Video card problems and general upgrades

[AvatarD]

Hey-
So back in 2002 I built this rig (with LOTS of help from the AnandTech Forums), and haven't done much since then. The basics go like this:

AMD Athlon XP 2100+ (1730MHz)
Chaintech Apogee 7VJL mobo
512 MB Corsair PC2700 DDR
Gainward 650XP Nvidia Geforce 4 TI4200
Audigy Sound Blaster MP3+
2 Maxtor drives totalling 280GB

Here's the issue: besides that fact that it's old in general and I can't really do much of anything anymore, recently I had a problem where while trying to watch a DVD, the whole computer froze and then just restarted. Now, when it restarted, everything on the screen was kind of garbled - from the BIOS startup right through Windows. I could see everything, but it's like there are these blocks that run vertically across the screen and slightly distort everything. I had greater issues including an inability to get into windows and some other problems, which, once I disabled my video card, went away (sort 0f).

So, I'm running without a video card, though the screen still has these yellow and blue columns running across it (that get bigger at lower resolutions and smaller at higher; and it shows up on an alternate monitor as well). After reinstalling DirectX and video drivers all to no avail, I've pretty much resigned myself to a video card that's finally bit it.

Two questions:
1) Has anyone had a problem similar to this before? I'm pretty much just assuming it's the video card, but I'd hate to get a new one and find out I have the same problem

2) Ideas for the best way to upgrade? Obviously since I'm pursuing this route, buying/building a whole new system isn't really in the cards financially. The obvious (and cheapest) start is to get up to 1GB RAM (it is LONG overdue after all). Looking at this article, I had started looking at the Radeon X1900 XT. So really, the question is everything else. Are my mobo and CPU just holding me back at this point? If I change out my mobo, will I be able to find something new that will still fit a majority of the parts I have now? What type of configurations would you try?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[PurdueRy]

I don't believe the x1900XT comes in AGP so you would have to get a new mobo for that card. If you wanted to keep the ram you would have to go socket 939. This would obviously result in a changing of the CPU also. The only part you would be keeping would be the RAM.

They way I see it, I would just try and do a full upgrade(RAM+proc+gfx+mobo) to a socket AM2 system. At least then you have something a bit more upgradeable/better

 

[myocardia]

There never has been, and never will be, a Socket A motherboard with PCI-E. Of course, your 1.7 Ghz XP couldn't supply it with the data that it needs, anyway. When I first upgraded to a Skt. 754 Athlon 64, my 3dMark 2k1 score nearly doubled, with the same 9800 Pro video card, and the same RAM that I had used in my 2.5 Ghz Athlon XP-M-based system.

I would buy this video card, if I were you: 9800SE, although, if you're considering upgrading to an AGP Skt. 754 Athlon 64 anytime soon, get this one: X1600 Pro. I've got one in my system that has a Skt. 754 3700 (2.4 Ghz at stock speed, 1MB L2 cache).

This is how it does in that system, with F.E.A.R.: @ 1024x768 and 4x AF, @ 1152x864 and 4x AF, and @ 1280x960 with 4x AF.

Like I was saying to begin with, though, your processor and your RAM will be your bottlenecks, with either of those video cards that I linked to. Of course, even that 9800SE will still be alot faster, and handle AA and AF alot better than your Ti4200.

 

[AvatarD]

Wow...yea, I guess that goes to show how long I've been totally out of it. I hadn't even stopped to consider the whole AGP/PCI issue. Well, thanks for the advice. I think it's time for a new approach to this problem. A full overhaul like PurdueRy suggested might be the only way to go