PCI Express

[Niflheim]

well, just moments ago, i was seriously thinking about a little video card upgrade, more precisely a geforce 7800 gt. but then i noticed that they were all PCI Express video cards. i had no idea what it was, but i think i read that its not compatible with PCI or AGP slots. the problem is that im pretty sure my motherboard doesnt have a PCI Express slot, its an Asus P4P800-E Deluxe.

is there nothing i can do but get a new motherboard or another video card?

so long, and thanks for all the fish

 

[VERTIGGO]

you can get x800 graphics and 6800s in AGP flavor, but chances are, unless you have an amazing AGP rig, you need to start upgrading motherboard and cpu before a video card will improve your performance. what is your system?

 

[Niflheim]

i have a pentium 4 3ghz with 1gb of RAM. the video card i currently have is a geforce 6600 gt but i thought about buying a real good one and keep it for a long time.

 

[VERTIGGO]

by the end of the year directx 10 and Shader model 4 should be releasing, and for new games you'll want a PCI-E motherboard, and at least a 7800/1800 card, but you'll need to start overhauling this summer at least. If your budget is really tight, and you are only hoping for a several hundred dollar upgrade, you won't see much difference in new games just by upping your card. In AGP selections, you can only go about 25% better than your 6600GT, and none of them will last any longer than yours.

this is about the best you'll get:
NEWEGG: X800XT AGP

 

[Niflheim]

arrr

the game im most playing nowadays is battlefield 2, and i have to play in 1024x768 with everything at medium, and still its hard when there is too much action, which happens pretty often ahah.

well thanks a lot for the help. ill start by buying a new motherboard and, later, a video card. hihi.

 

[RussianSensation]

Vertiggo what are u talking about 25% max? Any of the cards below beat 2x6600GT cards for that matter. Review

6800GT, 6800Ultra, X800XT, x800xt pe, x850xt, x850xt pe are all 2x faster than 6600GT. XFX 6800GS AGP unlocks to 16 pipes and overclocks to 6800Ultra speeds.

In terms of cost effectiveness, picking up any one of these used for about $250 is the best upgrade someone with a S478 P4 3.0 and 1 gig of ram system can do. Most importantly, OP referred to Battlefield 2 which gets no benefit from stepping up to any cpu above P4 3.0ghz:

LINK #1
LINK #2

But lets see if OP simply spent $250 on a graphics card upgrade and what would happen?

1600x1200 high quality = 1. 6800Ultra - 60 fps; 2. X850XT - 61fps, 3. 6600GT - 30fps

I personally think, you can still get old generation top AGP card before you do a complete system overhaul. Use that card to hold you over for 1 more year at a cost of $250-260 and then venture into dual core, DDR2 and AM2 amd socket or maybe conroe intel cpu. 7800GT/X doesnt' offer enough performance increase to warrant new cpu A64 3000+ $150 + new mobo $120 + 7800GT $280 = $550. Is it going to provide more than 2x performance increase over P4 3.0ghz and x850xt? Not even close! What about dual core? For now, dual cores are basically useless for games besides quake 4 patch. Until R580 and G71 come out and more games start to take advantage of dual cores, I dont think doing a new mobo, new cpu, new express card is worth it unless he is also lacking cpu power.

 

[Hadsus]

Originally posted by: Niflheim
well, just moments ago, i was seriously thinking about a little video card upgrade, more precisely a geforce 7800 gt. but then i noticed that they were all PCI Express video cards. i had no idea what it was, but i think i read that its not compatible with PCI or AGP slots. the problem is that im pretty sure my motherboard doesnt have a PCI Express slot, its an Asus P4P800-E Deluxe.

is there nothing i can do but get a new motherboard or another video card?

so long, and thanks for all the fish

I'm in the same boat you are practically. Same MB, same processor.....6800nu so it is very similar card. It's a real pisser that we can't upgrade our video cards. My machine is around 2.5 years old and I usually just buy a new one at around this time (I don't have the patience to build.....maybe I need to rethink that). But buy a new one for what......a 3.2 ghz dual core? Seems like a meager upgrade. Bus speed doesn't change.....hate to rip out the MB just to change out the video card.

 

[Nirach]

Perrsonally, I'd wait until the next refreshes are done with, perhaps two weeks after release, before any firm decisions were made. Might be best to wait to see what the processors end up doing, too. I know AMD have M2 coming around soon, but I know nothing of Intels roadmap..

 

[Hadsus]

Originally posted by: Nirach
Perrsonally, I'd wait until the next refreshes are done with, perhaps two weeks after release, before any firm decisions were made. Might be best to wait to see what the processors end up doing, too. I know AMD have M2 coming around soon, but I know nothing of Intels roadmap..

http://www.intel.com/products/roadmap/

I don't see much of anything changing through June.

 

[VERTIGGO]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation
Vertiggo what are u talking about 25% max? Any of the cards below beat 2x6600GT cards for that matter. Review

6800GT, 6800Ultra, X800XT, x800xt pe, x850xt, x850xt pe are all 2x faster than 6600GT. XFX 6800GS AGP unlocks to 16 pipes and overclocks to 6800Ultra speeds.

