cards anywhere. I suggest a 7600GT or GS as they seem to be the most available. My local Best Buy has them on the shelf as well as 2600 series agp cards. Other than that, you can get an agp 2600XT or HD3650 from newegg. Both are in your price range and will be considerably faster than a 9800. Sapphire seems to have worked out their driver problems, so that is not as much an issue as a few months ago. But if you can't get it to work, both BB and NE have excellent return policies.

 

[Dr G]

Originally posted by: spdfreak
You will have a hard time finding new "high-end" agp video cards anywhere. I suggest a 7600GT or GS as they seem to be the most available. My local Best Buy has them on the shelf as well as 2600 series agp cards. Other than that, you can get an agp 2600XT or HD3650 from newegg. Both are in your price range and will be considerably faster than a 9800. Sapphire seems to have worked out their driver problems, so that is not as much an issue as a few months ago. But if you can't get it to work, both BB and NE have excellent return policies.

yea I was thinking about going that way but my fears are about my powersupply.