In terms of cost effectiveness, picking up any one of these used for about $250 is the best upgrade someone with a S478 P4 3.0 and 1 gig of ram system can do. Most importantly, OP referred to Battlefield 2 which gets no benefit from stepping up to any cpu above P4 3.0ghz:

LINK #1
LINK #2

But lets see if OP simply spent $250 on a graphics card upgrade and what would happen?

1600x1200 high quality = 1. 6800Ultra - 60 fps; 2. X850XT - 61fps, 3. 6600GT - 30fps

I personally think, you can still get old generation top AGP card before you do a complete system overhaul. Use that card to hold you over for 1 more year at a cost of $250-260 and then venture into dual core, DDR2 and AM2 amd socket or maybe conroe intel cpu. 7800GT/X doesnt' offer enough performance increase to warrant new cpu A64 3000+ $150 + new mobo $120 + 7800GT $280 = $550. Is it going to provide more than 2x performance increase over P4 3.0ghz and x850xt? Not even close! What about dual core? For now, dual cores are basically useless for games besides quake 4 patch. Until R580 and G71 come out and more games start to take advantage of dual cores, I dont think doing a new mobo, new cpu, new express card is worth it unless he is also lacking cpu power.

you're right, I thought the 6600 was like the 7800GT of last generation. I was mistaken.

 

[Nirach]

Originally posted by: Hadsus

Originally posted by: Nirach
Perrsonally, I'd wait until the next refreshes are done with, perhaps two weeks after release, before any firm decisions were made. Might be best to wait to see what the processors end up doing, too. I know AMD have M2 coming around soon, but I know nothing of Intels roadmap..

http://www.intel.com/products/roadmap/

I don't see much of anything changing through June.

Well, I'm not familier with Intel in the slightest, so I figured I might aswell state that before someone asked me questions

Cheers for the link, though, I shall take a moment to browse through that.

 

[NoStateofMind]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation
Vertiggo what are u talking about 25% max? Any of the cards below beat 2x6600GT cards for that matter. Review

6800GT, 6800Ultra, X800XT, x800xt pe, x850xt, x850xt pe are all 2x faster than 6600GT. XFX 6800GS AGP unlocks to 16 pipes and overclocks to 6800Ultra speeds.

In terms of cost effectiveness, picking up any one of these used for about $250 is the best upgrade someone with a S478 P4 3.0 and 1 gig of ram system can do. Most importantly, OP referred to Battlefield 2 which gets no benefit from stepping up to any cpu above P4 3.0ghz:

LINK #1
LINK #2

But lets see if OP simply spent $250 on a graphics card upgrade and what would happen?

1600x1200 high quality = 1. 6800Ultra - 60 fps; 2. X850XT - 61fps, 3. 6600GT - 30fps

I personally think, you can still get old generation top AGP card before you do a complete system overhaul. Use that card to hold you over for 1 more year at a cost of $250-260 and then venture into dual core, DDR2 and AM2 amd socket or maybe conroe intel cpu. 7800GT/X doesnt' offer enough performance increase to warrant new cpu A64 3000+ $150 + new mobo $120 + 7800GT $280 = $550. Is it going to provide more than 2x performance increase over P4 3.0ghz and x850xt? Not even close! What about dual core? For now, dual cores are basically useless for games besides quake 4 patch. Until R580 and G71 come out and more games start to take advantage of dual cores, I dont think doing a new mobo, new cpu, new express card is worth it unless he is also lacking cpu power.

Nice logical to the point post dude! one for ya :beer:

 

[Niflheim]

wow thanks a lot for the amazing help guys!
just like hadsus, i dont really like to change parts one by one and stuff, so i think ill head to a x800xt agp. i never tried ati before hihi. sounds good and not so expensive.

oh i just found a x800xl pretty cheap at an online store. which ones are better, x800xl or x800xt?

thanks again

 

[Hadsus]

Originally posted by: Niflheim
wow thanks a lot for the amazing help guys!
just like hadsus, i dont really like to change parts one by one and stuff, so i think ill head to a x800xt agp. i never tried ati before hihi. sounds good and not so expensive.

oh i just found a x800xl pretty cheap at an online store. which ones are better, x800xl or x800xt?

thanks again

Yeah, nice link to the Gamespot article. Since CPUs will likely stay stagnant for awhile, maybe now's the time to jump on x850xt. Maybe that'll hold be till next Xmas!

 

[Skott]

You'll find the 6800U hard to find and very pricey so you are better off going with a x850XT or x850XT PE as far as high end goes. They are also cheaper than the 6800U from what I been able to find.

 

[Yreka]

I would be looking at an X850XT/PE if I were in your situation. There have been some nice deals on them lately.

 

[Niflheim]

yep that's right. i just bought a x850xt off ebay at $299. i know its not the best deal, but it was a pretty good one for me since im in canada and its hard to find.

thanks again all for the help

 

[Wentelteefje]

Ah, you're Canadian... Otherwise I would have shown you the MicroCenter deals on X850XT's... Have fun gaming

 

[Hadsus]

Originally posted by: Wentelteefje
Ah, you're Canadian... Otherwise I would have shown you the MicroCenter deals on X850XT's... Have fun gaming

I don't think your source carries it.

 

[Hadsus]

I followed up via phone call.....not on Microcenter's website 'cause they are out of stock and have no guesstimate of when they will be in-stock again.